Can I speak of Non-Busse folders here?

[cp2u]

Emerson CQC13 Bowie is the real deal,..sufficient straight edge for chopping and splitting chores in the bush, great belly for skinning type work and a wicked upswept tip. "Bowie"
It is also a fine EDC depending on carry laws in your area.
Emerson's are way more than rugged.
The CQC13 is available in plain or serrated and coated or satin finish.
Ask any Emerson owner and be prepared for a litany of reasons they would buy another (and probably have).
Checkout the Emerson website and choose the one that best fulfills your needs.
Good luck.

CP

 

[wyattT]

honestly, the knife center spyderco enduras with the flat ground vg-10 and jimping is sweet. only 60$ and more than enough knife for daily non- fixed blade tasks.

to put it in perspective, this knife has made a daily rotation of one (lefty umnimzaan) into a daily rotation of two, FG endura and the Umnumzaan. i have other folders too to pick from as well but i choose these ones.

 

[Will York]

I've used Spyderco, Benchmade, Strider, CRK, Buck, Case and many others. The one thing I've found about folders is that they're just not very strong compared with fixed blades, unless you get something so overbuilt it feels like a refrigerator in your pocket. So the idea of a "robust" pocket folder in my opinion is something of an oxymoron.

A couple of thoughts...

Get something you like, lightweight and comfortable to carry, and try to have a Busse available in your vehicle or other place you can get to most of the time for heavy-duty chores. One thing I would not do is pay a lot for a folder. You'll just end up babying it when you shouldn't worry about breaking a blade if it comes to that. I got so turned around at one point that I was carrying a high-end custom "tactical" in the $500 range (not even close to the most expensive folders I've owned) and also an Atwood "Prybaby" so I'd have something to use for everything other than light cutting. I finally realized I'd be better off with a $50 Case copperlock and use it for everything without worrying about snapping a blade now and then--just buy another knife. Actually in my experience Case, Buck and Benchmade have been pretty good about replacing broken blades on folders for free or for a very reasonable price.

That's the one area Spyderco comes up short, in my opinion. I like the Military and have carried it, but not long ago had the experience of snapping the tip on an expensive carbon fiber Native and was told by Spyderco customer service that they will not replace a blade under any circumstances, although if it is inspected by them and proven defective they will replace the knife. If you go to their site and read their warranty, it basically says the same thing. To me, that's just not a very competitive business model to follow when other knife manufacturers are happy to replace broken blades on their folders.

Edited to say: I do have a Strider DGG SnG, and it is thin and light enough to carry comfortably in jeans. It is solidly built and with the unconditional warranty, I would put confidence in using it hard. Only downside is the blade and especially blade point are thick enough to negate one of my main reasons for carrying a folder, which is for performing fine point-work on delicate tasks which are cumbersome/tedious with a larger fixed blade. Ever try to pick a splinter with an ASH-1? The SnG isn't much better.

 

[Lycosa]

Squeal Talk. ^^^
BBK folder. 3.5" blade, 2.8oz.

 

[Soulrack223]

For production folders, I'd rank Spyderco number one, Emerson number two and Zero Tolerance number three. The 300 series ZT are tanks, but I sold mine because it was too heavy for me and EDC. I regret trading my Emersons but I don't like tip-up carry. I usually have a Paramilitary or a Delica on me. I do have a frame lock Military on order. I would own a Sebenza but for the tip-up restriction. I had an XM-18 and it was sweet but too much $ for me to carry YMMV.

 

[Lycosa]

I agree. why carry a rock in your pocket?
STR could make an Emerson TD.

 

[Soulrack223]

I agree. why carry a rock in your pocket?
STR could make an Emerson TD.

You're right and I wish that's what I would have done. I've had 5 different Emersons and they were all very nice both in ergonomics and fit/finish.

 

[lsheldon]

Check with Kershawguy here on the forums. He sells Kershaw & Zero Tolerance Blems and NIB Kershaws & ZT's and he can likely save you a few bucks. Don't let the word "BLEM" worry you. I've bought 10 or 12 Kershaw folders from him that were all Blems and there wasn't anything really wrong with them. A few had a very slight uneven grind, and the rest had a very, very slight cosmetic blemish. I've loved them all.

Good luck on your search.

Les.

P.S., and you should also check out the Ritter Griptilians. One of those in a set of Wilkins grips makes a really nice EDC.

Under $300... Closer to $200. I know the ZT is up there, but that's the high end of what I'd spend. Used and cheaper is ok too. 3.5" - 4" blade with an OAL length under 9". I really like liner locks because you don't have to move your hand much to unlock it. It doesn't have to be assisted, but like the M16 I carry, the talon hole protrudes upward in the closed position and makes for a wicked fast opening flick with your pointer finger... more-so than a thumb knob. Its for fishing/hunting. General purpose even, but being that its to be my only folder it should be stout enough for camping.

 

[Lycosa]

OMT.
The AG Russel folding Sting is a sleeper. I just got the spear-point and love this little frame-lock.

 

[RoyalM]

The Cold Steel Recon 1 folder. Very heavy duty.

Yep a big +1 from me on that.

 

[Jaxx]

I've been looking at some of the knives suggested. The XM-18 looks great, and the Benchmade 630 looks ok too. So far though, other than the XM, nothing seems to pack as many features and quality in as the ZT. I hate to jump to the conclusion that anything that costs more is better, but I can't imagine some of the $50-60 knives suggested are as good as some of these $150+ knives. Nothing Spyderco really does it for me. The Sabenza is nice too, but $400 for a folder is ridiculous.

Sure, I have other folders, including a small Sebenza 21, an RJ Martin Havoc & Contender, and 2 Lightfoots among them... All of these are sweet folders, but what gets carried are my XM-18s. I trust them to do what I need them to do when I need them to do it.

Everyone has their ceiling on what they find reasonable for folders, but personally, I find that with Rick Hinderer's XM-18, you get every bit of what you pay for, which is a very robust folder that was designed by Rick to be used hard by folks who need to rely on their equipment to not fail. I have 3 folders in my EDC rotation... 2 are XM-18s, and all three are Hinderers with the 3rd being a Firetac . There's a reason why XM-18s are so popular... They don't let you down. :thumbup:

Another reason why I like them... They're easy to take down for cleaning, and you can easily change the g-10 scale if you want. Going hiking and don't want to worry about losing it if you put it down somewhere? Put an orange or yellow scale on. Want to dress it up? A carbon fiber scale or black G-10 one does the trick. I like having options.

Today it's wearing that CF scale.

 

[Lycosa]

A RED RH!!!

 

[dinozzo]

the next few folders on my list are the umnumzaan, emerson CQC-7B and a spyderco mllie...possibly a CF one...

I like the ZT knives...but they are just too heavy to carry IMO

 

[Ankerson]

I've used Spyderco, Benchmade, Strider, CRK, Buck, Case and many others. The one thing I've found about folders is that they're just not very strong compared with fixed blades, unless you get something so overbuilt it feels like a refrigerator in your pocket. So the idea of a "robust" pocket folder in my opinion is something of an oxymoron.

A couple of thoughts...

Get something you like, lightweight and comfortable to carry, and try to have a Busse available in your vehicle or other place you can get to most of the time for heavy-duty chores. One thing I would not do is pay a lot for a folder. You'll just end up babying it when you shouldn't worry about breaking a blade if it comes to that. I got so turned around at one point that I was carrying a high-end custom "tactical" in the $500 range (not even close to the most expensive folders I've owned) and also an Atwood "Prybaby" so I'd have something to use for everything other than light cutting. I finally realized I'd be better off with a $50 Case copperlock and use it for everything without worrying about snapping a blade now and then--just buy another knife. Actually in my experience Case, Buck and Benchmade have been pretty good about replacing broken blades on folders for free or for a very reasonable price.

That's the one area Spyderco comes up short, in my opinion. I like the Military and have carried it, but not long ago had the experience of snapping the tip on an expensive carbon fiber Native and was told by Spyderco customer service that they will not replace a blade under any circumstances, although if it is inspected by them and proven defective they will replace the knife. If you go to their site and read their warranty, it basically says the same thing. To me, that's just not a very competitive business model to follow when other knife manufacturers are happy to replace broken blades on their folders.

Edited to say: I do have a Strider DGG SnG, and it is thin and light enough to carry comfortably in jeans. It is solidly built and with the unconditional warranty, I would put confidence in using it hard. Only downside is the blade and especially blade point are thick enough to negate one of my main reasons for carrying a folder, which is for performing fine point-work on delicate tasks which are cumbersome/tedious with a larger fixed blade. Ever try to pick a splinter with an ASH-1? The SnG isn't much better.

I had to use my Strider Warranty to fixed my RW-1 after I pounded the heck out of it. Well anyway they had to replace the Ti Side and put new stop pins in. Gotta love Strider I tell you, and they saw my video were I damaged it and loved it.. :thumbup:

I broke the blades on 2 Militaries so I have been done with Spyderco ever since and won't ever buy another one.

I really don't like CR warranty so i stay clear of them and buy Strider instead, IMO if one pays that kinda cash out the warranty should be unconditional.

If they Don't have a Warranty like Busse, Strider, Swamp Rat and Scrap Yard I don't want them, Even Cold Steel will back their Products 100% from my experience.

I found that if one really uses their knives hard the warranty is very important.

 

[lunde]

My favorite folder is the Scott Cook Lochsa.

I recently bought a ZT 0300, and love it. It cannot replace the Lochsa, but is an excellent folder nonetheless.

 

[Jaxx]

I keep forgetting that I'm waiting on this to arrive... A folder designed by Forum member, molletta, and in production now through Lionsteel. Should be an interesting folder that has the capability to be locked in the open position through something called a Rotoblock safety block that essentially screws down locking the framelock in place, converting the folder to a fixed blade. (I hope that I described that right!) It also has a one piece titanium frame like the Lochsa. Should be an awesome folder! :thumbup:

An ambitious folder (BF thread link)

I have projected a folder.
An ambitious folder. It have some technological solutions.

Frame lock with Rotoblock safety block;
One piece titanium 6Al4V handle, tool steel blade for better cutting ability.

Three protos are made from Lionsteel.
Do you think that this knife can be produced?

 

[Will York]

I broke the blades on 2 Militaries so I have been done with Spyderco ever since and won't ever buy another one.

Yep--that's the name of that tune.

Even Cold Steel will back their Products 100% from my experience.

Good to know--CS makes some affordable, ergonomic, lightweight/comfortable-carry folders. Never have broken one, so didn't know what their customer service was like. Thanks for that endorsement.

 

[Ankerson]

Yep--that's the name of that tune.



Good to know--CS makes some affordable, ergonomic, lightweight/comfortable-carry folders. Never have broken one, so didn't know what their customer service was like. Thanks for that endorsement.

I never snapped any of their blades either, but I have had the guard come loose on my TM and they took care of it no problem.

They really do make some tough blades and they really are a stand up Company IMO.

 

[Volk]

It would really depend on your preference of grips and blade, I loved my Spyderco Mili, but I wasn't comfortable with it, I traded it for Emerson CQC-10 and its far less imposing, it lacks the grandeur the mili had, but it is so comfortable, and it is the shape of the knife I'm most used to, so I ended up with it. just my 2 cents.

 

[tanto boy]

check out the benchmade stryker. It comes in tanto point which you don't like but also in a mod spear point. Which works very well.

Emerson makes great folders. You might have a hard time getting the hang of chisel grind sharpening. Go for the mini commander. IMO stay away from the super size emerson's. It's like carrying a sword around in your pocket. A well made one but a sword.

Some time ( hopefully soon) busse will have folder. IN BAMA CLAY!