Durable folder question

I can't, anything that I wouldn't use a spyderco for, prying, hard cutting, having to chop something, not sure, general hard use.
 
Right tool for the right job is a philosophy most need to learn. There is no one tool for everything. You can't have a small folder that can pry limbs apart, break a stuck screw, filet a fish or deer and never need to be sharpened. This does not exist, yet gets asked about 15 times a week.

To me it sounds more like you want a high quality steel more than a big beefy folder. What about a Benchmade Ritter Grip in M390. If you are skinning, you don't want a big beefy blade, you want something thin and nimble. Since you have a fixed blade on you when camping, no need for a beefy folder. For EDC, a quality folder will do all you describe you use yours for, except a screw driver.. which you should get a SAC or other pocket tool/pry bar. Though I have some, I find big bulky/beefy folders not very useful in daily life. Yeah they look cool but less than functional in 90% of scenarios. No need to throw money at something when you don't need to.. just get the right tool for the job. All that said, if you want a big folder, have at it. Enjoy your trip brother!
 
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I use a Spyderco for all that type of stuff. I used my Mule Team in 4V to pry baseboards/access panels, cut carpet, insulation, wedge it between steel decking and masonry walls to stuff Rockwool into cavities, pry open an elevator door, cut copper wire, chop Charlotte pipe in half, bore holes in a 2x4, etc...

You'd be surprised how tough a thin blade can be if you're using the right steel. There's no need for something like a hinderer. It won't make your "hard use" any easier...
 
Hawk45 said:
Right tool for the right job is a philosophy most need to learn. There is no one tool for everything. You can't have a small folder that can pry limbs apart, break a stuck screw, filet a fish or deer and never need to be sharpened. This does not exist, yet gets asked about 15 times a week.

To me it sounds more like you want a high quality steel more than a big beefy folder. What about a Benchmade Ritter Grip in M390. If you are skinning, you don't want a big beefy blade, you want something thin and nimble. Since you have a fixed blade on you when camping, no need for a beefy folder. For EDC, a quality folder will do all you describe you use yours for, except a screw driver.. which you should get a SAC or other pocket tool/pry bar. Though I have some, I find big bulky/beefy folders not very useful in daily life. Yeah they look cool but less than functional in 90% of scenarios. No need to throw money at something when you don't need to.. just get the right tool for the job. All that said, if you want a big folder, have at it. Enjoy your trip brother!
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When I'm in the mountains I use my fix blade more, but my folder is on me all day every day at work. Sometimes I can't have the right tool all the time, I hear that a lot, but sometimes you have to improvise, and use what you have. I'm not coming out of an attic or down a pole cuz I forgot a screwdriver. To many people say use the proper tool, I guess they carry a back pack with all their tools every day. I don't. And yea, I want a big folder, that's why I'm asking about them. I have plenty of dainty knives, but no high end folder. And a big thick blade skins just fine. Now slicing vegetables, which I don't do, you might need a nice thin full flat ground blade.
 
rodriguez7 said:
I'm not coming out of an attic or down a pole cuz I forgot a screwdriver. To many people say use the proper tool, I guess they carry a back pack with all their tools every day.
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It's called a tool belt...

A folder is really going to give you all the functions of a tool box in one small package? You're fooling yourself...
 
rodriguez7 said:
The only thing I don't like about cold steel, is their steel choices. They don't hold that good of an edge. Cts-Xhp is ok, but aus 8 sucks, in my opinion. That's why I want a max-4, much better steel for my uses. That's why I was thinking a strider, maybe find one in z-wear or pd1. I use my knives for everything from cutting sheet rock at work to skinning game, or cutting various things around the farm. I do like edge retention. I have various zt's, a cold steel ultimate hunter, and various spydercos. Looking to possibly step up from there.
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Did you happen to see ankersons xhp test results from a cs knife? Xhp did alot better than expected
 
Blues Bender said:
It's called a tool belt...

A folder is really going to give you all the functions of a tool box in one small package? You're fooling yourself...
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Serious man, no reason to be a smart ass. I'm just saying I need a stout blade, and am having a hard time deciding. Thanks for the help
 
BITEME said:
Did you happen to see ankersons xhp test results from a cs knife? Xhp did alot better than expected
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Sure did, I was shocked when mine dulled as fast as it did, but elk hide is different than rope.
 
Besides blues bender, I wear a tool belt every day, but I reach for my knife more than anything else. Sometimes I can't fit in certain places wearing all my tools, or sometimes I forget things. It happens, maybe not for you.
 
rodriguez7 said:
I'm just saying I need a stout blade, and am having a hard time deciding.
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Well that's not what you said... If you want a thick/stout blade for aesthetic purposes, then that's fine. However, thinking there is any advantage to such a knife is a myth. You'll be fine with a knife with thin blade stock in a good tough steel. You do know the difference between toughness and wear resistance, correct?

rodriguez7 said:
Besides blues bender, I wear a tool belt every day, but I reach for my knife more than anything else. Sometimes I can't fit in certain places wearing all my tools, or sometimes I forget things. It happens, maybe not for you.
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I hear ya, but a knife is a knife. It's not gonna provide torque and traction like a screwdriver will. It's not gonna take prying forces like a pry bar will. It's not gonna cut drywall like a utility knife will. Etc. etc...

I think if you buy a big fat folder like a Strider or something and try using it like it's a multitool, you'll realize how bad it performs as such a tool. I've been there and done that with ZT's and other knives. The "Overbuilt Folder" is more of an image than a practical application to real use.

Just my 2¢ from construction experience...
 
I'm going to present a slightly different angle for you to think about. Both the Hinderer and the Strider offer something different that you may or may not like, the large choil on the blade. I used a friend's Strider for a little while to see if I could get used to the choil and I couldn't. When I went to cut cardboard down, I had to adjust myself (and work slower) so I didn't hang the choil up on the cardboard, then I went to cut some 6 inch insulation, and had the same problem. I guess for most people, using one finger on the blade is OK, for me it isn't. I think the Loco would be a good choice for you since it is as heavy duty as the Adamas. I also question what's the point in having a 3 1/2 inch blade that only has a 3 inch or less cutting edge.
 
Man I really really dig the finger choil on the blade of Striders. I would like it to be larger on the Para2 and XM-18s both 3" and 3.5". Still, the XMs have made their way to the tippy top of my rotation and my Para2 is long gone. I find my XM-18 3" Slicer in S35VN to be my most useful jack of all trades knife. My 3.5" XM is the spearpoint in CPM20CV. The areas where it falls behind are things like cutting hard rubber or poly tubing and such because the thicker grind gets wedged, causing too much resistance. Obviously I typically use my tubing cutters for that or maybe a standard utility knife. (I frequently do demolition of interior walls and I never wear a tool belt at that time.) And IMO the 20CV is run a tad too hard. On my Survive GSO 3.5 it is perfect, but on my XM it is pushing too difficult to sharpen. I will gladly sacrifice a smidge of edge retention to gain the toughness and easier sharpening of a softer HT'd S35VN. I might do some light prying, such as removing a door stop or something similar where I'm just dealing with smaller finish nails. I would not do any heavy prying unless it was a minor-major emergency. I have used an S30V Spyderco Military to cut insulation on a project just to test it out in this application but I would not make a habit out of it. Needless to say, it blew a utility knife's edge retention out of the water.
Knives are tools, yes, but being a member of a forum, dare I say, -society- like this place takes it farther than that. It is a hobby at the least and even a passion for some. Necessary or unnecessary does not factor into it. Hell... Most people I know, including fellow carpenters, would say carrying a knife at all is unnecessary. Most, if not all, of us could get by with just a slip joint, SAK, or a Leatherman but there is no fun in that and it is not why the majority of us are here.

I still say get yourself a Hinderer and have fun with it!
 
I would definitely suggest a Hinderer XM18, rugged, get a spanto. Slicey get a slicer. Great knives that will stand up to just about anything thrown at them.
 
If you watch one of those videos where they test how much weight the tri-ad lock can handle, you'll notice that the frame flexes *A LOT* -- a perfect example is the one where Demko compares a Cold Steel folder to a Wildsteer (Cold Steel folder with G-10, Wildsteer with steel frame, I think. The Wildsteer frame breaks, while the G-10 doesn't, and wins.). I think that the G-10 (Next to the lock design, of course.) is a major reason as to why it can take so much weight - it allows the frame to flex back and forth along with the lock without any tearing or breaking.

So, while titanium, or steel, is a stronger material in some ways, it doesn't necessarily make for a "stronger" folder as a frame/handle material.
 
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I decided to get a hinderer Xm-18 3.5 spanto in s35vn steel. My only concern is the warranty doesn't seem as good as striders.
 
In my experience you're way less likely to use it as well. Haha. Did you buy new or pre-loved?
 
Have you considered a Leatherman Charge Tti?

Or is this more about getting all Jethro Gibbs on the worksite?
 
Congrats on the sweet blade -and good work not getting talked out of buying a cool, new beefy folder by other knife collectors who collect cool, new beefy folders. :thumbup:
 
The knife is used, I really wanted a strider though, but if I don't like this hinderer I'm sure I can get my money back. I really wanted a stout frame lock, been for a while. It will be put to work. Thanks guys.
 
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