OutdoorHub Reporters 04.30.20
Think about the things you carry every day when you leave the house. These are the things that always, without fail, find their way to your pocket and if you should find yourself without it, you just don’t feel right. For many of us, one of those everyday carry (EDC) items is a knife. What makes a good EDC knife? It has to serve multiple functions and most importantly – be handy! It has to be ready to cut multiple things, including things like rope, fabric, meat and more. Most of us with kids have used our EDC knives to open toy packaging in the parking lot of the store at some point.
Blade length is important when it comes to an EDC knife. You need to know your laws where you are. This is really important. Some locations have limits on what is considered legal. 2.5 to 4 inches is generally going to be ok. Smaller and you can make some essential tasks much harder than they need to be, much more and you run the risk of the knife becoming cumbersome, and, in some areas, illegal without a concealed weapon permit. Here are five choices for an everyday carry knife that will serve you well.
1. We Knife Co Ltd Model 809 Practic – Editor’s Pick
Extremely well balanced, the We Practic has something that no other knife in its price range can boast – a satin finish Bohler M390 stainless drop point blade. M390 is serious steel that you’d expect to find in a knife costing far more money. The Practic measures 4.25-inches closed with a 3.25-inch long blade and an extended tang. It has an OD-green G10 handle that feels great in the hand yet is extremely light. There is a convenient lanyard hole and slim pocket clip. It also comes with a black nylon, zippered, storage case.
Pros/Amazing, high-quality steel
Cons/Nothing we found
Bottom Line/Best price for the quality of the steel used
2. CRKT Provoke
We are huge fans of the Provoke, and it is a great EDC knife to have when things go wrong. The Provoke morphing karambit knife is among the first to feature Kinematic technology, staying neatly tucked away in transit and instantly popping out when you need it. Modeled after a traditional karambit, the hawkbill-style blade of the Provoke is forged from D2 steel and finished with a black titanium nitride coating for durability and edge retention. How’s it open? Thumb pressure on the upper crossbar sets the chain reaction in motion, causing the blade to lunge to action while you’ve got a firm grasp on the handle. It’s crafted of aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum. Even the pocket clip is unique as it sits basically flush with the handle and likewise activated with light thumb pressure.
Pros/Funky, functional and cool
Cons/Moving parts can need more cleaning
Bottom Line/The best, unconventional EDC knife
3. Zero Tolerance 0350TS
The ZT 0359TS has a sweet, tiger-striped Tungsten Diamond-Like Carbon coated S30V stainless steel blade, ZT’s SpeedSafe Assisted Opening that allows quick one-handed blade opening with the thumb stud or the flipper. Making the knife coolers is the matte black, G-10 flat scaled handle. The liner locking system prevents the blade from closing during use and provides a secure way to fold the knife. The knife has a quad-mount pocket clip to secure it easily on your person, helping to make this a sweet EDC knife. As seen on TV – NCIS fans know what we mean.
Pros/One of the coolest looking, and durable knives out there
Cons/Pricey, but cool
Bottom Line/We’d be happy to carry one ourselves
4. Benchmade Bugout
The Bugout has a CPM-S30V, coated, stainless-steel, drop-point, utility blade that holds an edge exceptionally well and provides great corrosion resistance. Benchmade’s AXIS Lock is exceptionally strong and fully ambidextrous. It is a manual knife that can be opened and closed with just one hand. The glass-filled Grigori handle is comfortable, thin and tough. The knife also weighs less than 2 ounces, making it an ideal EDC knife. The reversible, mini deep-carry pocket clip is pretty handy, too. The Bugout comes with Benchmade’s limited Lifetime and Life Sharp Service, too, so if it fails, you can get it fixed or replaced for free.
Pros/A popular, lightweight EDC
Cons/The handle doesn’t fit all hands well
Bottom Line/A good EDC
5. Spyderco Tenacious – Economy Option
You can spend a lot of money on an EDC knife, including several from Spyderco. If you don’t have a lot of money for an EDC, you can always go for the Tenacious, an imported SPyderco knife with a lot of sweet features, but at an easier price to work with. The Tenacious is a liner-lock folder that is 4.375-inches closed. It has a 3.25-inch, 8Cr13MoV stainless-steel blade with a black nitride finish. It has a green G10 handle with a thumb slot, thumb ridge, lanyard hole and pocket clip. All for less than $60. Sweet!
Pros/Great knife for the price
Cons/Not going to be the same quality as other knives on this list
Bottom Line/If you’re looking for an economical option…
