One and Done, Part I: The Criteria
We all love gear. Knives and other stuff are our thing. That’s why you read this blog and that’s why I write it. But, believe it or not, for a lot of people they want a good knife and then they want to move on. For those people, the nuances of various steels and the increasing trend towards “drops” instead of stock items, are a pain the ass. They don’t want a knife hobby, they want a knife.
I imagine these folks are people that are looking for something that is good enough to last them a long time and yet not outrageously expensive. They also want something that can be used in a variety of ways—after all, they don’t want a knife hobby, they want a knife. This premise is something I looked at a while ago in this article. I feel like that recommendation is out of date because one of the items is no longer for sale. Additionally, the light, while excellent misses the mark a bit as it uses an enthusiast battery format. Before I get to recommendations, I want to lay out criteria for the selection.
The idea with the One and Done (1+Done) kit is that you get this kit, it makes your life better, and you move on. Its not an introduction to the hobby or an entry level purchase. Its the kit you get if you appreciate nice stuff but don’t want to go down the rabbit hole. Now, of course, I believe that great still will pull these people down the rabbit hole, but their intention when purchasing this stuff is to get something that is fully functional and nice without being overboard. When I look to purchase stuff that is not related to a hobby of mine, I usually target this tier of stuff OR I try to get things for free or make them myself. My house has a few 1+Done items: a drone (the DJI Spark from a few years ago…BTW, leave a comment if you know a compatible set of googles), some clothes, some shoes (Allen Edmonds Park Avenues…), a full suspension mountain bike, and a few other things.
Here are the criteria I think best capture the idea of 1+Done stuff:
Readily Available
The enthusiast market has become obsessed with the drops. Its a way to sustain interest with a very small market. But its annoying. And for those not willing to set calendar appointments to purchase a knife, it is a huge turn off. And so knives that aren’t readily available aren’t going to be considered because, again, if you are in the market for a 1+Done knife you want a knife not a hobby. Here is what I mean by readily available: you can purchase it whenever you want. Some knives like self-published blades tend to only be available in drops. Other knives like the N2 from TRM are so hot and made in relatively small quantities that even without the limitations of the drop model, they are not readily available. Finally, we have the problem with Sprint Runs/Exclusives, which is mainly a Spyderco and Kershaw thing—some of their knives are amazing but are impossible to find. The Dragonfly 2 was made in 20CV, but you probably missed it as it was an exclusive for DLT that sold out in about fifteen seconds. You will notice that this excludes a ton of my favorite blades over the past few years. Gone are the following:
Spyderco Dragonfly 20CV Sprint Run for DLT Trading
These knives are some of my very favorite knives of the last 10 years and they are off the table. If this weren’t the case, the N2 or the DF2 in 20CV would win.
Its also worth mentioning that it is very clear that the market is oversaturated with self-published overseas made knives, released in drops. There is going to be some natural contraction in the knife market and these self-published drop knives are where it is going to happen. I think the best designs, like those listed above, are going to be fine, but a market correction is happening now.
Enthusiast Range Price
It takes a special kind of person to spend more than $300 on a folding knife (and here is a break down of the price ranges). I would argue it also takes a special kind of person to think they are getting a worthwhile tool for under $20. And so, the price range I am looking at here is basically $50-$300. If you are a person that just graduated college and got a real job and wanted to treat yourself with your first pay check, a $275 knife is a good way to do that. It is a tool you will have forever and it will make your daily life a smidge easier. And with that kind of cash, you can get something, as Cousin Eddie told Clark: “Really nice.”
As a side note, I’d make the argument that the truly best 1+Done knife is the plain jane Small Sebenza 31 in Magnacut. It is a lot of money, $125 more than the price limit here. But if you want a knife that can really hold up, but in terms of performance and durability for 20 years, a Sebenza can do that. I think back to a post Justin Laffer made on his Instagram of a fisherman that was wearing a Rolex. It was a 25 year old Submariner. His approach was he couldn’t afford a new watch every year, and he took the buy once, cry once approach. If you do that with knives, get the Carbon Fiber Insigno Small Sebenza 31 in Magnacut from KnifeArt.com. Its the perfect buy once, cry once knife, but it is probably out of the price range for a 1+Done.
Generally Useful
Wanna know a crazy cool knife that have but never got to review? The CRKT Provoke. It is the strangest, coolest, and most jaw dropping knife I have. My second oldest nephew is a knife guy and when I want to judge the merits of a knife, I generally ask him for his take. When I unfurled the Provoke, he gave an audible gasp and in a way only a 14 year old boy can do he began nodding his head to convey just how cool he thought it was. But the Provoke, as amazing as it is, is not a knife I’d carry everyday. Same thing goods for the CRKT XOC or the Cold Steel Espada XL or any number of super large, super small, or super specialized knives. If you are looking for a 1+Done, you want something broadly useful.
User Serviceable
I don’t want a knife that someone has to tinker with to get the most out of it, but at the same time, I want a knife simple enough that someone can take it apart and reoil it if need be. So all of the sliding bar lock knives out there are gone. Putting omega springs back in place is exceptionally annoying. I am also not a fan of overly complex edges (recurves, serrations, or duplex grinds) as they are hard to sharpen. In envision a 1+Done knife being something that the user learns how to take care of and part of that is sharpening. Sharpening is a great skill to have in general and a very good skill to develop if you like knives. It makes some knives, like those from Victorinox, really viable choices as sharpening skill can make up for a steel that is very soft. I am also eliminating ultrahard steels, because while I think any knife owner should be able to sharpen their knives, folks looking at 1+Done stuff don’t want a sharpening hobby either. Look, 15V is an amazing steel that enthusiasts can love, but if you are a guy or gal with one knife and it is a 15V blade that gets dull, good friggin luck. I am also not going to consider very rust-prone steels, again like 15V. No one wants to store their knife is a desicates box.
No Esoteric Stuff
Some knives require such high user knowledge that they would not be appropriate for a dabbler in the knife world. I think the ceramic blades are cool, but you can’t sharpen them. And they shatter on impact. That’s just too weird and requires too much specialized knowledge for folks that just want to dabble. I don’t want to recommend an auto either. Its not realistic or helpful to say to someone: “I recommend this knife, go do legal research on whether it is permissible in your locale.” I am also a bit concerned that autos are SO repellent to so many people that having such a knife as your daily carry means that over time, if you are a considerate person, you just won’t carry the knife. Similarly, some of the lights out there have UI charts that look like the operations chart of a nuclear reactor. Its not fair or realistic to expect someone that just wants good gear to have this sort of knowledge in their brain. This is why some hobbies tend to only have deep end users. I’d love an emulator for old school games but they require so much knowledge of ROMs, where the best place is to get them, and how to load them, that I am not going to bother. Similarly, the RC hobby is great, but the among of knowledge, tools, and skill you need to work on some of the more complex vehicles is off putting. I know their are a slew of drones that out perform my Spark, but none are plug and play like a DJI is. It should be that way with knives and lights too.
Up next: 1+Done Recommendations for Knives and Lights
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