2025 Light and Saber Recs
It’s August, which means it is that time of year again. I have done this for sixteen years in a row on one site or another and there is no reason to buck tradition. In case you aren’t familiar, here are the four price brackets. This year there are a lot of newcomers and upheaval in a list that has been pretty static for a few years. The BOSS 35 is no more as it is no longer in production. Spyderco released the best knife they have made in decades. Exceed Designs is throwing down. And there is a ton of activity in the High End knife market as small batch production stuff has really caught on fire.
The conceit here is that you are trying to make a foundation for your EDC outside the stuff that everyone carries—the phone, keys, wallet, etc. The items should be pretty balanced in terms of performance and price, unless there is a really compelling reason. In a change from the past entry, all items have to be in production as of the writing of this article. What point is there in recommending things you can’t find?
As an interesting note, my phone ate my wallet and keys in the past two years (keys last year and wallet this year). So I am really down to four items: a phone, a watch, a knife, and a light. And it is pretty nice.
Here is the 2024 list. Note that the following winners from the last few years are all out of production now: Sofrin SC01, the Overready BOSS 35, and Wegner Aphid II. Also, I don’t like any of the current iterations of the DF2 as the ZDP-189 version is OOP and the 20CV version was a sprint run. K390 is good, but for me, living in New England, it does get a little tarnished over time.
Budget (Under $40)
Knife: Ozark Grail
There are some genuine competitors, including the Harbor Freight blade that I can’t seem to find in stock, but the simplicity and quality blade steel set the Ozark Grail above the rest. It’s not a budget Bugout, per se, but it is very similar. The fact that it doesn’t have an exposed rear tang is quite nice and makes me think that maybe the original would be suited to a 2.0 version. D2 is also not bad steel at all, especially at this price tier.
Light: Convoy S2+
It’s super cheap, has good components, and lets you choose a ton of different options, including emitter, body tube color, battery format (but no 1xAAA option), and switch cover. What does the S2+ do poorly? I am not sure there is an answer. It feels a little less refined and more sharp-edged than more expensive stuff, but it makes some nice light. For the oLights and Fenixes of the world, the Convoy S2+ is an existential threat though.
I have a really high level of confidence in these two recommendations. These two items, the knife at $9.95 and the light at $18.95 (or $19.20 with a clip), clearly outpace the competition. It’s not close in either product category. The fact that you can get a great EDC light and saber pair ($29.15) AND have cash left over for a Subway footlong ($6.99) plus a fountain drink is really incredible.
Other Stuff
You can get a celluloid version of the Bantam for $22.50. It’s very good, but not quite as capable as the Ozark Grail. There are a bunch of Sencut knives in this price range, but the problem is how do you distinguish one bland D2 knife from another? One knife that doesn’t get mentioned a lot is the Opinel. They are pretty spectacular cutters and they weigh nothing. But they are highly susceptible to moisture, both the blade steel and especially the handle.
Entry Level ($40-$100)
Knife: Baby Banter 2 in Clip Point and Sliding Bar Lock
The original Baby Banter was great—pocketable, with good steel, and a nice size. But this new version is like a glow up pic at a high school reunion: it is the same thing, just more aesthetically pleasing. The fact that the lock is upgraded and the knife also includes a toothpick and tweezers is nice. The steel, 14C28N, is the best of the non-PM steels. There are a ton of knives in this price range, but none have that fleshed out design that the Baby Banter 2 does.
Light: Thrunite T1S v2
I wish Zebralight used this UI or conversely this light was as nice as a Zebralight. Alas, we have the compromise choice. It’s a nice size with good output, but the emitter’s tint is kinda yucky and unlike with the Zebralight, I did get real hot pocketing here. But your options are pretty limited at this price point and lot of them are straight up toys with extra emitters and strobe-y modes that do nothing practical. I still like a removable battery, as it lets me replace the old one if something happens.
There are still real compromises here. The lack of a PM steel or a true Hi CRI emitter makes it clear that these tools aren’t the best of the best, but for the money you are doing pretty good. For none enthusiasts, these tools are good enough to last a lifetime without problem.
Other Stuff
The Lumintop FWAA would be the #1 choice—it runs well, is plenty of bright, has a great form factor, and looks clean. But it hot pockets worse than a lit match stuffed into your pants. Okay, it’s not quite that bad, but its far and away the most hot pocket-y light I have tested. Maratac and RovyVon make a bunch of lights in this price range. The Maratac’s are good and simple but not at bright as the Thrunite. The RovyVon’s are plenty bright, but I am still not convinced that sealed lights are the way to go.
Enthusiast ($100-$300)
Knife: TRM Neutron 2 Linerlock or Victorinox Compact with PDW Scales
The N2 is still the best knife out there for most people and while it has gone up, the liner lock version (which is the best version) is hitting right at $200. The Neutron is the knife that moved the market towards slim pocketable designs. It’s so slim and elegant that you kind of wonder what people were doing for 10 or 15 years making giant bulky folders that couldn’t cut a tomato if their owner’s lives depended on it. Every feature and aspect of the knife seems like the obvious right choice, so much so that it is kind of strange that no one put all these things together before.
But, over the past two years, another knife has found its way into my pocket as much as the N2—the Vic Compact wearing PDW scales. About two years ago my son got into SAKs. He was the right age and loved gadgets so they really spoke to him. I thought they were just for filthy casuals. But then, after sharpening and using his I realized something—they were actually for the hardest of the hardcore. If you want TRUE utility, SAKs are hard to beat. They are all priced incredibly well and the implement designs are top shelf. But the thing that convinced me to drop case on scales that included a clip was the thin slice-y blade. Now, two years later, the Vic Compact in the Gray PDW scales is one of my two most carried items.
Light: Zebralight SC65c
Yeah, this breaks the budget if you opt for the N2 (but not if you go for the Compact), but for so many reasons, this is the best light out there. I still love and regularly carry both the 47s Mini Turbo Mk. 3 and the Reylight Mini Pineapple v3, but the SC65c just does it all so well. It’s only slightly larger than a 1xAA light and yet it has tons more performance. The UI, now that I have gotten used to it and the rest of them have gotten worse, is not bad, and the output is lush and wonderful. With a 719 emitter, you get nothing short of a pocket sun. That’s pretty cool.
With either knife and the SC65c you could be set for life. As a One and Done (Part I and Part II), this is a good pair. The only things that you get in gear beyond these prices are frippery. In terms of performance and value (price compared to performance), this is the peak of the market: PM steels, bleeding edge emitters, impeccable design, and rugged durability. There are no compromises here.
Other Stuff
The knife market at this price point is jam packed with good stuff. The Spyderco Dragonfly II, Native 5, Sage 6 in S30V, and PM2 are all solid choices. The Benchmade Bugout, Mini Bugout, and Hogue Deka in Magnacut work well for those that want a sliding bar lock. One of those three covers its rear tang but lacks a full flat grind. I adore the slightly too bulky CRKT Squid 2.
The Leatherman Skeletool CX is an excellent EDC multitool with not a lot of bulk.
The Giant Mouse Riv is a next-gen Dragonfly II with Magnacut steel. I like the Kaviso Mini Keen quite a bit. A fully upgraded Knafs Co. Lander is spectacular. Mine sports some Flytanium titanium scales and M390 blade steel. It is glorious. Urban EDC Supply’s F5.5 is a good choice too, but the variety can make it hard to pick and weed out the boat anchor versions.
In terms of lights there are lots them in this price range but only a few worth considering. I love the Reylight Mini Pineapple v.3 and the 47s Mini Turbo Mk. 3. The Surefire Titan Plus is still quite good despite being ten years old. I also like the SC5, the 1xAA light from Zebralight, which is not as bright as the SC65, but is dual fuel compatible. Olight makes a dozen or so lights in this price range and they all have terrible TIR optics. I recommend none of them; not the Baton, the Perun, nor the Snickers-shaped Arkfeld.
High End ($300 and above)
Knife: Anso of Denmark Aros
This is the best reasonably priced knife out there. It is a perfect size and works exceedingly well, but it is the clever and aesthetically pleasing design touches that push this beyond other knives. That would be enough to win outright, but then you have to consider that this knife is 60% of most of its ultra small batch competition. The Roosie, the Norseman, the Lamia, and others are excellent, but they aren’t better than the Aros and they are, in some cases, twice as much. Anso proves why he is so revered in the knife world with this knife. Its amazing.
Light: Dawson Machinecraft Hoku Clicky
It does literally everything as well as any other light. It is very compact, has a great beam, runs for a good long time, has a superior pocket clip, tail stands, has good color rendering, and doesn’t cost a fortune. This is the best all around pocket carry light in the world. Other lights are better at any one thing, but no light is as consistently good across the boards as the Hoku Clicky. It is a triumph.
The gear at this level is jaw dropping, the best money can buy without reservation. The materials are top shelf, the designs are groundbreaking, and the performance is all state of the art. The stuff here is emblematic of that. It’s not cheap, but it will tickle that part of your brain that is fired up by EDC gear in a way that is hard to describe. This stuff is just perfect.
Other Stuff
Finding good knives at this price point is really, really easy. The Small Sebenza in CF with a Magnacut Insingo blade is probably one of the very best knives out there. TRM makes a frame lock version of their N2, though if given the choice I’d always save the cash and get the liner lock. I think the Millit Torrent is a truly special knife that, like the Aros, sits below the custom priced small batch production knives out there. I loved the Grimsmo Rask, fixing pretty much everything I disliked about the Norseman. I think the Roosevelt is a good but not great knife. I like the 3” XM-18 quite a bit, but I like the Half Track even more. It’s a Hinderer that is pocketable. I think Jesse Jarosz makes some of the best no nonsense knives out there and they come in under the price of most small batch productions.
With lights it is a much, much more fraught thing. There just aren’t as many lights in this price range as their used to be. Overready is gone. HDS hasn’t updated its lights in more than a decade. McGizmo only makes a few things and hasn’t made a new light or head other than the VME head, in more than a decade. Spy still makes his 007, 005, and the new Trek model. They are all awesome but expensive.
On the other end of the scale Frelux makes some truly great stuff for around $300. I like the Focusworks F2. It is a cheaper and readily available version of the OkLuma DC0, a light I have always wanted but never even handled. Similarly, I have never handled the CWF Peanut. I have handled a Micro Arcadian and is not up to the level of a Hoku, so I want to see and use the Peanut before blindly recommending it. Three lights stand out in a triangle of greatness: the Kosun x Malkoff VME, the Exceed Rampant, and the Muyshondt Aeon Mk. 3.
If you want the best beam of all time, the VME, now available (or at least it was) in titanium, is the answer. It is truly unmatched. It is also a fundamentally well made and well designed light. It lacks output throttling found on nearly every other enthusiast light out there. But then there is the Rampant, which has the very best UI of all time.
The beam is essentially customizable, so you can pick what you want. Their “best” beam (i.e. my favorite) is very, very good. It’s not quite the VME, but it is light years better than stuff like the squashy beams of the oLight Baton series. If you want the best battery life, nothing sips a battery when both on and off quite like a Muyshondt. love the Muyshondt Aeon Mk 3 but its spotty availability makes me hesitant to choose it (it is currently in stock as this written).
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