Recommend me a pocket knife.

[StogieNinja]

I know lots of you are knife aficionados. The only knives Ive ever had are cheapos handed down from my dad. I'm interested in acquiring a small daily carry, something that fits in my pocket without too much weight.

Ideally:
-Very thin and lightweight
-around 3" when closed
-under $50

Any recommendations? (Pics are a plus!)

 

[Npeters7]

Find a USA made Case for in the pocket carry... Have always had great luck with all of mine

 

[ChuckMejia]

Gerber multitool

 

[99TRILLS]

My flavor of the week is the Kershaw shuffle II. It's super light and has a small multi tool with bottle opener at the top. Also can be had for $20 dollars online, so it won't break the bank of lost.

 

[mdwest]

If you can bump the budget to $56... Spyderco Delica...

Small, lightweight, and thin enough to go into slacks or a suit and not be obtrusive.. but robust enough to actually do something with... whether youre just wanting to open boxes, or cut a seatbelt off of someone in a rescue... It can handle the task..

Spyderco makes a great quality product for the price point.. that will literally last you the rest of your life..

Ive got both a Delica and an Endura that have both been with me since 1992.. still going strong..

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Delica4-Blk-Ffg-Plainedge/dp/B0089DFGIG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442709021&sr=8-1&keywords=spyderco delica 4 black

 

[Deadman's Point]

I had some good luck with a Kershaw Blur. Spring assist, USA made, and there were a few blade options. And that ^^^^

 

[D Quintero]

SRM Chinese knives are tops . very high tolerances , solid feel, g10 handles & good variety...
For $50 you can buy 3 - two for you and one to gift.

http://www.exduct.com/chinese-folding-knives/srm-folding-knives/dirDesc

 

[bassboat]

I've been carrying one or another Victorinox Swiss Army for 30+ years. A sturdy general purpose blade, a smaller blade that I keep razor sharp (self-surgery, etc) and scissors are indispensable. I'm a builder and abuse my tools, and these things hold up.

 

[luckysaturn13]

Was reading a cigar magazine last night... it said gurka has a new knife out msrp 200 can be f ound for 20 lol

 

[xjsnake]

I have many knives of many different price points; however this one lives in my pocket more than any other for two major reasons. 1) It's well made and holds up to a lot of abuse. 2) It isn't 'scary' looking when I pull it out and use it.

BTW its stupidly light weight.

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/swiss-army-secretary-alox-pocket-pal?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=SA54289&zmam=18093142&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=SA54289&gclid=CjwKEAjwsvmvBRCT5ozK-dmY7D4SJACyIoJmgNYo4yl1oRGTB1wGUEwMdK6epwlD7hpcTbnchNRbDxoCTMfw_wcB

 

[Smoqman]

All great responses by folks who are well-versed in bladeology
And not to hijack - but in addition to finding a great knife, may I ask how all of you keep your blades really sharp?

 

[Tennessee Dave]

I recommend you spend just a little bit more and get yourself a GEC traditional pocketknife. Many patterns, blade configurations and handles to chose from. Handmade right here in the good ole USA. Great Eastern Cutlery.
Here are a few examples.

 

[Smoqman]

Beautiful knives Dave!

 

[xjsnake]

All great responses by folks who are well-versed in bladeology
And not to hijack - but in addition to finding a great knife, may I ask how all of you keep your blades really sharp?

Ceramic and diamond stones, a good strop, and lots of practice...

 

[Tennessee Dave]

The GEC knives I like are carbon steel so I just use a bit of oil and a good stone.

 

[rdomfoto]

One note - knife laws in Washington state are vague but, for the most part, fairly reasonable. A quick search shows that, in several counties and cities, any blade length over 3" could (not will, but could) be considered a "dangerous weapon", especially if it "causes alarm" in someone who sees it.

If it's anything like Chicago, you'll probably be fine with a blade length no longer than 4". Illinois has rather decent knife laws but the city of Chicago has placed further restrictions on them, such as a maximum blade length of 3". That being said, those additional laws typically only come into play as secondary offenses (when police arrest gang bangers, they can add the knife offense). So I have no concern carrying my 3.5" bladed Gerber into the city with me because the police really don't care about me.

That being said, my new Kershaw Leek has a 3" blade which I bought specifically to adhere to all Illinois knife laws.

Just something to keep in mind when you're deciding on your EDC blade.

 

[sofc]

All great responses by folks who are well-versed in bladeology
And not to hijack - but in addition to finding a great knife, may I ask how all of you keep your blades really sharp?

I buy new ones.

 

[joe45]

All great responses by folks who are well-versed in bladeology
And not to hijack - but in addition to finding a great knife, may I ask how all of you keep your blades really sharp?

Spyderco Sharpmaker can't be beat.

As for the knife, I'd second the spyderco delica recommendation. Mine isn't quite as old as Dave's, but I still carry an endura (larger sized Delia) regularly from around '98 or so.

Crkt would also be worth looking at as they have a good selection in that price range.

 

[stukibuilt]

For a cheap knife, I'd say look at Kershaw. I don't really own any knives in the price range you are looking at anymore, but the biggest consideration I think about is locking mechanism (having it close on your fingers is a buzz kill) and blade steel. Maybe search on blade forums and see if you can get a nicer knife in a group buy or lightly used.

As for sharpening, I've never seen an edge as sharp as I have with paper wheel sharpening. I don't have the rig to do it so I send them out, but to be honest I haven't needed to have the blades touched up after having them done.

 

[sofc]

I recommend you spend just a little bit more and get yourself a GEC traditional pocketknife. Many patterns, blade configurations and handles to chose from. Handmade right here in the good ole USA. Great Eastern Cutlery.
Here are a few examples.
View attachment 70570 View attachment 70571 View attachment 70572 View attachment 70573

I'm guessing those are more than a little more than his budget.