For a defensive knife I prefer a flipper with assisted opening, although a non assisted with a solid detent will do about the same. But I prefer the assisted opening. That way I know the blade will deploy and lock up every single time even if my hand or body isn't in perfect position.

I never meant Murphy but am well acquainted with his law.

Not sure how that relates to preference against tip up carry. Are you afraid of them opening in your pocket?

It was my understanding that tip up carry was generally more common, but also understand that tip up vs tip down was largely based on preferred grip and opening method. But I guess whatever tokes your taco.

For a defensive knife I prefer a flipper with assisted opening, although a non assisted with a solid detent will do about the same. But I prefer the assisted opening. That way I know the blade will deploy and lock up every single time even if my hand or body isn't in perfect position.

I have two assisted flipper and two non-assisted flippers from ZT and I agree. With the super smooth action of the ZTs, a “purposeful” attempt to open will result in a full and solid opening. But the assisted ones aren’t such that they are “touchy”. Even the assisted Benchmades that I have and have tried aren’t that touchy to the point where I’d feel the need to use the safety.

My latest Boker flipper and likely the last folder for a while. Will likely get a fixed blade soon, but after that the budget is about used up. 

This is the Boker Plus JB Stout Lateralus Flipper. It’s not nearly as smooth as the Boker Caracal that I have nor the ZTs, but maybe it will get smoother as it gets more use. It’sa frame lock as opposed to the liner lock of the Caracal. I noticed that adjusting the pivot pin just a little causes the blade tip to move quite a bit laterally and will quickly affect the opening, and closing. Didn’t notice that with the ZT frame locks.

Overall happy with the Boker Plus line for the money.

Not sure how that relates to preference against tip up carry. Are you afraid of them opening in your pocket?

It was my understanding that tip up carry was generally more common, but also understand that tip up vs tip down was largely based on preferred grip and opening method. But I guess whatever tokes your taco.

I actually had one or two open in my pocket. Don't remember the exact circumstances but I do remember it happening and that it was NOT fun. That was several years ago and the technology has probably advanced a lot, plus I'm not doing the things I used to do for work (doctors orders) so I'll give it a try again. Besides the eafengrow is inexpensive enough to take a risk on and looks like it will sit well in between the Abuse Knife and Gentleman Knife categories for those "normal" use days.

ok, last knives for a while, I promise.   
started to get into the Kershaw line.  affordable, functional, I'm really liking the Kershaw brand.
top one is the Grid made in China $29 speed safe assisted opening, bottom one is the Bareknuckle made in USA $69 manual flipper.  prices are probably less than retail.
almost equal dimensions, the China one's grip is maybe 1/8 inch longer
China one is 8cr steel, USA one is Sandvik14 steel
Chinese one is a framelock, USA is a subframe lock which keeps the knife lighter
one problem with the USA one is the detent is super strong and has a hot spot near the pivot. so if I grip the subframe lock near the pivot, it is impossible to open.  was worse when I first got it.  I had to break it in, and work the sub frame lock many times with a screwdriver to loosen it up.  now its much better but still not 100% dependable, maybe 95-98% dependable but usually opens no problem as long as I keep my fingers off the sub frame lock near the pivot, but the opening is very smooth.  the Chinese one is 100% reliable
for the money, that Grid is a bargain, the only drawback is the 8cr steel if that matters to you.  I would recommend this knife if you want a cheaper assisted opener, it works great
I cannot recommend the Bareknuckle because it took so much work to get it to work

I actually had one or two open in my pocket. Don't remember the exact circumstances but I do remember it happening and that it was NOT fun. That was several years ago and the technology has probably advanced a lot, plus I'm not doing the things I used to do for work (doctors orders) so I'll give it a try again. Besides the eafengrow is inexpensive enough to take a risk on and looks like it will sit well in between the Abuse Knife and Gentleman Knife categories for those "normal" use days.

I see.  Yeah, having a knife open in your pocket inadvertently would NOT be pleasant.  However, it was my understanding that tip down or tip up carry have the same risk for that and many recommend a carry method where the blade opening faces toward a pocket seam.  So for right side carry, tip up carry with the knife on the rear seam of your front pocket and tip down carry with the knife on the side/front seam of your back pocket. 

You bring up a good point on activity level.  I used to primarily carry a Benchmade non assisted folder with the axis lock system daily.  I also had a trainer that I used for a combatives class.  I have never had the trainer open in the 1 hour long class.  I've also had the "real" blade on the waistband of my gym shorts when sparring.  I had meant to take them off before sparring, but that's how I typically carry when I am wearing gym shorts or other shorts without pockets.  Anyways, after a few rounds, I felt the knife in my waist band and I took it out to put it aside and my sparring partner saw it and joked that knives weren't allowed.     I was surprised that the blade stayed pretty secure through the sparring. 

I actually really like the method of carry where the knife is in your front waist band.  If at an angle, it's a pretty quick draw and I don't notice it when sitting.  However, I felt that would look funny for carry in street or business clothes. 

I cut myself a few times trying to grab the Kershaw Leek from my pocket. It is tip down and assisted flipper. The flipper tab points outward, when carried in right pocket, and would get pressed through my pants pocket.

I cut myself a few times trying to grab the Kershaw Leek from my pocket. It is tip down and assisted flipper. The flipper tab points outward, when carried in right pocket, and would get pressed through my pants pocket.

Damn, that sucks.

I have a similar Kershaw. Scallion I think. It only allows for tip down and doesn’t have holes for other clip positions. The flipper is pretty touchy on that one and it takes less force than my other assisted opening flippers. I used to carry it with work attire, but usually in my back right pocket, so it would open toward the pocket seam/edge. I’ve never had it open on me in my pocket. It does have a sliding safety bar at the tip which prevents opening. Not sure if I used to carry with it locked or open tho.

ok, last knives for a while, I promise.   
started to get into the Kershaw line.  affordable, functional, I'm really liking the Kershaw brand.
top one is the Grid made in China $29 speed safe assisted opening, bottom one is the Bareknuckle made in USA $69 manual flipper.  prices are probably less than retail.
almost equal dimensions, the China one's grip is maybe 1/8 inch longer
China one is 8cr steel, USA one is Sandvik14 steel
Chinese one is a framelock, USA is a subframe lock which keeps the knife lighter
one problem with the USA one is the detent is super strong and has a hot spot near the pivot. so if I grip the subframe lock near the pivot, it is impossible to open.  was worse when I first got it.  I had to break it in, and work the sub frame lock many times with a screwdriver to loosen it up.  now its much better but still not 100% dependable, maybe 95-98% dependable but usually opens no problem as long as I keep my fingers off the sub frame lock near the pivot, but the opening is very smooth.  the Chinese one is 100% reliable
for the money, that Grid is a bargain, the only drawback is the 8cr steel if that matters to you.  I would recommend this knife if you want a cheaper assisted opener, it works great
I cannot recommend the Bareknuckle because it took so much work to get it to work

Nah. Go ahead and keep buying. 

Good information that we’re all sharing. We all have our own preferences. What we like, don’t like, what we hate, etc. Same useful info for guns and gear. We can have fun trying different stuff and folks maybe can take advantage of that or avoid the stuff we experienced.

Sucks that the more expensive Bareknuckle had  problems. Like another poster mentioned, I too am seeing much more variation in the budget level knives. I’ve been lucky to get mostly good, or at least decent budget stuff from Kershaw and CRKT. That said, I’ve come to appreciate the quality you get when spending a little more. The lesser expensive knives will surely still work and serve their purpose tho.

Have been using the Boker Plus JB Stout Lateralus Flipperquite a bit the past week. It came nice and sharp and seems to be holding an edge quite well. However, I noticed that the opening wasn’t  nearly as smooth and fast as my Boker with liner lock and ZTs that are frame locks. I noticed that the speed of opening depended on how I gripped the knife. Apply enough pressure to the G-10 scale, which is opposite the frame lock side, and I could prevent the knife from opening. Apply slight pressure and the blade would open, but slow and maybe not all the way to lock. When compared with the ZTs, I noticed that the Boker didn’t have a steel or other metal liner inside the scale. That allows the scale to flex quite a bit and apply pressure to the blade. The ZTs all have liners on the scale side and even if I apply pressure on the scale side, it doesn’t seem to affect the opening. If I apply pressure to the frame lock bar, it can prevent the blade from opening, but my natural grip doesn’t apply pressure there, whereas I apply some pressure on the liner with my thumb.

Not a big deal, but I’d likely look for that in future knives. I tested some liner lock flipper knives that I have (bother Boker and ZT) and they don’t seem to be affected like the Boker Lateralus.

I’ll still be using the Boker to keep testing the D2 steel, but won’t be an EDC for me.

   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

simple knife, inexpensive.  I don't own one but looks pretty good, I have a couple sheath systems like this and works well if you want to conceal and draw horizontal or vertical.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON8690/ontario-rat-3-utility-knife-od-green-plain-blade-green-linen-micarta-handles-od-green-sheath

simple knife, inexpensive.  I don't own one but looks pretty good, I have a couple sheath systems like this and works well if you want to conceal and draw horizontal or vertical.

https://www.knifecenter.com/item/ON8690/ontario-rat-3-utility-knife-od-green-plain-blade-green-linen-micarta-handles-od-green-sheath

That seems to meet most (of not all) of Rocky's criteria.  I have a couple of ESEE 4s with one that I used to use and abuse.  ESEE and Ontario are basically the same and it is my understanding that ESEE branched out on their own from Ontario.  One difference is ESEE's lifetime warranty, but both have a reputation for being tough and durable.  I've been looking for a smaller fixed blade and the ESEE Izula is one I'm looking at. 

The one thing about those knives is that the 1095 steel will need a little bit more care for corrosion than other steels.  The ESEE and RAT do come with the most of the blade coated, but the primary edge is exposed.  Wasn't that big of a deal when I lived in WA, but Hawaii is terrible for that, especially out where Rocky lives. 

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.

good info on the different types of steel

my next step is to get better steel.  all my blades fall in the high end to lower-mid categories.
theres at least one knife I want to get in M390, and i'll probably look into other better steels too
good to look at different properties and choose what is best for your purposes

I have a couple newer knives in this steel:  https://www.materials.sandvik/en-us/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/sandvik-14c28n/

seems to get pretty good reviews for all around blade steel.  not sure how it compares to other steels.

good info on the different types of steel

my next step is to get better steel.  all my blades fall in the high end to lower-mid categories.
theres at least one knife I want to get in M390, and i'll probably look into other better steels too
good to look at different properties and choose what is best for your purposes

Exactly.  Lately, sharpening (ease or difficulty with) and corrosion resistance have been what I've been looking at more and more.  If I had to choose preference, I think I'd go with the S30V and S35VN for combination of properties that are my current preference and typical cost range for the knives.  Next are VG-10 and 154CM for "mid-range" type knives and M390, CPM-20CV, and (can't think of it right now), but the latter group tend to be more pricey blades. 

I have a couple newer knives in this steel:  https://www.materials.sandvik/en-us/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/sandvik-14c28n/

seems to get pretty good reviews for all around blade steel.  not sure how it compares to other steels.

I have been looking at some blades with the 14c28n.  Reviews that I've read seem to be that it's pretty good and an upgrade from the 8Cr13MoV.  I have a couple of 8Cr13MoV knives and they have held up pretty well. 

I ended up ordering the 0350 for my nephew, should be here by next week. 

my order got delayed and will not be here in time for my nephew's birthday.  I ordered through amazon, originally said would be here in plenty of time, now its delayed for a few more weeks.
so, I talked myself into ordering another one from knife center, who I would have ordered it from in the first place but they were sold out at the time, but now they have back in stock.  good thing I ordered when I did bc I got their last one and it shipped the same day so it should be here just in time for his birthday.
my plan is to give him that one, and keep for myself the one that comes later.  I figured that I don't really have a premium folder, and lately I've been wanting a ZT and I really like the 0350 model with the stonewashed blade.
it was easy to talk myself into it.   

my order got delayed and will not be here in time for my nephew's birthday.  I ordered through amazon, originally said would be here in plenty of time, now its delayed for a few more weeks.
so, I talked myself into ordering another one from knife center, who I would have ordered it from in the first place but they were sold out at the time, but now they have back in stock.  good thing I ordered when I did bc I got their last one and it shipped the same day so it should be here just in time for his birthday.
my plan is to give him that one, and keep for myself the one that comes later.  I figured that I don't really have a premium folder, and lately I've been wanting a ZT and I really like the 0350 model with the stonewashed blade.
it was easy to talk myself into it.   

Good to hear that you were able to get one in time.  I haven't ordered from Knifecenter, but I've browsed there.  I've ordered a bunch of stuff from Blade HQ and they shipping very quickly and their CS has been great. 

And cool that you will have the same blade as you got your nephew.  I'm sure you'll like the ZT.  Hopefully that will inspire you to get more of them. 

Have been watching quite a bit of YouTube videos on knife sharpening and knife reviews lately.  Like many things online, it takes a while to figure out who is putting out good information and who are blowing smoke.  And then there's different levels of good information.  Many reviews are of the "unboxing" variety and they haven't used the sharpener or knife.  While helpful, I look for the videos that show actual use.  Similar with online forums on knives. 

For YouTube videos, I've been tending to stick to reviews by places like KnifeCenter and BladeHQ.  There was some others that I watch here and there, but I found that a couple of the knife reviewers are pretty weird and irritating.  Like the Shabazz guy and the Bird(something).  That lady on the bird channel ruins otherwise useful information contained in the video. 

For online forums, the knife folks seem to fixate on some minor things.  One big one that I don't understand is ability to both open, and CLOSE a folding knife quickly and with one hand.  I mean I get wanting to open the knife quickly, but being able to close the knife quickly isn't important to me.  Then I started to figure out that many of them see their knives as almost a fidget-spinner.  An example of one knife that I am looking closely at is the Spyderco Amalgam.  It's a flipper with a compression lock.  Seems like most agree that it's a solid knife, the flipper to open is generally good, etc.  Then there's a ton of negative review of the compression lock.  Not because it is weak or fails, but combined with the flipper tab, the tab makes it more difficult to quickly close the knife and some even complain it "ruins the rhythm of being able to open and close with one hand".     Apparently that is a huge deal for many. . .

I've seen several of the bird channel and the nick Shabazz too. I can see your point about the fidget spinner thing. They dont like assisted openers. I like assisted openers, opens and locks up every time. Manual openers are good too if they lock up every time, but some of those may take a little extra effort. Nothing wrong with it, just how it is. I care more about effortless opening vs effortless closing too.

Another channel I subscribe to is preparedmind101. He's more of a fixed blade guy, sponsored by bark river knives so he's partial to them. He tests his knives somewhat. He also has a certain sense of humor.