Just look up knife laws in the California Penal Code on Findlaw and in any online set of city or county ordinances. It is a mishmash but the lowest common denominator / most widely legal knife would seem to be one with a blade of no longer than one inch. And of course no cane blades, switchblades, butterfly knives, etcetera.

Now go onto the website for any university, college, or school. Check out the rules for courthouses. Pretty unifomly zero knife tolerance.

Let's not even get started with TSA and federal law. Mr. Ritter has done a lot of good work in this area but it is far from permanently settled.

Finally, check the rules where you work, at the mall where you shop, etc.

So where are you going to be carrying your EDC when security or the local LEO asks ", Any knives?"

Edit: I EDC only a supposedly TSA-approved air carrier SAK whose only "blade" is a metal nail file a little over 2 inches long with no sharpened edges. It stills draws problems from time to time.

What do the following have in common





Apparently they are an equal threat to the Hoover Dam!

Back to the Spyderco issue, made in USA was one of my original criteria (though the Dragonfly blade is made in Japan). If I drop that criteria when I look through their site I actually found a number of seemingly good, inexpensive small knives.

I may well go with three less expensive models in exchange for my one Dragonfly with the broken clip. Chaosmagnet has already commented on the Byrd Meadowlard. Anyone else have experience with other less expensive Spyderco models and want to share their thoughts?

I appreciate the discussion of other brands in a general sense, but since I'm getting a credit from Spyderco I'd particularly like to hear about their knives.

Cheers,

Matthew

Native.

I have a Byrd Raven, you can probably pick up a Byrd for less than $30.00. The steel is 8CR13MOV and the knife is made in China. Benchmade also uses this steel, but their knives IIRC usually cost between $15.00 and $20.00 more

It is actually my EDC during the hectic weekdays because I don't want to lose my Natives or Delica.

I am quite happy with it as a beater, but if I had to have one knife I would go with the upper end Spyderco models like a Native.

Do you like (or prefer) lockbacks or liner locks?

I prefer liner locks. This is something to think about.

Along those lines the discontinued Michael Walker Lightweight C37 is one of my all time favorite Spyerco's. I've gotten two of these on ebay so far to replace my lost original. May be slightly out of your specified price range but I'm a strong advocate of spending a little more for the product that fits your functional needs rather than a one-time price point.

You're going to live with this tool for years, why not spend the extra $10-$15?
Get the right tool and you'll thank yourself every time you use it.

The Dragonfly is great but frankly a little small although I EDC'd one for 5 years.
Going from the Dragonfly to the Michael Walker was a revelation in better ergonomics and faster un-deployment. As I said, I prefer liner locks.
I also have a Native which I make my primary folder when hiking or camping but it's a little large for EDC for me. Great knife even though it's a lock back.

The Persistence is a great knife value for the money. I've done a lot of customizing on mine but it's difficult to beat for the price.

Another one of my very recent favorites is the Boker Hyper. Boker is another good brand. the Hyper is made in China but designed by Chad Los Banos from Hawaii.
About $38 and worth it.

This is a good point to bring up. My preferences differ from timo's. I prefer lockbacks.

In my opinion, liner locks are generally easier to operate - for sure when closing one handed - than lockbacks. But lockbacks are generally the stronger and more secure locking mechanism. Both types are quite serviceable and work well, so it really does come down to personal preference.