Best EDC Knife with Dress Pants

[simpsonadvisors]

I am looking for the best EDC knife to wear with kackis or dress pants. I am excluding liner locks because I do not trust them. I am limiting blade length to 4" and the thinner the better. I have heard of flat ground blade is better than others.
I am considering in Spyderco Caly 3, delica or endura or your choice. Please list your choice in what steel configuration. Benchmade keeps coming up but all the benchmade knives I have seen are too thick. Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

[Mr.Sparkitle]

I would say go with the Caly3. It's wire clip is going to sit lower and is also going to not look like a knife in dress pants. The Caly will also have a smoother traction surface and will not scuff or mar your pants at all from the clip riding against the CF. If the Caly3 is too much money for you possibly look at the centofante 3 or 4. I would consider each more of a dress knife and they have a smooth surface as well which will not mess up your nice dress pants. They also dont have huge blades on them and are easy to palm or hide when cutting some thing.

The Kopa may also be another one to look at, its smaller, very elegant looking and really goes well with dress pants. It is going to be a little heavier than the Caly or the Centofantes.

[Dr. Snubnose]

Without of Doubt it must be the Spyderco Vesuvius.....(if you can find one)...Doc :)

[Evil D]

Caly 3 hands down. Fits your description perfectly.

[SpydieDelica4]

I love my Caly3 in ZDP and carbon fiber for fancy carry whether it's dress pants or just out to dinner. Very classy, small enough to not be intimidating and friendly looking.

[tacticooledc]

If you're looking at benchmades, you can't go wrong with the 940/943 series, they are simply beautiful. Now they may not be spyderco-grade s30v, but s30v nonetheless. Axis lock is buttery smooth and a beautiful contrasting purple titanium backspacer to the anodized aluminum handle. The clip won't tear your pants up since it rides against anodized aluminum, yet the handle still offers great traction in most conditions

[mongatu]

I would (and have) go for the Caly 3.5 because I prefer the longer 3.5 inch blade in a handle that is still very compact and slim and I like VG-10 and I don't mind the G10 scales.

[jldc]

Chris Reeve Mnandi.

Expensive, but very nice and a perfect fit with dress pants.

L

[Beanie-Bean]

UKPK Carbon Fiber is thin, and features smooth CF scales with a wire clip.

No lock whatsoever. FFG S30V blade, too.

[chuck_roxas45]

If you can find a stetch in CF, I'd say that's pretty dressy and gentlemanly.

[jackknifeh]

My opinion: Endura is too big. Dress pants means 3" or less. Thin is good so look for CF handles. Very strong, light and they look good. Other handle options would be anything that looks great. When I think of dress pants I'm also thinking of dress everything else, shirt, shoes and knife. If you are in dress clothes and you display a knife it should compliment your attire. I don't mean it should be color coordinated to match your shoes (maybe your tie though :) ) That means a classy knife. Not just classy looking but classy all the way through meaning quality. You wouldn't wear a nice suit and a pair of $30 shoes.

Blade steel is as important in a knife for dress pants as most other uses. I doubt if a black blade would be a good choice but I may be wrong. I think a steel that polishes nicely would work.

This may sound like I would choose apparel in a dressy situation with the intention of impressing others. This is exactly what I mean. Of course you need to please yourself but one reason to buy and wear nice clothes is to try to make a statement of some sort. Would you wear a suit and tie around the house? No. And you wouldn't wear jeans and a t-shirt to a wedding or sales meeting.

Last but not least is no pocket clip. I don't mean you shouldn't use a pocket clip, I mean you should remove it if there is one. There should be no evidence of a knife at all until you need it. That's why I suggest 3" or smaller. You may even want to carry it in your jacket pocket.

I think a knife in a dressy situation would fall in the same category as a nice pen, watch or lighter.

Edit: I forgot, I have a Michael Walker that I'd use for dressier occasions. Actually, I EDC it a lot using the clip. One thing I don't like about it with no clip is since the handle is open on the back change or other things can get in the knife and hit the edge of the blade. Not a big deal but I've always carried my pocket knife and loose change in the same pocket. It is very easy to clean though which I really like. I'm retired now and don't get dirty at work or dress up much either any more. I don't know how others feel about the MW but I really like it.
Jack

[The Mentaculous]

Kopa and Michael Walker CF would probably be my first choice. Caly 3 CF, UKPK CF or FG G-10, or Sage CF would be fine as well. I also always thought the G-10 dragonfly was great as a gentleman's knife.

Based on what you want, I'd agree with Caly 3 or 3.5. They are flat ground, and the thinnest grind available. That are dressy looking as well (caly 3 CF more so IMO). The wire clip is perfect for a gentleman's knife. Both are mean slicers. Personally, for dress pant's I'd go with Caly 3 CF because the CF won't shred pockets like the 3.5's G-10 will, and I just think it looks like pure class.

[buddy54ck]

Sage 2 a class act!

[spyderdog]

Do you wear dress pants regularly or just occasionally? I think that makes a difference. I wear them only occasionally now, and generally carry a copilot. It's perfect. I'd prefer to carry something a little larger if I wore dress pants all the time.

If the caly 3 in carbon fiber is still an available option, I'd say that it's a good one. I would stay away from the G10 version version with dress pants.

Something that will not rub on dress pants is important. Ti sage has smooth scales and might work?

[tkdiver1]

Heres another vote for the Mnandi. Best gents folder anywhere IMHO.

[.357 mag]

Sage 1. That's what I'm planning on getting next for dress/going out knife. But I guess you said no liner lock so caly 3.

[unit]

Do you want a knife that is like man-jewelry, or do you want a nearly invisible tool that you can carry around the office and not alarm people that may fear a blade?

I wore Khakis every day for 5 or so years until I decided that dress grays were more to my liking. I rotated through Militarys, Paramilitarys, Enduras, you name it. I found that the Endura in a bright color (blue) is the least alarming (almost) 4 inch blade I can carry. People seemed to smile at it.

If you want a piece of man-jewelry, get your wallet ready or take a look at the Kopas and Kiwis that were made, and then go searching for vendors that still have what you like (they are discontinued).

Honestly, I would suggest getting the most useful knife for your needs and do not sweat how it looks. If people are bothered by it, drop it down in your pocket and no one has to know about it. With practice I learned to palm a Military and deploy just enough blade for the job. Using this method, no one knew that I had a big knife when I was making small cuts (like trimming a thread hanging off of said Khakis, or opening a bag of chips).

[bh49]

When I wear dress pants I do not clip knife and carry loose in the pocket. My first choice goes to 75 mm Persian with clip removed. Sometimes this knife has a company of smaller knives like Kopa or Micro-Dyad or just carry these smaller knives if I travel out of state and not sure about legal restrictions. All these knives made for Spyderco by Moki, have great fit and finish, bolsters, liners and VG10 blade steel. All of them discontinued, but can be found on secondary market.

[syphen]

UKPK Carbon Fiber is thin, and features smooth CF scales with a wire clip.

No lock whatsoever. FFG S30V blade, too.

I agree, I think a slipit is a little more classy then a locking knife. Most people don't need a locking knife if they are going out to a fancy event. I carry a foliage green UKPK G10 to work because its a very nice, slim nkp friendly tool.

I usually carry a Dragonfly in my suit just due to size. I recently got a Dragonfly 2 but have not gone to any fancy-do's since getting it.

[iwolf81]

The upcoming Chaparral seems like an excellent choice to me: http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48030

Regards,
Ira