Besides Batoning whats the advantage of a fixed blade over a folder

This question has me on the issue.

I like to carry my kukri behind my shoulder bag. I carry a SAk trekker attached to my pants. But I also like to take my mora.

For long carving general purpose stuff I prefer my mora.

But the SAK has a decent saw and awl....
 
1. Less possible things to go wrong with both the tool and myself.
2. Comfort. I got big hands.

But all that being said I have gone out in the woods more than a few times with a folder and the knife didn't break plus I still got all my fingers. Go figure? :D
 
Gadgetaholic said:
But in this case the fellow has posted a question on a public forum to check with others on their opinion, possibly in the replies there will be some things that he hasn't thought of. If someone is happy with a folder and doesn't ask for my opinion on its suitability then I'll leave them alone, but if they come here asking us all what we think then why aren't we free to question his decision?

One easy option - folder in the pocket and a fixed blade in the pack 'just in case'.
Click to expand...

any question in an open forum invites answers. Of course we are free at that point to say aye, nay, or even posit a totally different response. :)

I agree with you on taking one of each, which is exactly what I have done for some 50+ years afield.
 
Folders are no good for hunting. I boiled the rabbit fat out of my Swiss-Army-Knife "Hunter" version only one time.

I agree totally with everything said here, but get with the modern world, friends. A small, cheap garden saw will cut wood (trees) 100 times faster and easier than any knife, and they are now lighter than a lot of bowies. And you can't cut yourself with a lot of wild swinging.

(Admittedly I hack away for fun at home. But for serious, I always carry a saw, with a back-up in the car.)
 
Last weekend I ground up the side of my finger while sawing violently on a peice of dead cottonwood, cheap skinny blade flexed and bounced out of the notch, bit my finger nice and deep. You CAN hurt yourself with a saw, it's not failproof. And these thin bladed folding saws aren't failproof either, a beater is going to outlast one. And it takes about 50 strokes back and forth to accomplish what it takes about 5 thumps with a good axe or machete to accomplish, so you can use whatever's more efficient for you, but with creaky hands elbow and shoulder sometimes an axe or machete may be more forgiving.
 
1: simplicity of design: a fixed blade is a simple lump of metal with part of one or both edges sharpened and some kind of handle at one end so you can hold it withuot cutting yourself. a folder on the other hand has a pivot mechanism and often some kind of locking mechanism.

2: strength: a decent quality fixed blade knife is always going to be stronger than a folding knife simply because it isn't designed to break in the middle.

3: ease of maintenance and cleaning: a fixed blade is a lot easier to clean than a folder and doesn't require periodic disassembly to get all the nooks and crannies clean of gunk.

4: ease of operation and rapidity of deployment: take a fixed blade out of it's sheath, it's ready to go. take a folder out of your pocket and you still need to deploy the blade before it can be used.
 
A survival situation may involve seriously impaired motor skills from a large number of common afflictions: shock, after affects of shock, deterioration of faculties due to dehydration, starvation, adrenal reactions to stress/fear, hyper-/hypothermia, injury to extremities, head injury...

With your fine motor skills shot, a fixed blade is a lot easier to manage. Also, the possibility of fine motor skills going south is a good argument against guardless bushcraft style or Mora No. 1 style handles in a survival knife. A small lower guard, self guard, or deeply contoured handle is the way to go.

Not that the last bit was on topic, but I was just thinking about it and since I'm on the Internet, I have to type everything I think. ;-)
 
Last edited:
A question to all those who have mentioned cleaning of folders as a major issue

I have used folders to scale & gut fish, gut & skin rabbits/pigs/goats/roos, skin foxes and perform autopsies on the contents of fish guts for several decades without having any issues with cleaning afterwards.

TK3Trout.jpg


Nicelittlebrown1.jpg


Autopsy1.jpg


Spawningcolours1.jpg


Keeper.jpg



What is it about either your technique in using a folder, or lack of skill in cleaning the folder afterwards that is giving you such problems?

If not the above, is it simply a case of repeating what you have read elsewhere?




Kind regards
Mick
 
You should start a thread titled "How to properly clean game and fish with a folding knife."

And pass me some of that fish while you're at it.
 
BrianB said:
A survival situation may involve seriously impaired motor skills from a large number of common afflictions: shock, after affects of shock, deterioration of faculties due to dehydration, starvation, adrenal reactions to stress/fear, hyper-/hypothermia, injury to extremities, head injury...

With your fine motor skills shot, a fixed blade is a lot easier to manage. Also, the possibility of fine motor skills going south is a good argument against guardless bushcraft style or Mora No. 1 style handles in a survival knife. A small lower guard, self guard, or deeply contoured handle is the way to go.

Not that the last bit was on topic, but I was just thinking about it and since I'm on the Internet, I have to type everything I think. ;-)
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking also. The only folders that mitigate the extra manipulation are folders with a wave feature (Emerson, Spyderco) as they can be grasped and pulled out with the blade deployed at the same time.

I would assume the majority of us would easily select a fixed blade over a folder for any outdoors ventures, but there are a lot of hikers/backpackers that only carry a folder. Some very respectable survival instructors even advocate a folder as a backup...again, due to the convenience and size (thinking mostly about a good locking blade SAK).

If given the choice, I will always choose to have a fixed blade, but I've been in situations where a folder was all I had. It's like the first rule of a gun-fight...have a gun; or for our purpose, just have a knife. Understanding the limitations is the first key with a folder. If you want a folder to replace a fixed blade, you're heading towards a disaster. Outside this forum (or other pro-knife groups), many hikers and backpackers don't use a fixed blade beyond the kitchen or dinner table and their knife-uses don't exceed much beyond cutting cord or opening a foil packet for dinner.

As BrianB mentioned, try and manipulate that SAK Classic with numb, wet, cold fingers:eek: Even a fixed blade would be difficult to use, but a folder might even be a liability. I'll still carry my one-hand opening folders as they are convenient and compact, but I'll still continue to carry and use a fixed blade for tougher, messier or larger chores.

ROCK6
 
I only carry a folder (or two) (or three) when hiking, but I only hike in state parks with heavy foot traffic. Instead of surviving for 72 hrs, I'd probably only have to survive for 7.2 minutes if something went wrong, max.

That said, I hope to get out more later this year, and I'll bring a fixed blade (or two) with me.
 
people have used traditional slipjoint pocket knives for decades skinning, butchering, catstrating, etc...

it might be more inconvenient to clean but not a deal breaker.

I also read these threads where people say the lock failed on X model knife and cut their finger or something. I am always left wondering if they would of trained themselves to use proper cutting technique on a non locking folder first they probably wouldn't of injured themselves. If using a simple SAK cutting something a person should be able to tell if using the knife will make the blade fold then apply the same logic to a locking folder and you should be just fine.

Other than heavy knife abuse of a folder like batoning i would think a person would be just fine with a folder for cutting tasks in the woods. If you need to baton, dig, pry or anything the would compromise the weakness of the folder you would just have to take the time to make wedges, digging stick, or lever to keep the folder from failure.

But i still carry a fixed blade:D
 
PayetteRucker said:
No gunked up actions full of guts and blood or sand or dirt or grime, no maintaining multiple working parts, no working parts to fail, no blade play, no confining the design of the knife to a profile that allows for convenient folding... I could go on but any one of these would be enough to do it for me.
Click to expand...


That's my take as well.

I carry a slip-joint daily, yet for hunting, fishing, or "messy" outdoor work, I opt for a fixed-blade mostly due to ease of clean-up. That's not to say that a BG-42 Buck 110, my old Rapala/Normark Folding Fillet knife, or a SAK Farmer or Pioneer don't sometimes come along...
 
Mannlicher said:
The OP has a valid question, but there is no real answer.

Folks should be comfortable enough with their choices, that they [do] not need [to] seek validation from others.

If a fellow feels a folder is all he needs, far be it for me to question his decision.
Click to expand...


::whistling::

...And that should have ended what will probably be a long thread. Succinctly stated, sir. :thumbup:
 
AF said:
Your question is backwards. The only advantage of a folder is convenience/portability.
Click to expand...

I actually think that in a lot of cases, a folder can be safer. Not necessarily when using the knife .... I mean when carrying it. No one has ever been accidentally cut or jabbed with a folded pocketknife.
 
mnblade said:
I actually think that in a lot of cases, a folder can be safer. Not necessarily when using the knife .... I mean when carrying it. No one has ever been accidentally cut or jabbed with a folded pocketknife.
Click to expand...

Ahem. I've lost skin to a sharp-cornered exposed tang on a slipjoint before.
 
To qualify this, I do have quite a few high quality fixed blades of varying lengths, sizes and blade materials, and my collection is increasing. I have both hunting and bushcraft style blades. I'm really getting into Bark River knifes lately.

However, I can't count the number of trout I've cleaned and deer I've field dressed with a folding knife. It really isn't that much additional work to clean them afterwords either. You have to clean any knife used to process game animals, folders just take a little bit more work to clean. No big deal.

The actual tool used is much less important then the experience of the one using it.

I do prefer a fixed blade to process big game, but its definately not a deal breaker to use a folder. With very little practice, it's really not that much harder to field dress a deer with a Case stockman or barlow slipjoint than using a fixed blade.
 
I think a folder is easier to lose I lost one once that was clipped to my pocket, it was just a CRKT beater so no big loss but lesson learned. I think a fixed blade has its disadvantages as far as size and carry comfort goes. I recently started light hiking again but this time I have to take my kids with me. I took my Kabar with me and having it hanging off my hip along with a camelbak and with me carrying my 2year old most of the time really made me realize a smaller fixed blade or secured heavy duty folder is the way to go.
 
With good folders the difference does not exist, I could do everything that I would ever do with a knife with a Vic Fireman. And have, Did a Elk hunt where that was my only knife It worked great for field dressing and skinning both. I also dressed out a Big Black Bear with it.

Beware of replacing with skill and common sense with equipment. THEN use what ever rings your bell.:D
 
Of course is is possible to dress game/clean fish with a folder --- any folder. I just prefer the fewer cracks and crevices of a small fixed blade. I probably use a folder 1/2 of the time for such things and I have many more folders. Since most all my knives are nonstainless, the pivot pins, springs, and such on folders require a little more attention & a light lube afterwards -- more so that a fixed blade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top