Folders for Borneo

Sgian Dubh

Sgian Dubh

Joined
Nov 10, 1999
Messages
132
I've been asked by a friend to pick up three folding knives for a Triathlon/Survival expedition/competition. It will involve canoes, cycling and running and the main use will be rope cutting in emergencies although food preparation, working with rattan etc. will also be a secondary use. These people are athletes who have, just, undergone training in survival; they are not special forces or hardened explorers. All kit must be light and durable (about three weeks).

They will have a couple of parangs and other heavier kit so these knives will be 24 hour carry and use for any number of small jobs as well as cutting lines etc. in an emergency.

Now if money was no object I'd get 3 Spyderco Enduras 50/50 edge but my budget is only $15-30 per knife (or £10-20). I've seen a Spyderco Endura/Delica knock off for around $15, fully serrated, clip, etc. What style of folding blade would you recommend? Please don't bother telling me about Fallknivens, etc. were on a real life budget here and I know all about them anyway.

Iain

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"I'm arm'd with more than complete steel - The justice of my quarrel." Christopher Marlowe
 
Try CRKT Lightfoot Urban Shark (2 5/8"); on sale at 1SKS for USD 24.99. Or a CRKT Point Guard (small) or Mirage, they´re all under USD 30. Or a Stiff K.I.S.S. You might even get a deal if you buy three. Or let yourself be sponsored by 1SKS
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Maybe it works.
I would not buy any cheapo knockoffs, you don´t want an important part of your equipment to fail when you need it most.

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"Peace is not without conflict; it is the ability to cope with conflict" - Leo Giron



[This message has been edited by judge (edited 07-21-2000).]
 
Its a shame you cannot go for a fixed blade. Then I would suggest a paring, small, kitchen knife, by any of the high end makers. Knock up your own sheaths. Light, robust, and sharp.
You get more for your money with a fixed blade.
Opinel are very good, a SAK even better, bought duty free. .
Your fellows are going on a great trip, probably expensive enough, but to stick to such a low folding knife budget is misguided. £45-£65 is more realistic for anything half decent. You are asking for trouble at any price lower. £30 will buy a folder that looks the part but will fail.
For a few pounds more: Boker, Boyle, Gerber, Columbia River, Cold Steel will do the job in their budget ranges. Ring round as some dealers have some stock that just has not moved and may be able to do you a deal. But stick to the names above.
Good luck.
 
I have to agree, folding knife in a quasi survival situation is not where you want to skimp. Get a name you trust.


Mike
 
Get three Swiss Army Knives by Victorinox. I suggest all three be "Rucksacks" or "Trailmasters." Don't get any other models. The other models have blades that are either too small, too bulky, or don't have a main blade that locks. Rucksacks and Trailmasters go for about $25-$30. Don't buy any cheap imitations.

[This message has been edited by volvi (edited 07-29-2000).]
 
Volvi, I hope that is Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox.
Another thought was that your fellows need a knife that will last them for the memories. When the T shirt "I was there" has fallen apart, their trusty knife will still be going strong. I have a SAK, old and tired, that is my pride and joy because it has shared so many adventures with me.
 
Iain,

Before I answer, I'd like to know the following:
- how isolated will they be? (ie how readily available are emergency support crews)
- how long will the actual race/competition be? (you mentioned 3 wks?)
- do they expect to use the small folders to work with rattan? (you mentioned they would have parangs)

I think that more details regarding the type of activities they will be required to complete, prior to you basing any decision on the posts in this thread.

For example, if the race is 5 days long in total, with emergency radios to provide support in catastrophic situation, then they really only need a single knife between them all. (ie minimize the weight, maximize the speed) The same goes for other "share-able" equipment. On the other hand, if they will be isolated, separated from each other and very exposed to a catastophic situation, then they each will need a complete kit and more weight could likely be tolerated....

Thanks,

 
Thanks for the replies guys, I've bought the knives already! All comments were useful, Dilegence I think you may have been before, yes they are working with rattan, if they remember how
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I was shopping to order remember and bought three Eastern copies of S&W SWATs, clip point, clip and 50/50 edge, 3.5". Stainless with adjustable pivots, aluminium handles and £12 each. Everyone's delighted!

Thanks again Iain
 
Then go get a good field sharpener, you will need it a lot!
The problem with cheap knockoffs is that they cut OK at the beginning, but they cannot hold an edge like the real thing. You will need to sharpen them constantly.

(Then go out and get a Spyderco Rescue jr and see what happens to the other three knives-no one will want them anymore)


By the way, the absolute top value-for-money fixed blade knive is scandinavian (look for Frosts of Sweden, Mora etc, I think www.chaicutlery.com has them all)
 
Ooooohhh He bought garbage! I say toss the trash away and go for some delicas and enduras before one of your "athletes" gets in a tight spot! Are their bikes cheap? Are their canoes cheap? Is their training cheap? Are their running shoes cheap? Hmmmmmmmmm I guess you need to learn the hard way!

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It is all Greek to me
 
Hi Copiss,
thanks for your totally patronising and unhelpful post. It kind of made me wonder why the Swiss didn’t win WWI & WWII… Get a life, there’s a good chap!
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"I'm arm'd with more than complete steel - The justice of my quarrel." Christopher Marlowe
 
You are welcome! I enjoy helping people like you!

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It is all Greek to me
 
All that equipment and no Leatherman? Will they be carrying other repair tools?
 
err, the swiss didnt win WWII from what i know, anyway, in borneo, do you happen to be competing in the Discovery EcoChallenge Borneo 2000? its starting some time august in borneo, promises to be interesting viewing when it screens on the Discovery Channel sometime soon.

Have fun anyway

Daniel
 
Why is it we think we can judge people by the knife they buy? Is it the American Way? Do we judge by the car they drive, the clothes they wear, the size of their house, the boat they own, the wine or beer they drink, the size of their lawnmower? In my experience, this is a poor way to measure people yet we seem to do it all the time. If I judged all the people I work with by the knives they carry, they would all be pathetic individuals. But the fact is most of them are pretty decent. They just don't share my fascination with knives. Yes, BF regulars, myself included, can get pretty snobbish about knives. How dare someone buy a Gerber Gator when I told them to buy a BM Axis! Indeed! But the trouble with being snobbish is that you become a snob.

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Hoodoo

And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.

Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
 
Hoodoo, I agree with you. The Brit Army has an inverted snobbery. The best soldiers are the one that train with the most crap kit. It makes them more resilient. General Slim in Boneo summed it up. If rations are too good then when there isn't any moral plummets. If rations are poor, then when there isn't any the whingeing remains constant.
Being half Swiss, I'll defend their position. They wouldn't have joined in the WWI or WWII because their population is just too small. They were in a fairly precarious position anyway and without the protection of the Alps they would have been driven over. What is the point of being neutral if you join in every punch up going. My great grand father was a surgeon during WWI and hated the Germans for starting it. But he sewed up both. The Nazi's had a plan to invade but thought it too expensive in resources. The Swiss may have done more but then so could have the Irish.

I'd like to know how well the knives faired.
 
Hoodo,
Gators are fine knives! It the Gator imitations that usually suck! Triathletes spend thousands of dollars for their sport! Our friend here outfitted his athletes with cheap knives to work with rattan??????
I live 20 min from spyderco and I could have offered to pick up whatever knives he wanted (spyderco retail store has weekly specials that are discounted. Hell i would have paid the shipping for our FRIEND)
Instead he called me piss, and used some WWII story!
Yo limey dude go brush your bad teeth!



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It is all Greek to me
 
Whoa gentlemen!
Firstly avpshadowman, 10/10, that’s exactly where they are going, I’m not competing though, I haven’t looked like an athlete for years!
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I was only doing an old friend a favour, like you do.

Now Hoodoo and Greenjacket, I’ve got nothing at all against the Swiss, beautiful country, great chocolate and an Army with great knives
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. The point I was trying to make, but frankly I couldn’t summon the effort, was the one that Hoodoo put so well. Survival and winning in many situations is less about kit and more about mental and physical fitness, I’ve seen people work wonders with very humble equipment and frankly I’ve often found that outdoor (and social) skills are often inversely proportional to the size of knives people carry.

And William, can I call you Bill? How could I have confused your offer of help for a FLAME? (By the way you’ve called Hoodoo "do", what is a do?) If you’re going to go around trying to rip the p*ss you'd better be prepared to have some yourself, try and get out more, you'll enjoy it!

Finally, if you don’t see "Team Limey" brandishing their bargain basement bayonets as they cross the winning line on TV I may just consider posting how they got on, but I’ll have to think about it, I hate controversy…
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"I'm arm'd with more than complete steel - The justice of my quarrel." Christopher Marlowe
 
Originally posted by Sgian Dubh:
I’ve seen people work wonders with very humble equipment and frankly I’ve often found that outdoor (and social) skills are often inversely proportional to the size of knives people carry.
Click to expand...

Now Sgian, this really hurt and me trying to defend your honor and all. I have a brand new Busse Battle Mistress. Do you know how big they are?
wink.gif


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Hoodoo

And so, to all outdoor folks, the knife is the most important item of equipment.

Ellsworth Jaeger - Wildwood Wisdom
 
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