At this point in my Youtube knife video art career I’ve talked my fair share of shit,
made a lot of videos and I still can’t stop with bad purchasing decisions.
And at this point in 2019, you might want list of my favorite knives.
It’s not about what works well for others, it’s about what I like and I half assed-ly
attempt to explain why I like it.
When I look for an every day carry my ideal knife needs to hit a few areas.
1.
the blade is over 3 inches- but not much larger than 4.
Second it needs it needs to be around 4 ounces or less in weight.
Third it needs to Have a decent sized ergonomic grip around 3.5 inches.. and maybe lastly
a pocket clip.
If a knife is great or cool or compliments my patchy beard as manly, I will bend my rules…
but what you’ll find here are my favorite general purpose blades.
Sorry there aren’t any super budget knives here, but I don’t want knife guys to think
I’m poor or that I feed my children properly.
So what are 10 pocket knives I can’t give up and why, unless they’re confiscated.
I don’t know if these are in any particular order, they might be, but they also might
not be.
I’m kind of a disorganized mess.
First up the knife that started it, all.
1.
The Spyderco Endura 4.
A lot has changed in the steel and knife world since 2012 when I bought this.
Before getting a mans pocket knife I had a Leatherman PST multitool in my pocket or on
my belt in my bid to stay celibate into my early 20’s.
I bought the PST for film school, which was my worst spending decision of all time until
nearly 2 decades later I spent $455 on a pocket knife.
But I bought the Endura to compliment my multitool, by that I mean I wanted a larger blade.
The blade of the Endura is made from a flat ground VG-10.
While VG-10 is still a decent steel, a lot knife bros would rather fart in it’s general
direction.
If a person wanted a good knife… and maybe wasn’t concerned about fancy new locks that
are fun to fidget with or more modern super steels, but they wanted something well built,
reliable, and easy to sharpen on Spydercos Sharpmaker system, this would be a great knife.
I think it’s well worth the $70 now that they charge for it.
The Endura 4 is very light, thin in the pocket, has a large comfortable handle, and comes
very very sharp out of the box.
Check out the full Endura 4 review I did, for more information.
2.
The Benchmade Fact.
Early Last year Benchmade sent me one of their Facts to do a review on.
They liked that video so much they haven’t returned any of my DMs since I posted my review.
For standard humans being ghosted by a hot piece of tail makes you real sad, for influencers
it’s like that but with corporations instead of people.
The Benchmade Fact, I wouldn’t call some sort of hard use military style knife, although
it plays one in dress up.
It has a long handle, a needle like thin pointy blade, and a fast one handed deployment and
closing.
It doesn’t feel big in the pocket, and I think it looks cool as shit.
The s30v steel was the standard super steel for a while, I mean now people don’t think
so, but it still works for me.
What does it do well, that other knives don’t?
Hmm?
I think the pointy tip works well for removing threads from tags on clothing.
So that seems a great reason.
For medium to light use every day carry, this is a great choice, but kind of expensive at
$178.
3.
The Laconico Keen.
(La-conico) Every collection needs one beautiful purple knife.
It’s the color of opulence, taste, and of kings.
If you don’t agree that purple is the most Lucious, fanciful color- then it comes in
a few other boring ones too.
I mean that is if you could get it- it’s a massdrop knife- and it might roll around
again soon, but in the meantime sign up for massdrop- so you can test out that email filter
you just set up.
At a hair over 4 ounces, with a s35vn blade, and titanium handle- it checks all the feature
boxes for high MSRP loving knifesnobs falthough at only $140 it means that it’s still relatively
affordable for an occasional use piece of man jewelry.
It uses a flipper for deployment, so it’s fun
to fidget with and I guess uhh use if it comes to that.
4.
The Spyderco Para Military 2.
Now I’d by lying if I said I still carry the Endura often.
There’s nothing wrong with the Endura, other than it’s what poorer people would buy.
Like not that poor, you still have to be in a place where you could rationalize purchasing
a pocket knife that costs more than the nicest of framing hammers, but you get it.
The Para Military improves on the Endura by having a more tactical name, using a finer
blade steel, meaning more theoretical uses per sharpens, and a easier to open and close
one handed compression lock.
Compression locks are only on Spydercos, and considering locking mechanisms are one of
the only things you can still patent in the knife design world, that’s huge.
Especially for patent lawyers.
Plus the handle is nice and comfortable, it comes in all sorts of limited edition handle
colors, and blade steels- the Para Military 2 is probably Spydercos best knife.
If you need something a little smaller, look into the Para 3, which is just a more compact,
proportioned version of the Para Military 2.
Both knives have options starting in the $140 range.
5.
Ok let’s get my last Spyderco in the list out of the way.
The $170 Caribbean.
It’s bigger than the Para Military 2, has like it or hate it looks, and has that compression
lock that has come to be a favorite locking mechanism on a folding knife for me.
One of the unique features of the Caribbean other than being a larger knife than the PM2
and only a hair heavier, is it’s blade.
A rust free steel known as LC200N.
Not stainless, rust free.
If your knife is wet a lot, and you have rust problems, this is the knife for you.
Despite it’s large size, it has a slim profile in the pocket, and feels like a much smaller
knife than it is.
6.
Ok let’s head up the MSRP scale a bit for the Hawk Knives M.U.D.D.
Auto.
The MUDD has seen several revisions and variations over the years.
All still expensive on the secondary market.
Zero Tolerance had a MUDD manual that’s been discontinued, and Hawk Knives has made
manual versions of the MUDD over the years too.
The current version, that you have to sign up for the email list to purchase, is manufactured
in the USA by OEM manufacturer named Millit.
A few times a year a new batch comes up for sale, and sells out fairly quick.
So when the email shows, up you have to be fast.
At $390 it isn’t a knife for everyone- and my best justification as to why I like the
knife so much is it’s one of my favorite designs.
I mean it’s also made from pretty premium materials, has a great blade steel that’s
M390-ish in performance called 20CV.
Fit and finish is excellent- every surface has been chamfered, tumbled and rounded so
it feels nice and comfortable in the hand.
I don’t really like many autos, especially standard folding out the side varieties.
It fits most of my qualifications for an every day carry… the main negatives are it’s
a little on the heavier side for my tastes at 4.5 ounces, and side autos aren’t the
easiest to close one handed
7.
Ok next up is another Benchmade.
Now over the years I’ve reviewed quite a few Benchmades, and while it might could be
argued that there are better Benchmades for pocket carry, like the 940, the Bugout, the
Freek, the Griptilian, My favorite weekend carry Benchmade is the full Sized Crooked
River.
It’s a big ass knife, and boy is it pretty.
A rational person might rightly point out that the Mini Crooked River is probably a
better choice for an every day knife- but the full size just feels right.
It has classic lines and profiles, inspired by knives like the Buck 110.
I don’t like the Buck 110 much other than it’s classic looks.
mainly because the 110 is a handle heavy knife, it’s hard to close one handed, you have
to carry it on your belt or sideways with your keys in the bottom of your pockets- but
I get why some people like your Uncle Randy like it.
The full sized crooked river isn’t that heavier either- in fact it’s nearly 2 ounces
lighter than the smaller buck 110.
It’s comfortable to hold- even though it might be a bit slippery, and it’s super
easy to open and close one handed.
Is it worth the $190 for the made in USA beast?
Sure.
Everything’s worth something to someone.
8.
I’m going to cheat a little with this one.
If you need a basic tool, that’s useful and not some pocket vanity bullshit like most
of this list just buy a Leatherman Wave.
It has a 25 year, if you break something on it, we fix it warranty.
And is arguably more useful that a pocket knife just by itself.
You can even get a pocket clip for it, if you don’t want to carry it on your belt.
I owned and used a Leatherman Tool for years before I bought any dedicated pocket knives-
and a multitool is a useful camping tool, work tool, and every day carry tool.
I own nearly all the current production weatherman tools, even the Charge TTi- and this is the
most well rounded for me.
I did a review of this and nearly all other knives here- so be sure to check this and
those out.
9.
The GEC Bull Buster.
Based on the classic Sodbuster knife pattern, mainly you’re missing modern things like
a lock, a pocket clip, and s stainless steel blade.
Which is no big deal since those only became popular features on pocket knives in the 80’s.
Before the 1980s adding a pocket clip to a knife was a pretty much impossible engineering
challenging.
Think the miracle of flight, except some bullshit I just made up.
However, the disadvantages to carrying modern knives are the lectures from Uncle Randys
telling you that pocket clips and locks are for soft modern beta males.
No exaggeration unfortunately, however you can rest easy knowing that people are so sick
of Uncle Randys whining and perceptions on what make men- men, that now the only place
an Uncle Randy will think people still value his opinion is on the internet.
The GEC Sodbuster is one of only 2 affordable production Sodbuster styles still made in
the US.
It has a rust curious carbon steel blade, that builds character as you use it.
Wiping down and oiling your blade might not prevent discoloration- but it’ll keep any
serious rust at bay.
This particular variation has a polished green micarta handle, which is smooth and comfortable.
It comes sorta sharp- like a lot of old knives too.
It costs only about $65, and if you’re a cheap asshole just buy a $30 case sodbuster,
which is only slightly less refined- and has a plastic handle.
10.
Ok we’re getting there.
I’m gonna make the second to last knife on here, something a little more outside the
box of my taste in knives.
The HEAdesigns Poison.
This smallish titanium flipper, and the similar model the antidote are fun compact fidget
friendly knives.
I don’t normally like tanto grinds for the cutting edge on blades, but I just like the
design so much that I let it slide.
It’s lightweight, the blade rockets out when you hit the tab, and it sports a decent
s35vn stainless steel.
At $280 it ain’t cheap, although I paid a little under $200 for mine.
Which brings me to the final knife.
Seriously just look at it closed.
Ok you don’t have to like it, that’s why this is my list.
11.
11 is an appropriate number for the Chris Reeve Sebenza 21.
Chris Reeve knives are often regarded as the finest production knives, by internet knife
experts everywhere.
Apparantly one of the best selling knives too, if reddit knife swap is any indication.
This is because they’re made out of premium materials in the USA, and have an incredible
attention to detail.
This limited edition Knifeart.com exclusive cost me a cool $455 at the time, which was
a bit above the standard run of the mill $400 sebenza.
It’s half carbon fiber construction keeps the weight under 4 ounces.
And if I’m spending this much on a knife it better be under 4 ounces, or I better love
the design.
It’s a very comfortable, solid knife.
It’s durable, and comes in a real nice box.
Now it’s true you’ll be less likely to find an uneven blade grind, or off centered
blade, than say a USA made bench made or spyderco- but the sebenza is kind of a slow deploying
knife.
It’s not something that necessarily performs better than say a Benchmade Bugout, but it’s
titanium ok!
I whooped up on the Bugout a similar amount, and believe it or not the bugout held up a
bit better.
Also it is possible to google sebenza never grind, and off centered blade and get results.
Shh… don’t tell anyone.
Buying this knife taught me that spending a great amount on a production knife is often
more about branding and an intangible reputation, than performance.
If you absolutely love the design the knife is probably worth it- if you are just curious
and you own a few $100-$200 production knives that you’re really happy with- don’t expect
the sebenza to change your life.
Anyway, so like- subscribe, watch all the full reviews for these knives linked below
and at the end, comment, follow me on Instagram, donate to my Patreon- thanks for watching!