EDC knife recommendations

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AverageDad

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First off, I never carry a knife unless I have a planned need for one. I also don't own a knife that cost over $20. Im looking to start carrying ccp and want to start carrying a flashlight and knife too. I work in a hospital and dress business casual, only use at work will be opening a envelope or box. Outside of work im a bluejeans, carhartt pants and t-shirt guy that does alot outdoors, hunts, fish, farm stuff ect. I dont mind dropping the coin on a nice knife but have no idea where to start. All advice is appreciated.
 
AverageDad said:
First off, I never carry a knife unless I have a planned need for one. I also don't own a knife that cost over $20. Im looking to start carrying ccp and want to start carrying a flashlight and knife too. I work in a hospital and dress business casual, only use at work will be opening a envelope or box. Outside of work im a bluejeans, carhartt pants and t-shirt guy that does alot outdoors, hunts, fish, farm stuff ect. I dont mind dropping the coin on a nice knife but have no idea where to start. All advice is appreciated.
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How much are you willing to spend? Theres so many good options out there. I have a few I was going to post for sale if you wanted to PM me.

Spyderco PM2 and PM3 is a great option for an everyday knife. You also cant go wrong with Benchmade. Those 2 brands can range from $90-300.

Some good budget brands will be Kershaw, Kizer and Boker. Also really decent knives.

Flashlight brands Streamlight, Fenix and Olight. Higher end would be Modlite and surefire.

I currently have a little of all the brands mentioned with plenty of use.
 
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Browse this thread for a couple days:

What blade are you carrying today?

Thought I'd post up an EDC type of thread to see what knife or multitool you folks were carry daily. I know that me, personally, I change it up between a few things. I dont carry one knife each day, but I also dont rotate out dozens of blades either. Today, and yesterday, it was the Leatherman...
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com

Ganzo knives are a decent option that won’t break the bank. The Firebird line has some nice ones. Generally $20-$30 range.

…and learn to sharpen them. 😎
 
You have publicly acknowledged the error of your ways.
Now let's find you a new edc knife!

As others posted above, what kind of budget do we have to work with for a new blade and light?
Saying what I like dosent help if it's way out of budget.
 
BigWaylon said:
Browse this thread for a couple days:

What blade are you carrying today?

Thought I'd post up an EDC type of thread to see what knife or multitool you folks were carry daily. I know that me, personally, I change it up between a few things. I dont carry one knife each day, but I also dont rotate out dozens of blades either. Today, and yesterday, it was the Leatherman...
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com

Ganzo knives are a decent option that won’t break the bank. The Firebird line has some nice ones. Generally $20-$30 range.

…and learn to sharpen them. 😎
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It's really crazy how a great knife can be had for under $50
 
Crkt CEO is great for the office environment, it's what I carry in the rare circumstance I find myself in one these days.

Out in the real world I carry a Kershaw Blur in S30V on the right and a Spyderco Delica wave with finger ring on the left.

But for a budget blade that will take a beating and ask for more this is hard to beat.

Eafengrow EF223 Folding Knife D2 Blade with G10 Handle Multi Pocket Knife Survival Outdoor Camping Survival (black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078XS77C...abc_3YW7HEDQNYDP1CJ8TX5E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
You will find real quick that knife selection is an opinion, and everyone has their favorite.

Do a lot of looking and handling as many knives as possible. Find one that feels good to you, in your hand, not what some one tells you need. Determine how much you want to spend and buy it. In knives, you typically get what you pay for, meaning the more you spend it is typically for better steel and handle material and the name brand.

Good luck on your search.
 
BBD280 said:
USA made Kershaw...... I like the Blur.
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Beat me to it. Must have opened mine 10k times by now and it still snaps open fast and locks up tight.

ETA: Just picked up a couple of those Eafengrow blades for $18.50 ea with Prime.
 
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AverageDad said:
Wanting to pick up both a blade and light for $300
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For business casual light try this little inexpensive but tough Streamlight under $32 … it uses either 1 CR123 or 1 AA battery and fits real easy into your pocket. It is on sale now but I don’t know how long … https://smile.amazon.com/Streamlight-88061-ProTac-Professional-Tactical/dp/B01G75P1SC … I have a couple and they are plenty bright even with a AA battery in a pinch for 95% of the jobs you might use it for.
 
Streamlight Stylus Pro makes for a nice light. Much slimmer than a lot of options. Rechargeable and AAAx2 versions. Several color options. Plenty bright for a majority of your needs.
 
Another vote for kershaw had several over the years and carried them in business casual environment. Reason for multiples is lost one and had one stolen and reason i tend to lean toward budget friendly knives. The little 1 aaa or 1 aa streamlights also carry well and wont break the bank.
 
AverageDad said:
Wanting to pick up both a blade and light for $300
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Benchmade 535-3 or Zero Tolerance 0450 or 0450cf.
Either of those lightweight knives can be carried business casual and not look like a machete to co workers. Both are manual open and can be open and closed easily with one hand. The Benchmade comes standard with a deep carry pocket clip.
Try to find a local dealer that carries both brands. Looking at specs online is different than having the knife in your hand.
For a light, a Streamlight microstream usb with 250 lumens or the macrostream usb at 500 lumens will be light weight and both have a deep carry pocket clip.
 
Steel choices run the gamut but heat-treat and grind geometry are the deciding factors for me. Of course you can buy xxxxxx steel knives but if the grinds suck you’ll be unhappy. My edcs are an in pocket fixed blade, and a horizontally mounted fixed blade on my belt mid back.

Flashlights I prefer fenix but run others. After running streamlights hard for a previous job, I won’t buy another.


Have one custom made. I know a guy if you don’t. Cheap for what it is but he’s backed up forever because of it.
 
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For a lifetime tried and true knife take a look at a Benchmade 940 series. Excellent blade. Good for everything.

I only buy Fenix lights. Tough, great technology, long product line. They have many rechargeable pocket lights that have multiple modes.
 
AverageDad said:
Wanting to pick up both a blade and light for $300
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With that budget, you’ll have no problem getting a great light and a great knife.

For lights, check out the Streamlight Macrostream or the Streamlight Protac 90.

As for knives, I carry a Benchmade Adamas. Great knife, has served me well, but it does fall on the “big” side of carry knives. You’ve had some great knife sugggestions from those who have already posted here.
 
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Catfish said:
Beat me to it. Must have opened mine 10k times by now and it still snaps open fast and locks up tight.

ETA: Just picked up a couple of those Eafengrow blades for $18.50 ea with Prime.
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BlackGun said:
For a lifetime tried and true knife take a look at a Benchmade 940 series. Excellent blade. Good for everything.

I only buy Fenix lights. Tough, great technology, long product line. They have many rechargeable pocket lights that have multiple modes.
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Kershaw Blur and whichever Fenix light has the options you need.
20211103_102120.jpg
This has been my EDC set up for years...I've carried the Fenix almost every day for 11 years. The Blur is one of 4 I have had in rotation for at least 7 years. Kinda like carry guns, I've tried all sorts of varieties and keep coming back to these...
 
RR said:
Crkt CEO is great for the office environment, it's what I carry in the rare circumstance I find myself in one these days.

Out in the real world I carry a Kershaw Blur in S30V on the right and a Spyderco Delica wave with finger ring on the left.

But for a budget blade that will take a beating and ask for more this is hard to beat.

Eafengrow EF223 Folding Knife D2 Blade with G10 Handle Multi Pocket Knife Survival Outdoor Camping Survival (black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078XS77C...abc_3YW7HEDQNYDP1CJ8TX5E?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
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I bought one of these the same time I bought one of the Gerber Flatirons
Screenshot_20211103-115616.png

The fit and finish on the EF is far above the Gerber. Definitely a sleeper brand.
 
NCMedic said:
I bought one of these the same time I bought one of the Gerber Flatirons
View attachment 394239

The fit and finish on the EF is far above the Gerber. Definitely a sleeper brand.
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Yup. I have that one too. A little fat for EDC for me but when I'm doing maintenance work here at home or the rental house it's often along for the ride. It's a beast of a blade and can definitely take some use and abuse.
 
Knives and Flashlights are the two things I tend to collect and acquire... likely listing a lot of them soon to clear out space.

Current EDC knife has gone back to a Kershaw Cryo or Brohus MacDaddy and a Benchmade MiniSOCP dagger.

EDC light is a Olight IT5 with the rechargeable battery. Been playing with the Streamlight Wedge as well.
 
RR said:
Yup. I have that one too. A little fat for EDC for me but when I'm doing maintenance work here at home or the rental house it's often along for the ride. It's a beast of a blade and can definitely take some use and abuse.
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I've batoned it with a crescent wrench more times them I'd like to admit to trim a branch while I'm on the tractor and too lazy to go get the pruners
 
NCMedic said:
I've batoned it with a crescent wrench more times them I'd like to admit to trim a branch while I'm on the tractor and too lazy to go get the pruners
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I demo'd an old koi pond at our old house (now a rental). In the process I cut through pond liner, underlayment, plant roots and rockly clay soil to get it all apart. I used that eafengrow because I just knew it was going to trash that knife.

Once I got done I washed all the mud off, touched it up with stone and strop and you could not tell I'd used it. Didn't even scratch the matte finish cutting through all that muck.
 
I carry a Kershaw Launch 1, and its been my edc for several years now. Dang good knife, if a little big for business casual carry.

Benchmade makes a good product, but they also partner with police departments to buy back and destroy guns, so they will never get a dime from me.
 
One that I have for EDC is a Leatherman Wave. I have had a lot more use for the tools than I have had need of a defensive knife.

In terms of defensive knife, the spring assisted ones by CRKT are pretty nice and another options would be a K-bar TDI or last ditch.
 
Like above, my EDC has settled in to having a leather man Wave. It has two blades, normal and serrated. I’ve found that I often have use for the pliers, screw drivers, as much as I need just a blade. It isn’t tactical/sleek/sexy or anything. But it is the epitome of convenient.

I don’t really have a daily need for a heavy use knife, just opening packages and boxes and the like. It is a lock blade, so if I had to get involved in some face stabbing I guess it could work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My EDC knife is a SOG Twitch II. I'm on my third because I forgot to leave my first two at home before going to the airport. I'm sure some TSA officers are enjoying them now.
 
B00ger said:
Like above, my EDC has settled in to having a leather man Wave. It has two blades, normal and serrated. I’ve found that I often have use for the pliers, screw drivers, as much as I need just a blade. It isn’t tactical/sleek/sexy or anything. But it is the epitome of convenient.

I don’t really have a daily need for a heavy use knife, just opening packages and boxes and the like. It is a lock blade, so if I had to get involved in some face stabbing I guess it could work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I asked a military dude I know: "what knife did you carry into combat?"
He pulled a leatherman out of his pocket.
I imagined something fiercer. To my puzzled look he said "What? Do you think we slither up on the enemy and slit their throats like in the movies?"

Same guy that said he didn't care which pistol he carried because he'd only need one round if he had to use it!
 
NKD said:
I asked a military dude I know: "what knife did you carry into combat?"
He pulled a leatherman out of his pocket.
I imagined something fiercer. To my puzzled look he said "What? Do you think we slither up on the enemy and slit their throats like in the movies?"

Same guy that said he didn't care which pistol he carried because he'd only need one round if he had to use it!
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Hah…exactly my thinking. I love knives, nearly as much as firearms. But I have, in my life, only been in a handful of situations that a leatherman couldn’t handle what I needed the best. And even in those situations, a leatherman would have worked if pressed. I’m a work-from-home bank guy, not a rancher or zombie hunter. And if I do find myself on a fight, and a knife is what I wish I had, then I have made some terrible life decisions.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Some of y’all need to increase your weekly stabbing numbers. It’s crazy out there!!
 
99% of the time I carry a Spyderco Tenacious, Streamlight Microstream USB and a small multitool. Flashlight and multitool in a Recycled Firefighter EDC Pocket Caddy. On days when I need be a little fancy/low profile it’s a CRKT CEO. If I’m going to the woods I’ll take an ESEE Zancudo and/or PR4.
406B042E-1FB7-4DAE-93F7-C5293B15678C.jpeg

573CD4D5-4B2B-43B4-B9C2-910037A59C66.jpeg
 
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