First Folder for EDC Urban / Wilderness Survival

CitizenQ said:
Although itsa tad over $100.00, read this and pay particular attention the the "British Blades Review" link...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463345&highlight=droolfest
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Wow that article really made me want to get one, any pictures of how big it is compared to your pocket or how you carry it everyday. I guess i could bump the price up for that althought its almost double some of these other knives. Also what would be the cheapest place to get a manix at?
 
DavezFever said:
Wow that article really made me want to get one, any pictures of how big it is compared to your pocket or how you carry it everyday. I guess i could bump the price up for that althought its almost double some of these other knives. Also what would be the cheapest place to get a manix at?
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Brother it is big and sharp and heavy. Try to hold one before you buy one. I still haven't stopped being excited about it. Itsa g*r*e*a*t folder. Great. :thumbup:
 
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I own 2 Ritters and am very satisfied with them. I had a regular Griptilian but gave it to a friend who was going to Iraq. BM quality is awesome for the price and I recommend them highly.
 
The best folder I've handled for serious, rugged outdoor use in quite some time has been the Ka-Bar Mule. I can pack a more expensive knife, I carry it alongside a Leatherman Charge Ti which costs quite a bit more, but I really like this knife.

The steel is AUS-8A, which is decent for a mass produced knife. It has the same carbon content as 1075 carbon steel plus a bit of vanadium. It's not S30V, but it's pretty good, and way better than 420HC. It is easy to sharpen and holds the edge decently. You can skin and dress out an entire deer with it without resharpening and it resharpens fast. I regularly carry it sharp enough to shave hair with.

AUS-8A does have a rep for being able to handle a lot of abuse that some of the higher grade wonder steels have been known to fracture under. Combined with a steel cross pin, this is one of the few folders I'd baton with (common sense required). This is the same steel the new RAT folder uses, but I like the handle and blade design of the Mule better.

The Mule has one of the best designed handles for serious, rugged field use of any folder - ever. Too few knife makers give enough attention to the ergonomics of the handle on their folders, and for extensive, prolonged use in the field they prove to be both uncomfortable and too small. You can generally hold onto the Mule, no matter what, and it gives you great leverage. These qualities are important not only for field use but also for fighting.

Combined with the blade design, this knife can actually chop on a level approaching my SRK, if not better on some things - not a quality folders are often reknown for. The design of the handle assists in the leverage needed for good chopping. The handle is designed and built tough (thick steel liners) and with a big enough butt that you can smash things with it. For example, with a pair of leather gloves on I can smash a car window with the butt of the Mule's handle without any serious damage to the knife or to me (when I've smashed stuff, like ice, etc, I always do it with the blade closed). I could name off quite a few much more expensive folding knives I could pound flat with the handle of the Mule.

It's a good substitute for a fixed blade field knife, especially if you are carrying a larger blade like a hatchet. I've gone out into the field before with just the Mule, my Leatherman, and my hatchet for a blade inventory. I have a high level of confidence in the capabilities and utility of this knife.

For an example of how tough the Mule is compared to many other folders, you can open a steel food can with it much like you would with a fixed bladed knife (not recommended for common use with any knife). You lock open the blade and with a stick as a mallet, you can pound the butt of the handle, driving the tip of the blade into the edge of the can top, and using the knife in such a manner with repeated whacks you can cut the lid of the can off, much like you would do with a can opener. How many folders could you do that with and still use it afterwards?

The blade is 3-3/4". Closed the knife is 5-1/4", and open the whole knife is 9-1/16" long. It comes with a pretty decent sheath that's better designed and built than most. I like the factory sheath enough that I'm still using it after almost 2 years of packing it around, even though I normally make my own knife sheaths and pouches.

All in all, it's a seriously tough, extremely well designed knife with good blade steel, and at a usual new price of around $45 it won't incinerate your wallet.

My preference is for the conventional, plain edge which I consider best for field use, though you can get it in various combinations of serrated and tanto styles. The handles come in black, desert tan, and olive green. The black teflon finish on the blade is extremely good. After a lot of hard use, it's held on surprisingly well.

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I have to add one to the Endura/Delica and the Manix, which is just a monster. Never handled the Griptillians, but I understand their great.
 
If you don't want to spend 100$, try the Byrd G10 Cara Cara. Comparable to the Manix in many regards.
 
DavezFever said:
Well as some of you may know i just got a mora 2000 and #860 and couldn't be any happier with them. However now im looking for a folder to carry everyday that can be used in urban survival and wilderness / backpacking survival situations. Im not looking for a SAK or leatherman type multitool right now as i plan to get a small sak later on (for edc with whatever folder i decide on) and am trying to focus on the folder first.

Ive been looking threw the forums and trying to search for folders but havn't found much, just a lot of random threads. One thread focused on the "Ultimate" folder for survival use which would be a perfect place to start researching but most of the knives in discussion were very expensive and way out of my price range, like the lovely sebenza. On my tight college budget im looking to spend under $100, unless there is a reallly good reason to go over that, for something like the Doug Ritter RSK Mk1 BT etc.

This is going to be my first EDC and it needs to be legal which i think is under a 4" blade (im in California, US). I dont want anything serrated and want this knife to last for a long time. I like a lot of the benchmade folders ive seen and the Columbia River M21 and Lightfoot M1, though i dont know much about them. Anyway i hope this topic hasn't been beat to death and i hope this starts another good discussion, hopefully you guys can help me out. :)
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Personally I'm a SAK kind of guy, but I am thinking of a stout single blade folder to carry EDC. I've considered the Manix, but too many $$$.$$ required to get one, so I considered the Ritter blade, but same goes there too, so I've pretty much settled on the Benchmade mini griptilian. The workmanship is quality and the price is affordable.
 
Vivi said:
If you don't want to spend 100$, try the Byrd G10 Cara Cara. Comparable to the Manix in many regards.
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Besides G-10 scales and super sharp out of the box. I don't see how the 2 compares at all. The Cara Cara has a narrower blade profile and hollow grind. The Manix is flat grind with a leaf blade. I like both of them a lot though.
 
Well ive decided against the manix, i think its just too expensive for me at this time, and want to get something a little smaller. I really like the griptilians and am leaning that way. I saw and felt a spyderco delica today and didn't like the handle that much on it. That Ka-Bar Mule looks cool, but id rather have a stronger blade then a stronger handle.
 
hmm... i love these threads okay the world according to tyrantblade
i carry different ones i like variety i live in a rural area i carry a bm 730
blade steel axis lock very strong, i fish and do survival skillsas a hobby, that said i also carry endura,crkt m21,cs recon 1 clip point,delica,sog xray vision,depending on my mood i've tried all in some way making fire,snares,traps,fishing,shelter understand i've tried all kinds of folders these are
the one i'm using now in the future i plan i purchasing rat 1folder:D ,bm mchenry williams,sog trident to name a few once again think how your going to use it clip point or drop point axis or liner or back lock man don't get
me started on steel :) soo...keep up the posts more great onfo to come

tyrantblade
 
Ok guys ive decided to get a regular size benchmade griptilian. What did you guys meen about upgrading to the D2 model? Is that a 550 with just a different coating? Sorry guys, im still a bit new to the knife scene ;). Also what is the cheapest and best place to buy from?
 
D2 is a semi-stainless tool steel that Cabela's Griptilian has for a blade. The standard blade steel is 154CM, the Ritter version uses S30V (with a limited run now discontinued of M2 steel). D2 may or may not be an upgrade depending on how stainless you want the blade. D2 holds an edge very well and is close enough to stainless for most applications. Notice that Cabela's version costs more.
 
Oh ok all makes sense now. Only problem is that i was looking for a non serrated blade and the D2 that cabella sells is serrated. Is there even a D2 plain blade out there other then the mini grip?
 
If you take another look at the page for the Cabela Griptilian, you'll see a pulldown marked Model where you need to select plain edge or serrated. Mine is a plain edge.
 
Woops, totally missed that. Alright thanks for all the help guys will post some pictures when it arrives. :thumbup:

Oh hey ras, did you get the olive handle, or just black? Im trying to decide between the two of them, or if i should just get the 550 silver blade.
 
mrostov- That is a nice write up on a very overlooked knife, and brings up a good point. I carry many different kinds of folders as EDC and into the woods, from inexpensive to customs I'd cry over if lost. In all honesty, they all work just about the same. The CRKT M1 is about a $50 knife, and is about as tough as any $200 knife I own.
 
I agree That The Griptillian is a good knife and the ritter Griptillian is an Even Better one www.equippedtosurvive.org is doug ritters web site you can check out the knife and tons of other cool stuff there.

I am A huge Spyderco Fan, I carried a delica for years but agree it seemed a bit small for a woods knife, I have an Endura 4 (partially serrated) as an EDC now and I Love it. I have used it in the woods for fire starting and cooking, and have had no problems.

My next upgrade is to a Manix. If you look areound these can be had for around 100-110 $
 
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