Affordable heavy use folder

As much as I love Kabar, I'll point out that my son has worn out two Kabar Mules but his CS Recon 1 is still going strong. For what it's worth, he uses folders all the time for breaking down cardboard boxes, cutting ceiling tiles, etc. etc.

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Beckerhead #42
 
GingivitisKahn said:
As much as I love Kabar, I'll point out that my son has worn out two Kabar Mules but his CS Recon 1 is still going strong. For what it's worth, he uses folders all the time for breaking down cardboard boxes, cutting ceiling tiles, etc. etc.

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Beckerhead #42
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Very interesting, thanks for the info. Been looking at the spear point Recon.
 
Here's A Few:
Spyderco Tenacious - $30.13 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))
Spyderco Resilience - $39.14 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))
Cold Steel Recon 1 Tanto - $55.25 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))
Cold Steel Recon 1 Clip Point - $57.69 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer )) From (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer )) - They Are Great To Deal With. (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))
Cold Steel American Lawman - $56.89 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))
Cold Steel Spartan - $54.44 Shipped On (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer ))

You Can Always Look At Ebay But (( not a paid Bladeforums Dealer )) Seems To Be Cheapest.

I Would Personally Go With One Of The Spydies... But That's Me.
 
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For less than $16 dollars shipped you reliably can buy direct from China an Enlan EL-01, manufactured by the very same outfit that makes Spyderco's value line, Byrd, as well as the Spyderco Tenacious and it's cousins. You get a VERY beefy liner lock, practically indestructible, with great fit and finish and an original design, G-10 or rosewood handles, flipper opening, and a very good 8cr13MoV blade. One of the best values in the knife industry if you can move beyond some preconceptions.

Photo courtesy of Steel Reviews :
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In the $50 (ish) price range, The Buck Vantage Pro is a steal.

S30V blade
BOS heat treat
G10 handles
Lifetime Warr.

Lotta' knife for the dough.

Been my EDC for awhile now.
 
I like the Enlan suggestion; I've been meaning to get one of those. OP, you won't find supersteels in a large, overbuilt knife under $50. AUS-8 like in the Cold Steels is about the lowest grade steel acceptable in a quality knife nowadays, but it will do what you need it to. It's a decent steel that will perform well and might even be better for a beginner since it's easy to sharpen. The 8Cr13MoV used in the Enlan is almost the same composition at AUS-8, so you can expect the same performance from the steel. Enlan doesn't have to pay for distribution and advertising here, though (and their knives are priced for the Chinese market, so they can't mark it up as much as CS), so their knife ends up costing a third of comparable Cold Steels.
 
Joshua J. said:
I would take a 2011 Cold Steel Voyager (the one with the Tri Ad lock).
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+1

I bought an older Voyager XL clip point fully serrated about 7 years ago. It sawed through things faster than a power saw, literally. Over time I've taken off the clip point, taken down the serrations, and given it a convex edge. It still snaps open crisply, and no damage to handle or blade, though it has been used to chop and as a hammer, as well as a pry bar. These things are beasts, and unlike the Recon, there is nothing that will wear off the blade. Did I mention that despite being constantly used, it rarely needs sharpening? I paid $55 for mine.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Let me say this about the Voyagers. I have been using a CS Vaquero Grande like it's a freaking demolition tool. I go through the woods hacking away like it's a machete, like it's a hatchet, like it's going to rip through vines, thorn bushes, and small branches to clear them from the trail.

But as much as I appreciated the Vaquero, it still is one of the uglier knives in the Cold Steel lineup. So when they came up with the beautiful X2 Voyager, plain edge clip point, I bought it. Took it to the woods. Used it like a Vaquero. Blew a huge chip out of the edge. Awww.

What happened was the Vaquero is a full flat grind and the Voyager is a deep hollow grind. The hollow grind couldn't take the stress.
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Esav, the new 2011 Vaquero Voyagers are flat ground... did you give them a try?
 
i just bought a new Inron my803. It was $16. Ive been wanting to buy a zt550 or hinderer and this looks just like it. 9cr13mov should hold up well. plus it will give me a chance to try the design out without spending $250. Looks like a beast .
 
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I have el hombre also, its my beater knife , have used it for anything.Ihe blade shape on it is little ugly but it cuts better than any folder I have(including spyderco military) and the lockup is still perfect.As self defense folder it would perform better than most blades of that size!
 
Another vote for the CS Recon1. It is my hunting pack knife. It performs great on deer and isn't as expensive as my better knives so if I loose it or it gets damaged, it's not a disaster.
 
bigjuice said:
Ashamed to say I didn't know Ontario or Akbar even had folders until I saw this. What about the kabar phat bob? Just stumbled across that one, about to scoop one up after a little BF search...
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I LOVE the phat Bob. Its a very overlooked folder. Nice thick liner lock. Blade designed for work. Very nice fit and finish for the price. Its a hard use knife that doesn't look too harmful either.
 
Spyderco resilience is a hefty knife. The liner lock is executed perfectly on mine. The ffg blade is awesome for cutting cardboard. The knife also sits pretty nice in the front pocket. If the resilience is too big theres the tenacious.
 
Under 50? Strong lockup? Definitely 2011 Cold Steel Voyager... I've done crazy stuff with mine and it locks up like new.
 
Seems "hard/heavy use" these days mean you must be able to baton with it. Get an Opinel for under $10 and a mini pry bar for $4. Should cover all bases.

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DO NOT GET THE POCKET BUSHMAN! It is a very dangerous knife - the closing mechanism requires a very hard tug which brings the blade back towards your other hand holding the handle - I severed a thumb tendon with one of those.
 
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