How Much $$$ for Your EDC? Poll

[enbloc]

So, it would seem that We have a huge variation in what We are willing to spend on an EDC knife.

Let's see how much!

If you carry MORE than 1 EDC (I do) select the highest cost item.

Accessories that directly effect the usefulness of the knife can be included in the cost. I.E. sheath, ferro rod, stone.

Feel free to post details/reasons/photos...

~Enbloc

 

[Climbnsink]

I only see two options. I'm in the right around 50 bucks camp. I'm OK with the quality at that level and not peeved if I lose or destroy one. Or buy one I think I will like and am meh about it.

 

[enbloc]

I only see two options. I'm in the right around 50 bucks camp. I'm OK with the quality at that level and not peeved if I lose or destroy one. Or buy one I think I will like and am meh about it.

Yeah, I hit "RETURN" and the software treated it like "ENTER"...

 

[Sterg]

$51 to $75 for me up to $100. Any knife over that would be for self defense and sitting pretty in my pocket. Mostly Case knives usually around $60.00

 

[Cap'n Mike]

At work I carry my Randall Fireman.
Not working its a $50 Leatherman.

 

[timbo]

I carry either a Buck 110 or 112 daily...that being said, I own about 8-10 each of those...all different vintages, from the mid 60’s to modern.

 

[cockpitbob]

I've carried a knife since 3rd grade. These days it's a little Swiss Army Signature (has a pen). It's main duty is opening envelopes and Amazon boxes. However, the nail file makes a great screwdriver and small pry bar. The strength of its hinge astounds me. I lose or destroy one about every 2 years. I treat the poor things like a good but disposable tool.

 

[DarkJoker33]

I got a $10 discontinued snap on knife that I edc.
For my b-day, I got a vz grips G10 "blade" . But I have yet to work it into the edc

 

[chris_1001]

I did $200+

I want a solid knife. And since I don’t abuse them I can justify that.

If I had to use one all day every day I’d prob be >$100. Due to wear and loss

 

[Deleted member 12999]

My brother got me one for my 40th birthday.... I think its a Kershaw Launch 3? Not sure. I carry it off and on, and its a nice little toy. Doesn't hold an edge very well, and I need to give it some TLC

 

[CoastieRon]

Benchmade bugout. Love that little sticker.

 

[bondsman333]

If I was on a budget I'd be fine with a minimum of a Benchmade Mini Grip.
But I like nice things, and appreciate tools so I buy what I like. My go to EDC is always a Chris Reeve's Sebenza. I've owned 5 or 6 at this point. My favorite has been the small 31 with micarta inserts.

 

[bondsman333]

Benchmade bugout. Love that little sticker.

that knife really surprised me. At first I was hesitant because without a liner the scales had a noticeable 'give' to it. But it carry's incredibly well, almost disappears in the pocket. And its razor sharp.

 

[MAD Geary]

Zero Tolerance 0456 Sinkevich Titanium is my EDC.

 

[Picton]

I've got them at all price points. I've got a Randall Gambler and a Behring Pocket that both cost around $400, but I don't always carry them.

The Benchmade I usually carry is a $180-odd folder normally, but I got it for like $40 used at an REI garage sale and then sent it back for a free reconditioning at the factory. Total cost around $50. More than anything else these days, it's a Leatherman Skeletool I got for about $60? IIRC.

 

[fshalor]

I'm random now. My Sage is in FLA due to COVID (drove down; flight back; no check)

I've been EDC Rat 2 or Kershaw Kryo on weekends.

The Cryo is my "I don't care beat the snot snot out of it " work knife right now.

All my spyderco delica4s need new pocket clips. Salt water ate them. Even though the knives themselves are flawless and look work but usable.

The Rat has been an amazing surprise. No idea why a knife that inexpensive is so good. Way better than all the CRKT junk I've wasted money on.

 

[enbloc]

The Rat has been an amazing surprise. No idea why a knife that inexpensive is so good. Way better than all the CRKT junk I've wasted money on.

I just got a RAT 2 in D2 steel and it is a very nice knife for short money...

 

[jaymce]

My EDC is one of these bad Larry's. I know your all jealous, its ok.

Mostly used for scribing steel and cutting down Roloc grinding disks. Also doubles as a money clip... on the rare occasion I have any money.
Be prepared, one of these might set you back almost $8.00.

 

[MisterHappy]

I have a SOG with plastic handles. IIRC, it was $20 at Dick's when my kid worked there, and I got it with the employee discount, so $15.

Opens cartons, cuts sammiches. It's a lock blade, so if Bishop ever shows up, he can do the thing with the knife.

 

[not new guy]

In case you’re ever feeling like you need to spend $160 on a utility knife: Spectrum Energetics Utilizer

 

[Marty McFly]

View attachment 419702

My EDC is one of these bad Larry's. I know your all jealous, its ok.

Mostly used for scribing steel and cutting down Roloc grinding disks. Also doubles as a money clip... on the rare occasion I have any money.
Be prepared, one of these might set you back almost $8.00.

A blade you never need to sharpen. I like it

 

[fencer]

This is my EDC. Works great for everything I need around the office. MSRP of $80. Holds an edge and I keep sharpeners at home and at work, and I keep it sharp enough to preform minor surgery.
Anything more expensive than that and I would cry if some thing happened to it.
I just got the sheath to attach my K-Bar to my plate carrier. Love my K-Bar, but they do require regular maintenance.

 

[greencobra]

Be prepared, one of these might set you back almost $8.00.

i own one similar but not a husky. i can't remember the name of the online vendor but i paid too much, ~ 13 bucks and that was early 90's bucks. i just dropped it last week and one of the scales cracked almost in half. at the time i never saw a folding utility knife. i thought it was cool, still do. i remember who i got it from, a.g. russell

 

[greencobra]

a lot of people don't realize there are basicly 2 knife types, boutique and edc users. i classify the sebenza a boutique knife. way over priced. mediocre steel wrapped in lore, hype and window dressing. and the edc user on the other end, like spyderco. you pay the money for the steel, not how cool it looks. a lot of feathers are ruffled about now but true knife aficionados choose their knives for the steel, not the looks. just my opinion. and yes, i bought many a knife cause i thought it was cool. see my above post.

 

[not new guy]

What better for an EDC user than one you can send back to the mothership for a free renew-ing for only the cost of shipping, forever? Spyderco voids the warranty if you take it apart, CRK posts the instructions online and offers to finish the job if you screw it up.

Some sebenzas are inlaid beauty queens, some are hard workers. Some Spydercos are just goofy projects/collaborations that result in a wildly impractical knife, some are EDC workhorses. I actually saw an inlaid Sebenza that was calling my name a couple of weeks ago but decided I wanted a knife to carry, not a bbq knife, so I passed. I won’t ever sell my plain 21 though.

MSRP on a Spyderco Paysan is $800, well into boutique range and well over a Sebenza. Sure it has some exotic steel, but so what? I’ve never been let down by s35vn - it just works. The Spyderco Native 5 I just bought in Maxamet retails for $250 (I got a second for like $80). The thing has a small blade and linerless nylon handles. It doesn’t even have frigging washers, just the blade riding directly on the nylon scales. Will Spyderco fix it if the Maxamet blade chips or snaps, as some have been known to do? The question of whether something is overpriced isn’t just about the price tag.

Sebenzas are an old design that they’ve tweaked over the years but I have yet to find another practical-sized pocket folder that comes as close to feeling like a fixed blade was it’s opened and locked. There ain’t no window dressing on a plain sebenza, and is it really hype when it’s been going strong for 30+ years? What I find hard to understand is how they can still command the price (with a long wait list) when there are so many frigging sebenzas in circulation, but people don’t sell them unless they’re getting their money back at least. There’s a reason.

Whether a given knife is an EDC user or a boutique knife that’s too nice to work depends largely on the owner’s risk tolerances, provided we’re talking about knives that are actually capable of doing the job day in and day out.

 

[ChevyGuy91]

I have expensive knives and knives that are sentimental, they are cool, but there is no way I am going to daily carry a pocket knife that I can't replace for less then 50 bucks.

 

[not new guy]

I’m pretty good about losing knives - the TRM I lost a few weeks back was the first I had lost in maybe 25 years of carrying knives everywhere - but it still hurt, partly because it was $180 but also because it’s tough to replace. It’s a risk, but I don’t pry with them or use them as screwdrivers, so the most damage I’m going to do is dropping one, or catching the belt clip on something and bending it. I also don’t use them for my day job so they don’t rack up mileage like they do for some people.

 

[greencobra]

Spyderco voids the warranty if you take it apart

this is not really true....

 

[fshalor]

What better for an EDC user than one you can send back to the mothership for a free renew-ing for only the cost of shipping, forever? Spyderco voids the warranty if you take it apart, CRK posts the instructions online and offers to finish the job if you screw it up.

Some sebenzas are inlaid beauty queens, some are hard workers. Some Spydercos are just goofy projects/collaborations that result in a wildly impractical knife, some are EDC workhorses. I actually saw an inlaid Sebenza that was calling my name a couple of weeks ago but decided I wanted a knife to carry, not a bbq knife, so I passed. I won’t ever sell my plain 21 though.

MSRP on a Spyderco Paysan is $800, well into boutique range and well over a Sebenza. Sure it has some exotic steel, but so what? I’ve never been let down by s35vn - it just works. The Spyderco Native 5 I just bought in Maxamet retails for $250 (I got a second for like $80). The thing has a small blade and linerless nylon handles. It doesn’t even have frigging washers, just the blade riding directly on the nylon scales. Will Spyderco fix it if the Maxamet blade chips or snaps, as some have been known to do? The question of whether something is overpriced isn’t just about the price tag.

Sebenzas are an old design that they’ve tweaked over the years but I have yet to find another practical-sized pocket folder that comes as close to feeling like a fixed blade was it’s opened and locked. There ain’t no window dressing on a plain sebenza, and is it really hype when it’s been going strong for 30+ years? What I find hard to understand is how they can still command the price (with a long wait list) when there are so many frigging sebenzas in circulation, but people don’t sell them unless they’re getting their money back at least. There’s a reason.

Whether a given knife is an EDC user or a boutique knife that’s too nice to work depends largely on the owner’s risk tolerances, provided we’re talking about knives that are actually capable of doing the job day in and day out.

That's all well and good. I think.

I have a spyderco sage with 4 years of daily carry and abuse on it which looks new. Plus a whole handful of delica 4s with different blades an colors, and a few other low end spydercos. Other than abuse and salt breaking the belt clips on the delica4s, never any issues.

Vs the CRKTs I have had. I can claim equal number of purchases vs the Spyderco, because I like their feel and design and cost points. However, I also have zero of the CRKTs I have ever purchased in use. Every one of them suffered a failure on that stupid red lever. Every one. Two got sent back twice and then taken out by pocket lint again and again. While just idling in a bag as backups. All were well cared for. I just don't trust the lockup design.

I just ditched the last remaining CRKT one I have (in my seldom used range bag) and replaced it with a Rat 2.

Kershaw's Autobasist system seems to work well without issues, even if it gets dirty. Unlike that silly red pip latch thing CRKT uses.

Rat2's have restored the little faith k have in liner locks.

I don't understand how anyone stands behind the CRKTs low end designs. They are too tight on deploy, too loose on close, and tmcan fail to lockup with a hint of a hairball.

 

[greencobra]

The Spyderco Native 5 I just bought in Maxamet retails for $250 (I got a second for like $80). The thing has a small blade and linerless nylon handles. It doesn’t even have frigging washers, just the blade riding directly on the nylon scales.

i believe that's the "lightweight" native you have. the $250 price is for the maxamet steel. the normal lightweight native is just over $100. and i don't believe they have warranties on seconds so if it chips/breaks you're sol.