Fixed Blade Knife Useless?

[RUNIT]

A BK-2 is far from useless. It is unnecessary to have knife that thick for just about any task but it for sure is better than nothing. Not knowing how to use a knife makes any of them useless.

 

[Dorito Monk]

I have absolutely no use for those boat-anchor / sharpened prybar type knives. I'm used to using a folder for just about all of my knife-related camping and work chores - even when I take fixed blades with me, I find I don't use them all that much. I definitely don't need something as overbuilt as the BK2.

So, for me, the BK-2 really isn't useful. I would get better use out of a simple SAK, whether I'm camping, canoeing, working, or walking around town.

 

[JayGoliath]

There's a big difference between saying "I would have no use for such a knife", and saying "That knife is completely useless". The first is a statement based on personal needs. The second is a statement of pure arrogance and an attempt to posture oneself as an expert, as if such a person is an authority for all knifedom and in a position to universally declare what knives/designs have value and which ones don't.

Ditto. When you throw yourself in the wilderness you will learn quickly to make use of everything, even if you only have a serrated Kerambit with you.

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

Like in all things...there are groups of folks that see things the same, and others have a different view. I don't knock a man for not liking a big fixed blade, most folks that carry knives think that a 5$ knife from a gas station is "cool"....and I am sure your friend carries a Kershaw or Buck, something from Cabela's no doubt.
That doesn't make him wrong, it just makes him, him.
I like the BK2, and I own one. I do in fact think the BK16 is SO much more useful in that size group, but those that think that jumping up in length will suddenly give them a better "big" knife, might be surprised by the mighty BK2. It can keep up with much longer knives.
But, I think your buddy meant that a small pocket knife can do it all....and, he is almost correct.
Knives are like people, they come in different sizes and shapes and colors...and they are all cool. (well almost all)
I am getting older, and I find that if I am not buying a folder to carry everyday, than I want a big ass bowie or something to take camping...the middle of the road knives are falling out of the collection....but thats just me.

 

[KennyB]

I'll put this simply...

If I wanted to be told my knife is "only for cutting", I'd get a nice thin slicer.

If I wanted to use my knife any damn way I please--from slicing to prying open a bank vault--I'll get an over-built tank-of-a-knife like the BK2

Personally I like something a little in between.

 

[Thomas Linton]

I have several thick, large fixed blades that I do like but they are really next to useless. I canary a SAK ans a large Stock man and when camping a 4 inch drop point hunter that takes care of all my needs. Many a mountain man survived just fine on a Green River knife which is anything but thick.

Plus an axe and/or hawk.

 

[Thomas Linton]

I was in Boy Scouts and backpacked all over the place for years and have hunted dear for over 25 years. The only time I saw a fixed blade knife hear in Ohio in the field was when someone was cleaning fish with a filet knife or at a Mountain Man Reinactment. I think different locales are drastically different. In my neck of the woods in Ohio it is all but illegal to carry a fixed blade knife edc. Hunters usually used a folding knife in my youth. Now a days there are more fixed blades on the belt but only during deer season.

Almost all of my friends would agree it was useless too. I must say that I greatly prefer thinner knives myself but I would never call it useless.

Where in the woods in Ohio is it illegal to carry a fixed-blade knife. I need to know.

 

[FreebornErik]

I can see his (your coworker's) point. I don't own a BK-2, I do own some knives that are similar, and so far, I haven't carried them on my rambles in the woods. For the past 20 odd years I've carried a saw of some sort (folding saw or just a blade that I can improvise a saw with), a hatchet, a small to moderate belt knife, a traditional pocket folder, and some sort of folder/multitool.

I very rarely need to build a shelter or a fire, so I rarely use my saw. I use my hatchet more frequently (mostly limbing branches and trail maintenance), and most frequently use my mid-sized belt knife. I use the traditional folder a lot, but pretty much only for whittling. I rarely use my multitool folder. I suppose I use my belt knife more than the folder not because the folder is too small, but I really don't like using a folder to do food prep which is my main use for my knife.

I really can't imagine replacing my belt knife with a BK-2 or something similar. Though lately, I've been thinking about replacing my hatchet with a large knife. If it can handle the limbing and trail clearing duties of my hatchet, and deal with splitting small rounds (for those rare fires), it can pretty much replace my hatchet, and it might even be able to fill in as a draw knife for whittling and carving.

I guess a heavy sharpened pry bar style knife makes sense to me as a hatchet replacement, as long as its as easy if not easier to use, will be easier/smaller to pack, and will lighten my load.

Erik

 

[aquaman67]

I'll just leave this here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ting-the-BK2-to-the-test-so-you-don-t-have-to

 

[archer292]

"If a particular knife can be used successfully to perform a task that the user needs to perform, then that knife clearly is not "completely useless".

There's a big difference between saying "I would have no use for such a knife", and saying "That knife is completely useless". The first is a statement based on personal needs. The second is a statement of pure arrogance and an attempt to posture oneself as an expert, as if such a person is an authority for all knifedom and in a position to universally declare what knives/designs have value and which ones don't."

I concur with this post. Not much else to say. To each his own!

 

[GingivitisKahn]

There are self-appointed experts everywhere and their opinion is worth exactly what you pay them for it.

I've used my BK2 for many things from carving tiny spoons and things...

... to cleaning fish...

... to chopping seasoned oak for no good reason...

Of course this knife isn't everyone's first or only choice - BladeForums would be pretty boring otherwise - but to call it useless is manifestly and demonstrably false.

---

Beckerhead #42

 

[phillipsted]

It's all about personal preference.

Personally, I am an adult leader with my youngest son's Boy Scout Troop. Most of my recent outdoor experience (e.g., hiking, camping) has been with the Scouts. Many camps and events have a standing rule for the boys that they do not carry fixed blade knives - mostly as a safety precaution. Folders of all shapes and sizes are OK - FBs are not. That's not to say that we don't bring them to camp for chopping wood, doing pioneering and scoutcraft tasks, etc. They just stay in camp. I normally bring my Buck Frontiersman and/or an inexpensive machete for these type of tasks.

But for this reason, I haven't relied much on fixed blades over the past few years while outdoors. I usually have my Spyderco Gayle Bradley with me - which is about as close to a fixed blade as you can get with a folder . And I also carry a variety of smaller folders for pocket carry and other EDC tasks, such as a Spyderco Dragonfly 2 or a Paramilitary 2. My son carries a Spyderco Salt 1.

TedP

 

[Ankerson]

I use smaller thinner fixed blades in the field personally and the big thick 1/4" choppers for chopping stuff down etc.

Back a long time ago I used to just take a paring knife into the field and it did everything I needed it to do.

So I guess it's safe to say that experiences and needs vary.

 

[unit]

If a particular knife can be used successfully to perform a task that the user needs to perform, then that knife clearly is not "completely useless".

There's a big difference between saying "I would have no use for such a knife", and saying "That knife is completely useless". The first is a statement based on personal needs. The second is a statement of pure arrogance and an attempt to posture oneself as an expert, as if such a person is an authority for all knifedom and in a position to universally declare what knives/designs have value and which ones don't.

Just having a little fun here.

No is a word that is pretty easy to define. There is no measure of "no" therefore any modifier applied is redundant. Completely no = no.

The suffix "less" means lacking or without...pretty similar to no or not.

In summary "completely useless" = "useless" = "without use" = "no use"

Therefore by the transitive property of no, we see that if you have no use for something, it would be correct to say it is useless. And for those lacking brevity, they might add the redundant "completely" to the monicker. While not grammatically efficient, it is correct.



The fact that a tool can do a job poorly is of little bearing here. If you need to clean an animal and you have a chainsaw and a proper hunting knife. The chainsaw is useless...I'm not suggesting that we could not field dress an animal with a chainsaw, but why try if you already have a superior tool?

And if you live in an environment devoid of any trees, why insist on carrying a chainsaw?

 

[338375]

It sounds like your co-workers don't understand knives... It made me think of the knives some people use for hunting. You don't need a knife with a 6 inch blade to work on deer and elk. To each their own I guess.

 

[cziv]

It sounds like your co-workers don't understand knives... It made me think of the knives some people use for hunting. You don't need a knife with a 6 inch blade to work on deer and elk. To each their own I guess.

I agree Mike. I field dressed my last buck White Tail with a replica Buck 110 that my wife found at a yard sale for $5 which included batoning it through the the little spot in the pelvis that must be opened to completely spread the rear two legs. Not one bit of damage.

I resold it for more than she paid for it. I think I had it for about 5 years or more and it never let me down for deer, geese, ducks, doves.

If I'd have carried my Sebenza the game probably would have fell apart without cutting - out of respect.

 

[JMWaz]

Depends on their environment a"city office type" weekend camping in a "camp ground" with electricity and all the comforts of moder "camp grounds" woudl be right who needs more than a SAK?

My 2 cents in my world the medium to large fixed blade in absolutely necessary naked without it a SAK (while I absolutely love and collect them) is not the right tool for the job. Just as my phillips full size screw driver is not good to fix my glasses. Not the right tool for the job.

 

[Thomas Linton]

It's all about personal preference.

Personally, I am an adult leader with my youngest son's Boy Scout Troop. Most of my recent outdoor experience (e.g., hiking, camping) has been with the Scouts. Many camps and events have a standing rule for the boys that they do not carry fixed blade knives - mostly as a safety precaution. Folders of all shapes and sizes are OK - FBs are not. That's not to say that we don't bring them to camp for chopping wood, doing pioneering and scoutcraft tasks, etc. They just stay in camp. I normally bring my Buck Frontiersman and/or an inexpensive machete for these type of tasks.

But for this reason, I haven't relied much on fixed blades over the past few years while outdoors. I usually have my Spyderco Gayle Bradley with me - which is about as close to a fixed blade as you can get with a folder . And I also carry a variety of smaller folders for pocket carry and other EDC tasks, such as a Spyderco Dragonfly 2 or a Paramilitary 2. My son carries a Spyderco Salt 1.

TedP

Q. I’m going on a camping trip with my troop, but my hunting knife broke. I see a lot of different hunting knives advertised. How do I know which one to buy?
– Knifeless Neil, Summerville, S.C.

A. The best type of knife for camping trips — and most any other outdoor activity, for that matter — is a short, fixed-blade knife with a beefy handle.
Folding pocketknives can fold up on your hand while cutting. Not fixed blades. And remember: When it comes to blades, bigger isn’t always better. Avoid blades longer than four inches. A small, sharp blade can cut just as well as a long one, but it’s safer to handle and easier to maneuver in tight spots. With a good fixed blade you’ll be set for most anything the outdoors can throw at you — whittling, cutting, notching, butchering, filleting, even spreading peanut butter.
Here are two of my favorite fixed-blade knives:
• Buck Diamondback Guide ($27; http://www.buckknives.com/)
This knife has a 3 1/8-inch-long drop-point blade with a texturized rubber handle.
• SOG Field Pup ($60; http://www.sogknives.com/)
A four-inch stainless steel straight-edge blade with an easy-to-grip handle and nylon sheath.

B.S.A. in Boy's Life - June, 2008

Since its inception, Boy Scouting has relied heavily on an outdoor program to achieve its objectives. This program meets more of the purposes of Scouting than any other single feature. We believe we have a duty to instill in our members, youth and adult, the knowledge of how to use, handle, and store legally owned knives with the highest concern for safety and responsibility.

B.S.A. Guide to Safe Scouting, 2011.

So ask them, courteously to be sure, why they are violating B.S.A. national policy. You may be surprised at the answer. (e.g., Camp Frontier, 2010: "Bring whatever you want. Just be reasonable. No giant bowie knives floppin' on their belts, OK?")

 

[killgar]

It's all about personal preference.

Personally, I am an adult leader with my youngest son's Boy Scout Troop. Most of my recent outdoor experience (e.g., hiking, camping) has been with the Scouts. Many camps and events have a standing rule for the boys that they do not carry fixed blade knives - mostly as a safety precaution.

Off topic- I'm curious as to why fixed-blades are not considered safe? It seems to me that a folder with a bad lock, or the simple act of closing a folder, would put young, inexperienced hands at far more risk than a solid fixed-blade.

I also recall seeing an official Boy Scout catalog maybe 20 years ago, and there was definitely a little fixed-blade being sold by the BSA with the official BSA logo set into the handle.

I'm not giving you a hard time Phillipsted, and I understand if you're not the one setting the policy, I'm just curious as to the reasoning of the policy.

 

[Shotgun]

Is a knife like that useless? Nope. Is it necessary? Also nope.

I carry around a knife similar in size but only because I like it. Not because I need it. I wonder if your friend meant unnecessary rather than useless. If not, ask them if they think a hatchet is useless. If they say no then tell them that your knife is basically a more portable hatchet. That's how I think of these knives and that's how I use them. They also have the added benefit of being good in the kitchen. For me, knives like this are great because when I get to my camping spot I can use it to split kindling to start my fire, cut up my food to be cooked on said fire, and then after I eat I can relax by doing some whittling or bushcraft while the fire crackles.

Of course, that can all be done with a mora but you don't have to tell them that.