Short and Strong question

[Exile.]

I will be enlisted in the US Navy in just a few days time, and I was surprised to learn that knives carried by Navy serviceman are restricted to a blade length no longer than the users palm.
I am looking for recommendations on the slickest, most comfortable and most durable folder with a blade 3'' or less. I'm not terribly concerned with cost, and I know Navy will have people all over H1, but the position I will most likely be assigned to does not have a huge amount of saltwater exposure.
It needs to be comfortable, ready to go, cut and perform beautifully for years and be a pleasure to look at and hold.
Hit me with what you got!

[Holland]

vg10 caly3

[bh49]

vg10 caly3

Great knife. Unfortunately it is discontinued and will take time to find one. So, my recommendation is
Native5. just a hair under 3" FFG blade, smoothest lock, great ergos. Excellently build. Love the knife.

[Sithus1966]

If your not concerned with the cost, then how about a Techno! The CTS-XHP steel is supposed to have the corrosion resistance about the same as VG-10. And with the thicker flat ground blade I think that qualifies as thick and strong.

[DaHolla]

My vote is the Caly 3.5 VG-10, it fits in my palm and I have medium size hands.

[Exile.]

I should say, right now my main contenders are the Sage 2, Small Sebbie, and I love the XM-18 3, but i would be terrified of losing it

[razorsharp]

I recommend techno or native 5 - of the 2 I may lean towards the native - it looks more ergonomic. Though techno should let you do some light-medium prying if you need to. If money ain't a concern, maybe an xm18

If only you could have any size knife eh- texhno looks good for the job

[kbuzbee]

Great knife. Unfortunately it is discontinued and will take time to find one.

I fully expect the Super Blue Caly 3s to drop sooner than expected. Just saying...

Ken

[DRKBC]

Native 5 all the way, small stout, great lock up, great steel and excellent ergos.

[J32A2]

Para 2?
3.5 inch blade though, still shorter than palm!

[DRKBC]

One other comment on the small sebenza (I own one and I it is an exceptional knife) is that I don't know that you would be overly impressed with the ergos, don't get me wrong its comfortable but G10 is a lot more grippy and the Native would (I think) be less likely to slip out of your hand if you were ever handling it in less than perfect conditions.

[Evil D]

I'd have to say either one of the Sage's or a Native 5. I would definitely recommend the Caly 3.5 or a Stretch, but i think those may be pushing the length limit a bit. Maybe you should measure your palm and reference the catalog to be sure.

[casey1]

I'd go for a Sage 1. Just a bit grippier than the Sage 2, and since the liner is stainless steel and not titanium, I can flick the knife guilt-free. Just a thought. You would also probably never break the Sage 1.

[Blerv]

I love the Sage2 as you mentioned. It's classy, understated and rugged all in one.

[The Deacon]

If a 2.5" blade works for you, then the Techno is the hands down winner of the "short and stout" competition. If not, and a wharncliffe works for you, look at the Yojimbo II. If neither of those float your boat, I'd suggest any member of the Sage family or the Native V.

[flipe8]

If a 2.5" blade works for you, then the Techno is the hands down winner of the "short and stout" competition.

I agree absolutely! Since getting the Techno almost a month ago, I haven't even looked at my Small Sebenza. That's something for me, as the Sebenza has been my primary EDC about 85% of the time for nearly seven years. During that time, I've owned countless production, semi-custom(including Hinderer), and full-custom knives that lasted no more than a couple days in my pocket before the Sebenza found its way back. It's a great knife that doesn't feel like a step down from other more expensive options, in my opinion.

[Chevy]

Seems odd they are putting blade restrictions on Navy personnel (I'm Navy myself and have never really heard of blade restrictions). I know there's a general restriction on fixed blades with no more than a 6" blade (A lot of Boatswain's Mates carry fixed blades due to speed of drawing when a line needs to be cut and whatnot). All of the recommendations above are great ones. What will be your rate by the way?

Chevy

[Clip]

I've been carrying the Techno day in, day out for about a month and it's really grown on me. Another vote!

[The Mastiff]

You might check to see if you are allowed a knife at boot camp. I wasn't and it cost me a camillus ( back in 1980 ). Boot camp has very different rules due to the stress environment you will be kept in.

I like Deacon's recommendations BTW.

Good luck and stay safe.

Joe

[Orion's Belt]

The first knife that came to mind when I read "short and stout" was the Techno. It's a bad *** little folder. Thick blade stock, beefy stop pin and super solid lock up.