Looking for my “forever knife”.

el gigantor

el gigantor

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I’ve recently come into a small bit of money that allows me to buy a knife in a price category I’m not familiar with. The limit is set up to $600 USD, and the goal is to find a blade I can rely on for years and years. A somewhat higher-end EDC than I’m used to, one that’s good quality and capable. I’m not into pocket jewelry so this thing is going to be a user for sure. Opening packages, cutting twine, some light landscaping duty and food prep. I’ll probably take the sucker camping as well.

As far as what preferences I have; titanium is great. Carbon is also great. A good steel (S35VN or “better”). A deep carry clip would be cool but not required. Anything lighter-weight than my Spyderco Shaman please. The biggest stipulation….MUST be larger than 8.75 inches open. I have massive hands and require decent space for them. That said though, I don’t want a pocket sword so 9.5 inches open max. I’m not too particular about opening mechanisms. Flippers are fine, and so are thumb studs, Spydie holes, etc.

The ZT 0452CF is on my radar, as well as the Reate K-2, WE 609J, and Spartan Harsey folder. My hope is that you fine folks will show me a knife in this size and price range I haven’t heard of or haven’t given much thought to. Thanks in advance for whatever you’ve got for me.

(PS: You probably noticed the blades I’m considering are all very different from one another. I’m not terribly picky about design. I’m willing to pay for quality and longevity and room for my mitts. Ideally I’d grab a large Sebenza but it’s too small.)
 
If you can forgive it being about 0.15 oz. heavier than a Shaman, the Microtech Socom Elite is my favorite folder that ticks most/all of your boxes. It's not Ti or CF, so that might rule it out from the get-go -- but I still thought it was worth mentioning.

I've been through a lot of knives in this size range, and this is one of the only ones that has stayed in my collection. :)

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Dadpool said:
If you can forgive it being about 0.15 oz. heavier than a Shaman, the Microtech Socom Elite is my favorite folder that ticks most/all of your boxes. It's not Ti or CF, so that might rule it out from the get-go -- but I still thought it was worth mentioning.

I've been through a lot of knives in this size range, and this is one of the only ones that has stayed in my collection. :)

iHVHQhc.jpg
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Thanks for the reply! The one thing I forgot to mention was I’m in Canada, and as a result autos are a no-go. That blade looks sweet though!

EDIT: Wait….do they come in manual as well?
 
I reject your weight limit, and substitute my own.

Cold Steel 4 Max. The expensive one with the Ti liners.

What? Somebody had to say it.

$600 opens up a lot of space to play in.

Maybe something by Andre de Villiers?

You'll be able to fully kit up a folding Freeman 451, and still have some money left over.

Extrema Ratio if you want something very different. You could almost get two of them.

An Emerson? You might even be able to catch a custom, if you are moving fast in the right place, at the right time.

A Medford Air Jack if you want something that splits the line between "hard" and "classy".

Okay, so I admit, I paid not the least bit of attention to the weight limit. I don't get to assemble a list like that very often, so I decided to take advantage of it.
 
a Forever Knife you will need to still love when you are old. I suggest not a large tactical knife at all, but a classic folder by GEC - but that is my taste. Or if you are more modern , an inkosi as already suggested would be a great choice. Take your time and do a lot of research. (I love my CS 4 Max, have not carried it even once.)
 
Take a look at Cheburkov Gudson. Over 4inch of m390. CF version is 1oz lighter than Shaman. While having a lot longer useable edge. The edge is much thinner than shaman as well so cuts much better. I have the full ti version. Very nice.
 
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I think all Spyderco Military and the Chief models are attainable in that price range, but I would also wait for the XL Stretch if shopping for a large folder. I consider all CRK knives to be forever knives due to the warranty, but they may be too small for you.
 
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I did some searching, meeting your weight requirement ( under 5.2 oz for the Shaman) seems to be the biggest hurdle for a knife in that size.

You could just get the ZT 452CF for even days in the month AND Reate K-2 for odd days of the month . Just saying ...
 
Olamic Cutlery Rainmaker:

  1. Overall Length: 9.75" (247.65mm)
  2. Closed Length: 5.75" (146.05mm)
  3. Blade Length: 4" (101.6mm)
  4. Blade Thickness: .137" (3.48mm)
  5. Blade Steel: M390
  6. Blade Style: Drop Point
  7. Blade Finish: Satin
  8. Handle Material: Titanium
  9. Pocket Clip: Yes, right hand only, tip up
  10. Lock Type: Frame Lock
  11. Weight: 5.5oz
  12. Country of Origin: USA
  13. Less than $500.00

55264EF6-A116-4989-A300-0D4810AAC1C1.jpeg
 
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IMO, this screams spyderco military. I also really like my protech TR4 but I can't speak to the longevity of springs and such although protech warranties it for life.

I think a spyderco native chief could be in there but the blade is thinner than the military so the military is probably better as the forever knife if you use it roughly at all. The millie is also a bigger handle. For big hands it's one of the best folders out there and it's surprisingly light for how big it is. It just works.

Since you're after a little bling, maybe try to find a sprint military available. I think the ti framelock millie, if you can find one, would be really great given the preferences you laid out.

As a completely different flavor, the Todd Begg Field Marshal is a really interesting knife if you're into his busier designs. It definitely favors the look of pocket jewelry but it's also a capable tool. I will still go with a millie but the field marshall's handle is pretty cozy and it would certainly lighten up your pocket book substantially.

Last, and again another different take, is the Benchmade auto fact. It's a stiletto design which doesn't scream the best for EDC but I find the thinner blades like this carry really small and really well. I like the straight edges for EDC, it wouldn't be my 1st choice for food prep though. BM really dressed up the auto version of the fact and properly over-priced it because of that, IMO, but it's a pretty sweet knife and looks great. I like it more than I liked the 940 or 943 and really like the axis-auto mecahnism. I think the button over the axis-auto was a miss when they did the 943 auto.
 
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Some compromises may be required but I suggest a large Inkosi or a Spyderco Farid K2. The latter is out of production but available second hand. I recently purchased one in the exchange for $300 that is mint.
 
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