Best Pocket Knife?

[Tasmaniac]

I'm thinking of buying the Buck 112. I just need something that's good for whittling and other small tasks but isn't too bulky/heavy. I'm not going to be using it to skin a deer or anything.

The 112 is about the right size but it's a bit heavier than I would like.

[Lerka Lerka]

I have several Buck knives... all 110 models I think. Lost in a jacket for a season or two, left one at a friends ranch and returned next season, etc. So I have a couple of them. Point being I bought the same knife. It looks as though the 112 model is the same knife, just a bit smaller? I can tell you the 110 is sturdy as hell and a well-built knife. Easy to clean. It is bit bulky though. I usually wear it in a sheath when hunting. It holds a razor sharp edge and is a solid, solid knife. Buy one for life (or a few if you misplace things).

I also have a Gerber that has a safety trigger deal and a clip on it- which is handy to clip onto your pants pocket or inside coat pocket. I like it to.

That's all I got.

[Tasmaniac]

Thanks, Lerka.

Yeah... the 112 is a little smaller than the 110. I had a 110 and it was the best knife I ever had until I lost the damn thing last year.

[TOR]

I like the little Gerber skeleton frames with the clip, too; very handy. Had a larger one but it was too bulky and this one does everything I need.

[pescado_rojo]

I'm a big Kershaw fan, myself.
This one looks about the right size:

http://www.kershawknives.com/product...&brand=kershaw

[e]

Check out assisted opening knives:

I carry the SOG Flash II (2nd from the left) almost everyday. Great knife. Affordable, and it's fun to open.

[Jive Turkey]

don't go to Seattle with it.

[Tasmaniac]

Damn. That Kershaw seems to be about the same size as the Buck 112 (a bit smaller) but it only weighs 1.8 ounces. The Buck weighs 5.6 ounces. That's a pretty damn substantial difference.

I'm going to look into that and the Gerbers as well before defaulting to Buck (even though I think they are damn solid knives).

Edit: Posted before I saw e's video. I think I need to do a lot more research.

[Lerka Lerka]

Follow up Tas - Here's the Gerber I have, except mine has a serrated blade. No comlaints with it. Not nearly as sturdy in the hand as the Buck feels though and perhaps even a bit big in the pocket as well, but the clip deal kind of makes that a moot point. Overall, I like it. And the price is reasonable at $29.

http://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-F...w-22-07162.php

[ajax]

My problem with Gerber is you have no idea what kind of steel they use.

[Blain]

I'm a big Kershaw fan, myself.
This one looks about the right size:

http://www.kershawknives.com/product...&brand=kershaw

This man speaks the truuf.

[ajax]

At 1.8 oz, that Kershaw probably doesn't a proper liner in the frame. The handle is going to bend like a mofo under heavy use.

[ajax]

You didn't say what your budget is, but for a good budget folding knife I would say a good option is a Spyderco Tenacious.

The steel is decent, it's pretty good quality and you can get one from Amazon for ~$27 shipped.

If money is no object, then get a Sebenza or a Strider. I personally would never spend that much money on a folding knife not matter how much money I had.

[Tasmaniac]

The Buck 112 is about $40 at Amazon. I have Prime so there wouldn't be any shipping fee.

So I think somewhere between $30 and $50 would be my budget.

[TOR]

Heard good things about the Spyderco. Damn Tas, I need to buy a new blade this weekend, obviously.

[Tasmaniac]

Researching this is pretty cool. My dad gave me the Buck 110 a long, long time ago so this is the first time I've ever bought a pocket knife. There are a $#@! ton of options.

[ajax]

Are you set on a folding knife? How about a fixed blade?

If you're going to be doing whittling and outdoorsy stuff take a look at the Mora 2000. I have one and it's great. Keep in mind that most fixed blade knives are $$$$. This is a high quality, but CHEAP fixed blade so it's not going to last you forever.

[Tasmaniac]

That Mora looks amazing but I'm pretty set on buying another folding knife.

[tigolbiddies]

I'm a big Kershaw fan, myself.
This one looks about the right size:

http://www.kershawknives.com/product...&brand=kershaw

Got that one for my brother-in-law for Christmas like 5 years ago. Every Christmas he raves about it.

Also, I believe Kershaw is the parent company of Shun kitchen knives.

[Tasmaniac]

This is the one I've been considering but now I'm not so sure.

[ajax]

Here's one for you consideration - the SOG Aegis. Looks really nice in the digicamo. But I just checked the prices. It's about $20 above your price range. Regardless, this is an entertaining and informative review.

Remember what I said about a frame liner - this one doesn't have a liner either but it looks a little bit tougher than the Kershaw.

[kangsta]

Check out assisted opening knives:

I carry the SOG Flash II (2nd from the left) almost everyday. Great knife. Affordable, and it's fun to open.

I also have the SOG Flash II. Love it. Carry it every day. Awesome knife

[judge roybeanbag]

I'll have to take pictures of my collection. I have 12 pocketknives, ranging from Buck to Barlow to Case to no-name brands. Most were inherited from Uncles, Grandparents etc. I'd take pics now but 2 of my favorites are missing and my son, who's the likely culprit, isn't home.

[handcruser]

Gerber Answer 3.25 Tanto is my next purchase. Went to Academy tonight to get it and they were out.

After that, I am getting the Gerber LMF. It's awesome.

[4th and 5]

http://www.crkt.com/Ripple-3125-Blad...de-Blue-Scales

Not a cheap knife, that's for sure, but I would give up all my other knives before I would give up this one.

[hornimal]

emerson knives take a beating and stay pretty sharp

[Harley1200N]

http://www.thespydercostore.com/Spyd...ife-p/c28s.htm

I have what looks like this knife. It's been 13 years so the model name might have changed. The stainless still looks pretty new and I like the clip on it. The tip is still pretty sharp even when my ex girlfriend tried to use it as a screwdriver a few years ago

[Tasmaniac]

I'm really thinking about the Kershaw Leek.

[handcruser]

[handcruser]

True Story from the field of the Gerber LMF II: “I’m here writing this letter because Gerber’s new LMF II worked just like you said it would. My spotter and I set our position over a section of roard where there had been a great deal of IED’s (improvised explosive devices) placed. There was no moon and it was dark as it could get. This meant I would be able to see the bad guys with my NVG’s (night vision glasses), and they would not be able to see us… which is the way a soldier likes it.
As we began to engage two targets, a larger contingent of bad guys arrived and started looking for us. I decided we should pull back, and I radioed for evacuation. We moved to a bombed-out compound and set up a defensive position to wait for the helicopter. We were then told that the helo had been diverted to a med evac and we would have to wait for our Bradleys, which were about 10 or 15 minutes out… no big deal.
Two of the bad guys moved into the compound. We were waiting for them to come into the open for a clearer shot. As luck would have it, they turned on a generator. Within seconds, the compound was lit up like a Wal-Mart parking lot, and the two men continued their search.
My spotter and I noticed two 220-volt power lines running along the wall to the floodlights. I remembered you telling me that the handle and butt cap of the LMF II knife were insulated and would not conduct electricity.
I have to admit I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the thought of having to cut the “hot lines,” but in battle you do what you have to do.
I moved over to the wall and wedged the knife behind the power lines and used my body weight to cut through the lines. I did turn my head and close my eyes.
I felt the heat from the lines arcing but that was it. I wasn’t electrocuted. Darkness returned and our cover was restored. We were able to re-engage while we waited for our evac. The knife blade had a couple of chunks eaten out of it by the high voltage, but when I got back to the compound I worked most of them out with a honing stone. You can still see where the blade was arced. Thank you and your company for this great knife.”
SPC Dillard Johnson
Platoon Sergeant
3rd ID 3-7 Cav

[ajax]

I'm really thinking about the Kershaw Leek.

The only thing I would warn against with that knife is the blade shape. You said you wanted to do some whittling. The straight-ish blade shape of the Leek with little to no sweep is going to make whittling a bit of a nightmare. I have a Boker G4 (google it) with a wharncliffe blade shape (even worse) and I haven't found anything it's good for other than stabbing people. I got it for a steal but it's basically useless to me. The Leek's blade shape is a little bit better but not much IMO.

[Tasmaniac]

Thanks, Ajax. It's sitting in my Amazon cart but I was waiting for feedback before final purchase.

There are a $#@! ton of options and I'm pretty clueless.

[ajax]

No problem.

Spend some time watching videos of that guy Nutnfancy (the reviewer of the SOG Aegis). He is by far the best reviewer of knives on Youtube. He has a lot of haters but man he is thorough and pretty entertaining. He has a lot of good points about utility and tradeoffs between weight and functionality. He talks about how any functional knife needs a good belly (width from blade edge to spine), so a knife like that super light Kershaw would be good for self defense but probably not for anything else. I think he's a little bit too strict on the weight issue but then again I'm not hiking miles and miles into the woods like he is. He's got a ton of reviews on youtube.

[Tasmaniac]

I really do appreciate everyone's advice on this thread. I think the answer is to buy a few knives. I think I'll buy the Buck 112 just because I love them and a Kershaw, SOG or Gerber for every day carry.

[Texas_Rocks]

I know this is not the kind of "pocket" knife that you're talking about, but everyone should have one of these on their key-chain. Probably the handiest thing that I've ever had in my pocket, with maybe the exception of a Proto Pipe.

[Bookman]

I like the little Gerber skeleton frames with the clip, too; very handy. Had a larger one but it was too bulky and this one does everything I need.

I have this knife, use it every day, and love it.

[mbtex]

I have a the Kershaw Leek. So far has been a good knife stays sharp. Also is made in the USA. I also have the same gerber open frame but does not stay as sharp as the Kershaw.

[cehorn]

You can't go wrong with a Kershaw. I used to carry a Kershaw Chive until I lost it, but I loved it. I am currently carrying a SOG Twitch II. I like it more than the Kershaw for a couple of reasons. Since I have small children I have to have a good safety to prevent the knife from opening unless you want it open. The SOG's safety (at least on my Twitch but other models look just as good) is by far the best safety I've seen on a knife. Second I like the clip on the SOG better. It is attached at the very top of the knife. As a result when the knife is clipped onto my pocket there is very little exposed above my pocket. It gets caught on less and makes it less noticeable. When looking at knives I also looked at the SOG Trident because of the sting cutting feature. It was just a little bigger than what I wanted to carry but I would maybe consider that knife in the future. As far as the performance of the blade, I haven't noticed any difference between the Kershaw and SOG. My 2 main deer cleaning knives are Gerber and you can't go wrong with that brand either.

I will say if I ever loose my Twitch II, I will get another one before any other pocket knife. I found mine at $#@!'s if you want to take a look at them. You can definitely get them online cheaper though.

[next2naus]

these folks make amazing knives, well worth the money http://www.boker.de/us/pocket-knife.html

Gerber uses a variety of metals all of which are good http://www.wise4living.com/olknives/steel.htm

[suttree]

The Kershaw Ken Onion knives are fantastic. I have several. Assisted opening, great steel, great design.

[suttree]

Great knife as well. Doubles as a money clip.

[suttree]

FYI that's a Boker. They also make it with a straight edge (serrated or plain). The straight edge is very easy to sharpen. The design fits well in your hand, with your index finger going in the recessed half-moon hole.

I'm not a big fan of Buck or Gerber in terms of getting a good edge on them. Getting a Kershaw or a Boker to shave is a simple matter.

[TOR]

Yeah, my Gerber won't take an edge for $#@!, but I'm usually hacking up boxes or using it to pop screws anyway. Takes the abuse pretty well.

[capnamerca]

The wife just bought a benchmade that looks very similar to this - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...WK52G4TSZSGKT9. We're not huge knife people, but the salesguy at Cabela's indicated that the Benchmade's use a slightly better steel than Gerber. The same salesguy was also very high on Buck, FWIW. I can say that, while the benchmade isn't an assisted-open knife, the action is FAR smoother than any of the other one-handed-open knives she tried. It's smooth like butter. Oh, and 100% american-made

[Texas_Rocks]

I know this is not the kind of "pocket" knife that you're talking about, but everyone should have one of these on their key-chain. Probably the handiest thing that I've ever had in my pocket, with maybe the exception of a Proto Pipe.

This was one of my finest posts.

[TOR]

This was one of my finest posts.

You are only allowed to 'this' yourself on the 4Loko, TR.

[ajax]

I love talking about knives.

these folks make amazing knives, well worth the money http://www.boker.de/us/pocket-knife.html

I have a few Bokers. Their quality runs the gamut. Their Boker Plus brand is pretty good but their Boker Magnum line tends to be pretty low quality.

Gerber uses a variety of metals all of which are good http://www.wise4living.com/olknives/steel.htm

That may be true, but unless something has recently changed Gerber doesn't tell you what steel they use on any particular knife.

With other manufacturers they'll tell you this is S30V, VG10, or AUS8. Gerber doesn't. If this has changed, then that's great.

[Texas_Rocks]

You are only allowed to 'this' yourself on the 4Loko, TR.

haha! It wasn't actually a "this". I was really making light of the fact that my post was utterly unintelligible. Probably still one of my best.

[ajax]

I know this is not the kind of "pocket" knife that you're talking about, but everyone should have one of these on their key-chain. Probably the handiest thing that I've ever had in my pocket, with maybe the exception of a Proto Pipe.

I would agree with this with a caveat.



I have a Spyderco Byrd Finch on my keychain. The other day, one of my keys got caught inside the fingerhole and partially opened the blade. It started stabbing me in the leg, but didn't do too much damage. Now I ski a lot. I either need to remember to take it off my keychain whenever I do something really vigorous or take it permanently off my keychain, otherwise I could get stabbed good and deep while skiing.

So if you're going to use a keychain blade, make sure it's something that will never open accidentally.

[244335]

Bought myself one of these for Christmas. Best knife I've ever owned, seen, touched or even heard of (IMO).

Carson M-16 Special Forces, the M16-14SF (but they have a ton of other options):



http://www.crkt.com/M16-10-EDC-Black...WKS-Combo-Edge

http://www.knivesplus.com/CRKT-FOLDE...M16T-M16Z.HTML