One and Done, Part II: The Recommendations
Time for the listicle.
Okay, so last time we laid out the criteria. This time, we are going to explore which knives and flashlight make the cut. Instead of just giving you one answer for knives and one for flashlights, I am going to try to work through a few options.
Knives
There are a lot of knives that meet all of the criteria. But only a few are really worth the effort. The market is flooded, absolutely bloated with knives. Overseas brands are putting out multiple new knives a week. Just about everyone that has used a pair of scissors is designing and releasing their own self-published blade. But a lot of these knives just aren’t that good. Some are good designs with subpar materials (CJRB Pyrite). Some are classics with last gen steels and this gen prices (Spyderco Delica). Only a handful of knives hit that sweet spot for 1+Done.
The Good Stuff: The fit and finish and the blade shape are definitely on point. The action, thanks to the bearing on the lockbar is incredible for a lock back. And the blade is quite thin. There is a lot good here and its a less common blade, so if you don’t want to have yet another Spyderco PM2, this is a good choice.
Why not #1? There is something off about this handle. Its not quite good to choke up on nor is it ideal for no choil use. But that could be my hand size.
The Good Stuff: This is a superior folder with no real drawbacks. It is a bit, um, well, let’s just say that there are items that are beautiful and then their are items that possess a functional aesthetic. This knife is in the “functional camp.” Its Cobalt blade material cuts forever and can be sharpened, the action is dead on, and it is the right size. It comes out in runs, but they have been consistently in stock in some variation for over two years now, so I think its fair to say they are readily available. I love this knife and carry it often.
Why not #1? It is tenth on the list because it is more than a bit ugly. Loveless’s “visual tension” is completely missing here.
The Good Stuff: This is the best knife CRKT has made and though it is a high end CRKT it too has been in regular stock since its release. I am not a guy that normally likes folders that weigh more than 5 ounces, but this one was special. It feels so good—the blade, the heft, the handle, and all of the wonderful touches, like the crowned spine. I also like the really simple, really effective clip.
Why not #1? Its pretty portly.
Flytanium Arcade
The Good Stuff: I have the AD 20.5 in AUS10. Its okay. The bones are there, but the steel is pretty unimpressive and the handle is kind of a mess. But the lock is good and so when a higher end design came out with the same lock, I thought I’d give it a try. This knife is great. There is nothing that approaches it in terms of fidget factor and it is super sharp right out of the box. There is no blade play and the enter thing is quite thin. At $200 is a decent but not insane buy, especially in light of the S35VN steel, but this is a solid knife.
Why not #1? Its pretty darn tall in the pocket and the exposed rear tang bothers me to no end. Can we do a Shark Lock without a gaping hole in the back?
The Good Stuff: Look, you could 1+Done this knife and be completely content in life. Its a great size and shape. Its clean and easy to use. Ray’s designs are always those things. And the steel, S35VN, is fine enough. The clip, even with the squared off end, is pretty good in the hand. Overall, there are a bunch of things to like here. Even the price isn’t terrible (though, again, we need to stop thinking of S35VN as a steel for $100+ knives).
Why not #1? Not sure. It might be close to being too small. I really think the Goldilocks length is 3 inches and this is a bit below that. If a knife is smaller than that handles tend to get wonky, unless there is a plan, like on the Dragonfly II.
The Good Stuff: The CF/S90V upgrades of evergreen Benchmades are among the very best knives out there under $300. This one is JUST barely under that threshold at $288, but what you get is a river rock of polish and refinement. Its better than the two other “mini” knives in the S90V line up—the Mini Freek and the 945 as it has a full flat ground blade. The Axis lock is amazing here, working without fail or fidget.
Why not #1? Nearly the top end of the price range, the exposed rear tang and still less than kinetic opening hold this excellent knife back just a smidge.
The Good Stuff: The go everywhere, do anything knife that never stops, never complains, and never feels like a big knife in the pocket. It is, of course, a big knife, but thanks to some ingenious design touches it never feels that way. And if you want to upgrade it you can with a bevy of steel choices (though the stock S45VN is excellent) and lots and lots of aftermarket accessories.
Why not #1? Compression locks tend to be pinchy. There is a fix to this in the form of the Blades We Love PM2 Ultra, but that doesn’t work with the 1+Done criteria.
Knafs Co Lander 1 in M390
The Good Stuff: This has been continously in stock since its release, so I think it counts. The Lander 1 is a perfectly sized and shaped knife with a solid liner lock, decent clip, and M390. There is an argument for a flawless knife to be the #1 rec. If that were how I was doing this, this knife would be #1.
Why not #1? From here on in, its preference. I like a steel better than M390.
The Good Stuff: If you want a TRM N2 without waiting for a drop and getting one in the five minute window before they sell out, this knife is like 90% of that knife. The steel is great, the deployment and lock up are great, and the carry is nice.
Why not #1? The handles are bit gummy and flexible and the grind isn’t the thinnest because it starts halfway down the knife, but these are nits I am picking now.
The Good Stuff: It has been such a long time that I could thoughtlessly recommend a ZT and the ZT0545 is it. Sure the flipping could be smoother, but eh, who cares. The blade is the thing here and it is both superbly ground and wafer thin. When you combine that with the Magnacut steel you get a powerhouse of a blade. I still prefer some of the knives that don’t fit the criteria over this like the N2 and the Bridgeport 395, but this is the best readily available knife out there under $300 in a reasonable size.
Lights
The lights are much easier to sift through. There are a lot of good lights, but one is so easily better than all the others that this is really just an announcement of a new king of the hill EDC torch. The Reylight Mini Pineapple v3 is the best light on the market that fits the 1+Done criteria. It is one of the best lights, price blind. It took a while, but Reylight finally hit a grand slam.
Zebralight SC53a
The Good Stuff: Talk about iterative improvements. Zebralight has been working on the 1xAA side switch format for close to two decades and the most recent light is a perfect distillation of all that hard work and tech upgrading. It is a truly great, do everything light that carries well and is bright enough and throwy enough to get most tasks done.
Why not #1? While it has gotten better relative to the market, the UI is still a wonky bit of button pressing that can get confusing especially for those not initiated into the Morse Code-like UIs of modern lights.
The Good Stuff: Yep, there is a nine year old flashlight on this list. Why? Because the flashlight market is crammed full of rehashes and fidget toys for people that both EDC and have man buns. Honestly, 300 lumens isn’t a bad for a package this size.
Why not #1? There are bevy of dumb decisions made in the design of the Titan Plus—the LED tint (seafoam green), the clip, and the flashlight toupee. But the pickins is slim.
Reylight Mini Pineapple
The Good Stuff: Despite the slim pickins, this might be the best production light ever made. It does everything you need a flashlight to do for under $60. The pictured version is the smooth Ti version and it is a powerhouse—a slim clicky with 500 lumens. It disappears in the pocket and works miracles in the dark. Get one. You won’t be disappointed.
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