Buck Vantage Small fits everything except maybe a little slick in the grip.
They come in a few blade steels 420hc,13c26, S30V. And a few handle scales. Plastic, G10, Wood.

Vantage on my list. Have not been able to handle one yet. Want to like Buck.

Research suggested QC may not be the best. Maybe that was just early production, not sure.

Other thing is, it looks like it might be a chubby little one.

Any input pro or con appreciated.

Still buying and trying. Bought six so far. Returned a couple.

Kershaw Cryo.

QC is not there at all. Since they're brought in from China they just toss it and send you a new one.

Buck isn't the buck we remember.

The Buck Vantage line is made in USA, I have several in each size.

Is it the same quality as a $100+ Benchmade?  Obviously not but they are priced $18-$60 and compete well in that price range.

I have picked up a few Vantage pro's for $30 NIB, I do not know of any other S30V & G10 knife for that price.

They are known for having off centered blades in the closed position, not a big deal to most and does not effect function.

Like I said, it is on the list and I want to like it. I can appreciate different things at different price points.  I have pointed out before in this thread, my little Cinder is a winner and it goes for $8 on Amazon.  

It looks like the Vantage is a bit thicker than I would prefer; I am seeing references to .53 inches thick at the handle.  But I have also learned with this little exercise that what I think I want and what works in the pocket have been two different things. So I might be willing to give it a try.  (I am trying a ZT 0452CF too, which comes in bigger all around...)

I picked up a Kershaw Skyline and have been very pleased with it. $42.  I have been impressed with how easily and smoothly the Skyline opens with no ball bearings.  Looks similar in a number of regards to the Vantage.  One thing I do not like about the Skyline is the shallow sitting pocket clip.  Don't really want to spend more on a new pocket clip right away, though it looks like I may have found a cheap source for deep carry clips.  Anyways, that is one thing it looks like the Vantage does better right off the bat.

Before buying I am still left with a few questions.  For instance

1. Thickness and weight:  Is one model thicker/heavier than another depending on handle material?
2. How is the grip texture?
3. Does it open smoothly and easily using the flipper and a flick of the wrist?
4. Is the only difference between the vantage and vantage pro the blade steel or are there other build differences?

Aside from the questions above, the other thing holding me up on the Vantage purchase is that I have been mulling over whether the $24 Vantage with 420HC would serve my needs just as well for a daily user, instead of the $54 Vantage Pro with S30V.  Normally I am inclined to spend more and get the best I can for a particular item, but based on anticipated use, perhaps the 420HC isn't the worst thing in the world.  (and saving a few dollars here and there means I can spend it on more knives )  If I could find a Vantage Pro with S30V for $30, I probably wouldn't hesitate.  

I might just have to order one in to see for myself.  If it goes the way of the Tickfaw, so be it.  Or it could be like the Urban Trapper, a pleasant surprise.

The difference in the Vantage Select and Pro is blade steel and handle material. Select has 420hc and plastic the Pro has S30V and G10. The Avids have 13c26 or 420hc and wood laminate or rosewood and plastic handles. The Force models have a taller blade with thumb ramp.

I am measuring my small at just over .5 at the outside of the removable pocketclip, 7/16 is the actual handle thickness.

They flick open with the flipper pretty smooth, the larges are very easy, the smalls sometimes need a little wrist.

Keep an eye on EBay, I have gotten Selects for under $10 shipped and about a month ago an Avid in 13c28 for $15 NIB.

Thanks for the info and rec.  I always forget about ebay.  Maybe I can set up an alert.

I just noticed on Bladehq that Boker makes a mini Kalashnikov.  $30 for a Taiwanese auto.  Otherwise in that size, Kershawguy has the US made Launch 4 for $69.

i was pretty impressed with the quality of my Launch 1.  i'd probably get another one before i bought the boker.

Be careful of Ebay. Lots and lots of fakes, even of Buck.

Spyderco Paramilitary 3?

The launch series is a good bang for the buck

I was thinking maybe both Local shop has the Launch 4 supposedly so I will take a look next time I am in.  Boker looks like just online, no local shops.  Cheap enough, might get one to try, eat return shipping if I just hate it. Either way, won't stop me from getting the Launch 4 if I like it.  I like it when I find good value.  Both the Launch 4 and Mini Kalashnikov appear promising.  One negative I heard on the Mini Kalashnikov is that the finger grooves are cut for smaller hands, but not necessarily horrible for bigger hands.  Wish there were some local to try before ordering and potentially having to eat return shipping.    

I'm still considering the Impel or Protech, but find I am hesitating because I am not ready to spend that kind of money again on a "pretty" daily user.  When I was using OTFs I found I did not use the Ultratech as much as the Lightning, and while my UTX-70 cost just as much as the Ultratech and I used it anyway, I did so only after trying several other mini OTFs that failed basic function. So I carried the UTX-70 for size.  I didn't even consider that there were other automatics that were non OTF and just settled for the UTX-70, and there was still stuff I couldn't use it for.  Wish I had thought of mini auto folders before.


Yeah, the few times I have used it I have been very careful to only buy from the reputable dealers with a long run and plenty of feedback, and paid a few dollars more to use them sometimes.

Saw one at my local shop recently.  Smaller, liner lock but on the backside at the top. Handled it. Felt good. Spyderco did great with their attention to solid grip for working. Made in Golden, Colorado. On the list too now. As much as my mind is refusing to like Spyderco, each one I have handled has really felt good in the hand.  They seem to pay more attention to that aspect than many other companies.  The grooves always seem to be cut right where my hand wants to sit.

Spyderco makes great knives made to be used.

They make them look good but they are designed well. The compression lock on the PM3 is rock solid. The Gayle Bradley Air I suggested earlier is an amazing edc knife.

I've liked some of the HK Benchmades better than Benchmade's own.  Didn't know they made a mini axis.

Local shop has all Launch 1-7. I'm gonna look at those a little closer.  

GBA is on the list. By the numbers looks good.  I am sure it is great given Spyderco's reputation.  But $150 for a knife I would have to order in (only found it at one online retailer since it is discontinued now), and that is made in Taiwan, seems a bit steep. I understand it shouldn't matter where it is made, it is about the materials used and the standard it is made to, but it still rubs me the wrong way. If I could handle it first before buying though, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up with one.

The interesting twist is that Spyderco makes their high end knives at Taichung. They've bought it out and now that's where they're building some crazy good knives including the Nirvana, a one piece hunk of Titanium with very tight tolerances. All their most expensive knives are made there to keep them accessible.

For me, Taichung > Golden > Seki City

Interesting...Not the way it usually goes.

No its not. A lot of high end knives with a lot of Ti, CF and Super Steels coming out of that factory.

+1 on the Spyderco factory order from best to worst.
Also +1 on the recommendation for the Gayle Bradley Air.
A FFG wharncliffe M4 blade will be hard to beat IMO.

Smaller knife, ZT Sinkevitch

Bigger knife, the bigger ZT Sinkevitch.

I think the smaller one is a little nicer, but bought the larger one. Both available under $200 now.

They're both nice

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Yeah, I picked up an 0452CF in the EE that is on its way to me.  Tried getting a 940 from EE that was a good price too, but seller won't do electronic payment and I hate going to our post office for money orders and just the general delay. Same deal on a Candiru.  Couple knives were great prices and I hesitated too long and they sold quick.

I am keeping my eyes open.

On the GBA, is the blade edge straight, or is there a slight curve to it?  Hard to tell in the pictures and videos I've seen. It looks like a promising knife, but is this another too pretty to use knife?  

@jfrankparnell I know you picked one up, saw it in Star_Scream's pron thread.  Further thoughts after spending some time with it?  I know you commented on how light it is and I have heard that as a complaint from other reviews. Also the frame apparently has sharper edges to it and since it sits proud of the scales can be a little uncomfortable handling it?  I returned the Spyderco Chicago because it was too heavy, thick and overbuilt for its size and what I will use it for, but is it possible to be too light so long as it is still solid?

It's a straight blade. In that size you don't miss any sort of belly.


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For every day tasks it's amazing. The scales have held up well for being in my pocket with keys and are rounded on the edge. Some have a little edge to the liners but mine doesn't.

Due to work have length restrictions, I carry mine a lot. I use a silicone cloth from time to time to keep the M4 from oxidation but it's a beast for its size

tl;dr: i absolutely love it for specific use cases.

There's no question in my mind that it's very well built.  It's also extremely light, and the pivot/action is extremely smooth/light.  I think it might be easy for some people to confuse this with "cheap" or not solid, but I don't believe that to be the case at all with this knife.  There is absolutely no blade play, and everything seems put together really well.  

That being said, I wouldn't want to really beat on it, because as you can see in the pictures, the blade isn't particularly thick.  Cardboard, cordage, maybe even some light wire would all be fine for this knife.  I wouldn't be terribly worried if I hit a staple while breaking down boxes either.  For me, that's just fine; I can count on 1 hand the number of times per year that I unexpectedly need something capable of more than that (I have a desk job too).  If I only could only have one knife for everything I ever need a knife to do, I don't think it would be this, but based on the tasks you mentioned in the original post, I think it would be more than sufficient.  

As far as comfort goes, I really don't notice the liners at all.  They're definitely not smooth or rounded off, but they're nowhere near sharp enough to bother me.  It's perfectly comfortable in a sabre or hammer style grip.  Obviously the knife doesn't fill out my hand as well as a Para 3 (which I also love), but for what I do with it, that's not a big deal.  It also carries a hell of a lot better than the Para 3, which is really saying something in my opinion.  If I was going to spend my whole day breaking down boxes, I'd grab the Para 3 instead.  If I only had a few or 10 to deal with, the GBA would be fine.  All this is coming from someone with fairly large hands.  I generally wear an XL glove.

Here are some pics for reference.  If you want any others, just let me know.

Thank you!

ETA: Follow up question, since Star_Scream brought up corrosion.  How does the GBA compare to say the BM Valet?  I know the M4 steel is supposed to be great for edge retention, but I see it is more prone to rusting.  Then I look to the Valet which has M390 stainless and by most accounts wears well with use and much less prone to rusting.

Seems like a significant consideration, since with the GBA small size and no clip, it will be deep pocket carry, towards my body and outside of a leather pocket holster. Once I settle into a regular carry routine I might even sew on a little knife holster on the outside of the gun holster.

While I am at it, if anyone had both to do a side by side comparison picture for length and width, would be appreciated.

i haven't had any corrosion issues with any of my M4 knives, but i'm also pretty careful about how i care for them.  my understanding is that M4 resists corrosion fairly well for a steel that isn't truly stainless.  

i don't have a valet my self, but i have held one before.  the GBA is significantly smaller and lighter from what i remember.

That's what I had heard too.    

Fair point, that's what the numbers state too. I just looked at my list thinking for the money, what is there that has a M390/Elmax/S30V blade that might compete with M4. Size difference might be too much between the two though. ETA: Perhaps the Impel would have been a better comparison. In any event, the steel in a small carry knife was what I was getting at.  As good as the M4 is, would it be better to have high quality SS if only able to pick one?

Just wondering visually how they look side by side.  Local shop has the Valet to handle, but no GBA. For my purposes, it seems like I might need either longer and slimmer than the Valet, or drop down to GBA size or smaller.  

The Spyderco Chicago and other knives so far have shown me for regular daily use, in my current walk of life at least, a thinner, narrower, longer blade has been more useful.  I like those things better about the GBA over the Chicago already, on paper at least.  Things are often different in person though. Hence all the questions.  Which, thanks all for humoring me and helping.

Ill do it. At a pub right now. I have both

being that you mentioned the 940, here's a comparison between that and the GBA





of course, the only real advice i can give is to get both...

That does help.  Was just handling a 940 series again this weekend. I will end up with one of those too for rotation on days I can carry larger.  

I am close on the GBA.  Looking at my list again, maybe the Impel would have been a better comparison for my purposes.  Similar in size and weight to the GBA, perhaps not quite as narrow, but with a S30V blade. For the same money would that be the better one if I only got one?

To a certain extent this is rhetorical since I will need to decide for me what will work best, but would be interested to hear thoughts on here about M4 versus a good SS.

Sorry it took so long and the pics are in bad light but I spent my day off out with the wife.

I needed the cardboard background to give it contrast

I tried to line them up but realized the knife I was using has a contour







Footprint shot


Same with a 940 for comparison

Much appreciated. Much closer than I was thinking.  Will help me gauge it when I go back to the tore to handle the Valet some more.

Wish my wife would take me drinking...

That Spyderco is an itty bitty little knife. Drops down in your pocket like a two blade folder. If that's what you want... looks easy to sharpen. Otherwise, for a smaller user that isn't tiny, something like a BM Emissary.

Double tap.

Yes, that's what I set out looking for.

I also meant to do a long post about M4 vs higher-end stainless steels. I'll do it later. Today I gotta pay the piper and run errands

I look forward to the input.  I'm sure I could find something online, but I'd like to hear directly from some guys using it day to day regarding edge retention, corrosion, chipping, sharpening etc. with an eye to my intended use: light duty household stuff.  Paper, packaging, food, picking at stuff, maybe the occasional wire or garden hose, but no bushcraft.  From my admittedly limited understanding the M4 holds its own with the higher end SSs, but is more likely to corrode than the nicer SSs since it is not a true SS (although as noted by jfrankparnell, I have heard M4 is more corrosion resistant than other tool steels).  If all else is equal, why would one choose the M4 steel?  I recognize Mr. Bradley's accomplishments, so there must be a reason why he choose M4 over a nicer SS for the GBA.

And as long as I am checking in here, I'll slip in some more knife pron.  Lot of nice knives out there I want, but recognize I don't need.  I never understood why people raved about ZT, until I handled one.  The ZT 0452CF.  Then I knew I needed one.  Just came today. Doesn't fit any of the requirements I put out in the opening post, but so nice.

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It's Wharncliffish Wednesday




I decided to keep it short and sweet since my laptop is dead and I have no idea where I put the charger.

So with M390 and M4 there isn't too much of a difference except the stainlessness.  M4 has a decent amount of Cr to help resist corrosion and with a little help it'll do alright.

M4 may be a little tougher (resisting chipping and lateral stresses) than M390 but with good heat treats they are going to be top of the crop for edge retention with the slight edge given to M390/CTS-204p/20CV (they're basically the same)

Both are very highly loaded other elements (V, W, Cr) to maximize edge retention through wear resistance. Since they're particle metallurgy steels they have very even distribution of hard carbides.

As far as sharpenability (yes, I make up words) M4 is supposedly a little easier to sharpen via conventional methods but both should be done with diamonds due to high cabide loads that are harder than noviculite which is the active mineral in Arkansas stones.


CPM M4

Carbon

1.42%

Chromium

4.00%

Molybdenum

5.25%

Vanadium

4.00%

Tungsten

5.50%

Manganese

0.30% - 0.70%

Sulfur

0.06% - 0.22%

Bohler M390

Carbon1.90%

Chromium20.00%

Vanadium4.00%

Molybdenum1.00%

Silicon.70%

Tungsten.60%

Manganese.30%

@WICOUNSEL

Glad you like the sinkevich. After living with it for some time now I'm still in love with it. It's my edc and I don't have a single complaint.

You may remember, at first I bought the small one, then took it back thinking I'd regret not getting the larger one.

While that's true.

I think I may keep an eye out for a good price and re buy the 0450. I like this knife so much, Get both! Is sounding viable .

I like my serial number. Gives me a little grin.

The knife gods were smiling on you!

I liked the 0450 too, but there was just something about the weight and balance of the 0452 that felt right.  After handling them, the 0452 felt like a "need" and the 0450 more of a "want." If I came across one for the right price, I would give it strong consideration too.

ETA: Just walking around the house with it in my pocket, despite its size, it carries like a smaller knife.  

It really does. Nothing g small about that blade. But I wear it comfortably every day. Doesn't feel large in any way. I figured d myself touching my pocket throughout the day to make sure I didn't loose it.


The griptilian felt like a cell phone comparatively.

Agreed. It looks like a pocket sword but carries much better than that.

I never even considered it until the Blue/M390 sprint run happened but I'm glad I did

Fwiw.

When I post with extra characters or weird spaces in between words it's because the memory on my phone uses extra fast fighting texts with the ex wife.


I'm working on correcting that.

Women are faster than a gd dupe thread with texts and my typos are born from trying to keep pace.

Thank you for the follow up.  Truly appreciated.  

Lot I like about the GBA, but still not feeling it as my silver bullet.  I will put it on the watch list if a deal comes along.  Otherwise, for the way I want to carry it, sounds like I might be better served getting something using one of the nicer stainless steels.  We aren't the deep south up here, but it can get pretty humid up here, have to believe my pocket is that much worse and using it on food...

Maybe it would help to break it down.

Likes:
Length
Width
Thickness
Weight
Open spine
Quality build (I assume given Spyderco)
Sits well in the hand (I assume given Spyderco)
No clip
Quality steel with a finish I really dig
Gentleman folder (bit of a traditional look, classy refined finish, good for suit days)
Liner lock
Narrow blade (contrary to most Spydercos)
Good grip (at least I would imagine so with the liners sitting proud of the scales)
Wharncliff blade
Easy one hand operation
No deployment lock

Dislikes:
Not stainless (not necessarily a deal breaker, but don't want to worry about it if there are other comparable options with stainless)
Not a flipper, auto or AO (again, not a deal breaker per se, but have found I really prefer those over the thumb stud or a hole given the choice)

So it ticks a lot of boxes, but not quite there.  Geez, writing it out makes me think I need to give it strong consideration. I shouldn't dither on it for too long or I will have to wait for a second hand deal.

Closest competitor on the list is the Urban Trapper Petite (which I just found a stellar price on and ordered, but I can have a few in rotation right?) which ticks pretty much all the boxes; little long, made in China, but really like my full size Trapper. Probably next in line would be the Valet; longest of the smalls, a little thicker and thumb stud, but a great knife. UDT might be nice if I could find one.  The Impel is up there, but bit wider blade than I would like and it would be nice if the blade was a little longer.  Something about the looks too, just doesn't grab me.  Launch 4 is up there, bit thick, bit long, wider shorter blade again.  By the numbers the SOG Flash I is up there too, but it just isn't speaking to me.

Anything longer than the Valet that I pick up would be for fun or days my pockets aren't already overloaded with other stuff.  

Narrowing it down.

ETA: Went to the local shop. Out of stock on the Launch 4.  Impel blade better size than I remembered. Nice knife.  Still just not speaking to me.  Valet appears to be too long. Just by a bit. Might still have to get one at some point, really like it. They had a Benchmade fixed blade knife for $900 (can't remember name), with M4, so we got talking about M4 compared to the others. They reiterated mostly what Star_Scream said.  They didn't want to speak poorly of M390, they liked it, but they felt strongly that the M4 should take a beating better.  They also said they have to wipe down their Esee knives in the display case now and then to avoid corrosion, but have not had an issue with the M4 knives they have had.  Feel like this pushes me one step closer to ordering a GBA.  Based on how the Valet fit with my holster though, it would be close with the GBA still. Will see how fitment is with the UTP, about the same length as the GBA. At this point I wouldn't mind having one more small carry knife and the GBA speaks to me more than the Impel.  We will see...

You've got nothing to worry about compared to my FIL.  At this point the government should hire me as an interpreter for f*cked up text because of him.

I was wondering where you found a blue one.  

You guys are right, feels massive in the hand but disappears in the pocket.  Testing it out on the morning constitutional wearing baggy cargo shorts, I didn't even feel it was there, no bouncing around.  I caught myself reaching down to see if it was still there a few times.  Pretty impressive.

Relevant carry pairing

Yeah, I saw it in the porn thread.

I think the only thing we have clearly established to date is that you have too many knives and you should hook up a fellow Arfcommer

Seriously though, very close to buying the Valet.  

In my searching, I see what I am looking for is commonly referred to as a Gentleman's Pocket Knife and my wants in size and blade style are similar to the traditional slip joints.  I just want one hand operation and non lock back, which most of the traditional ones appear to be if not slip joint (which might even be OK on the right knife).

The Urban Trappers are the closest I have found to my ideal , but still not perfect.  I really wish it wasn't made in China.  The flipper jimping is a bit aggressive and the cut out to access the liner lock is a bit small for my thumb and the lock scratchy/stiff feeling.  The VG-10 is a nice steel, but I wouldn't mind better (I know, for my purposes, even the most basic stainless should be fine, but I like to have nice things sometimes).  The blade style and slenderness have proven about perfect and left me wondering what I did before without it (although part of the problem before too was I did not want to use the OTFs on food).  The Urban Trapper have really helped refine my search.  Still waiting on the Petite.  Grabagun had a great price, but as per usual, shipping takes forever with them.

Valet seems like a great gentleman's knife, even if a little too long closed for my intent outlined in this thread. That M390 is really drawing me in.  If any of the stores I had been to in the last few days had had one (and not just the $600 collectible Valet) I would probably already have it.  As it has not been available, that just leaves me time to (over) analyze why I think I need it.  I am not a collector, everything I have is a user.  If it is too long for present purposes, that leaves me wondering if I should just get the 940-1 instead.  I just need a hook to do both; both seem great. Or I could just get some Ganzo knockoffs and have both without being so out of pocket that I feel guilty

Still thinking about the GBA.  Looks like a great knife, but again, I'm not a collector, would want to use it.  The hold up for me is the increased possibility for corrosion since it will be in my sweaty pocket a lot or cutting food. I think I am also put off a bit that I missed it when it was available before and was substantially cheaper than it is now.  No denying it is a nice piece though and in many ways ideal.  And the Dragonfly and Para 3 intrigue me as well.  Not as gentlemanly perhaps, but nice options for more casual days if I can learn to appreciate the locks.  At least they are further up the backs.

I continue to watch the EE and the knife sites to see what pops up.  Though I know the Benchmades do not seem to go on sale, so no real point waiting on those once I figure out what I want need.  It's hard enough as it is waiting for my discount to come from REI to buy the REI edition 531. Don't want to wait on any others if I don't have to.