Looking at a new folding knife

[Jared]

I'm not really a knife guy. I have a Buck 503 pocketknife that I bought around 15 years ago and it's done about all I ever asked a pocketknife to do "on the farm."

Still, I'm looking to upgrade a bit. I've Googled some, and pretty much am down to the Benchmade Griptilian, the Kershaw Blur, and the Buck Vantage Pro Force.

Basically, I want a high quality folder that's easier to open one handed and larger than my old knife. The three listed are in my price range. I will probably buy two of the three. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Benchmade and the Buck, but would be very interested in hearing from folks that own any of the three as to their experiences with them.

[JHC]

Griptilian must be the nicest one I've owned. I have the smaller one with the tanto partly serrated blade. It's just well made, razor sharp out of the box, high quality construction.

For a small folder the Spyderco Native is my 2nd favorite.

[SecondsCount]

Benchmade makes good knives. I carried a Mini Griptilian for 10 years until my family bought me an Emissary for Fathers Day. Both have served me well.

[LittleLebowski]

I wanted something different, quality, and affordable so a knife loving friend recommended the Boker + S2 and I really like it.

[imp1295]

I've always been partial to Spyderco Knives (bought my first police model back in '92)

The para-military 2 is nice if you are looking for G10 handles. But the Delica and/or Endura do the job if you don't mind the FRN handle.

You may have to wait on the PM 2. But, I think they are worth the wait. http://www.knifeworks.com/search.asp...ara-military+2

[Jared]

Thanks for all the suggestions thus far.

2 more questions if everybody doesn't mind,

1, Has anyone ordered from bladehq.com? I google businesses before I order these days and everything looks good on that front, just wondering if anyone here has any personal experience?

2, Is there a pistol-forum.com equivalent out there for knives? A place where I can maybe do some more research and possibly geek out a little without the 15 year old keyboard commando crowd. Like I said in my OP, I'm not really "in to" knives, but the more I look into this, I'm getting more interested. (Mods, if my question #2 is inappropriate for p-f.com, my apologies.)

[Chefdog]

I will add in another recommendation for Benchmade. The axis lock Is the best folding knife lock/opening mechanism I've used. I can't really see anything other than an OTF switchblade being faster to open, and I've never had one accidentally close on me, which can't be said for liner locks or lockback knives. Spyderco makes a similar locking mechanism that uses a ball bearing, but I don't have any first hand experience with it. I have a couple spyderco knives, and they are a close second IMO to benchmade for a quality, mass produced knife.

I've made one purchase from Bladehq, and had no problems whatsoever, but it was a few years ago.

Although I haven't visited in a while, I think bladeforums is a decent place to find info on typical pocket/edc knives.

[Jared]

Chefdog, Thanks!

[5pins]

I own both a Griptilian and a Blur and while both are good knives the Gripie is the better of the two. It fits the hand better, has a stronger lock, and opens and closes easily. The only advantage to the Blur is it’s a bit thinner and carries better in the pocket.

[23JAZ]

Chefdog, Thanks!

I've owned the blur with tanto tip for years and love it. Best knife I've ever owned. Opens fast as lightening, holds an edge well, pocket clip is good and it doesn't break the bank. I def recommend it.