Some of you have responded to my question about carrying a knife in California. So now I'm looking for a folder with a 3" blade. It's sad that I am being compelled to buy a new knife.

So what do you recommend? I am hoping to spend under $100. The top runners for me right now are the Spyderco Delica, Spyderco Mini-Persian, and the Benchmade Swale. I think the Mini-Persian may look a little too scary, and I'm worry that its big tip might break off. I like the Swale, but it's a bit on the thick side, and I need to carry concealed because of the law. I'd look at the smaller Griptilian if it is 3", but I already have two big Griptilians...

Thanks!

Doug Ritter Mini RSK Mk1 It's a little more than $100, but it helps support the Equipped website.

Unless you just want to spend more money, I'd recommend a Byrd Meadowlark (made by Spyderco):

http://newgraham.com/store/product/7859/Meadowlark-2-PE-Black-FRN/

I love mine (and also it's smaller brother, the Robin) for EDC. Good little knives. And because they are inexpensive, you will USE them, not BABY and PROTECT them. I stopped carrying my Spyderco Native in favor of the Byrd Robin and Meadowlark. The Meadowlark is a good alternative to a Delica if you want something less expensive.

That Doug Ritter knife looks great.

My EDC knife is a CRKT M16-01KZ. This knife is about perfect for me after experimenting with about 15 folders. EDC knives are so personal. Some knives that have gotten rave reviews did not work for me.

For $100 you can buy five kabar dozier folders, in a variety of colors. Best buy on the market.

+1 I EDC the -01T. The blade is right at three inches if you measure from the start of the cutting edge. Once you get used to the auto-LAWKS safety, It is easily opened and closed one handed. It locks and stays locked until you release it.

first choice is a Kershaw Leek (bottom) ... assisted opening and very sharp... metal scales

top is a Spyderco Michael Walker lightweight...

Ever since losing my $250 titanium/tungsten carbide knife in a stupid parking lot, I've understood cheap is good. Man, I never used that knife anyway, because I was afraid to dull the edge. And it's not like I'm a navy diver who needs a non-magentic knife to do work around a mine.

That's pretty much my philosophy nowadays.

I had a Spyderco Delica, never really liked it because the thumbhole made the overall knife too wide when folded, and the handles were too flat and thin for my preference. Also because the handle was much lighter than the blade, it always felt front heavy. Ended up chipping the tip of the blade while doing something then lost it somewhere.

My current knife is a Benchmade mini-griptillian in D2. It's a nice knife and the handle is really comfortable, but other than that I really don't see big difference between it and a lot of the cheaper folders I used to have. One of my biggest pet peeves is the blade choil? the part of the blade that connects to the handle. Rather than transitioning to the unsharpened part of the blade, the edge just ends at a groove. This is extremely annoying when cutting cardboard,paper, string, etc, as the material tends to ride up the blade until it's caught in that groove.

The two knives that I like are well below your budget. The Mini Gerber EZ-out I had was a very comfortable knife because of the rubber inserts, and was fairly lightweight so you wouldn't feel it as much in your pocket. Unfortunately I loaned it to someone when camping and they liked it so much they never returned it. The only flaw was the clip would loosen over time, didn't really bother me. I also like the CRKT B.U.L.L. On sale, they were about $15, so I never really worried about damaging them or losing them (and I have lost a couple of knives to the TSA). The blade shape is a little harder to sharpen because of the recurve, but not impossible. The opening mechanism, once you got used to it, was a lot quicker and easier for me than a thumbstud. It's the knife I take when travelling, since I won't worry too much if it gets lost. If you're buying a knife for your trip to CA, I don't see an advantage to spending more than $20-$25 because they all cut about the same.

I have both the Delica & Doug's mini grip. I like both knives. Both are under 3".

The delica rotates as EDC quite frequently because it is small, lightweight, doesn't show in jeans or dress pants and is very sturdy. The thumb hole makes it an easy open. Another poster said the thumb hole makes it wider which is true but I like a wider blade and the flatness of the rest of the knife is a plus for me, ymmv. The scales are grippy and the pocket clip can be switched for tip up or down if that matters to you but unless in the woods it's shoved all the way in my pocket. Most importantly the blade stays Sharp and is not too thick for finer uses. I like the blades slight curve. I have the plain edge. I have some combo edged knives but find the plain edge more useful.
I don't like the lockback lock. It is not the sturdiest design and can't be easily closed one handed. I clean out the pocket lint often to make sure it doesn't get caught in the lock mechanism.

Doug's knife is very sturdy. I like the shape of the blade better and the axis lock makes it easier to open and close. The axis lock is more bomb proof. I like the fact that the mini has a full liner as opposed to the full grip. The blade stays very sharp, it is a thinner design making it easy to use for fine work. I own Doug's full grip too but I find I carry the mini more.
I don't like that It is much wider for urban carry. The handle is ok but not as well made as the delica, I get bringing it in at a certain price point and it's not made to be a show pony, but I would have paid $10-$20 more for a better handle.

The delica sees more urban work and the mini grip spends more time in the woods.

Good luck with whatever you purchase.

Although I typically EDC a Leatherman Wave, I find that the PS4, which is on my EDC keyring, has a blade that is quite adequate for nearly all urban/office situations. It looks exceedingly innocuous, and the small pliers are great for pulling staples. I can soon even carry it when flying (maybe).

I prefer the pliers on the Squirt ES4 since they are more of a needlenose and because I work around electronics on occasion; the wire strippers are very capable. For those times when one must associate with TSA ... I do not trust them to not change the rules yet again As for regular locking folders, the Delica is a great knife in that size, but a tad too pointy for me, so as previously mentioned, I opted for the Benchmade mini-Griptilian and specifically DR's version. The Delica is definitely thinner overall, but the mini-Grip is stronger overall. BTW those cheap feeling Noryl GTX handles are very capable and not at all delicate.

Especially for an urban environment, I've always favoured a multi-tool as opposed to a single bladed knife.

Recently, I've switched over to a more minimalist tool that fits great in the pocket; a Victorinox Alox Cadet. It is slimmer than my iPhone and has a good, basic tool set. I paid $26 for mine. I believe the blade has a cutting edge of just over 2".

Depends on what you're going to use it for, but I love my LM Wave an my SAKs, especially for EDC. I keep my Wave in my purse right now, and my SAK on my key chain. Except when I'm camping or steak is on the menu, then I like my CRKT Mt. Rainier the best. We bought them for each other and our wedding party when we got married 11 years ago, and have both been using them ever since.

I'm partial to Spyderco, too. If the entire knife is to be 3" or so overall then a Delica or Native would be a great option.

I'm partial to Kershaw. I carry a Kershaw Ken Onion Tanto folder and love the thing.

I just ordered the CRKT M16-01T. This knife looks like it's custom tailored for me.

For me, it was the end of the search. It was the last knife I bought that wasn't made for a specific function like the Crimson Trace models from CRKT.

CRKT m16's are nice knives and they're half what you're budgeting so it is something to think about. I have a M16-12ZER that I trash around a lot. I picked it up at a garage sale as a sharpening project because the previous owner should have gotten arrested for cruelty to knives. It took an hour to get it back into shape. It has become my go to knife for things like cardboard boxes, cutting plastic, and all other things I wouldn't want to damage another knife on.
I really like both the flipper opener and auto lawks safety. The lawks gives added piece of mind that the lock won't fail (Doug's lock is stronger). After a little practice it is easy to close one handed. I reprofiled the blade so I can't speak about the factory grind but it sharpens well. It is thicker than my other two recommendations. I would not recommend the tano unless you like that shape.
If I was ranking one of the single blades that I mentioned I would say 1 Doug's, 2 delica, 3 a m16.


After reading a number of posts you might want to reconsider and get a multi tool. If this purchase is just for the trip then a multi tool will serve you longer, be more functional and is more non-knife onlookers friendly. I know my leatherman charge tti sees a lot more use than any of my single blades knives.

Please let us know what you finally decide upon.

Victorinox has just introduced a new lock blade.Single blade with easy open thumb hole.Can't post a link from where I am at.Saw it in the recent copy of BLADE magazine,I think on page two......

BOATMAN
John

Thanks for all your suggestions! They helped me make a decision that I think I'll be happy with.

I ended up going with the Delica. The price point, the slim profile, and the overall design were what convinced me. I also want to try the Emerson Wave feature -- not because I need to draw fast, but because it seems like fun. I really like the Doug mini, except that I already have two of its bigger cousins. Somehow CRKT knives and I never hit it off.

As for multitool, I already have one that I expect to travel with, but I want a blade that locks. It sounds like there may be some multitools that have locking blades under 3", but I want to hang on to my old buddy.

Just fyi, Doug's mini RSK Mk1 is from Benchmade, not CRKT.

New Victorinox folder

Spyderco Delica

I can't fault the choice of the Delica. I have one and have long used it usefully for many tasks. It's a great GP knife/ tool.

That said, my latest knife/ tool love affair is with a Spyderco Dragonfly II, with a fully serrated blade and a swapped belt clip in blackened steel. Standard steel and FRN black handle. It is so light , small, & unobtrusive, that I have to check to see if I really have it with me. The angled grip, angles the blade splendidly for the small precise cutting tasks for which I most use it. Not very macho, but oh so practical.

I don't care for serrations but I also have a Dragonfly2 and really like the knife. My EDC is a Ladybug in ZDP-189. The only minor issue I have with Spyderco is that it seems like they save most of their "exotic" steels for the larger knives (say, Para-Military and larger). I'd love to have a Dragonfly and a Delica in M-390 but they don't make one. M4 would be nice too but same story, only in the larger knives.

I like the Benchmade Mini-Griptilian which is the knife the Ritter knife is based on. Not sure what makes his version worth another $40 over the stock Mini-Grip.

I think you will be happy with the knife. Mine has served me well. I hope you enjoy it.

Does anyone know if the Emerson wave feature is banned in California or any other states?

Thanks

Doug Ritter's version has a wider blade that is flat ground and he specifies S30V steel rather than the 154CM in the standard Griptilians. Benchmade is now making their own versions with S30V, but the Ritter blade is still a better overall IMO. YMMV

My Spyderco Delica arrived today. It's... OK. I haven't warmed up to it. I'm kinda regretting not having gotten the Mini-Griptilian or the Mini-Doug. But as I said, I already have two Griptilians.

The Delica is slimmer, and so it won't stick out as much in the pants. On the other hand, I'm not so sure about how well it fits in the palm. For occasional use it's OK.

The handle is kind of short. I wish it were a little longer and thicker.

The Emerson Wave feature? Eh, it's OK. It works, but it kind of breaks up the outline of the blade. I guess it feels kind of nice, but *getting on my soapbox* don't let it fool you into thinking that the Wave would be great for knife fighting, especially on a puny little thing like the Delica. If you don't have a second to open the knife the "slow way," you're probably looking at starting the fight unarmed. The Wave will save you some time, but probably not enough to make a difference.

The backlock is very secure. I feel I have to press pretty hard to release the lock. The little dent in the release bar keeps accidents from happening.

I wasn't aware that you can carry the knife tip up or tip down, right-handed or left-handed. There are four sets of holes on both sides and both ends of the handle.

I haven't used the knife yet.

Alright, let's hope the knife serves me well. I went knifeless on a trip once, and I was left trying to figure out how to open the pockets and vents on my newly purchased suit in a hotel room the night before a serious meeting.

I guess it all comes down to personal preference. The Delica is one of my all time favorite blades. I took mine to work today along with my Native to show a guy who's shopping for a knife. After checking them out he decided had to get a Native.

Hmm, my favorite is the Griptilian. If they could work out a tip-down carry, I'd like it even more. Have I come across nicer knives I like even more? Not anywhere near that price point. It's nice enough that I'm very happy with it, and it's cheap enough that I will actually carry it and use it.

The second runner up is the Spyderco Military. It's not a Rambo knife. For such a simple knife it's quite functional.

I kind of have a bias towards 4"-5" knives. That seems like the right length for many tasks. The Delica will be my "Californian," but 3" is a little on the short side for me. I'm sure there are many good qualities that I don't perceive in the knife yet, Phaedrus, so I'm not disputing your preferences.

The Benchmade NImravus is very nice, too, but I think we're just talking about folders.