Folder Strength. - Why? Time for Reality.

For me, having a strong folder gives me peace of mind, knowing it won't fold on my fingers if I ever need to do something unconventional with it, like say defend myself. Chances are slim I'll ever need to put any folder to that sort of test, but if I did, I'd like to know I have a knife with a strong lock that won't fail on me and sever off some fingers. I once witnessed a guy carving his initials into a tree with a cheapo lockback folder, the lock failed and gashed his fingers open to the bone.
 
Anrkst6973 said:
I am a junkie..I can admit it. I love knives but I buy them(LOTS of them) to use. I would'nt be prying or batoning with my folders UNLESS life or limb was in mortal danger. I've got axes,tomahawks,prybars and other tools for that. On the other hand I buy the strongest lockbacks I can afford or at least justify. I dont carry a tool of any kind unless I'm willing to bet my life on it. If that means spending 39.95 that fantastic but if it means spending 300.00 I'm willing to do it. The true value is not in dollars, its is the value of trust you have in that knife.
Click to expand...

Well said. I agree wholeheartedly.
 
I've had a folder lock fail on me once. It was a simple lockback and I have to tell you the feeling I had when it did I don't want to ever happen again.

I always go to knives now with strong locks because you never know what will happen.
 
Folder strength is fine when tempered with the right amounts of reliability and common sense usage. One without enough of the other can still make for a weak system as a whole. A folding knife is a series of parts in various numbers depending on type and together they make up a system that combines together to make it what it is. If its got one weak point in that system that stands out from all the other areas it takes away from the whole regardless of how well all the other areas got ya covered. Its no different than a weak link in a chain referring to the old saying that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In my opinion 99.9% of the time the weak link found most often in folder systems is the user. ;)

Human nature pushes us to always seek out the bigger better deal I think. Thats why folks go from strong to stronger, from car to SUV and so on. It doesn't matter what reality is you see? All that matters is what is perceived as reality whether its actually the case or not. If it takes putting a Hummer body on a Tahoe chassis to make you feel better about it so be it in other words.

STR
 
Knifewrench!

[youtube]x22yNaLdiGA[/youtube]
 
ToyKnife said:
Why all this talk about how strong a folder is or should be?

I'm just sitting here reading about how folder X is stronger then folder Y and how folder A cuts better then B, etc.

Think about it. Has anyone been in a situation where you only have a folder and nothing else? I mean nothing! No object to use as a hammer or pry bar. Maybe you are on a island with no small branches or trees to break branches against. Or in a building with no chair or microwave to smash against the window. Or maybe you are stranded because your car breaks down or runs out of gas and all you have is your folder and the tire iron.

If you know you are going into a situation you will have a small fixed blade to aid in your quest. For example, Busse Active Duty or larger such as the SAR-4. Basically, you go prepared. Do you camp without supples or drive across country with informing someone or planning out where you are going and what equipment you will need? No, is the answer. If you do, Darwinism at its finest which equals less knuckleheads breathing good air.

Besides what in the world are you going to pry or baton with a 3.5" blade and a knife that is ~7" in total length? Be realistic; are you going to risk destroying your only knife in a "I'm on the show Lost" situation? I don't think so. If so, then refer to previous comment about Darwin.

See where I'm going with this?

What is a knife used for? Slice, cut, stab, and to scare the Sheeple.
Click to expand...

Cars are cars,and trucks are trucks. Dont make cars trucks.
 
The lock and construction of the Cold Steel pocket bushman is very strong plus it is cheap. On the other end of the scale my Lonewolf T-3 is also very strong and not so cheap.

The folders that I enjoy and carry the most function exceptionaly well at cutting and are like my jewelry. GEC and Schatt & Morgan slippies.

I have been in many situations where a folder was the only knife at hand. None has ever failed due to my using a bit of common sense in their use.

However I do purchase only knives that are reliably and durably made. Otherwise I would be wasting the investment. Like a few others here I will eat beans for a month or two and sacrifice a bit in order to get a knife that I can truly enjoy.
 
Meh. I like slipjoints just fine.

A strong locking mechanism isn't an excuse to use a knife unsafely, which seems to be what gets some people into trouble.

Even the Axis lock fails sometimes.
 
i never carry slippies anymore, never, just arent for me, YMMV of course.

i also have 3 of possibly the very best fixed blades made for edc, bud nealy pesh kebz, nealy amoeba and a polkawski companion and while these are designed for edc and do it better than any other FB's i have tried do (& i have tried a few lol) they are still a PITA to deal with on a day-to-day basis, they just dont carry as well as a good folder.

all the folders i edc have good locks and while anything can fail i dont worry about it a lot, i edc either a custom emerson CQC13 or a spyderco Ti ATR and both have pretty good locks.
 
My problem with very beefy knives is that the makers sometimes put all their effort into making the knife indestructible and then forget to sharpen the thing properly. I have seen many a comment in this regard about certain high end production folders.

I like a strong solid knife as much as the next guy (my regular carry is an all-ti framelock Crawford Kasper) but I also like a knife that slices like a razor out of the box.

In this regard my Emerson CQC-12 often finds its way into my pocket. Its a beefy folder (not as beefy as the KFF admittedly) but its also wicked sharp and a great slicer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top