Best small pocket knife.

In My Humble Opinion
21

Given the criteria of size, quality and beauty I would recommend a benchmade 310 benchmite. It has a 2" blade and the handle is a work of art. It locks in both positions and the blade is 154CM steel. The handle has a different design on each side (cut all the way through it) and one of the designs incorporates the release mechanism. You can order different colors and I would recommend the anodized blue. This is a one-of-a-kind knife that I guarantee will be appreciated. It may be discontinued but you should still be able to get one. There is an auto-version of it (3100) but it’s more expensive.

People who like knives drool over this one when they see it.

22

Another great, very high quality, classic German knife that I can vouch for is Puma brand Knives.

This little Mother of Pearl Beauty is going for a steal.

23

Given his age and familiarity with tools, quality and (probably) a traditional pocketknife are important. Case should have a knife that fits. I would suggest a bone handle and either a rancher, stockman or trapper style Can you tell that I collect Case knives?

24

Probably more a novelty than anything else, but I was given this for my birthday.
http://www.toollogic.com/ice2.htm

It really is the same size as a credit card, just thicker.

:cool:

25

That’s nice! Decisions, decisions.

26

Last year I decided to maybe try my hand at whittling. So, I asked for and received this Böker Tang Stamp Series Whittler (7th Knife from the top) for Christmas. It is a beautiful carbon steel knife that will hold a great edge if and when I can master sharpening technique and get the proper carving edge.

I really want to try carving but never really got into it because I didn’t have the right wood and I suck at getting a keen edge, it started to seem an excercise in futility and I lost the interest and ambition to pursue it. (I’m notoriously bad at holding an interest for long, my passions come and go and I lack the discipline to really buckle down and commit, sometimes.) But good news is, I’m practicing my sharpening technique on a relatively cheap knife and I feel the urge, so maybe I’ll get back to it.

However, if my Böker Whittler is excellent, then this special Böker Whittler’s Penknife designed by a wood carver has to be the best.

27

Did I mention it was less than 1/4 inch thick? It carriers very well in a pants pocket. It has the heft of a metal handled knife but is lighter because the design is cut all the way through.

28

Well, that’s a damn shame. It seems to be discontinued. But would have been perfect.

I swear. Most of these knives look to be hunting tools.

I carry a nice little Buck. Lock back. And It’s not like carrying a .45 in you pocket. My workmates, nice guys and all and hunters, sometimes carry a knife. The damn things are so big that it stuns me when they happen to be able to dig it out of their pockect to cut some tape on a box.

Shit, you carry that thing in your pocket? We are GIS PROGRAMMERS. We live in the mountains but really, Taco Bell is just a mile away from work.

Still looking.

29

Yeh of little faith. You can buy the 3100 (automatic version) for $100. Got me thinking about it.

I have 2 more suggestions. My favorite daily knife is a Sog Flash I. It has a 2 1/2 aus-8 steel blade with either a glass-reinforced Zytel handle or an aluminum handle. Aus-8 is slightly less hard than 154CM but still in the range you want for a knife. A hardness of 60 becomes hard to sharpen and is too brittle for my taste. This knife is a partial assist knife. When you start to open it it will flick open. It locks open and has a safety lock when closed. You can get half serrated blades and also black anodized blades. I like the longer handle/blade but that’s my personal choice in a knife. I also like the lightweight zytel handle. It’s a very light knife at 1.3 oz but the aluminum is very attractive. I have 2 of them and the one I carry has the safety lock and clip removed. $55 plus shipping.

Another knife to consider is a Kershaw Chive and here, The picture does nothing for sales. The plain one has a very classic/clean look to it. It comes in a variety of handles and the blade is 2 inch 440HC steel (similar to the aus-8 in hardness). It is also a partial assist knife but the way it’s designed it might as well be an automatic. The way it is opened is very simple and unique. If you look at the blade you see the base of the sharp edge side sticks out. When folded this tang sticks out the back of the knife. Press on it and it flies open. It also has a safey lock and it’s needed. You do not want this opening in your pocket because the point is very narrow. I would carry this knife all the time but I like to be able to open a knife without releasing any safety locks. At 1.9 oz it has some heft to it and a very nice clip is included. Well designed and well built. $30 plus shipping. The best bang for the buck by far. You can get him a new 3 cell maglight mini LED (3 watt) for $28 and he’ll be equally impressed by it.

By the way, I didn’t mean to do this but everything I listed is made in the USA.

There you go. My top 3 most favorite knives that aren’t automatic.

30

As per the thread silenus beat me to posting, I love, love, love my Buck Alpha Dorado and have used it daily since I bought it.

31

Check this out for a nice little knife. Simple, nice to hold in your hand. The basic Opinel . The stainless (Inox) models are nice.

A Laguiole knife seems to be a pleasure to hold also.

32

Magiver What’s an ‘automatic’ version. Is it when they put the little thumb button on the blade to open it? (had one once, and I’m afraid I really hated it. It’s now my glove compartment knife)

33

I have to add my reccomendation for a Spyderco as well, despite their “unique” appearance, they are cutting tools par excellence

Spyderco concentrates on ergonomics and functionality first, appearance/cosmetics are an afterthought, many people initially find the appearance of a Spydie off-putting, but once you have one in your hand and actually cut with it, you understand, Spydercos are a great example of form following function

Sal Glesser, President of Spyderco, put it this way;
“we would rather the knife be in your pocket, because it works better, rather than in your display case because it looks better”
“Sorry, we design for performance, not collectability”
“Tractors don’t have to look like Ferraris”

nowhere is this philosophy more apparent than in the Spyderco Dodo, sadly, it’s discontinued because the general public saw it as nothing more than a “boxcutter on steroids”, the Dodo is one of the most ergonomic knives i’ve ever used, the handle fits the hand perfectly, the balance is spot-on, the blade is razor-sharp (Scary-Sharp), the G-10 handles are grippy, a great blade, and thanks to the combination of the serrated SpyderEdge and the “Reverse-S” blade profile, it cuts like a knife twice it’s blade length (the blade is just shy of 2")

give a Spydie an honest chance, it’s a true, unpretentious tool knife, if you don’t like the “humpback” look of the Delica, why not try the Native, which has a more conventional “humpless” blade shape

34

I agree, MacTech that a knife is a tool first. But for a gift for a conservative older gentleman, I don’t see that a strictly business, serated blade knife is quite right.

I myself have never carried a serated blade. How the heck to you sharpen them?

He does carry a knife as an everyday tool… So maybe I am wrong here. I wish I new what kind of knife he does carry. He’s a Dockers and button down shirt kind of guy. Retired.

And, for myself, and I suppose him, a knife is a very personal choice. I am always quite sad when I loose a knife. It’s like a good friend. So I don’t know if he will take it up and carry what I buy. But. As I said in my OP, it’s better than another pair of slippers or something.

I’m not looking at Laguigle too…bit expensive tho. Thanks Dag Otto.

I’m looking at all of them. It’s become a bit of a quest.

Thank you for all you replies.

35

the Spyderco Sharpmaker, it’s sharpening stones are triangular, you sharpen serrated edges on the corners of the triangle stones

as far as a nice small “Gentelman’s” folder, Spyderco has plenty of them, a couple of my favorites are the Kiwi, and the Cricket, the Kopa seems nice too, but it’s outside my price range, all three of these knives are easily pocketable, the Kiwi and Cricket fit in the watch pocket of jeans easily.

the Kiwi has the best ergos of the two i have (Cricket/Kiwi), take a look at those deep dual finger choils, the knife itself may be no longer than 3" closed, but when open, has one of the most secure grips of any pocketknife i have handled, the wharncliffe blade is dead easy to sharpen as well, and can get shaving sharp.

the Cricket is a good deal slimmer (if you remove the clip, you could actually fit it inside a wallet), the Reverse-S blade is a little harder to sharpen (i reccomend the Sharpmaker), but it also out-cuts the Kiwi due to a thinner blade grind (the Kiwi has a rather thick blade spine)

both knives are considered “cute” by NKP (Non Knife People, a.k.a. “Sheeple”) and don’t tend to scare most sheep like the standard Delica/Native/Endura/Harpy/etc…

most Spydies are available with plain edge as well as serrated, so if he doesn’t care for serrations, not a problem

Here’s a list of what Spyderco considers their “Gentelman” line, and these are “Little Big Knives”, knives that are small in size, but big in cutting performance

36

Automatic means it’s a switchblade knife. Partial assist or semi-assist means it is partially spring loaded and requires that you move the blade out manually first and it extends the rest of the way. The semi-assist should be legal in all 50 states while the auto is legal in some states as long as the blade is 2" or less.

The 2 alternate knives I suggested were semi-assist. The Kershaw Chive needs to be seen up close to appreciate it’s design. I can’t believe the crappy picture on the net. I would liken it to something with an art-deco feel to it. You will be buying one for yourself after you try it. If there are any knive shops in your area they should carry it.

37

Thank you again MacTech. Those Spydercos look real nice. And mostly in my price range.

It’s not the money, so much as I don’t want to over-do it for a gift exchange. I saw a couple of knifes here in the $200 dollar range which would have been perfect, except for the price. I do not want to start some sort or one-upmenship in our family. It’s just a gift exchange.

My BIL had to retire early from his job as a shop teacher. He is loosing his eyesight. He can no longer drive at night, and probably should not drive at all. He needs bright light to read anything.

The folks that really know their knives are gonna hate me. I just bought (online) a Buck folder that has an LED light in it. This knife It’s bigger than I wanted, but may serve him quite well. I’ll look at it and if it is to cheesy or junk will go for a smaller traditional lock back like many of the knifes mentioned in this thread.

I myself (birthday tomorrow) may be interested in a knife such as this as I also have trouble in the dark with menus and receipts and such.

It’s a bitch to start to loose your vision. I need to have my Wife look at the Menu for me sometimes and I’m only 46. I saw the Buck with a light in it and thought.hmmmm… I would rather have a knife with a small light in it, than a flashlight with a small knife.

38

Good choice. The blade is easy to sharpen and it’s a dual-use tool. I carry a carabiner style flashlight for the same reason (I clip it to my laptop case at work so the keys go through the scanner). I use the flashlight all the time for the same reasons you gave. 48 sucks too.

39

That’s a nice knife. I think it’s a good and practical choice. Bucks are lifetime blades. (It’s considerate too, in light of his failing eyesight.)

40

There are huge lots of Airport Confiscated Knives on ebay. You can get a bag of somebody else’s knives cheap. I always thought it would be cool to buy a bag and find out the providence of each blade- somehow track down the original owners through a web lost and found. Give every knife back to the owner and learn its story. Document the whole process.

I’m sure there is an incredible story waiting to be told. Blades are a personal and meaningful item for men. Mars Bonfire.

Some knives might be untraceable, but I’m sure there are some blades easily recognized by their owner… storytelling blades. It’s so Athurian. Tolkien Magic Steel.