250 wilderness folder suggestions?

O

olybears57

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Aug 25, 2013
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Posting for a friend... I suggested to him a small fixed blade.... But he's determined to have a folder. So far we've got zt 0200, 0560, 0300, benchmade mchenry Williams as options. This would be a knife for cutting cord, doing assorted camp cutting, making feather sticks and small kindling. Looking for a larger blade as well. High corrosion resistance is a plus, but a sweet high carbon like 3v is great too. Price under $250. Thanks guys.
 
Spyderco Tuff or Military would do.
The Benchmade Adamas would hold up fine too.
As would the ZT 550.

Of those, the Military will cut best, the Tuff will have the strongest blade, and the Adamas will have the strongest lock.
 
Oh, I suggested the tuff to him too! He wasn't a fan of the blade. Millie is a bit thin at the tip, and he likes 560 over 550
 
The 0560 looks good.
The Military is tougher than it looks. The tip is rather resilient, and if some breaks off, it's just a tad; some sandpaper puts the tip right back on.

But hey, the 0560 should do the trick, and if he likes it, he'll carry it...and the best wilderness knife is one you'll actually carry with you. :)
 
A Victorinox Soldier or OHT. Unless park or forest regs say no fixed blades, I would go with a fixed blade. Tell him to check out Nessmuks three. Folder, fixed blade and axe. A SAK or multitool, a 4" bladed fixed blade and a simple axe. I have carried Skirmishes, ZTs and Striders on the trail but would rather have a fixed blade.
 
now is a good time to look and see if you can get him a CPM-Cruwear Military. Brand new sprint run from spyderco. Great overall knife, large blade, awesome steel, and a great slicer.
 
Try convince him to get a fixed blade, he'll thank you later ;)

A DPX HEST/F would be nice
DPx_Hostile_Extreme_Survival_Tool_Folding_Knife_HEST_F_2_0.jpg


maybe a LionSteel SR-1
lionsteel-sr1-orange-aluminium.jpg


or Spyderco Lionspy
7986.swf


All these feature the rotolock, that locks the framelock solid.
The closest to a fixed blade you can get with a folder I think.
 
For an easy-on-the-wallet intro, he should snag an Ontario RAT-1 folder. The blade's geometry is phenomenal for wilderness uses, the handle is supremely comfortable, and the lock is excellent. For around $30, it's basically impossible to beat, and that leaves some money to buy an additional knife, whether it be a fixed blade or folder, if your friend's so inclined.
 
Trout Tamer said:
For an easy-on-the-wallet intro, he should snag an Ontario RAT-1 folder. The blade's geometry is phenomenal for wilderness uses, the handle is supremely comfortable, and the lock is excellent. For around $30, it's basically impossible to beat, and that leaves some money to buy an additional knife, whether it be a fixed blade or folder, if your friend's so inclined.
Click to expand...


This. I'll add that it has a sharp spine that works really well with firesteels. Better than the scraper that comes with those.

But a fixed blade is really the only way to go.
 
You are right that he needs a small fixed blade, like an ESEE 3 or ESEE 4. And they are cheap.
In a folder, the Spyderco Gayle Bradley provides the right combination of heavy-duty capability, edge-holding, and heft. It's a great knife. Yes, I'd do that.
 
I like a bunch of the suggestions here...Rat 1, Gayle Bradley...I like my military a bunch...I would also add a Ritter Griptilian pimped with nicer scales as a great all around folder. Para 2 is always in good taste.
 
knoefz said:
Try convince him to get a fixed blade, he'll thank you later ;)



or Spyderco Lionspy
7986.swf


All these feature the rotolock, that locks the framelock solid.
The closest to a fixed blade you can get with a folder I think.
Click to expand...

Beautiful!
 
Sonnydaze said:
You are right that he needs a small fixed blade, like an ESEE 3 or ESEE 4. And they are cheap.
In a folder, the Spyderco Gayle Bradley provides the right combination of heavy-duty capability, edge-holding, and heft. It's a great knife. Yes, I'd do that.
Click to expand...

The bradley folder is tough but if im not mistaken I believe it is hollow ground which from my experience has a serious lack of capability in tasks such as fire prep, ie. making feather sticks. i would go with a millie but if it can be found i would def. take a pm2 ffg is an awesome grind for carving tasks.

, PMK
 
olybears57 said:
Oh, I suggested the tuff to him too! He wasn't a fan of the blade. Millie is a bit thin at the tip, and he likes 560 over 550
Click to expand...

I can't believe he doesn't like the Tuff! In my opinion, that's the best choice in a super sturdy, hard use folder with a badass 3V blade
 
I've been backpacking, climbing and ski touring for over 30 years. My go-to knife for backcountry travel is the Opinel 10 or 9. The thin convex grind works wood better than any other I've tried. They are light enough to pocket carry even in light hiking shorts. This keeps the knife on my person without interfering with my pack in any way. Lastly, the locking mechanism can be entirely disengaged allowing the knife to be used for batoning (within reason).


Opinel by Pinnah, on Flickr
I pair this with a Leatherman PS4 to bandage and repair work.

Obviously, the most important thing is to be happy when out there. If your buddy is happy carrying a knife that costs 10 times as much, he should do that.

For a fixed blade, I would suggest the Mora Bushcraft
 
I personally can understand his desire for a folder. He's probably more comfortable using one and the fixed blade at this point would probably be something larger (7-inch-ish blade). He also seems to like Zero Tolerance designs, so I would get the 350. It is a pretty nice knife, very strong, and much less expensive than some others. The one hand feature is potentially nice if you had an accident and damaged one of your hands in the woods.

My suggestion is get the ZT0350 (in G-10) and a Ka-Bar Becker BK-7 (fixed blade), and that pair will be under $250 total. It would be a useful pair.
 
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The ZT series folders are all tough or if you want to spend a little less or maybe even buy 2 or 3 folders a Cold Steel series knife with the Tri-Ad lock would hold up too! Good Luck! Kevin :D
 
pmk said:
The bradley folder is tough but if im not mistaken I believe it is hollow ground which from my experience has a serious lack of capability in tasks such as fire prep, ie. making feather sticks. i would go with a millie but if it can be found i would def. take a pm2 ffg is an awesome grind for carving tasks.

, PMK
Click to expand...

Oh SNAP! I know you didn't just say hollow ground knives can't do work in the woods, lol! Here's the tri-fecta in play: A hollow ground blade, made out of Stainless Steel, with Serrations! I think it handled business just fine. Oh yeah, and it's a folder.

[video=youtube_share;p3HFSY9uf1Q]http://youtu.be/p3HFSY9uf1Q[/video]

Sam
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, I've been working on him, trying to get him to go fixed (I carry an ESEE Junglas, Sawvivor, and Izula when I'm in the backcountry), but he's still dead set on a folder. Stubborn SOB :)
 
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