Both from Amazon, but ships from Eafengrow
Just 2 different levels of quality
Now, after applying some oil to the pivot and just opening it over and over, the 0456 is smooth opening but I still dont like that it only has 1 side of steel liner. It's ok for a box cutter, but defense i wouldn't depend on it too much

Glad you like the Boker Caracal. I have 2 Boker folders both by the same designer as your Caracal. The wildcat i really like, but the masada has a really weak detent so i really have to push it hard and fast to open it well. I might try bend the liner a bit and see if that helps

Now I'm looking at a ZT 0350 as a birthday present for my nephew who is a LEO. More of an EDC for him. I want to get him something good, but I dont want to break my wallet either.

Ahh. Gotcha on the Eafengrows. I have a few knives in the test queue now, so might look at those later.

Boker seems quite like Kershaw. They have a wide range of blades. I would say the Caracal seemed mid-high on their line.

That would be an awesome gift. I’ve seen many .mil and LE carrying that one. I don’t care for the recurve, so I stayed away from that one. Another in that price range is the 0566. I have one and have gotten it as a gift as well. I think SEC is still running a sale on knives. They have ZT, Benchmade, Spyderco and more.

    Man, do all of you guys sleep with your blades    or am I just abusive  ?
Their all so nice and pretty, clean and unscathed. 

    I must pull my EDC (Kershaw),at least  3-4 times a day and must sharpen regularily.
I use Kershaw, CRKT and Benchmade but I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade.
There are so many blade materials and types it's mind boggling. 
Any advice ? 

Those all were NIB condition. A few of them have seen use, but mostly opening and cutting up boxes. You can tell use if you handle them, but tough to see in a pic.

Been looking harder into blade materials lately. I’ve mostly been referring to this as a guide:

https://knifeinformer.com/discovering-the-best-knife-steel/

I don’t have a favorite right now. I don’t really use my knives that much where I can probably tell that much of a difference. I like the promise of ability to hold and edge of the newer super steels, but I haven’t really used them much to tell.

    Man, do all of you guys sleep with your blades    or am I just abusive  ?
Their all so nice and pretty, clean and unscathed. 

    I must pull my EDC (Kershaw),at least  3-4 times a day and must sharpen regularily.
I use Kershaw, CRKT and Benchmade but I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade.
There are so many blade materials and types it's mind boggling. 
Any advice ? 

My pics are also when I unbox them so they take nice pics 
I'm not that knowledgeable about better quality steel. I have some of the 8cr, d2, sandvik14c. The d2 seems to hold the edge well but is harder to sharpen or just takes longer. The 8cr I have to sharpen more often but it's easier to sharpen. Sandvik14c is somewhere in the middle but I think is a better steel than d2. But I haven't had the sandvik long enough to make a good judgement.

Ahh. Gotcha on the Eafengrows. I have a few knives in the test queue now, so might look at those later.

Boker seems quite like Kershaw. They have a wide range of blades. I would say the Caracal seemed mid-high on their line.

That would be an awesome gift. I’ve seen many .mil and LE carrying that one. I don’t care for the recurve, so I stayed away from that one. Another in that price range is the 0566. I have one and have gotten it as a gift as well. I think SEC is still running a sale on knives. They have ZT, Benchmade, Spyderco and more.

I'll look into the 0566 bc I'm not too keen on that recurve either.
Thanks 

Here are a couple of blades that have seen quite a bit of use. The Benchmade tanto is one that has been used a lot and I’ve been practicing sharpening the tanto shape on that one. The sides of the blade is marred up. I tired to get a pic, but it’s tough to see. You can also see the transition between the two different sections is somewhat blended.

I bought 15 Uzis for Christmas deployments.
I was sick last week so they missed the sleigh ride.
These have just been prepped and inspected for deployment tonight.
They are inexpensive, rugged and faster to open than a Tijuana hooker.
They are  probably legal.

Having no liner on the show side isnt a big deal. G10 is strong. Other knives come that way, Ultra popular kershaw skyline for example.
My 0456 clone is near perfect. Its a lottery with these cheap knives and lights. When you get one with no faults you wonder how the hell they can offer something like it at their prices. Then u get a blem and then realize their qc and materials have corners cut. Its usually minor but ive even seen one where the blade was too long for the handle so itd prick you by 2mm.

To be honest even budget american companies arent that consistent either. When i buy knives i like i usually buy in pairs or even 3 at a time so i see the variations in fit n finish. I bought 4 kershaw cqc 4kxl's as gifts and every one had multiple differences in lockup and smoothness in flipping and most notably the g10 was finished differently. Two were matte one was satin and the last one was satin with rounded over edges.

Both from Amazon, but ships from Eafengrow
Just 2 different levels of quality
Now, after applying some oil to the pivot and just opening it over and over, the 0456 is smooth opening but I still dont like that it only has 1 side of steel liner. It's ok for a box cutter, but defense i wouldn't depend on it too much

Glad you like the Boker Caracal. I have 2 Boker folders both by the same designer as your Caracal. The wildcat i really like, but the masada has a really weak detent so i really have to push it hard and fast to open it well. I might try bend the liner a bit and see if that helps

Now I'm looking at a ZT 0350 as a birthday present for my nephew who is a LEO. More of an EDC for him. I want to get him something good, but I dont want to break my wallet either.

Whats your budget?
As far as steel, the m390 family(m390,cts204p,cpm20cv) is hard to beat. Thats almost always my recommendation. Also cts xhp is a good working steel and easier to sharpen. Too bad cold steel discontinued using that. You might be able to find a code 4 ctsxhp on ebay for cheap still. I got one for under 50.

    Man, do all of you guys sleep with your blades    or am I just abusive  ?
Their all so nice and pretty, clean and unscathed. 

    I must pull my EDC (Kershaw),at least  3-4 times a day and must sharpen regularily.
I use Kershaw, CRKT and Benchmade but I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade.
There are so many blade materials and types it's mind boggling. 
Any advice ? 

More practice with the Spyderco last night. Was able to get sharper than before, but not quite razor sharp. I mean it’s sharp enough for EDC type knife, but I kinda wanted to be able to be able to get them sharper if/when I wanted to.

I think the angle wasn’t quite right from previous to Spyderco angle, so I spent more time in the coarse stones with more pressure. Seemed like I was getting a good edge with the coarse and fine stones. Think I need to get better at finishing with the ultra fine stone and strop. I was sharpening a knife that was rated as easy to sharpen, so will need to get better before moving to the M390, 20CV and S90V blades that I have. I can sharpen them on regular whetstones, but they take quite a bit of time.

Whats your budget?
As far as steel, the m390 family(m390,cts204p,cpm20cv) is hard to beat. Thats almost always my recommendation. Also cts xhp is a good working steel and easier to sharpen. Too bad cold steel discontinued using that. You might be able to find a code 4 ctsxhp on ebay for cheap still. I got one for under 50.

Been using the ZT with the M390 steel quite a bit and it does hold an edge for a while. Hope I can sharpen it well when the time comes.

Whats your budget?
As far as steel, the m390 family(m390,cts204p,cpm20cv) is hard to beat. Thats almost always my recommendation. Also cts xhp is a good working steel and easier to sharpen. Too bad cold steel discontinued using that. You might be able to find a code 4 ctsxhp on ebay for cheap still. I got one for under 50.

I have no budget for tools. 
I only cry once. 

I have no budget for tools. 
I only cry once. 

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Marfione-Strider-Custom-MSG-3--75776

Do it!

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Marfione-Strider-Custom-MSG-3--75776

Do it!

Thanks but....
" I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade."   
Nice site though. 

Thanks but....
" I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade."   
Nice site though. 

Oops. Mixed the fixed part. Can def find some nice ones.

Here are a few mid-range:

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Boker-Plus-Ridgeback-Fixed-Blade--17468

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Boker-Arbolito-El-H-roe-Fixed-Blade--25087

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Boker-Plus-Mosier-Fixed--6002

I’m prob gonna order a Bradford after the holidays.

year end sale
I've always drooled over those Bark River knives as well as Blackjack.  very similar, a lot of different models. i think Blackjack is now made by Bark River

https://www.knifecenter.com/brand/670/Bark-River-Knives
https://www.knifecenter.com/series/bark-river-knives/bark-river-bravo-series   bravo series is a popular line
i have an old blackjack Gurkha style knife from the 80's that i used for a hiking blade, used it a lot and its still kicking to this day.  workhorse!
https://www.knifecenter.com/brand/67/Blackjack-Knives
https://www.dlttrading.com/blackjack-knives   theres better selection at DLT but i think its more expensive
https://www.dlttrading.com/bark-river-knives

I never did get a great push cut edge with the sharpmaker. Sold it after a few years. I also had a wicked edge that i never took a liking to.  Took too long and i have too many knives. You need to jot down the edge angle and where you clamped it in the vise to get the best results. Its slow and I also wore out my low grit stones pretty quickly trying to change the bevel on a few premium steel knives. Its expensive using the we to thin out blades. Im all about the belt sander now, but i dont use it on brand new knives i just strop the factory edge til i scratch the blade during use.

More practice with the Spyderco last night. Was able to get sharper than before, but not quite razor sharp. I mean it’s sharp enough for EDC type knife, but I kinda wanted to be able to be able to get them sharper if/when I wanted to. S90/s110v are pretty hard to sharpen good luck. I love those steels but m390 is so similar but a little easier to sharpen.

I think the angle wasn’t quite right from previous to Spyderco angle, so I spent more time in the coarse stones with more pressure. Seemed like I was getting a good edge with the coarse and fine stones. Think I need to get better at finishing with the ultra fine stone and strop. I was sharpening a knife that was rated as easy to sharpen, so will need to get better before moving to the M390, 20CV and S90V blades that I have. I can sharpen them on regular whetstones, but they take quite a bit of time.

I never did get a great push cut edge with the sharpmaker. Sold it after a few years. I also had a wicked edge that i never took a liking to.  Took too long and i have too many knives. You need to jot down the edge angle and where you clamped it in the vise to get the best results. Its slow and I also wore out my low grit stones pretty quickly trying to change the bevel on a few premium steel knives. Its expensive using the we to thin out blades. Im all about the belt sander now, but i dont use it on brand new knives i just strop the factory edge til i scratch the blade during use.

My friend that makes custom knives uses the Gritomatic. He’s retired and has lots of time. He used to use the Wicked system. Didn’t get to ask him why he changed. He uses mostly high carbon steels. Doubt he uses the super steels. That said, his knives come unreal sharp.

D'oh i also missed the part about it being fixed.
By edc fixed blade i assume around 3 inches.
If you want a high end slicer id say phil wilson is one of the most sought after. Something from him in 10v,s110v, k390 etc can cut manila rope over 1k times and still cut paper. Its all about high heat treat (65 hrc)and optimized geometry. Definitely not meant for any prying or rough stuff like that though. Itll chip or crack.
If you want a tougher general use knife then id say something from scrapyard/swamprat in sr101 is a good bet. No sheath included so youre forced to find one to your liking. Esee 3 in 1095 steel is also very popular at around $100
Cpm3v is a popular premium tough tool steel that even companies like cold steel offer for around $50-65 in the  Pendleton and mini version. 3.5 and 2.5" blades. Those are excellent and closer in price to budget offerings with lesser steels. The 3v pendleton is an excellent choice.


If you want stainless then that limits the options a bit. They also are harder to balance holding a fine edge and being chippy. You need to decide what youre using it for and match the steel and hrc level if youre going stainless.
S30v is a good baseline stainless steel for fixed knives. Its tougher than m390 and the edge remains slightly toothy from the vanadium carbides even when dulled

Thanks but....
" I am looking for a decent "Working mans" EDC fixed blade."   
Nice site though. 

   Guess I should be more specific in what I am looking for.

    A blade of 3"-3.7", a portion of which is serrated (in line or opposite side). I kind of like the SOG Mini Pentagon, but it's "daggerness" makes it unacceptable
Maintains edge well yet easy to sharpen. I like to use tungsten carbide a sit is quick and convenient but have stones into the 1,000's
Hardness of moderate strength as I am not going to be chopping wood or prying doors open with it.
Handle comfortable and secure even when wet
Decent hard sheath that clips to belt and holds tight to body and is easy to draw.

   Is this a w(h)et dream ? 

 Appreciate all of your suggestions