Folding 5 inch blade EDC knife?

G

guy-montag

Joined
Jun 30, 2011
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So my favorite EDC knife has fallen apart on me. Screws came loose and essential parts were lost. The build quality on a $18 knife isn't that high sadly. However, it had three major advantages over every other knife out there.

1. Size. In Texas, the maximum blade length for a knife is 5.5 inches. The Boker Great Knight had a 4.6 inch and change blade. The handle was also very large, which made for an excellent grip.

2. Design. Some blades are good for a bit of everything. This one was an excellent design for self-defense, with a built-in guard on either side of the blade, a handle long enough to get an insane grip on, and a blade large enough to keep things that intend you harm at a more comfortable distance. Some people go for the macho 1" blade knives, going on and on about how tough they are to beat in a fight, but that's not me.

3. Cost. When it comes to self-defense, the maxim 'you can't spend enough' actually doesn't make much sense. There's a price limit where you rapidly reach diminishing returns for each extra dollar spent. $18 and useful is very hard to beat. That said, I'm not adverse to spending $100 on a knife that can do the same job with the same features in the same size package.

313Mzkt3omL._SS500_.jpg


One downside to living in Texas is no daggers (double-edged knives), otherwise I'd get a Gerber Applegate Fairbairn folding knife (I think it's double-edged, not certain though).

So any suggestions for a reasonably-priced knife ($100 or less) that
a.) Folds up.
b.) Has a blade length between 5.5" and 4.5" and
c.) Has a handle that is 5" or more in length
 
The SOG SE18 Spec Elite II Folder Folding Pocket Knife has a 5 inch blade and opens quickly, You could find one for less than $100
 
If You Can Go A Little Under Your Blade Limit There Are Some Really Good Ones To Check Out.
Spyderco Resilience - Around $40 With A 4 1/4" Blade And Grippy G-10 Handles With A Tough Liner Lock.
Cold Steel Recon 1
Cold Steel Voyager - Large
Cold Steel Voyage - XL

I Was Going To Say Cold Steel Rajah II But It's A 6" Blade.

Also, Sometimes Trying Different Things Is Good. Like Maybe Getting Something Smaller.
I Own A Vast Variety Of Folder Lengths And Sizes.
 
Entrek makes a couple 5 in. folders I'm not sure how well they handle but if they are made with the same quality as the fixed blades it will be a great knife
 
droptyne said:
Entrek makes a couple 5 in. folders I'm not sure how well they handle but if they are made with the same quality as the fixed blades it will be a great knife
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At $150 to $200 per folder, that's a bit out of my comfort zone there lol. For that much, I could make my own folding knife.
 
BladeChick777 said:
If You Can Go A Little Under Your Blade Limit There Are Some Really Good Ones To Check Out.
Spyderco Resilience - Around $40 With A 4 1/4" Blade And Grippy G-10 Handles With A Tough Liner Lock.
Cold Steel Recon 1
Cold Steel Voyager - Large
Cold Steel Voyage - XL
Click to expand...
Excellent advice. :thumbup:

Folders above 4.5" are fairly rare, but there are lots of options in the 4-4.25" range. If you really want something with a 4.5-5.5" blade within your price range, definitely check out Cold Steel. But if you go down to the 4-4.25", a lot more options open up to you, including various Benchmades (Onslaught, 710, AFCK/TSEK, Bedlam, etc.) and a handful of Spydercos (Military, Police). Given that you're going to be EDCing it, those give you a lot more options in terms of blade shape, steel, etc. that will help the knife perform for general EDC tasks. But they're also large enough that, in the unlikely/unfortunate event that you're ever in a position where you have to use one for self-defense, they'll have the reach, reliability, and so forth that you want in such a situation.
 
Pepper spray and running shoes would be better for self defense than an $18 knife. If my understanding is correct a lot of people carry guns for self defense in TX. If you pull a knife and the other person pulls a gun you could be in a lot of trouble.

That being said, Cold Steel is where I'd look.
 
CS Voyager XL, CS espada larger, CS Spartan, CS Rajah, Fox Deimos (sp?) all fit your criteria.

BTW if you don't mind me asking, how was the lock-up on the Boker Great Knight?
 
Erm, really no point in carrying a knife for self-defense in Texas of all places, if for no other reason than because anyone threatening you would likely have a gun themselves. For EDC, I might recommend a Spyderco Military. It's about a half an inch shorter in blade length, but more suited for EDC than anything else. I assume you want the 4.5"+ blade length to "keep things that intend you harm at a comfortable distance". But quite frankly, I would consider anything that means me harm closer than 25 feet to be at an "uncomfortable distance".
 
It seems like you want a one-hand opener as you mention SD as possible use, but you do not specify it in your list so I am going to go ahead and put this here:
Opinel-knives-No-12-carbon-steel-folding-knife-folding-knife-4.jpg
4.74" blade
~6.3" handle
 
res1cue said:
CS Voyager XL, CS espada larger, CS Spartan, CS Rajah, Fox Deimos (sp?) all fit your criteria.

BTW if you don't mind me asking, how was the lock-up on the Boker Great Knight?
Click to expand...

Very good. I don't know if I'd want to put all of my weight against it, but it was rock-solid. It did have an issue where if you flicked it open too fast, the liner lock would wedge itself against the hilt of the blade and require prying loose with car keys before you could close it. But that and the fact that the screws came loose on a semi-regular basis are the worst things I can say about an otherwise incredible knife at that pricepoint.
 
Fanglekai said:
Pepper spray and running shoes would be better for self defense than an $18 knife. If my understanding is correct a lot of people carry guns for self defense in TX. If you pull a knife and the other person pulls a gun you could be in a lot of trouble.

That being said, Cold Steel is where I'd look.
Click to expand...

Noctis3880 said:
Erm, really no point in carrying a knife for self-defense in Texas of all places, if for no other reason than because anyone threatening you would likely have a gun themselves. For EDC, I might recommend a Spyderco Military. It's about a half an inch shorter in blade length, but more suited for EDC than anything else. I assume you want the 4.5"+ blade length to "keep things that intend you harm at a comfortable distance". But quite frankly, I would consider anything that means me harm closer than 25 feet to be at an "uncomfortable distance".
Click to expand...

I actually do conceal carry a pistol. However, there are a few places in Texas where I cannot legally carry it, so it is nice to have a backup. That said, drawing a pistol from concealment and hitting something with enough accuracy to make the threat stop requires time and distance. If someone is within arm's reach of you, it may be easier to use a knife.

A knife is a good 'plan B'. It's very rare that a Glock will jam on you or fail to fire, but I've shot enough under stress to realize stupid stuff happens and can kill you. If your pistol does not work, you're not in a good place. It never hurts to have another solution handy.

It's also dangerous, legally speaking, to carry pepper spray when you have something on your person that's considered lethal force if you use it - the question, heaven forbid, if you ever end up in a courtroom, will be at some point 'if you had less than lethal force available, why did you not employ it first?'. Plenty of police officers have encountered that painful question.
 
justsomedude said:
It seems like you want a one-hand opener as you mention SD as possible use, but you do not specify it in your list so I am going to go ahead and put this here:
View attachment 263800
4.74" blade
~6.3" handle
Click to expand...

Those are nice knives, but they have a collar you have to rotate before they lock if I recall correctly, along with being nigh-impossible to open one-handed.
 
guy-montag said:
It's also dangerous, legally speaking, to carry pepper spray when you have something on your person that's considered lethal force if you use it - the question, heaven forbid, if you ever end up in a courtroom, will be at some point 'if you had less than lethal force available, why did you not employ it first?'. Plenty of police officers have encountered that painful question.
Click to expand...

I think the reverse: that it is GOOD to have nonlethal force on you, otherwise if you were up against, say 2 unarmed guys or one really big dude, it becomes a legal gray area:
-do they have ability to kill/maim you? sure
-do they have intent? hard to say

if you use lethal force, you run the risk of having some DA proving that you used excessive force, if you try to go hand-to-hand, you could get the living **** beat out of you. But if you have pepper spray it is a good in-between.

Also, if all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.


Back on topic though, did the Great Knight have tip-up carry? It looks that way from the picture... did you ever try to wave it?
 
res1cue said:
I think the reverse: that it is GOOD to have nonlethal force on you, otherwise if you were up against, say 2 unarmed guys or one really big dude, it becomes a legal gray area:
-do they have ability to kill/maim you? sure
-do they have intent? hard to say

if you use lethal force, you run the risk of having some DA proving that you used excessive force, if you try to go hand-to-hand, you could get the living **** beat out of you. But if you have pepper spray it is a good in-between.

Also, if all you have is a hammer, then every problem looks like a nail.


Back on topic though, did the Great Knight have tip-up carry? It looks that way from the picture... did you ever try to wave it?
Click to expand...

I once thought the same as you, but every police officer and firearms instructor in Texas has disabused me of this notion. It really does make more sense to carry less-than-lethal force, but in Texas, it appears that the spirit of the law that judges stick with is either:

'It wasn't bad enough that it required lethal force, so no force should have been employed at all' or
'It could have been fatal for you, so you should not have used anything less than lethal force'.

They're very pro-self defense around here, from the police to the courts, but there are a few 'gotchas' that seem strange to non-Texans. I think some of it stems from the fact that defending yourself with lethal force is so enshrined in state law that anyone who gets into a situation where force is called for has some means of lethal force on hand. And bowie knives aren't legal. That's also really strange.

I wouldn't say it's a 'if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail' situation at all. It looks more like 'is it realistic that this person could fatally injure me?' If yes, 'employ lethal force'. If no, 'avoid situation and / or de-escalate'. It definitely makes you more responsible as far as defending yourself goes - if you have to draw your gun, it has gotten truly bad indeed. Anything else, you can walk away from.


It is a tip-up carry knife. I'm more of a 'flick' type person, but the guards on either side of the blade do indeed make it fairly easy to 'wave'.
 
harkamus said:
Hossom Ontario Retribution 1. 4.625 inch blade. 6 inch handle.

213f2py.jpg
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I'm in love! The level of utility on that is perfect! A handle that's a useful handle first and a blade storage mechanism second? ZOUNDS!

I just wish the handle was thinner to allow pocket carry :(
 
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