Hey guys!
I’m looking for a good pocket knife to pick up as it looks like I lost my old one while moving. Any recommendations as to what kind of knife to get?
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- I like one with a Tanto-style blade and a half serrated edge. That is a pretty versatile combination as an EDC.
- I prefer a modestly priced blade in case it gets abused or lost.
- A blade length of 3-3.5" is long enough for my needs.
- a Multi-tool is also useful, but in most cases I would prefer a dedicated knife + a separate multi-tool over using the knife which is part of the multi-tool unless weight was at an absolute premium.
- lock-blade knives are much safer to use than a plain folder.
I’ve been pretty happy with this blade. I initially found one at Tractor Supply Company, and later found a differently colored but equivalent replacement (see, point #1, above) at Amazon for cheaper. At a little over $10 delivered (via Prime), you can almost consider them disposable.
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Lol, a cheap knife. I had a $4 Amazon knife for a couple years. It had a 440C blade. For me it worked. I kept it extremely sharp that it would shave. I actually used it once to shave my head. Anyway, that $4 knife kept me in the habit of not loosing a knife, well if I lost the $4 one, I didn’t really care. I never lost it, the screws just ended up falling out of it. I now carry just a plain jane DeWalt knife while at work, I do also carry a Gerber multi tool, though it doesn’t have a knife blade. When I’m home or not in work uniform, I carry a Kershaw.
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What kind of knife did you previously have? and how much do you care about steel types, handle material, and cost?
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Awesome! Thanks for all the tips and for the recommendation. I’m definitely on board with spending less on a knife as I do have a tendency to misplace things…
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You guys are speaking my language with the low-cost approach 
What kind of Kershaw do you carry?
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To be honest I’m not sure! I got it at Target years ago lol. I don’t know very much about steel types and don’t care too much about handle material. I’d like to stay at or under the $30 price point since I don’t have much confidence in myself to keep track of it.
My main concern is getting a good quality knife for the price. One that will get sharp and hold its edge.
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I know some knife fanatics who carry two knives: a cheap “loaner“ knife and an expensive “special” knife only they use. I only do the first half, though I often also carry a SOG multitool.
As an aside, pawn shops are good places to go shopping for multi tools, as long as you stick to known brands like SOG, Gerber, Victorinox, or Leatherman.
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I will have to look when I get home. I do not recall but I know I got it in a moving sale, when a local gun store was moving.
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I really like the Kershaw Leek. Its classy but not expensive (and comes in a lot of finishes and is assisted opening) although if you are somebody who abuses the tips of knives as screwdrivers they do snap pretty easily ( I might have lost a knife or two that way…)
I switch between that and a Gerber EAB knife. The Gerber is a good looking, small replaceable blade knife. Because of that it’s always sharp.
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Ken onion all the way
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I feel as if I might be stating the obvious here, but have you considered making your own? We have all the supplies to do it at the makerspace, and if you’re not looking for something super high performance, you can probably make a decent knife from scrap steel you can get at a junkyard. or if you are looking for high performance steel, you can order small quantities from metal supermarkets relatively cheaply
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I’d love to make my own! I’ve never worked with steel before though so I’m not sure how I would go about doing so. I’d love to learn!
The question that I find myself wondering that it doesn’t seem like anyone has asked is:
What do you use it for?
Once that question is answered, been recommendations for an actual, functional knife can be given instead of people’s Hang-Ups on specific brand names…
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As MadScists points out, #1 question should be about your use. I carry a Ken Onion Chive daily for years that I’ve been thrilled with (one hand open and close, fantastic quality, incredible customer service, etc.), but some would never be able to get by with such a small knife. If you were able to lay out some personal specifics I bet this group could narrow your search down to two or three exceptional choices.
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There are plenty of how-to videos and instructions online. There are also quite a few people at makerspace who could probably teach you. Tagging @Team_Hatchers
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This is the one I have, not too expensive.
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I suppose that is the important question! I mainly use it as an edc/general use knife. Just something to have on me whenever I might need it. I don’t really use pocket knives for anything super labor intensive.
Very nice. Right up the alley of what I’m looking for. I’m going to do some browsing in Kershaw’s listings but I will likely go with the one you linked.
Ok, cool!
To be honest, the knife I carry I have used it for cutting plastic, straps, zip ties, hoses, and even wiring up to 8ga and all I do is hone it with the steel that came with my knife block.
Basically it’s an everyday use knife, easy to open one handed.
The funny thing is that I bought it from walmart on clearance for $2 and have had it for 3 years.
Usually, for working knives I go for the cheap (under $10) knives that way if I break the tip, the whole blade, chip the edge, ect it doesn’t bother me. I just swing by and get another one.
Years ago in a different life with a different job, i carried Cold Steel, Spyderco, Ka-bar and Benchmade. But you by knives for your job, not because you want something pretty with a brand name in your pocket to show off to your friends.
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