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#284464 - 05/05/17 01:22 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: quick_joey_small]
Pete Offline
Veteran

Registered: 02/20/09
Posts: 1372
This is not fully consistent. Price is higher.

I happened to buy a Mini Tuff Lite knife from Cold Steel. These are great little knives. Quite small, but remarkably tough and strong. Very handy for a lot of daily chores. Could be used for srlf-defense, in a critical emergency.

But price is higher than $10. Worth it, though.

Pete

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#284474 - 05/05/17 03:17 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: quick_joey_small]
Treeseeker Offline
Member

Registered: 03/29/12
Posts: 189
Loc: California
I would not limit myself to $10 for an EDC knife. You need a quality, reliable knife. No skimping allowed.

Most of my life I have carried a Swiss Army knife Tinker model. In addition to 2 blades, you have several other tools that I find I use constantly. I use this knife every day. Highly recommended.

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#284477 - 05/05/17 03:48 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: Treeseeker]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
You are right on with a Swiss Army knife. I would only comment that if you add pliers, you have increased the functionality of the item considerably. Yes, I am a big Leatherman fan...

Knives, multitools, any item or gadget - typically there is a range from total junk to absolute perfection, or at least the appearance thereof, and the consumer can pick and choose where on the price/function scale to select an item. usually there is a "Goldilocks" item where price and value coincide, and it typically is well short of the high end. Sometimes the high end items have features that might be critical for specialized situations, but often the price is high because of "bling" and superficial features. It is not unusual to see knives selling for 30 times the price of a Mora. Do they really offer thirty times the value? I doubt it.

I think back to my grandfather, who was a very successful fisherman, consequently with a lot of fish to fillet. Every session began with a quick sharpening and stropping of the nondescript steel knives he used, followed by quick and adroit work. No problem at all with cheap knives.
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#284479 - 05/05/17 04:08 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: quick_joey_small]
Treeseeker Offline
Member

Registered: 03/29/12
Posts: 189
Loc: California
hikermor,

Quote:
No problem at all with cheap knives.


In that case maybe not, but those weren't EDC knives. When I was young and inexperienced, I went with cheap knives for EDC, and they rusted, wouldn't hold an edge, and broke or bent.

For an EDC, I think you need a better quality, but I would agree that you don't need high-end. You can get the Tinker for $20 at Target (with a sharpener).

I would also agree that pliers are nice to have, but a Leatherman probably weighs 3-4 times as much as a Tinker, so I don't EDC one. I do have one in my Go bag though.

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#284480 - 05/05/17 04:29 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: Treeseeker]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
The nice thing about L tools is that they are offered in a variety of sizes. Pliers are available on something like the PS4, which is on my key ring right now, through Juice and Skeletool models, up to the Wave, and beyond.

I really like the Skeletool - good knife and pliers, plus screwdrivers, all in an EDC appropriate size and weight. I most often use my PS4, which is a very good value.

And no, I am not a paid shill for Leatherman. No commercial connection, just a satisfied customer.
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#284484 - 05/05/17 06:56 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: Treeseeker]
AKSAR Offline
Veteran

Registered: 08/31/11
Posts: 1233
Loc: Alaska
Originally Posted By: Treeseeker
I would also agree that pliers are nice to have, but a Leatherman probably weighs 3-4 times as much as a Tinker, so I don't EDC one. I do have one in my Go bag though.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
The nice thing about L tools is that they are offered in a variety of sizes. Pliers are available on something like the PS4, which is on my key ring right now, through Juice and Skeletool models, up to the Wave, and beyond.

For me it depends on what I'm doing and where I'm doing it. If I'm someplace with lots of mechanical things to fuss with, I like having a multitool. If I'm out hiking the weight of the multitool becomes a factor, and in that situation a good knife is generally sufficient.

I generally always have a Swiss Army "Spartan" in my pocket attached to a Fenix E-01. In town I often also EDC a Leatherman "Kick", a discontinued model with just the basics (pliers, phillips and flat screwdriver, knife, can and bottle opener). If I'm hiking the Spartan is usually all I need (except for a tiny Gerber LST buried in the bottom of my pack for backup).

If I'm hiking with a stove and other such gadgets that might need fixing, besides the Spartan I might also carry a Leatherman Juice C2. It is a good compromise between having pliers hefty enough to be useful, but is still lightweight enough to carry when weight is an issue.

My problem with keychain sized multitools is just that...they are keychain size. At some point if you try to make a pliers too small, it just doesn't have the strength to do pliers type jobs. I also don't have much use for the bit driver kits on multitools. Seems like I always need a bit that is not in the kit.

That's my $.02 worth. Your experience and needs may vary.
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#284485 - 05/05/17 07:29 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: AKSAR]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
The only keychain L-tool I own is an older Leatherman E-4, to which LM added scissors and now calls the ES-4. The wire strippers work quite well as long as the wire gauge isn't too big -- it handles up to 12ga iirc. Regular keychain size pliers are not that useful imo, small jobs only.

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#284486 - 05/05/17 07:37 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: AKSAR]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
heap plenty good comments , Kemo Sabe...

I agree that the further from mechanized gadgets and their fasteners you are, the less likely you are to need various features. I usually leave my wave behind, taking a Skeletool and PS4. The skeletool is just about the weight of the original L-tool that I carried for years and retains about 90% of its functionality.

I hear you about diminutive pliers. My PS4 pliers actually function more like tweezers, although they are surprisingly capable. (Of course, I have big, string hands - just ask me). It wouldn't be perfect, but if all I had with me in the wild was a PS-4, I would not be unduly concerned. Rambo, of course,would be mortified.
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#284491 - 05/06/17 03:19 AM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: quick_joey_small]
Phaedrus Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 04/28/10
Posts: 3148
Loc: Big Sky Country
It appears that I am guilty of replying to the header, not the video. blush grin For the record I don't have a single "EDC knife" but rather a metric crapload of knives that may or may not be carried depending on the circumstances.

First off, I'm pathologically averse to carrying a bunch of crap in my pockets! Generally I can tolerate one item in each pocket, and no more. My wallet must be in my back right, my phone in my front left, my keys in my front right with a flashlight also occupying that pocket but riding out the top with a pocket clip. If the pants I'm wearing have a large enough 'watch pocket' I'll carry my light there.

That leaves my back left pocket for an EDC knife. While I'm at work I have all my work keys on a carabiner along with an Olight I3E EOS (AAA light) and a Spyderco Dragonfly in HAP40. The blade is only 2" but it's razor sharp with staggering edge retention. Key is the fact that the whole shebang is just a few ounces.

Outside of work I will be carrying a larger folder in my rear pocket and an HK sidearm on my right side. That knife is generally one of three Spydercos- 1) Delica in VG10, 2) Delica in Super Blue (ie AoKo/Super Aogami), 3) Native5 in S30VN, or 4) Native5 in Maxamet. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool knife nerd and "steel geek" so my collection holds a lot of somewhat exotic stuff. I'll note that the VG10 Delica is a bit more pedestrian but it was the last gift given me by my father before he passed so it has sentimental value.

I find a knife essential in my day to day life and can scarcely imagine not having one. But a folder is sufficient for my needs. I am not trained in knife fighting so I will rely on H2H and/or a firearm for defense so my knife need not be tacticool.

When hiking or camping though I will carry more and larger knives. I like to have a large knife to baton wood for kindling in addition to a Silky saw (and a Fiskar's Splitting Axe when I can spare the weight).

I do have some cheap knives but I have more upscale stuff that I use in the field. Helle, Falkniven, Busse, ESEE, JK Handmade, Crashblades, etc. I took the $10 knife thing as a hypothetical challenge not something I'd necessarily rely on. True, a cheap knife can get the job done, but I like to play around with the swankier stuff.

I do have and use some multitools but it would be a rare circumstance when I'd have one on my as EDC.
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#284514 - 05/08/17 08:31 PM Re: Best Sub $10 EDC Knives? [Re: AKSAR]
Mark_R Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 05/29/10
Posts: 863
Loc: Southern California
Originally Posted By: AKSAR
Originally Posted By: Treeseeker
I would also agree that pliers are nice to have, but a Leatherman probably weighs 3-4 times as much as a Tinker, so I don't EDC one. I do have one in my Go bag though.

Originally Posted By: hikermor
The nice thing about L tools is that they are offered in a variety of sizes. Pliers are available on something like the PS4, which is on my key ring right now, through Juice and Skeletool models, up to the Wave, and beyond.

For me it depends on what I'm doing and where I'm doing it. If I'm someplace with lots of mechanical things to fuss with, I like having a multitool. If I'm out hiking the weight of the multitool becomes a factor, and in that situation a good knife is generally sufficient.

I generally always have a Swiss Army "Spartan" in my pocket attached to a Fenix E-01. In town I often also EDC a Leatherman "Kick", a discontinued model with just the basics (pliers, phillips and flat screwdriver, knife, can and bottle opener). If I'm hiking the Spartan is usually all I need (except for a tiny Gerber LST buried in the bottom of my pack for backup).

If I'm hiking with a stove and other such gadgets that might need fixing, besides the Spartan I might also carry a Leatherman Juice C2. It is a good compromise between having pliers hefty enough to be useful, but is still lightweight enough to carry when weight is an issue.

My problem with keychain sized multitools is just that...they are keychain size. At some point if you try to make a pliers too small, it just doesn't have the strength to do pliers type jobs. I also don't have much use for the bit driver kits on multitools. Seems like I always need a bit that is not in the kit.

That's my $.02 worth. Your experience and needs may vary.


I EDC'd a V-nox Tinker for years before switching to a LM PS4. I've found that the pliers are worth their weight in gold, and I can get by with a peanut size blade if I keep it shaving sharp. Make no mistake that these are not heavy use knives. Heavier use means either adding a locking folder knife or a Deluxe Tinker depending on the requirements.
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