A GOOD friend is going into harm's way soon -- don't ask --and will not be able to pack a big honking fighting knife. The rest of his gear is stock issue with no choice to upgrade.

An old Hungarian sayiong maintians that " it is nice toi have a knife even in church". I want him to have a good one. A folder is what I want to get -- one that is compact; quickly deployable; absolutely reliable; low maintenance; and up to any ugly work that might be asked of it. I need to lay hands on it soon-- within a week or so.

Ideas are welcome. If possible pleae also give me an idea where to lay hands on it quickly as shopping around is not in the cards.

Thanks for any help,
1B

There are really too many choices to list. You might want to take a look at the Buck Strider line, some of which are stocked at many retailers and even more on-line e-tailers:

Buck Striders

Another good choice would be the CRKT tactical knives, most of which I have. They offer a good variety of styles and blade sizes and they're also commonly available:

CRKT Tactical

If you hadn't mentioned the need for a compact size, I would have suggested one of the Extrema Ratios, either the MPC or the Fulcrum II drop point. They're as good as and nearly as strong as, a fixed blade:

Extrema Ratio MPC
Extrema Ratio Fulcrum II

Something just as important as a knife and that will probably get more use is a good multi-tool.

A good friend of mine is in Naval aviation and has been to the sandbox three times over the years. He had need for a light, compact and discreet knife that was rugged. I sent him a Benchmade 940 Osbourne Axis lock and he loved it.

+1 on Benchmade. You probably can't get the auto-openers but they make civilian equivalents. Here are the issue models to give you an idea: http://www.benchmade.com/products/stock_numbers.asp

+1 MacD

I�d also recommend A.G. Russel in there too.

I also happen to be a big fan of Spyderco.

Thanks for all the help guys.

I looked into Benchmade and your advise was right on the mark.

Their net-site is definitey throrough, if a little busy for a cyberdolt like me. But I got some leads and called the company.

What a stunning response from a young lady there who had details about all the models at her finger tips, was responsive to my needs and extremely helpful at the same time! Hands down one of the best long distance, customer friendly experiences of my too jaded experience. I usually come away from such ventures convinced that the human race is doomed.

Anyway, I am off to my local indoor range tomorrow which has the item I settled on.

It does not get much better than this. Enter ignorant and wary -- and exit educated and more than satisfied. Maybe....there is hope.

1B