Worst EDC folders you've had?

[Joe13]

Worst one I've bought was a Ka-bar folder with a glass break and seatbelt cutter. No assisted opening device is my biggest issue but it's kind of clunky as well.

What else would you recommend against?

I'm also not a huge fan of spiderco knives.

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[Andy54Hawken]

Cheap "knock off" copies of brand name knives.
I have won a few of those over the years as shooting prizes and they all seem to suffer from poor steel or handle material.
You really aren't spending money smartly on "cheap".
Inexpensive is not the same as "cheap" , don' t get those words mixed up LOL.

I also dislike multi tools or "Swiss Army" type knives that have way too many gadgets than I have a use for.
I think that both multi tools and "Swiss Army" type knives are great , if the tool choice is limited or not over done , so to speak.
Andy

 

[thewhitebuffalo83]

Cold Steel medium voyager, Benchmade Osborne axis g10, not exactly a folder but Benchmade infidel boker AK47. All good knives but to chunky/heavy/expensive for my edc use.

On the same note of the infidel, I'd like to try a microtech without the double sided blade.

 

[The B]

My gerber folders were all pieces of crap, with almost Bakelite esque brittle plastic handles that got loose and eventually broke around the axle ... That was 20 years ago, but it turned me off of gerber and I never went back. I see they've since improved the design... Or at least it looks like it. But still - when you make a customer regret giving you money, it's gonna be hard to get that guy back.

Benchmade black continues to put out the best functional knives on the market, in my opinion. You can certainly spend more, and you can certainly spend a lot less... But for a product that is worth equitably more or less? Top o the value curve in my opinion.

Had a 9050AFO my father gave me (he worked at Benchmade at the time - may have even machined it or part of it himself, don't remember), which took 4-5 years of daily abuse wonderfully, until I lost it. Course they'd just discontinued the line, for some reason.. But my wife scoured the Internet and found one in a gun shop in Tennessee she had em Mail her to give me for Father's Day in 2006.... Still have it, still swings out smartly and sharpens up nicely.

Great knives

 

[thewhitebuffalo83]

CampBuddy

I would be embarrassed to take it to camp and I would not be mean enough to lend it to a buddy.

View attachment 304582

I had one of those as my first knife/knives, when I was a wee little Wolf scout. Ah the memories of whittling bars of soap.

 

[etrain16]

Kershaw Leek. Quality was great, super damn sharp blade, including the tip

But I cut myself with this knife more than any other I have owned. The problem was the finish on the grip - super smooth, no 'grip' to speak of, which meant this thing could come out of my hand pretty easily - which got me cut several times. So, it went to someone else who could appreciate it more. I find I need some kind of textured and/or gripable material on my knives, or they're just a no go for me.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

My favorite EDC knife is the Kershaw Blur, with the tanto point. Love those knives! The take a beatin' and keep on flippin'! I've never liked cheap knives! If I can't bring it back to razor sharpness in short order, can't use them! I have five knives that I do carry, running from $280-$50. Oddly, my favorite, Blur, is the inexpensive one!
I buy a large, cheap, Chinese, spring assist knife after I fly into a destination, first thing! A pepper spray too. Actually like them, they're beefy, come sharp and cost around $12.00. I dispose of them before entering the airport to fly out.

 

[Joe13]

All of the NRA membership knives

 

[JeremyK]

My gerber folders were all pieces of crap, with almost Bakelite esque brittle plastic handles that got loose and eventually broke around the axle ... That was 20 years ago, but it turned me off of gerber and I never went back. I see they've since improved the design... Or at least it looks like it. But still - when you make a customer regret giving you money, it's gonna be hard to get that guy back.

Benchmade black continues to put out the best functional knives on the market, in my opinion. You can certainly spend more, and you can certainly spend a lot less... But for a product that is worth equitably more or less? Top o the value curve in my opinion.

Had a 9050AFO my father gave me (he worked at Benchmade at the time - may have even machined it or part of it himself, don't remember), which took 4-5 years of daily abuse wonderfully, until I lost it. Course they'd just discontinued the line, for some reason.. But my wife scoured the Internet and found one in a gun shop in Tennessee she had em Mail her to give me for Father's Day in 2006.... Still have it, still swings out smartly and sharpens up nicely.

Great knives

Ditto; I've had several Gerber folders that simply came apart just sitting in my pocket. The screws holding the things together would back themselves out and next thing you know, the pocket clip has come off or the blade is out or the grip panels have detached. I respect Gerber as being a local company with a long history of great knives (I carried a Gerber LMF II with me in Iraq), but I refuse to carry a Gerber folding knife.

 

[IronMonster]

I have never had a bad every day carry, because if its bad then I dont carry it.

Now I have bought dozens of things I intended to carry but after packing them for a few days get tossed in a drawer. Most are multi tools that I tried but didn't find suitable but there are been a number of knives as well. Some very expensive (like a Strider PT) some where very cheap (like a CKRT Zillia)

Some of the best pocket knives I have ever carried were made by Piranha, The fingerling is a super sweet, very functional KNIFE (I put knife in bold because it is also a little delicate and many seem to think its OK to use a knife as a pry bar, its not. A knife is the least effective and most expensive pry bar you will ever own)

Piranha Fingerling Automatic Knife Tactical (2.5" Black) - Blade HQ

 

[Dungannon]

None.

I've had some disappointing knives, but none came remotely close to an every day carry.

 

[Member 5605]

Top... not really the worst but it did the job and got retired by the bottom knife.

The steel was soft and didn't hold an edge well.

 

[Joe Link]

The worst by far are any of the five Benchmade's I've owned (including an Infidel) - I've lost every single one of them!

After losing over a grand in knives (how???) I decided to go to the opposite end of the spectrum. I did my research and happened to find a great deal on a handful of Kershaw OSO Sweets (literally, it came to around $13/each if I bought 5). Figuring I'd eventually lose these too, it was a no brainer. It's been a year now and I'm still on my first one. Not only have I not lost it, I haven't even had to sharpen the blade (and I don't know the first thing about babying a knife).

 

[Ura-Ki]

Used to be a fan of BenchMade knives until I broke the tip of my blade and took it in for warranty, No can do they said rudely! After a series of letters and a complaint to the BBB, I tossed it in the trash and picked up a CRKT and have never regretted that! Vertex Outburst by CRKT, the best knife I have ever used for EDC!

 

[ZigZagZeke]

I carried a Buck 110 for 28 years, but when I started carrying my smart phone in the front pocket of my jeans I retired it and started carrying a S&W EDC folder that clipped to my belt. I got the S&W initially to carry in the car, but ended up putting it on my belt every day. Well, the problem is that it has one feature too many. Some genius decided to put an abrasive patch on both sides of the handle, so the knife could be used to sand or file something in an emergency. Being on BOTH sides means that one of the pads is under the belt clip, so as you wear it on your belt day after day it slowly abrades it's way through your $80 leather belt. I guess I'll be going back to the Buck 110, but in a belt pouch this time. Convenience-wise, it can't be any worse than having the S&W on my belt.

 

[skeezix]

The worst for me is this Gerber with the release button exactly where my thumb rides the grip. I like the size, the blade holds an edge, it opens just fine, but the release is too easily activated.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

My favorite EDC knife is the Kershaw Blur, with the tanto point. Love those knives! The take a beatin' and keep on flippin'! I've never liked cheap knives! If I can't bring it back to razor sharpness in short order, can't use them! I have five knives that I do carry, running from $280-$50. Oddly, my favorite, Blur, is the inexpensive one!
I buy a large, cheap, Chinese, spring assist knife after I fly into a destination, first thing! A pepper spray too. Actually like them, they're beefy, come sharp and cost around $12.00. I dispose of them before entering the airport to fly out.

A couple of S&W assisted folders! Bought them for their large size and Johnny Combat, tacticool looks! Cheap soft steel, wouldn't do it again! Caveat Emptor, ya get what you pay for!

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I had a s&w knife that used the thumb stud as its locking point. The thumb stud snapped off after a week of use.
After that I got a kabar folder. The blade got to be so loose the knife became useless. The other bad knife I had was the Gerber paraframe. The screws would constantly wiggle free and the knife eventually fell apart.
I have a spyderco manix now and love it.

 

[mjbskwim]

I refuse to comment since the OP talked bad about my second mostest favorite knife
Really I'm like IM if it ain't much good it don't get carried.
But I like all knives as I'm trying to collect all kinds. Not expensive ones just those with a little character

 

[ThemGunsThough]

My best edc is a Kershaw haha. My worst is some cheapo $10 folder with a burnt titanium look blade I got a lot a flea market 12 years ago.