Curious about friction folders

so many nice friction folders posted!You know you guys just cost me a ton of cash.....right?
Magnonimous,I would recommend you get a SVORD mini peasant to check them out.they are 12 to 25 bucks depending on handle material.I made g-10 scales for mine and it is one of my favorite knives now.I'm sure you will have fun putting a lazer edge on one.It has never came open in my pocket.The tang does not bother me at all .I find it very easy to open and close one handed.I am glad I held out for the mini peasant I think the original peasant would have been to large.
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Almost forgot,the blade is held in by the scales pressing against the tip of the blade.That can be adjusted by the screw at the butt of the handle.If that makes any sense.
 
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Can't answer the questions cos' I don't have any of that on mine but I can HIGHLY recommend that you check out OPINEL knives, very famous brand, piece of French History. Still made the same way that they were in the 1800's.

They have an American office that offers them up for about $2 shipping and they're roughly $8-20 a pop. That's $11 or $13 for their most popular models which are a hunk of EXCELLENT Carbon Steel folded into a piece of french beachwood. That's it. They even come with a little ring around the top that can turn left/right to lock it into open/closed position, but you can pop that off if you desire, it's truly a very simple, classic, time tested design.

Go for an Opinel, best $11 bucks you could ever spend on a knife, super high quality steel man. They are not rust free and the steel will darken if you leave water on it for 30 secs. but that just indicates a nice carbon content to me..

If that's not your thing, they make a stainless option as well.

Here's the link:
http://www.opinel-usa.com/products.asp?cat=Opinel+Carbon+Knives

As for ease of opening; being made of wood, it really depends on the humidity that day.
 
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Been wanting a good friction folder. I've owned a cheap one before and they're pretty awesome.
I'm sure it could poke a little, so back pocket would likely be more comfortable. As far as opening in the pocket, it's unlikely.
 
:thumbup: to friction folders!
Hey 777, Spyderco's coming out with their ff this year... looking forward to that.
Svord's great for the money... got an A.G. Russell Mino Kami in my sights down the road.
 
flatblackcapo said:
so many nice friction folders posted!You know you guys just cost me a ton of cash.....right?
Magnonimous,I would recommend you get a SVORD mini peasant to check them out.they are 12 to 25 bucks depending on handle material.I made g-10 scales for mine and it is one of my favorite knives now.I'm sure you will have fun putting a lazer edge on one.It has never came open in my pocket.The tang does not bother me at all .I find it very easy to open and close one handed.I am glad I held out for the mini peasant I think the original peasant would have been to large.
8424593767_cc59701257_z.jpg
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8424596305_af11761f62_z.jpg
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Almost forgot,the blade is held in by the scales pressing against the tip of the blade.That can be adjusted by the screw at the butt of the handle.If that makes any sense.
Click to expand...

If you ever decide that you want to make more of those scales I will gladly purchase a pair. Those are beautiful!
 
Love friction folders! Some of the funnest knives out there to make and carry! As far as safe pocket carry, I'd say it depends. The Svords can be adjusted darn tight to stay shut real well when carried in the pocket. I've had Citadel FF's, and a Crawford FF that were better carried in a pouch. My fifteen year old son has been EDCing the one I made about a year without any troubles. He loves the thing, and says one of his favorite features of it is how well it stays shut but opens smoothly.

pros are that they are utterly simple, have darn few moving parts, and they're a neat retro solution for those of us that get burned out on the constant introduction of the latest and greatest tacti-cool wonder cutters. I sometimes use the tail of mine for light duty prying, and if you use a firesteel in the woods, it's perfect for striking. It can also be use to open...against objects, boxes, etc. Another pro is that they are a blast to make, and very unique.

Cons are that the ones with tails can get a bit...pokey at times, like when sitting for a long time in a truck or boat. Also, the design does require more brains to carry responsibly than other knives do. a poorly made or adjusted one IS more likely to be a danger to the user if their brains are not fully engaged.

The Svord Peasant knives are awesome little knives that are worth far more than their monetary value. They're darn pocket friendly, and great to test the waters with. Additionally, if the tails are too long for your comfort, you can always shorten them significantly, although you'll lose the locked blade quality when grasping it.
 
I've been really liking friction folders more and more the past few months since getting my Snody Economist. I have owned a Svord Peasant in the past and its a great frickie to start with. I found that as long as the pivot isn't too loose, you don't really have to worry about the blade popping open. The only thing that's kind of annoying is when the knife falls sideways in your pocket (with smaller frickies) the tang feels kind of awkward. Now I carry my friction folders either in my fifth pocket of my jeans or in a small pouch which is a nice way to ensure it doesn't open and to keep it comfortable in the pocket. I recently got one of the first six Todd Begg friction folders and its got to be my favorite knife. If you told me a year ago my favorite knife would be a friction folder, I would have laughed. I normally like heavy-duty, beefy ti frame and liner locks but there's something about the simplicity of the friction folder that s very refreshing. Its really all I NEED for 95% of my EDC tasks in a small, light weight and easy to carry package. Plus, the majority of friction folders aren't very "scary" looking which is always a plus if you need to use your knife in public. Here's my two current frickies- they're both GREAT knives.
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Emerson will be making a new TSA compliant knife so it will probably be either a slipjoint or friction folder. Very curious to see what they'll cook up.
 
DrOpPoInT1110 said:
I've been really liking friction folders more and more the past few months since getting my Snody Economist. I have owned a Svord Peasant in the past and its a great frickie to start with. I found that as long as the pivot isn't too loose, you don't really have to worry about the blade popping open. The only thing that's kind of annoying is when the knife falls sideways in your pocket (with smaller frickies) the tang feels kind of awkward. Now I carry my friction folders either in my fifth pocket of my jeans or in a small pouch which is a nice way to ensure it doesn't open and to keep it comfortable in the pocket. I recently got one of the first six Todd Begg friction folders and its got to be my favorite knife. If you told me a year ago my favorite knife would be a friction folder, I would have laughed. I normally like heavy-duty, beefy ti frame and liner locks but there's something about the simplicity of the friction folder that s very refreshing. Its really all I NEED for 95% of my EDC tasks in a small, light weight and easy to carry package. Plus, the majority of friction folders aren't very "scary" looking which is always a plus if you need to use your knife in public. Here's my two current frickies- they're both GREAT knives.
SnodyEconomistcustomized.jpg

BeggFrickie3PS_zpse5161751.jpg
Click to expand...

Is that carbodized ti?

Man... this is a whole new area that I DON'T need to be getting in to! :o
 
Hey mag, your overlooking the most mass produced friction folder in the world. The Opinel.

From 1890, when Joseph Opinel started his business, untill 1955, they didn't have a locking ring. For the first 75 years of production, Opinel was made just like many many knives of the penny knife type in Europe, a simple friction folder. In France, Spain, Italy, Sardinai, most folding knives were of the friction type. The simple shepherds knife, goes back many hundreds of years in Europe. In Sardina the Patadda is a beautiful sample of smile beauty and cutting efficiency. Just a leaf shaped blade and a rams horn handle.

Try taking an Opinel, remove the locking ring and gently hammer and snug up the pivot pin, and just use as a friction folder. You may be surprised at how you don't need a lock on it. It worked fine for 75 years. Even today, the smaller pen knife size Opinels don't have the lockiing ring. They work fine as a small pocket knife.
 
would mounting a pocket clip to a peasant be a bad idea? because now I want one and will end up customizing the crap out of it
 
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