For a first knife, I would never recommend any knife in the $80-200 range. If you start with a hundred dollar knife, either you’re a spoiled rich kid, or you started carrying way too late in life.

More important than the knife itself (assuming it is of decent quality), is the skills to keep it maintained. Knowing how and when to clean, sharpen, and oil it makes all the difference in a knife.

The Leek is my all-time favorite EDC knife.

I have Rat II in D2 and I totally adore it! Definitely can recommend!

I would do either type of edge, but I don’t like having it change types halfway through my blade. I love your videos.

I hate partial serations on a knife you’re getting the worst of both worlds

Kershaw makes good folding knives. But my all time favorite knife is gerber strongarm fixed blade.

Partially serrated is great. But your griptilion has one sided grind serrations, which works for a while but does not hold edge with rope.

How come all these knife guys have girly hands?

My Goodness!?! Do you own all of those knives? That’s pretty amazing. They are a little over my price range, but they look like good choices. Thanks for sharing.

For work knives, partially serrated hands down.

I don’t own any Benchmade knives but I absolutely love my Ontario Rat II; so much that when mine was confiscated at the airport Christmas morning, the first thing I did was order a new one. It retains a sharp edge even after a year of use & abuse. Opens & closes very smoothly. Perfect size and doesn’t way much so you don’t notice it in your pocket, which is why I forgot to put it in my check in luggage.

I love my leek. Slim takes a good edge. I’ve cleaned two deer with it, though I don’t recommend it. Maybe slightly weak for a hard work knife. Just started carrying a heavier Kershaw around the farm. Don’t know what it’s called though.

i have a sizable knife collection. extrema ratio, rubicon, spyderco police. the hunter pro ALOX is the knife i carry all the time. payed $120 for it and it ticks all the boxes for me.

This is a great video. Some of these knives I have never seen before. The Ontario rat is one of my favorites though.

CRKT IGNITOR
Great for the money.

Para 3 done deal …..

Kershaw blur

My EDC is Benchmade Grizzly Ridge. Love this knife! Highly recommend for daily carry. Easy to grip, great quality steel, and Benchmade quality. Plane edge. Not a big serrations edge blade carry. Love a super sharp straight edge.

Zero Tolerance 0562CF

I recommend Salnikov knives on IG. He makes some great stuff!

@budgetbugout what is the knife between the crkt crossbones and the spyderco paramilitary2?

My best edc has been the Benchmade Griptilian 550HG with plain sheepsfoot blade. I keep it (and all my other knives) shaving sharp using my Worksharp by Ken Onion. It takes a very light tough to get an excellent blade dressing followed by some stropping using a hard-surface backed strip of leather belt dressed with black honing compound. My final step is to strop a few times on a piece of fire hose to get the burr off, leaving a “shaving sharp” blade every time! Both the knife and the sharpener were gifts from my sons which makes it even sweeter! This knife was my first introduction to a 154CM steel and I experience great satisfaction when knife sharpening now days. Old dog/new steels!

I agree with your selection except the Cutjack . I just bought one and it won’t flip. Oiled it and loosened the tension screw and still won’t flip. Did you have to break yours in?

With the Crossbones and similar lean or small knives, try holding it almost like a pencil, with your index finger indexed along the spine of the blade. I do prefer knives with a good finger choil for that reason and to make closing quickly less risky.

spyderco tenacious is my edc knife and has not let me down.