Folding knife as a substitute for a fixed blade?

btw i did not do any batoning when building my shelter, but then again, i got absolutely soaked when i spent the night, so maybe my advice is not the best.
 
Blue Sky said:
Take a look at the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman, it should be plenty tough enough for your needs and is not very expensive. Might as well save your money for that fixed blade you want and will use elsewhere.
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The pocket Bushman is the first knife that came to mind.
I would combine it with a sharpener. The edge doesn't last long but its easy enough to get it back.

EDIT:
The handle can be a little rough on the fingers where the blade pockets. The metal is thin and digs in a bit.
 
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I have a Cold Steel Pocket Bushman. Very strong, I think it's the strongest lock I've ever seen on a folder. Blade came shaving sharp and it holds an edge well. It doesn't have a sheath. You should be good to go with one of these. Buy it early as there is a break in period to get it so you can open it using the thumb stud, but it will get there. Also, pay attention when closing, it can bite. But it's no where near as dangerous as some have claimed if you use your brain. I love mine. Don't carry it daily 'cause I have a bunch of blades I like to use. But I would have no problem with carrying it every day.
Bob
 
I'd go with a larger opinel. A 9 or 10. Once locked they're pretty darn close to a fixed blade. For such a temporary need, I think this would suit all your needs. Good luck!
 
Both of my boys have been in Scouts for several years now and I've been heavily involved all the way through their experience. I also was in Scouts when I was a kid. Back during my time as a Scout, they were just starting with the no fixed blade knives rule. I remember asking why and getting some lame excuse... today I still get similar lame excuses. Our troop doesn't enforce this rule for troop activitites, but we have to observe it when out with other troops, like at summer camp.

Personally, I don't think it's a good rule but you have to abide by it. That being said, I did the Wilderness Survival merit badge when I was a kid and my older son did it two years ago. Most decent quality knives will hold up to the task for this merit badge class and they will provide specific tools for you to try for certain things.

I have taught the boys how to baton using large fixed blade knives (like my Cold Steel Trailmaster) and also with smaller lock blades. I happen to have two of the same budget folders; one I keep in my pocket and the other in one of my bags. For the money, it's hard to beat and I have put them through some abuse... including batoning small firewood.

The Kershaw Tanto Blur (model 1670TBLKST) runs between $60 - $80 depending upon where you shop. They carry it at WalMart too. Is it the best knife ever? No. It has suited my needs pretty well though and doesn't break the bank. Sounds like it might be right up your alley for your needs at camp this year.

Hope that's helpful.
 
I'm just kind of worried about using a Swiss Army Knife for even light batoning, when getting my toting chip, we had to demonstrate splitting wood. There were plenty of boys getting their toting chip and not enough time for everyone to use the axe or hatchet for some reason, so I volunteered to use my knife for batoning instead. I used my swisschamp, because that was the knife I had on hand with me. The BLADE split in half. This was a while ago, and of course, it was under warrantee, so I got it replaced. I don't know about the X55CrMo14 steel that they claim to use, but I had the blade break on me... How is the svord peasant? Does it lock? I don't know about the friction aspect of it, I think it may wear down. Just to let you all know, I may use this knife for a very long time, so I need something that will serve my needs for years, and not wear out/break on me. Just what I think, in reality, I know very little about these knives being suggested, and therefore have no reference as to how long it will last. Being in Boy Scouts and still in school, I have very little income coming in. All I get is Christmas money and returns on investments, so I have to get the right knife the first time, there is very little room for trial and error. I like the way the Opinels and Rat-1 sound, because that leaves plenty of money left over for other stuff and seem to be durable enough for light batoning. The pocket bushman seems nice, too, but did they correct the broken lock thing?
 
half penny said:
How is the svord peasant? Does it lock? I don't know about the friction aspect of it, I think it may wear down. Just to let you all know, I may use this knife for a very long time, so I need something that will serve my needs for years, and not wear out/break on me.
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The pivot on the Svord is adjustable with a flad head screwdriver, so there is nothing to wear out. It doesn't "lock," no. It is a friction folder, which means that all that is holding the blade in place in normal use is friction between the pivot area and the handle scales, and your hand pinching the tang against the scales.

The safest way to baton with a friction folder is to pinch the scales from the sides only, and not wrap your fingers around the grip. (One can can do the same thing with most folders that have tough blades by disengaging the lock and holding them like a straight razor.)

The steel used in the Svord is L6 shock resistant tool steel. It will not fail in the same manner as the Victorinox stainless did for you, as long as you use a wood baton.

All that being said, I recommend the Cold Steel Voyager 4" or one of the Cold Steel Recon series instead. I have seen them used to baton many times, with no failures. The Svord is a cheaper and more nostalgic option though, and one can learn a lot about the bare essentials of knife design from one.

Edit: To be clear, the Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock knives are one of the only designs with which I would and do baton with the knife fully open and the lock engaged.
 
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Yes the Boy Scouts have banned fixed blade knives (which is what they are calling sheath knives). A friend is involved in scouting. According to him the rationale is certainly risk/liability driven and has to do with the risk of falling while carrying a fixed blade. The presumption being that falling on your fixed blade knife presents a greater risk of a stab wound that falling on a knife folded up...presumably with metal scale liners etc.

Not being part of Scounting myself, I cannot vouche for this but this is what I was told.
 
I think some of you guys are a little confused as to BSA policy on fixed blade knives. There actually is no official, national BSA policy on fixed blade knives. The "Guide to Safe Scouting" says that large, fixed blade knives should be discouraged. It does NOT say they are banned. I researched into this a bit, when I first started scouting as an adult. I have a 4" fixed blade, damascus steel knife a friend made for me in High School, and I wanted to be able to use it on campouts, but I had heard they were banned.

That being said, some Camps, Troops, and possibly Districts or Councils, have banned fixed blade knives. If you need to know for sure, call your Council office.
 
half penny said:
The pocket bushman seems nice, too, but did they correct the broken lock thing?
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Broken lock thing? There was an issue with the spring twisting into a notch in the lock bar when fully compressed and breaking with early models. That has been corrected to the best of my knowlege by elimination of the notch.
 
In my scout troop, they don't care if I show up with a large fixed blade. I have taken and used several of the larger ones on troop events.

:D

I have used the ZT 350 for batoning and chopping. It is a little high $$, but I got mine for $80 lnib.
 
As per strength, I'd trust my Pocket Bushman.
But, the ergonomics are terrible.
The front edges of the handle dig into
my fingers bad and cause a sore spot within
minutes. And that's just playing with it.
Not during heavy use. Check out the
Cold Steel 29TLC large Voyager. Very
solid knife with great ergos for a good price.

Good luck, safe trip and have fun.

*Shrub.
 
What has scouting come to? A boy scout without a decent fixed blade knife? I would suggest a Buck 277 or a variant you could put in your pocket. Not a huge blade but a brute of a knife and extremely well made. I am sure it would take most anything you would dish out. You could baton a small branch I would think.
 
So, At long last, I got a reply from my council relating to "sheath knivs".
And I quote, "Scouts will carry folding knives only if they have earned their totin' chip. Sheath knives are not part of scouting and arenot allowed at the [camp]. Leave them at home!" This is a lie, Fixed blede/sheath knives have always been a part of scouting, and today's overly sensitive populace has deemed them unrecommended, but there is nothing that says that Fixed blade/sheath knives are not a part of scouting...

This is just rediculous, I have had 3 folding knives break on me at scouting events, and they were not even doing any hard work (except for my SAK, which was doing batoning), and they are not used only for fish... They are used for: Splitting wood, carving sticks, cutting rope, preparing food, prying tent poles out of the ground if they somehow get stuck (I know we should not do that but we do...), earning requirements within scouts (including the totin' chip), clearing an area for a tent, as a chopping tool, cutting boxes of new supplies open, fixing things in general around camp, and VERY many other things. A folding knife could not do many of those things, including chopping, splitting wood, and food prep (the folding mechanism gets gummed up and very dirty). In my liberal state, rather than telling younger boys how to use these wonderful tools, they ban them because they're afraid of a few getting hurt. We get hurt a lot when we're doing things like rafting, caving, hiking, and even rolling out feet when we're walking to/from a bath house, so why don't they ban those? Many more of us have been hurt doing those things than using knives, and by banning fixed blade knives, kids can no longer get hurt using them, making folding knives even more statistically dangerous than fixed blade knives.

Thank you for reading,
halfpenny
 
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