I recently misplaced my folding knife, which wasn't anything worth speaking of and wanted to replace it with something made with USA steel. It didn't take long to realize that there are an abundance of quality options out there, ranging anywhere from $50 up to $5000 and beyond. Blade materials range from versions of CroMo to Damascus exotics. Blade styles are endless, as well. In a nutshell, I had to start thinking about intended use.
So I wanted a blade that's tough, not brittle, easy to sharpen and would hold an edge. Seems pretty basic until you start researching materials. I also wanted a handle that would take a beating. The knife is intended to be an every day carry, so something pretty would not be wise. I wanted a profile I could use for everything from cutting a steak, to opening boxes, to digging holes in wood/whittling and personal defense. Never really cared for Tanto style blades, other than they look really cool. Don't really need a serrated edge...at least I haven't up to now. Also, the blade profile needed to be easy to re-sharpen, so I chose to stay away from re-curves. Blade length needed to be short enough to carry, but long enough for bigger jobs...like the next meal in the woods.
Budget was the other side of it. A really expensive knife made no sense as an EDC. Well, let's just say I blew the budget. Originally, I intended to keep it at $100, but research kept pushing the price up and what I ended up with is a little north of that, but barring losing it makes the most sense, given my requirements. The knife is the Zero Tolerance 0560 Blackwash. It is rugged. The blade length is 3.75, which is at the edge of what I would consider an EDC knife, but close to my previous knife. The material is Elmax, which is a powdered SS that is very dense and tough, even at hardness levels above 60Rc, as opposed to D2 tool steel which can be brittle...and I'm very familiar with this as I use it at work regularly.
The knife is a "flipper" and has very smooth, quick action. The construction is precise, with no play. The locking mechanism is very positive. The tang of the flipper prevents the knife from cutting fingers, should the lock release. All said, this seems to fit the need perfectly. There's so much more I could say about it, but I'll leave it at that. Now it's time to chase a perfect edge. Haha!
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