People often ask me for knife recommendations, and I’m always happy to oblige. It gives me a legitimate excuse to pour over all the incredible knife offerings available to us in this golden age of pocket cutlery. In this article I will share my method of how to choose the perfect knife for YOU!
Budget
The first question to ask yourself is how much you want to spend on a knife. Knives come in all price ranges, from a couple bucks to thousands. As long as you stay within reason, you should be able to find a knife in your budget. Usually the upper limit is the focus, but I will give a recommendation of a lower limit of $7. There are some legitimately serviceable knives just above that bedrock price, but I haven’t found anything worth the price any lower and the options are sparse below $15. On the upper end, I think everyone has a price point past which the quality doesn’t increase enough to keep up with the cost. Everyone’s range is different, but I generally stay between $15 and $150 (with some exceptions down to $7 and up to about $225).
Knives of quite different price ranges: $225 ZT0561, $15 Kershaw Thistle, $7 Geralt
Intended Use
How you intend to use the knife is just as important as budget, because if you have the wrong knife for the job, the price won’t matter. You have to decide how you plan to use the knife; whether that’s as a wilderness survival tool, a work implement, a fidget toy, or anything in between. The uses for knives are unlimited, and it’s up to you to decide which are important to you in relation to this particular knife purchase and filter the choices accordingly.
Two knives with similar aesthetics but very different practical purposes
Aesthetic Preference
Practicality isn’t all that matters; if you don’t like the way your knife looks and feels you won’t be happy with your purchase. That’s why you should consider your own personal aesthetic preferences along with the practical characteristics of a knife. One of the main aesthetic choices for me is modern versus traditional. I enjoy both types of knives, but I more often buy traditionally styled knives. For you it could be tactical versus practical, or flashy versus subdued, or any number of other spectra within which knives fall.
A slipjoint, a double edged automatic knife, and a one hand open locking knife. All of these are legal some places, all are illegal some places… as silly as that might be!
Legal Considerations
Finally, the most unfortunate consideration of what knife is right for you are the relevant legal restrictions. Many places have automatic knife laws, blade length laws, laws regarding the locking mechanism, and even the edge configuration. I highly suggest looking into your local knife laws before making a purchase. There are several ways to do this, but one good source is the American Knife and Tool Institute.
As you have probably surmised, a lot of individuality goes into choosing the right knife for you. That’s one of the best parts of the exercise; it gives you the opportunity to express yourself in a meaningful but practical way. Although the method for choosing a knife I present here is vague, I hope it provides a useful framework in your search!
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I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts
Yesterday I posted the above picture on my social media (make sure to follow me!), and promised a fuller description of all the items. I know this is a lot to carry, but I don’t find that it weighs me down or is too difficult. Of course, I don’t absolutely need all this stuff but much of it does come in handy on a daily basis. More importantly, like many who appreciate every day carry gear, I also just plain enjoy having high quality tools on my person!
Knives
I typically carry, aside from my keychain, a modern folding knife and a traditional folding knife. I don’t always carry a fixed blade, mostly because I often don’t find them as comfortable as folding knives. Also, let’s be honest, I probably have enough knife on me without a fixed blade. However, I’m carrying the Spyderco Reverse. It’s an interesting fixed blade designed by two different well respected self defense instructors, Craig Douglas and Michael Janich, with the ability to switch the handle scales to match each instructors respective tactic style. Craig Douglas, aka “Southnarc” of ShivWorks, is the instructor of Shawn Lupka who teaches his AntiFragile self defense class at Stout PGH where I work. Aside from it being a unique and effectively designed fixed blade, it is extremely easy to carry with the incredible DarkStar Gear sheath. Tom of DarkStar Gear also trains at Stout PGH, and was kind enough to make this sheath with a Team Renzo Gracie pattern. This sheath takes the knife to a whole ‘nother level, and proves why the carry system is an integral part of a fixed blade. Make sure to check out DarkStar for their sheaths and their specialty, kydex IWB holsters.
My modern folding knife for today is the Spyderco Watu. This is a new knife from Spyderco for 2020, but it’s based on the well loved but discontinued Chokwe. Both the Watu and its older brother, the Chokwe, are part of Spyderco’s Ethnic Series. The Ethnic Series is a line of knives based on traditional fixed blades from around the world. The Watu is based on a traditional African fixed blade design of the Chokwe people. It might look like a strange design, with its triangle shaped blade and almost coffin shaped handle with two holes passing through, but I’ve found it to be extremely utilitarian. The Watu has several upgrades over the Chokwe with carbon fiber overlay g10 handles, a compression lock, the wire clip, and CPM20CV steel. It is also smaller than the Chokwe. Many will find the smaller size welcome, as it is closer to what many consider an ideal EDC knife, but I slightly prefer the larger size of the Chokwe. I am really enjoying the Watu, and you can find my full review below.
My traditional knife for today is the Great Eastern Cutlery made Waynorth Cutlery Real Lambfoot. Charlie Campagna has had many Special Factory Orders made by GEC, including his wildly popular TC Barlows, and was able to convince Bill to manufacture what is likely the first American made Lambfoot knife. This version has smooth white bone covers. Only 27 of this white smooth bone covered version were made, and they were sold by Charlie (aka Waynorth) himself at the 2019 GEC Rendezvous. I have found it to be a great garden knife, for picking produce and peeling apples and such, with the straight edge and a very capable cardboard cutting knife with the thin flat grind. I also added a slight easy open notch to help access the nail nick, as it sits quite low. Overall, this knife is a piece of GEC history and also a great user!
A few Charlie Campagna aka Waynorth SFOs: #98 Texas Camp Knife, #93 Real Lambfoot, #15 TC Barlow
Keychain
Most all of us carry some kind of keychain every day, and I take that as an opportunity to add a couple smaller pieces to my every day carry. The keychain clip system itself is from Nite Ize, but I’m not sure of its name. It is a carabiner style clip that has a slot for a bunch of mini s shaped carabiners, on which I carry my keys and gear.
I always have a Spyderco Ladybug with stainless handles, engraved with my wife’s and my name and our wedding date. Previously I had one with our one year anniversary engraved, but it was stolen (or lost) along with my bag at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament. It’s both imbued with high sentimental value and a practical little knife. It’s shockingly easy to open and close one handed, and locks up as solid as a full sized knife.
I try to carry a pocket flashlight, but almost always go back to keychain carry. I have tried different lights, but I have carried the FourSevens Preon the most. It’s a nice small single aaa battery light that puts out a solid amount of lumens for its small footprint.
I also carry a small multitool on my keychain off and on. I think the Leatherman Squirt is as small as a plier based multitool can get while still being useful. It offers scissors, a screwdriver, a bottle opener, a small blade, and of course pliers. I wish the bottle opener was a little easier to use, and I wish it had a can opener. Still, it’s pretty nice to have a pair of pliers when you need one. To be honest, I had stopped carrying it on my keys for a while but went fishing over the weekend and needed some pliers. I have been thinking about trying a full sized Leatherman for pocket or bag carry and a one piece multitool for keychain carry.
Notebook and Pen
I have a whole system of notebooks for journaling, tracking workouts and nutrition, and logging work on Knife Thoughts and our garden. I often also carry a pocket notebook, and have tried several brand. I have liked Field Notes, Log + Jotter, Moleskine, but my favorite is Rite in the Rain. I recently decided to try Portage notebooks, a long time made in USA brand. They’re cheaper than some that I mentioned, but seem to be made well enough to hold up to pocket carry.
I have never really gotten into high end pens. I like using fountain pens, and I enjoy the fidget factor of bolt action pens, but I pretty much go for whatever is in reach. That said, I like these Zebra F301 pens because they’re thin, have a sturdy clip, and write well even in a fine point.
Wallet
I am currently using a no name wallet from a discount site. I have used several different wallets, from the classic leather bifold and trifolds to a brass Machine Era slim wallet to just rubber bands. I initially bought this wallet intending to carry a mini edc in it along with my cards, cash, ID, etc., but for now I have left that idea behind. For the low price of about $5, I’m pretty happy with it. I threw one of the Knife Thoughts stickers and Stout PGH VIP / Intro cards, a few each of which I always carry, on top of the ID window.
Handkerchief
Last, but not least, is my handkerchief. This handkerchief was given to me by a friend. It is pretty large as pocket handkerchiefs go but nice and thin so that it isn’t too bulky. I most often carry handkerchiefs hand made by my wife, which you’ll see in many of my social media posts. They’re really great most of all because they’re made with love, but also because they are really cool patterns and made to perfectly fit in a pocket. Handkerchiefs have become more popular recently, but for a long time I thought they were undervalued in the EDC community. I consider them to be extremely useful, and they take up very little space.
I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts
Every year I travel to Columbus Ohio to compete in the Arnold Classic (specifically in the Grappling Industries tournament). It just so happens that River’s Edge Cutlery is a quick 15 minute drive from the Arnold. So over the last few years I’ve made it a habit to visit as an extra perk to the trip. This year I was able to go check out the selection at REC with my brother, and as always it was a great experience. There are always several people there willing to show you as many knives as you like, just talk knives, and they even sharpen knives (for a very reasonable fee). I ended up purchasing a couple Mora knives for review and a Spyderco Police 4 Lightweight that I’ve been wanting since it came out. When I went to check out, they offered to loan me a Finch Knife CompanyRuntly for review!
Check out my video review of the Finch Runtly
I have been seeing the Finch Runtly quite a bit on social media; it seems like there’s some hype surrounding this knife and brand. I had done a pass-around on the Spyderco Native Chief for River’s Edge Cutlery, the review of which you can find at this link, so I appreciated that they wanted my opinion on this new knife.
So, what is Finch Knife Company? It’s a knife producer that has been in the works for a while, but was officially started about a year ago according to one of the owners. The owners wanted to create a brand that felt like the old fashioned brands they most enjoyed: Hen & Rooster, Bulldog, Case. Finch Knife Company puts a modern spin on those classic knives. I think they do a great job of melding a traditional inspiration into the modern construction and design of their first knife design, the Runtly.
Finch Runtly with packaging
The Runtly is the first product to hit the market from Finch Knife Company. It is a small liner lock flipper. The first thing that struck me was the interesting design. It has a blade shape that is something like an enlarged, or heightened, mix between a sheepfoot and coping blade. This wide blade is fit into a particularly slim handle, that tapers from the pivot end to the butt end. This unusual design is based in the knife’s inspiration; vintage Heddon River Runt Spook fishing lures. As strange as it may seem, I can actually see the resemblance when they’re put side by side as in the picture below. The Runtly is even being offered in color options similar to those of the lures! Apparently the owner thought to design a knife based on these lures because with a young family he doesn’t have as many opportunities as he would like to get out and fish, so the Runtly was designed as something he can carry daily to remind him of days on the water. I really appreciate that Finch Knife Company is bringing knives to market with such unique inspiration. I think it’s a good thing to have something new and unexpected available like the Runtly.
Picture from Finch Knife Company
The Runtly is a well made little knife. River’s Edge Cutlery told me that the Runtly is made by Bestech Knives in China, which is not mentioned on the knife or packaging. Some people have an aversion to Chinese made knives, but the fact is that China is making a lot of really high quality knives these days. It flips so well, due to a crisp detent, that someone who I showed it to thought it was assisted. I believe it is a ball bearing pivot. It also came with good centering and solid lockup. The grind seems even and well ground. Overall it’s just a solid little knife with great action!
As for the design, I think it’s apparent that a lot of thought went into this knife. One thing I really appreciate is the rounded back end of the handle above the flipper tab. This simple little design element makes the knife much easier and more comfortable to flip (it’s a light switch style flipper). I also really like the simple sculpted titanium (I believe) clip, although I mostly carried it unclipped in my watch/coin pocket. They did think to add a slight cutout to help access and unlock the liner lock, but at least for people with big thumbs like mine I think it could have been made a little bigger without the aesthetic suffering. The blade has a nice two toned finish that accentuates the well executed grind. It also has a nail nick on both sides of the blade. I recognized that the nail nick was not necessary, as (aside from the availability of the flipper) the blade can easily be opened with a pinch grip. The owner said that the nail nick was added because he showed it to his father, who has a collection of only traditional knives, who tried to open it with two hands. Thus, the nail nick was added, and I think it’s an interesting addition that gives the knife another slight nod to the vintage and traditional aesthetic. My first thought, before asking the owner about the addition of the nail nick, was that it was intended to look like the eye on the fishing lures that inspired the knife. The handle has an inlayed shield, which I think is another nod to traditional knives. I didn’t realize it till seeing a post on social media, but the shield is actually glow in the dark. If you’ve read my reviews of Case knives you know I much prefer a pinned shield, but being that this is a modern knife and the shield is not metal (and therefore is unable to be pinned) I’ll give it a pass. I actually like the look of the shield from a purely aesthetic standpoint. Lastly, the blade is not “billboarded” with excessive branding. The front side says “Finch” in a font I like, and the back says “N690” and “Runtly”. The blade is 2.25″, which is a size I appreciate because it’s big enough to be used for things like breaking down cardboard and opening boxes but small enough to be legal almost anywhere (that a one hand open locking knife is legal). Overall, the Runtly is a small knife with an interesting aesthetic inspiration that I have come to appreciate in my short time carrying and using the knife.
Avery carrying the Runtly
I think the Runtly will be a hit, and I’m looking forward to what Finch Knife Company brings to market in the future. Right now they have two other models planned: the Tikuna and the Model 1929. Honestly, both these designs appeal to me and I hope to get to review them. I get the feeling that the owners of Finch Knife Company have a lot of passion for what they’re doing, and I think they’ll find success in the knife community. You can purchase your Finch Runtly at River’s Edge Cutlery at this link, and don’t forget to tell them Knife Thoughts sent you!
I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts
Christmas is fast approaching, and if you’re like me then your gift list still has people without checks next to their names. However, at this point you might be getting a little tapped out. You’ve got lots of friends and family that you’re excited to give presents, but they don’t come free!
So, in this article I will recommend three great options of budget friendly knives that make great gifts. These are all modern knives with one hand opening, pocket clips, and locks. I have owned or handled several of each of these, so I am confident in their overall quality, especially considering they’re all under $30!
Byrd Cara Cara 2
The Cara Cara in a stainless steel handle is a great canvas for engraving
Byrd is Spyderco’s budget brand. They’re made in China with less exotic materials than the typical Spyderco, but they seem to be held to a high standard of quality control for their price point. I have actually examined 6 of these, and I’ve been honestly shocked at the consistent quality across all of them. They’ve all had smooth action, solid lock up, and good centering (not all 100% perfect, but none close to rubbing the handles). The Cara Cara 2 is the Byrd version of Spyderco’s well known and loved Endura. It has a 3.75″ blade, which provides ample cutting edge. It comes in several different blade shapes including the classic Endura-like drop point, a serrated sheepfoot, and a spear point with an Emerson Wave Opener. The handles are either fiberglass reinforced nylon, which come in several colors, or stainless steel. I particularly like the stainless steel, and it’s great for engraving. I find the handle to be very ergonomic; honestly it feels better in my hand than that of the Endura. The blade steel is 8cr13mov; lower edge retention and corrosion resistance than the VG10 of an Endura but still very capable and easy to sharpen. The Byrd Cara Cara is a great option if you like the Spyderco aesthetic and emphasis on utility, and offers a great value at around $30. You can find it at many dealers and Amazon, but there are a lot of options available at DLT Trading. There is also a smaller, Delica sized, version called the Meadowlark.
Ontario Rat 1
The Rat 1 with another classic, the Case Trapper
The Ontario Rat 1 is one of the most commonly recommended budget knives. It’s a classic that has been proven to be of high quality. I think I’ve had 3 through the years, and I’ve given at least 3 as gifts. They’ve all come well centered, with no blade play, and smooth. The Rat 1 has an almost straight backed drop point design with a lot of straight edge and an abrupt belly, at about 3.6″. This blade shape works fine for pretty much any usage, and is very similar to that on the classic Sod Buster pattern, although I do prefer blade shapes with less abrupt a belly. The blade steel is Aus8, on which Ontario seems to have really dialed in the heat treat. Mine have always held an edge extremely well, and I’ve seen them stand up to some real abuse. The Rat 1 is right around $30, although it can sometimes be found on sale for less, and most dealers carry it including Amazon. It is available at this link at KnifeCenter, where you can also find the smaller version the Rat 2.
Kershaw Thistle
Nice lines for an inexpensive knife
The Thistle is an interesting model from Kershaw that I really enjoy. I have had a couple of these and have gifted a good several, so I’ve gotten to look over 7. They all had solid lockup and smooth action. 5 of them had perfect or close enough centering, and 2 were a bit off but nowhere near rubbing the handles. The Thistle has a somewhat unique modified liner lock where you push a button on the handle that pushes a bar across and unlocks the liner. This lock allows you to close the knife without putting your fingers in the path of the blade, unlike a normal liner lock. The thing I really like about this knife though, is its design. The handle is nice and simple with great ergonomics and a good bit of grippiness with Kershaw’s “K-Texture”. The blade is a very practical drop point with a good section of straight edge then a nice long sweeping belly. It fits a considerable amount of edge into the handle also, although it’s shorter than the others on this list at 3.25″. The blade steel is 8cr13mov, like on the Cara Cara. Another great thing about the Thistle is that it’s on sale pretty much everywhere! I got mine for Christmas gifts from Smoky Mountain Knife Works at only $9 each, but I think this knife is EASILY worth $30 and offers a similar value as the others on this list.
I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts
