Affordable EDC Knife

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Praxidike said:
They look more like kitchen knives than self defense and/or utility knives. How would you rate the Opinel to the Izula? (I know there's a price gap, but still interested in knowing)
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I don't have any experience with the Izula brand except to say that they ain't cheap!
 
Radagast said:
The Opinel is a French peasant's pocket knife. They are very sharp out of the box, with an easy to sharpen high carbon steel blade. They are also very light weight. They have a simple but strong useful locking collar. They are also quite cheap.

Downsides are two handed opening, the birch handle will swell if wet, making them hard to open and close. The carbon steel will tarnish easily, but there are stainless versions available if that is an issue. I have a carbon steel no.8 that I use as a go to knife at home and in the office, also a high polish stainless & rosewood display knife just because.

I would not consider them a defensive knife due to the two handed deployment.
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I treat a new Carbon Steel Opinel blabe with yellow Mustard as sort of a controlled "tarnish", "patina" being the proper word I got the idea somewhere on line and it does work well.
I'll be glad to share the info!
 
I'm no knife expert, but I've become a Kershaw fan. The speedsafe system is by far the best one-handed opening scheme I've tried. I'm not even sure what model I have, but all the ones at this link: http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&itemsperpage=24&dimensionids=4294845986&newcategorydimensionid=19850&searchscope=all have the same stainless blade, which has been extremely durable in my experience. The link above to Midway should bring up all the speedsafe Kershaws they carry, which are currently on sale with free shipping. Only reason I know is because my new 'Thermite' just arrived Friday. Prices run from under $20 to around $50.
 
Yo Mama said:
How so? Ever time I have seen someone break a Kabar they have taken care of it. Esee has a great warranty, but that doesn't mean Kabar's suck.
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I didn't mean that KA-BAR's warranty sucks as a whole, but I was saying that compared to ESEE, KA-BAR's warranty was inferior.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY

KA-BAR Knives, Inc. (the "Company") warrants, to the original purchaser of the knife only, that this knife will be free from defects in material and craftsmanship under normal use and maintenance for the lifetime of the original purchaser. This Limited Warranty does not apply to any failure of, defect in, or damage to the knife caused by normal wear and tear or by improper use, including batoning with or throwing the knife, using the blades as a can opener, chisel, pry bar, screwdriver, digging tool, or for any heavy work for which the knife was not designed.
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ESEE ® Warranty

NO QUESTIONS ASKED WARRANTY:

If you break it, we will replace it. Warranty is lifetime and transferable. In other words, we warranty the knife no matter how many times it's been traded, sold or given away - no sales receipt or proof of purchase required.

A lot of folks have asked us how we can stay in business offering such great customer service and warranty protection. The answer is simple; we believe that American consumers, as a whole, are honest people. The occasional customers who are dishonest are few and far between, so even if we lose every once in a while due to dishonesty, our reputation of great customer service, regardless of the situation, brings us more good customers.
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I will never be asked for a receipt or proof of purchased to prove I'm the original owner because the warranty follows the knife with ESEE. ESEE will fix broken or misused knives no questions asked, but that would not pertain to me anyway. Both company do not cover rust or normal wear and tear.

Other than the transferable warranty being a resale plus, I guess as far as I'm concerned, it's kind of the same warranty.
 
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their warranty sucks compared to ESEE's
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That's not correct. KaBar's warranty is excellent and their customer service is excellent. They don't tolerate stupidity and abuse of the product, but they make a lot of allowances for extreme need.

You have to explain what you need in an EDC before anyone can do more than give a scatter response.

You've set a price limit of $25 so that gives people an upper bound on cost.
You started saying you wanted a folder, but you appear to have expanded to a small fixed blade. Is that correct?
Do you want a locking folder?
Do you want a one hand opening folder?
Does the steel have to be resistant to rust or will you care for a carbon steel blade?
What primary task will you do each and every day with the knife? What's the most extreme task you've done that you expect the $25 knife to do? Do you expect it to be usable after such an extreme?
The ESSEs are well above the $25 you stated for your target knife so why is it under consideration?
 
hso said:
That's not correct. KaBar's warranty is excellent and their customer service is excellent. They don't tolerate stupidity and abuse of the product, but they make a lot of allowances for extreme need.

You have to explain what you need in an EDC before anyone can do more than give a scatter response.

You've set a price limit of $25 so that gives people an upper bound on cost.
You started saying you wanted a folder, but you appear to have expanded to a small fixed blade. Is that correct?
Do you want a locking folder?
Do you want a one hand opening folder?
Does the steel have to be resistant to rust or will you care for a carbon steel blade?
What primary task will you do each and every day with the knife? What's the most extreme task you've done that you expect the $25 knife to do? Do you expect it to be usable after such an extreme?
The ESSEs are well above the $25 you stated for your target knife so why is it under consideration?
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I don't doubt that there warranty is reasonable and their customer service is excellent. But to me as in my opinion, I didn't like the fact that the warranty didn't follow the knife and I liked the fact that ESEE will fix their knives no questions asked. In that respect, it was my opinion that the one warranty (not customer service) was better than the other.

Yes, I was looking for a folder, but while researching everyone's suggestion on this site and others (knife forums, Amazon reviews, Youtube reviews and comments, etc), I saw many comments and videos pertaining to fixed blades and cons of folders that I didn't know I didn't know.

I knew very little about knives before this thread, so I appreciate the comments and suggestion everyone gave because they lead me down the path of realizing what was best for me & I narrowed my choices down between the $40 Izula or the Ka-Bar BK14. I figured the extra $15 was worth it.

You can close the thread now if you wish.
 
The Izula and the BK14 are pretty much equivalent knives with the exception of the ergos for the blade tip (minor). Good choices regardless.
 
I don't doubt that there warranty is reasonable and their customer service is excellent. But to me as in my opinion, I didn't like the fact that the warranty didn't follow the knife and I liked the fact that ESEE will fix their knives no questions asked. In that respect, it was my opinion that the one warranty (not customer service) was better than the other.

Yes, I was looking for a folder, but while researching everyone's suggestion on this site and others (knife forums, Amazon reviews, Youtube reviews and comments, etc), I saw many comments and videos pertaining to fixed blades and cons of folders that I didn't know I didn't know.

I knew very little about knives before this thread, so I appreciate the comments and suggestion everyone gave because they lead me down the path of realizing what was best for me & I narrowed my choices down between the $40 Izula or the Ka-Bar BK14. I figured the extra $15 was worth it.

You can close the thread now if you wish.
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Good pick! At first I thought you were looking for a folding knife. The Izula though that you're looking at doesn't come with scales. You can always make them, or paracord it.

I understand your point of the warranty.

In regards to learning about blades, this forum was responsible for many of my purchases. We'll see your next thread in about 2 months from now asking about a new edc :)
 
Sam Cade said:
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You should redo this pic with $25...
 
My input....

As a armed professional, I got in the habit of buying/carrying small tanto type blades with serraded edges that included seat-belt cutters & glass breakers.
Over the years, I've used the blade for 85-90% of the chores more than a critical incident(accident) but I like the added safety features. ;)
About 3 years ago, a small plane crashed in a suburban area near me. A few by-standers & "switched on" chappies ran to the site to aid the victims. They cut the restraints & extracted the injured quickly with small pocket type knives/tools.
In the $20-30.00 USD range, Id see brands like S&W(Border Guard II) CRKT SOG Gerber Buck Stryder.
I'd save up & get a Ernest Emerson CQC series or a top brand like Benchmade, Cold Steel, Blackhawk/MoD, etc.

Some like the "auto" type styles but check the laws or statues near you before you buy any new edged weapons or knives. Some models or blade lengths may be illegal.
 
I actually just got my Kershaw Cyro in the mail yesterday and carried it all day. 2.75" flat ground 8cr13mov blade and frame. Frame locking assisted flip TiNi treated blade and body.
SUPER tight lock-up thanks to the frame lock, easy opening, very good looking knife. probably gonna either move or loose the clip and use a lanyard. I'm amazed by this knife at the upper 20 dollar price range.

Being said, I looked at all the small fixed blade knives really hard about a year ago and picked up a 6 dollar KaBar Piggy Back. I Parawrapped the handle and put a little lanyard on the grip and it sits perfect with just the last 1/4-1/2" of grip sticking out and my lanyard tail makes it easy to grab but perfectly hidden (since it's so light and flat!)
The drop point hollow ground blade design is exactly what I wanted. The blade is nice and thick with all kinds of jimping. The steel is perfectly serviceable but not fantastic. I don't mind sharpening it a little more often for how perfectly ideal it is for me in every other way. It does hold a pretty good edge for longer than any Gerber I ever owned, I will say that. This knife is an absolute steal at the 6 bucks I paid!
 
gotboostvr said:
I actually just got my Kershaw Cyro in the mail yesterday and carried it all day. 2.75" flat ground 8cr13mov blade and frame. Frame locking assisted flip TiNi treated blade and body.
SUPER tight lock-up thanks to the frame lock, easy opening, very good looking knife. probably gonna either move or loose the clip and use a lanyard. I'm amazed by this knife at the upper 20 dollar price range.

Being said, I looked at all the small fixed blade knives really hard about a year ago and picked up a 6 dollar KaBar Piggy Back. I Parawrapped the handle and put a little lanyard on the grip and it sits perfect with just the last 1/4-1/2" of grip sticking out and my lanyard tail makes it easy to grab but perfectly hidden (since it's so light and flat!)
The drop point hollow ground blade design is exactly what I wanted. The blade is nice and thick with all kinds of jimping. The steel is perfectly serviceable but not fantastic. I don't mind sharpening it a little more often for how perfectly ideal it is for me in every other way. It does hold a pretty good edge for longer than any Gerber I ever owned, I will say that. This knife is an absolute steal at the 6 bucks I paid!
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I ended up ordering a folder anyway from Kershawguy a couple of days ago... Got the Sandvik 14C28N stainless Kershaw Blur for $38 shipped. Only $13 more than I planned on spending w/o having to pay for shipping and having to buy paracord. After watching/reading about eventual rust problems and wearing off of the protective finish of the 1095 fixed blades on Youtube and other blade forums, I decided to go with a stainless Sandvik blade... I had rust problems with a couple of my firearms over the winter, and rather bypass all the extra maintenance and worry. Plus it helped that several people in this thread and in other threads at bladeforums were recommending Kershaws as well...

ESEE claims to be coming out with a stainless, hopefully Sandvik, version of their knives. I'll prob. will pick one up when they, if they, ever do.
 
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The knife is for fighting and utility, not just utility. Your grip will be different and stress will change the pressure your hand exerts on the knife. This can lead to pressure on the liner lock. Do you want to risk that lock releasing and the blade closing across your fingers as you stab with everything you have? This is one reason why I stopped carrying Spyderco knives.

Choose a small fixed blade over a cheap folder. It seems to me that the Axis lock is still the most secure lock, though CRKT has their two step lock that seems secure.
 
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tomrkba said:
The knife is for fighting and utility, not just utility. Your grip will be different and stress will change the pressure your hand exerts on the knife. This can lead to pressure on the liner lock. Do you want to risk that lock releasing and the blade closing across your fingers as you stab with everything you have? This is one reason why I stopped carrying Spyderco knives.

Choose a small fixed blade over a cheap folder. It seems to me that the Axis lock is still the most secure lock, though CRKT has their two step lock that seems secure.
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That's one of the reasons why I change my mind to wanting a fixed blade. They'll hold up better in survival and self defense situations as well as doing daily task. With that said, I have not heard of too many stories about Spydercos or Kershaws or the like easily closing up under pressure. The chances me being in an altercation to begin with, my firearm failing or not being able to be used, AND my folder closing up on me is pretty slim to none.

Either way, I know its a slight possibility, and I plan on buying both. The folder is better anyway for when I'm at work and like places. My job will probably see a fixed blade as being a weapon only, so it'll help to have a folder as well.
 
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I don't like liner locks if anything other than general utility is in the offing. I'd rather have a lockback if I'm limited to an inexpensive folder.

If you aren't going to do a lot of abusive stuff with it, take a look at the Kabar Dozier Folding Hunter With Thumb Notch - http://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-Dozier...8&qid=1398646021&sr=8-6&keywords=kabar+dozier

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-- image at http://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/45

My wife is the proverbial absent minded professor, and used to sow the world with Spyderco Enduras - but none of them ever sprouted or bore fruit, unfortunately. When the Kabar/Dozier knife first appeared I bought one to look at and test and it did well, so I bought half a dozen of them. And I told her she could lose a $20 knife just as well as she could a more expensive one. She whined a little at first :D but soon grew to like the Kabars - especially since I could keep her 'reserves' clean and sharp and all she had to do was pick up another one when the one she was carrying got dull and gummed up with tape stickum.

We're still working with that original half dozen - I think it's down to four now though.
 
if you can go with fixed blade id recommend the TDI Ka-Bar 2 1/4" serrated.
 
I'm no knife expert, but I've become a Kershaw fan. The speedsafe system is by far the best one-handed opening scheme I've tried.
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This goes for me too.
I bought a Kershaw 'Needs Work' for...well....work. After about two years of rough farm use, I'm convinced it's the best work knife I ever had.
I liked it so well that I bought the slimmer 'Chive' for casual carry.
Both are super-sharp and lightning fast. I highly recommend either.
Made in USA. About $35.00
 
Sam Cade said:
The Needs Work is one of my favorite production utility folders, especially the long discontinued ones with the flat G10 scales.
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I love their naming schemes lol.

My Kershaw Blur came in today. I ordered it from KershawGuy Friday afternoon, he shipped it from Washington State Saturday, and it arrived here in Virginia Monday (today). That's pretty darn fast especially being that it was a cross country weekend delivery...

3626174176_a460ce3f1a.jpg

JERRY said:
if you can go with fixed blade id recommend the TDI Ka-Bar 2 1/4" serrated.
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I was looking at those, but they don't seem to be very versatile.

Fred Fuller said:
I don't like liner locks if anything other than general utility is in the offing. I'd rather have a lockback if I'm limited to an inexpensive folder.

If you aren't going to do a lot of abusive stuff with it, take a look at the Kabar Dozier Folding Hunter With Thumb Notch - http://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-Dozier...8&qid=1398646021&sr=8-6&keywords=kabar+dozier

-- image at http://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/45

My wife is the proverbial absent minded professor, and used to sow the world with Spyderco Enduras - but none of them ever sprouted or bore fruit, unfortunately. When the Kabar/Dozier knife first appeared I bought one to look at and test and it did well, so I bought half a dozen of them. And I told her she could lose a $20 knife just as well as she could a more expensive one. She whined a little at first :D but soon grew to like the Kabars - especially since I could keep her 'reserves' clean and sharp and all she had to do was pick up another one when the one she was carrying got dull and gummed up with tape stickum.

We're still working with that original half dozen - I think it's down to four now though.
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I actually like the look (colors) of those... Might grab a pink one for my girlfriend.

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Why are you down to four now? What happened to the other two? Don't tell me the wife lost them too lol.
 
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Yes, two of the Kabars went the way of all folding knives in our household. They've lasted several years though, so I can't complain.

Somewhere she found the Spyderco Native that I had tried for a while and replaced in my EDC with something else, and has added that to her clutch. She usually carries two folders at a time, one on each side (the clips are reversible), and when she complains about the state of her knives I clean and sharpen whatever's left :D. That way she can dump whatever gets sticky or dull and just pick up a sharp clean folder. When they all get sticky or dull, I hear about it.
 
Proud Owner of 2 Knives

Okay well I started off wanting a cheap but quality replacement for a lost knife, but some how ended up going over budget by over 400%. I just got done lecturing my girlfriend about spending money, and now I go and buy two new some what expensive knives that I can't tell her how much they cost lol. Plus she only knows about one of them so far...

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The last pic is of all the toys that I quietly purchased within the last month.
 
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