Hi Everyone. I've never been a knife carrier, but recently I've had a few occassions where I wished I had one. I saw this post by Vectrex over the weekend and it got me started. I really like the looks of the Enlan F723 in titanium finish, so I expressed an interest in one if a group buy materializes. Being a true BLFer, I know that just one knife won't do and I'll probably start collecting them at some point. For now, I'd like some BLF advice on getting my first one.
- I prefer metalic finish, either titanium or Stainless or gunmetal. I like the simplistic design of the F723.
- If not metal, I also like handles with a natural cover such as wood, bone or antler.
- Prefer smooth finish for EDC pocket carry, no clip or at least removable clip. I would like the handle finish to be the same on both sides if possible. No sharp edges on the knife when it is closed. EDC for me includes business dress pants.
- Small size when closed, 3-4" in length (Under 100cm), 2-3 oz in weight (Under 90 grams).
- Budget: Under $30.
I know a lot of you also collect knives, so any advice on a good starter would be appreciated!
I have to advise you get the SRM 710, it is the standard by which to judge all small budget folders. Silver looks classy enough for most business occasions I should imagine.
It has a clip but it is removable, having the right tool is critical as they can be awkward to get out.
The SRM 710 and SP-710 are the same knife, the SP just means that it is in the special product category (cheaper as a promotion). Jackyhu said he will probably list the Enlan 723 and the 710 in his shop as regular items in the next days. The handles of the SRM 710 and the Enlan 710 are compared in this German video. Don't be irritated that the SRM has a black blade in the video... he mixed and matched the parts of a black and a bare stainless SRM. Judging from his review I assume that the Enlan and the SRM are of equal quality. I like the coloration on the Enlan variants better. One of the best looking knives is the PR-728 (rosewood) with rosewood handles, if you prefer more a more classic look. (It looks better in reality, than on any pics I have seen on the Internet)
P.S.: Don't forget the BLF Coupon and the raffle involved, if you order from Exduct. ;-)
I am with horst on the 401... it's so small that it's pretty much useless. The smallest knife I can recommend is the 681 but even that is on the edge off being too small. My knife with the best weight/size while still being highly useful is the SRM 707 (G10 handles) with removed clip and removed thumbstuds. The sibling (both are made by SRM) of the 707 is the CRKT Drifter(review) which would match your preferred color scheme
Yes, the orange towel looks fantastic :heart_eyes:
. BetweenRides, beware of the link of SRM 710 in your first message if you will use it to order this knife, it is a bit cheaper at exduct, but in the “Special Limited Products” tab: http://www.exduct.com/Special-Limited-Products/SP-710-SRM-Pocket-Knife.html
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Thanks for all the great ideas. I do like the 681. Favorite is still the F723. I hope Exduct picks it up soon, but I did find one on ebay for $11.50 - click on link in the first post.
I will keep you posted on the progress... it should be in the next days. I am currently trying to convince Jacky to get some more items in his shop, unfortunately he is not willing to carry some high quality fixed blade knife in the budget sector, due to the complicated legal structure one would have to follow with an international customers base.
If you scroll to the of this post you can see the 707 and the 681 in one picture and next to a standard Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Are you sure you want a knife this small? Don't get me wrong... I have 3 of the 681 and like them very much. I often forget that I have one clipped inside my jeans pocket (very small but good clip... better than the 605)... but those things are really tiny and you are prone to put them through the washing machine. My recommendations based size classes can be found here.
are you allowed to carry a knife in the town of Chi? i figured they would have that locked down by now.
all kidding aside i may sound like a broken record but the spyderco budget line is the bomb dot com.
the spyderco ambitious starts at 29$
i carry the persistence which is a little bigger and a little handier and the extra 3$ is worth it
but of all the knives you listed that enlan m011 is really nice looking. i dont own any of the chinese knives talked about on this site but im really thinking hard about getting one!
Thanks for the suggestions, reiko, but I'm more of a form before function kind of guy. Design and aesthetic appeal usually come first for me in flashlights and now probably in knives. I just won't be using the knife that much and certainly not for anything heavy duty. By the way, I grew up in Georgia - Atlanta, Athens and NE Georgia, but Savannah is one of my favorite cities on earth.
I don't actually live in Chicago - I'm 45 miles West out in the Corn & Soybean fields. Besides, even if Chicago has tough gun control laws, it doesn't seem to affect the murder rate, unfortunately... I'm not sure if they have any knife laws though.
What you are looking for is called a “gents folder”. Sanrenmu makes a nice one that you might like. It is the 738. I have one and it is classy and not too scary for non-knife people. I ordered two and have one that is still new in the box if you decide you want to try one.
Thanks again, Vectrex. Those post links are a wealth of info. Your size comparisons are very helpful and the 710 looks to be a perfect size. I agree the 681 looks a bit small. I can already tell I'm going to have to buy several knives until I've found the perfect one.... I'm at 38 flashlights and I still haven't found that elusive perfect light, though.
It's dangerous to start buying Chinese knives, I wanted to buy maybe 2-3 Chinese folders in the beginning. And you can see what Enlan/SRM/Exduct has done to me. ;-) And the comparison pics don't even show all the blades I own. It's more addicting than flashlights to me.
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