Opinions on EDC folding knives

[ORhutner]

Just ordered a delica in that triple layer hap40 steel stuff. Supposed to be hitachi hap40 (similar to Rex 45) steel in the middle and sandwiched in stainless steel on the outside. Sounds promising but we'll see. Only complaint is people say blade gets scratches cuz outside layers are softer. But that is by design and I think these people may not use their knives if they are worried about scratches ha ha.

I don't know that much about knives but from way too much research yesterday I narrowed it down to benchmade bailout tanto partially serrated aluminum (CPM-M4 steel), spyderco para 3 partially serrated (s30V steel) , or spyderco delica (various steels). I did a deep dive into what steels are used, hardness, toughness etc. I really like the para 3 in maxamet but cost is high. Always wanted a laminate knife after looking into how Japanese used layers to make swords.

Some edge retention testing data below (TCC=Edge retention) from knifenerds website. Para3 or maybe delica (can't remember) is also available in s110v, k390, and s45VN.
View attachment 1183577
Hap40 laminate one:
View attachment 1183538
Photos from internet:
View attachment 1183539
View attachment 1183540

Hap40 is a great steel and takes a very keen edge easily for hits hardness. Unlike some of the bigger carbide steels like S110V or Maxamet which can give you fits. I have the Hap40 Delica and Stretch with FRN handles and the steel is one of my favorites as are the models with the stretch being my favorite due to its longer blade but feeling like a smaller knife. You made a great choice and I think you will really like the knife and steel. The SUS410 steel that clads the Hap40 does indeed scratch easily but it is a knife, who really cares.

 

[joneb]

View attachment 1175278

Just picked up the lower one here. Endura by spyderco. It's flat ground, plain edge. I think it was $70 otd cash.

The one above has been primarily carried, rarely used for 2 or 3 years.

View attachment 1175279
This is all I look for when buying spydies.

A Spyderco Endela or Endura may be my next folder.

 

[EggrollSnapper]

I carry a Kershaw leek. The blade locks tight, comes very sharp. They are only around $40-50. Great knife for the money, I've seen some $100+ knives with wobbly blades and no edge.

 

[Knobgoblin]

I carry a Kershaw leek. The blade locks tight, comes very sharp. They are only around $40-50. Great knife for the money, I've seen some $100+ knives with wobbly blades and no edge.

Kershaw leek and chive are both great knives for the money. Lots of different finishes too

 

[drstrangelove]

Really depends on your philosophy of use. If it's for cutting packing tape, a cheapo will do. If you want to slice fruit, a full flat grind spyderco is the ticket. If you want to scare someone, use an auto. If you want to end a fight quickly without a gun, one pass diagonally over the thigh will severe the quad muscle and femoral artery, and they are done. The easiest way is this…

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Funny thing is I really liked the triage because of the "seat belt cutter." I was actually surprised how much I used it. Not that a blade couldn't do the same thing.

Good to know this. What kind of things can u use he seatbelt cutter for? They sell an attachment to add a hammer + seatbelt cutter + bit holder for my skeletool (pic below) and I honestly don't understand how it can be better than just a blade, and that's simply because I have never used one. There must be a purpose otherwise people wouldn't use them. Thx for any info!

Metro's Q-Branch by Metropolicity - Shapeways Shops

Uncommonly useful tools that make multitools even more useful.

www.shapeways.com

 

[Knobgoblin]

^^^^
Hard plastic bands ( straps) , on large or heavy packages.

 

[Hueco]

Good to know this. What kind of things can u use he seatbelt cutter for? They sell an attachment to add a hammer + seatbelt cutter + bit holder for my skeletool (pic below) and I honestly don't understand how it can be better than just a blade, and that's simply because I have never used one. There must be a purpose otherwise people wouldn't use them. Thx for any info!

View attachment 1184362

Metro's Q-Branch by Metropolicity - Shapeways Shops

Uncommonly useful tools that make multitools even more useful.

www.shapeways.com

A seatbelt cutter is a worst case scenario tool. I'm not about to lose my fine motor control due to an adrenaline dump and then try to finesse my knife up against my toddler's body and risk stabbing or slicing her if I don't have to.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Hap40 is a great steel and takes a very keen edge easily for hits hardness. Unlike some of the bigger carbide steels like S110V or Maxamet which can give you fits. I have the Hap40 Delica and Stretch with FRN handles and the steel is one of my favorites as are the models with the stretch being my favorite due to its longer blade but feeling like a smaller knife. You made a great choice and I think you will really like the knife and steel. The SUS410 steel that clads the Hap40 does indeed scratch easily but it is a knife, who really cares.

@ORhutner you seem to know a lot about knives. What is best to do for day to day maintenance on a HAP40 or D2 or 154 CM blade? Is a leather strop the way to go or can I use the white ceramic stones/rods on my spyderco triangle sharpener for that? I have never used a strop so don't know anything about them. I saw one video where the guy used light pressure with the ceramic rods and claimed there is no need for a strop.

I'm still kind of finding my way with the triangle sharpener. Seems biggest inconsistency is maintaining perpendicular stroke. I had a bias on the angle on one side as shown when using sharpie on the blade before sharpening. Just tried putting a mini magnetic level on top of the knife and that seems to help a ton with keeping correct perpendicular stroke but it slows everything down a lot.

Currently only have my 154cm leatherman blade and the HAP40 and D2 knives are on the way so want to see best way to maintain them. Thx for any info!

 

[ORhutner]

@ORhutner you seem to know a lot about knives. What is best to do for day to day maintenance on a HAP40 or D2 or 154 CM blade? Is a leather strop the way to go or can I use the white ceramic stones/rods on my spyderco triangle sharpener for that? I have never used a strop so don't know anything about them. I saw one video where the guy used light pressure with the ceramic rods and claimed there is no need for a strop.

I'm still kind of finding my way with the triangle sharpener. Seems biggest inconsistency is maintaining perpendicular stroke. I had a bias on the angle on one side as shown when using sharpie on the blade before sharpening. Just tried putting a mini magnetic level on top of the knife and that seems to help a ton with keeping correct perpendicular stroke but it slows everything down a lot.

Currently only have my 154cm leatherman blade and the HAP40 and D2 knives are on the way so want to see best way to maintain them. Thx for any info!

I collected knives heavily for the last 15 years but have cut back in the last year or two. Primarily focused on Spyderco, Benchmade and Kershaw/ZT having owned or sold somewhere in the range of 500 knives during that time period. I also dabbled in some customs and still own a few customs. As to your question about day to day maintenance a strop is going to be the quickest and easiest I have found and I usually utilize green polishing compound. I am a user when it comes to my EDC knives and favor a working edge over a polished edge like you see folks getting via a wicked edge or some even generate freehand. Usually though I am lazy and don't want to do a daily or weekly edge maintenance and let my EDC's go to the point they no longer easily cut things like plastic bags and tape. Then I will pull out my DMT fine stone and free hand sharpen the edge. It doesn't take to many passes on the fine stone if you haven't let the edge get dull to bring back a shaving sharp edge. I will then hit it a couple times on the leather strop with the mentioned green polishing compound and call it good.

I can get an edge to a mirror polish freehand and ridiculousness sharp but after your first couple of cuts with this laser beam edge it drops down to what I call a working edge. In my opinion the time it takes to achieve this level of sharpness can be better spent on other activities. So been there done that and don't see myself going back. There is a whole rabbit hole you can go down with sharpening with water stones, diamond stones, leather strops (horse leather, cowhide, etc..), diamond pastes stropping compounds, washboard strops, etc.... In my opinion, once you get a good working edge back on a knife, everything else is all show and little go with the results quickly reverting back to a working edge once used to cut. So strive to get and maintain that working edge and don't worry about silly sharp unless you have a passion for it and get joy out of it.

You will find with the better steels, especially run at higher hardness like the HAP40, they will maintain a working edge for a fairly long period of time. You have to determine what level of sharpness you want to maintain for your own definition of a working edge. I would guess though, depending on your cutting volume and materials cut, you will find HAP40 to hold an acceptable edge for weeks to months before needing a touch up on the stones. This is likely to be extended further using a strop to maintain your edge before touching up on stones. If you are cutting carpet or yards of cardboard on the regular though, you will be touching up most any steel on a daily basis to maintain that working edge.

As for the Spyderco sharpmaker, it is a good tool if it works for you. I own one and it hasn't been out of the drawer in probably 10 years because I never got good at using it. Once you get the hang of it, it is an excellent tool as I have seen the folks at the Spyderco Factory store get customer knives to shaving sharp in a matter of minutes from butter knife dull while the customer watched. The stones themselves are excellent, especially the fine whites and would server the purpose well for maintain your edge on a regular basis similar to a strop. They are fine enough that light pressure should hone the edge without kicking up a burr. The resulting edge will be nearly as keen as if you had taken it to the strop. It is all in the pressure applied and in this base where you are maintaining and not bringing back the edge, you don't need much more than the weight of the knife and proper technique, along with consistency of motion. I tossed a lot out here, let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything. Caveat that this is what I have learned from my own time and experience and in no way reflects or that I am claiming this to be the best or only way. The great thing about knvies is that there are numerous ways to accomplish the same tasks and you are only limited by your creativity.

 

[Switchblade666]

I've been a big fan of SOG for years now. Here are my EDC options.
The black Flash II Assisted is the EDC i've had for about 5 years now. Keeps a killer edge to it.
The Greenish G10 KIKU Assisted is the weekend "stepping out" carry.
Both were around 150-200 bucks. I live 2 miles from SOG so the prices were slightly less than ordering online. Have Zero complaints with both.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I collected knives heavily for the last 15 years but have cut back in the last year or two. Primarily focused on Spyderco, Benchmade and Kershaw/ZT having owned or sold somewhere in the range of 500 knives during that time period. I also dabbled in some customs and still own a few customs. As to your question about day to day maintenance a strop is going to be the quickest and easiest I have found and I usually utilize green polishing compound. I am a user when it comes to my EDC knives and favor a working edge over a polished edge like you see folks getting via a wicked edge or some even generate freehand. Usually though I am lazy and don't want to do a daily or weekly edge maintenance and let my EDC's go to the point they no longer easily cut things like plastic bags and tape. Then I will pull out my DMT fine stone and free hand sharpen the edge. It doesn't take to many passes on the fine stone if you haven't let the edge get dull to bring back a shaving sharp edge. I will then hit it a couple times on the leather strop with the mentioned green polishing compound and call it good.

I can get an edge to a mirror polish freehand and ridiculousness sharp but after your first couple of cuts with this laser beam edge it drops down to what I call a working edge. In my opinion the time it takes to achieve this level of sharpness can be better spent on other activities. So been there done that and don't see myself going back. There is a whole rabbit hole you can go down with sharpening with water stones, diamond stones, leather strops (horse leather, cowhide, etc..), diamond pastes stropping compounds, washboard strops, etc.... In my opinion, once you get a good working edge back on a knife, everything else is all show and little go with the results quickly reverting back to a working edge once used to cut. So strive to get and maintain that working edge and don't worry about silly sharp unless you have a passion for it and get joy out of it.

You will find with the better steels, especially run at higher hardness like the HAP40, they will maintain a working edge for a fairly long period of time. You have to determine what level of sharpness you want to maintain for your own definition of a working edge. I would guess though, depending on your cutting volume and materials cut, you will find HAP40 to hold an acceptable edge for weeks to months before needing a touch up on the stones. This is likely to be extended further using a strop to maintain your edge before touching up on stones. If you are cutting carpet or yards of cardboard on the regular though, you will be touching up most any steel on a daily basis to maintain that working edge.

As for the Spyderco sharpmaker, it is a good tool if it works for you. I own one and it hasn't been out of the drawer in probably 10 years because I never got good at using it. Once you get the hang of it, it is an excellent tool as I have seen the folks at the Spyderco Factory store get customer knives to shaving sharp in a matter of minutes from butter knife dull while the customer watched. The stones themselves are excellent, especially the fine whites and would server the purpose well for maintain your edge on a regular basis similar to a strop. They are fine enough that light pressure should hone the edge without kicking up a burr. The resulting edge will be nearly as keen as if you had taken it to the strop. It is all in the pressure applied and in this base where you are maintaining and not bringing back the edge, you don't need much more than the weight of the knife and proper technique, along with consistency of motion. I tossed a lot out here, let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything. Caveat that this is what I have learned from my own time and experience and in no way reflects or that I am claiming this to be the best or only way. The great thing about knvies is that there are numerous ways to accomplish the same tasks and you are only limited by your creativity.

Wow that's a huge help thx so much! I hear you on the working edge vs short-lived "razor" sharp. Working edge is my goal. I'll try that low pressure method with the white stones for day to day maintenance.

I think my biggest problem is I wait too long between sharpenings so that there is a lot of work to do before going for that fine edge. I have found the spyderco diamond rods very helpful in this regard (removing lots of material such as for reprofiling or taking out lots of bad spots). The leatherman blades are 52 degrees inclusive and they are very thick so it's a lot of work to get to a more fine edge.

My wife's global cooking knives the problem I had is that if I go for the 15 degrees (30 inclusive) they are supposed to be then they chip during sharpening. There is probably a secret to doing it, but then I gave up on that method and went with the standard 30 degree followed by 40 degree for the working edge with the spiderco triangle sharpener and no more chips.

That reminds me of a video I saw on sharpening the maxamet blade. Long time sharpener was having issues of it chipping during sharpening. Then he went to 15 degree and a 22 degree microbevel but super fine stone only. I saw that video and kind of took maxamet off my list of what to buy. Looked to me with the maxamet one would have a super sharp knife for a long time but then would have to take to a pro to sharpen eventually.

I saw this 3 min video below on global knife sharpening and thought maybe someday I will try it with one of the little angle setter clip on things (link below, 15 degree angle only). One of the problems with triangle sharpener is I can't keep 100% the same angle every stroke so I think that is maybe why they chipped. I think the guys in the store you mentioned probably have robot arms ha ha.

https://www.amazon.com/Japan-Whetstone-Sharpening-Stainless-Grinding/dp/B08N9S6YYX

And here is my patented spyderco triangle sharpener leveler, otherwise known as a bubble level superglued onto a fridge magnet (seem to work though ha ha!).

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Ok so after experimenting on the global knives I have finally figured out the spyderco triangle sharpner and also why those guys at the store do it so quick. The whole key is # of strokes and really speed. For example lets say you do 60 perfect strokes in 5 minutes, that will increase sharpness by say 10%. But if you do 250 "just ok" strokes in 2 minutes, that will increase it by 50%. I just did one of the global knives that way and thought "it cant be that sharp" and rubbed off the residue on my jeans on side of the knife. It cut right through my jeans and into my knee. Then I confirmed on thin paper. Basically you want to do it 10 times faster (or more?) than you think you should. Try to hold it level as you can but its not that critical if you go fast and make lots of strokes. I think the small errors in angle as you make the stroke are totally wiped out by the volume of strokes. This finding is extremely promising. Have never had luck like that before with the global knives. And way, way, faster to do. Kee-Ripes that's sharp. Now I have to go get a bandaid and patch up my jeans...

Edit: just did this same "go fast, make a gazillion strokes" technique on the 154CM blade of my leatherman. It worked incredibly well. Previously I have struggled to get a good edge. I could eventually get a razor sharp edge only after crazy amounts of sharpening time. This fast technique got comparable sharpness in just a few minutes. I'm a happy camper with this triangle system now.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I noticed this little knife that has both a serrated and plain blade, s35vn steel, and weighs only 1.2 oz., 2.6" blades. Might be a good option for someone who wants small flyweight pocket knife and both serrated and plain options. Kind of unique in that way. $63 on amazon

 

[ilikegunspdx]

If anyone is interested In the Spiderco Endela Hap40, this one just went on sale today. I was looking at it a couple days ago and it was $199. Hap40/stainless laminate 3.4" blade. Knife center exclusive version of the endela.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/SP243WDP/spyderco-endela-folding-knife-hap40sus410-satin-plain-blade-mahogany-pakkawood-handles-knifecenter-exclusive

This guy has a good review of hap40 delica and endura. The endela sits right between these 2 size-wise.

 

[BBQ Guy]

ZT, Benchmade, and Leatherman multi-tool are my EDC tools.
I do own several other brands and bought them because i like them. If i ever lose a knife i have many choices to fill the void.

 

[Knobgoblin]

I noticed this little knife that has both a serrated and plain blade, s35vn steel, and weighs only 1.2 oz., 2.6" blades. Might be a good option for someone who wants small flyweight pocket knife and both serrated and plain options. Kind of unique in that way. $63 on amazon

View attachment 1186465
View attachment 1186466

Carbon fiber handle scales, pretty cool for that style of knife

 

[joneb]

I've been a big fan of SOG for years now. Here are my EDC options.
The black Flash II Assisted is the EDC i've had for about 5 years now. Keeps a killer edge to it.
The Greenish G10 KIKU Assisted is the weekend "stepping out" carry.
Both were around 150-200 bucks. I live 2 miles from SOG so the prices were slightly less than ordering online. Have Zero complaints with both.
View attachment 1185937

What is your method for sharpening the SOG?

 

[joneb]

I own a few of the full weight, stainless handle spydies ( harpy, police ) . They are overly heavy, and prone to sliding out pockets while seated. The stainless frame also picks up very noticeable scratches , like a brand new car parked at a busy Safeway .

So a Scandi grind is a saber grind without the secondary bevel?

 

[Knobgoblin]

So a Scandi grind is a saber grind without the secondary bevel?

Google says it's a "zero " grind. So ,yes. This seems like it would require moving a significant amount of metal if you ever took edge damage, like a large chip.