folding knife characteristics

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
Messages
8,968
ok, this isn't a suggestion thread, I know we get enough of those all over the site :) this has probably also already been covered, but you know how search can be, especially with such common terms as 'folder'.

What I'd like to know is why any particular style of folding blade is chosen for outdoor/survival use. Single or multi blade slipjoints, locking blades, one-handed, clipped, natural or synthetic handle material, high viz or subdued color, stainless or carbon, SAKs, pliers-based, or anything else. I'm sure size, maintenance, complexity, versatility, and plenty of other reasons come into play. I can guess at them, but reading the actual selection process from others is of course the best.

For typical edc, I can see how daily routine, legal requirements, and just plain old personal preference can be a big influence on the choice of a tool that really might not get lots and lots of regular use-mostly because 'typical' edc isn't so easy to define :) I'm not a very outdoorsy type, only camping when the military tells me to, so the large variety of choices made for knives for survival or very lightly equipped situations is something I find interesting and a tad foreign.
 
The first requirement is the environment. You have to assess the type of terrain and plant and animal life you will meet and have to deal with. In different parts of the US (and the world) this can make a big difference in your choice.

Since most of my time in the "wild" has been short-term and in northern hardwood woodlots, light-weight folders were all I'd bother to carry, and the SAK or multitool I kept handy on the job was good enough.

The second requirement is your own level of use. I can walk through woods around here with the (very rare but) occasional bear, noticeable deer, some fish in the lake, but I don't need a knife to deal with them, since I don't hunt or fish.

When I moved to New Jersey, I found woods overgrown with vines and thorns, and came to carry knives like the Vaquero Grande and now the Spyderco Assist to cut them back from the trail. Although I still carry a SAK, I wouldn't slash at any vegetation, however soft, without a locking blade.

Another requirement is more a matter of choice. Some people want the latest and greatest, the biggest and best. Others want the lightest and cheapest that can get the job done, and are willing to put more effort into it. These attitudes will lead to very different knives for the same job.
 
I'm exactly opposite, I hunt and fish, and having a bit of belly (wee bit), and a fine tip to clean them is a big piority for me. To be able to make a few simple things with wood and help me cut random things is my main requirment.

My pick is my mini manix. However, it not THE perfect folder, but I can live with it. It has a sharp/ fine enough to clean fish and birds (I haven't hunted big game for years), square spine to scale fish, G-10 handle for non-slip cleaning. Strong enough to quickly sharpen a stick for walking (prying out chunks of wood), which is important to me when steelheading in the winter since one day it'll be soft and fluffy snow on the ground, the next weekend, the whole bank can be covered in icey chunks, so the ablity to make a stick instead of carrying one is good for me.

There are of course negatives such as the lockbacks are a bit of a pain to clean blood and guts out, the lock is prone to not lock if there are scales and stuff stuck to them. The handle is a bit squarish for prolong woodworking. The wide blade is not the best for peeling potatoes (for shore lunch).

However, those are MY problem, since I don't buy customs, this production knife works fine for me.
 
What I carry into the woods is a Victorinox OH Trekker based SAK that is issued to the German Army. It has a good combination of drivers (1 locking), awl, excellent saw and one hand open locking blade. I chose the OH knife because the most common injuries are the hand and the ankle, while in the bush and if I lose use of a hand, I wanted my gear to be easily used by and accessable to, the other hand.
 
Well, for outdoor use, I think the SAK (Rucksack for me) is a great addition to any fixed blade. It'll do the majority of your tyipical camp chores, plus has the advantage of the awl, saw and can/bottle opener. The thin, long blade is excellent for skinning and cleaning.

I also like a good locking blade folder, one-handed opening and a good pocket clip which gives me quick and easy access. The top-of-the-line for me for the longest time was my Sebenza; good luck up and I really liked the blade profile. However, the Ritter RSK-1 has a similar blade profile with the excellent belly and the axis-lock, not to mention it's also lighter...this has been my outdoors folder for the past couple of years.

If you're expecting your folder to do more than camp chores, such as heavy duty work of making a shelter or limbing branches, I think you're entering the realm of the fixed blade, however there are some very decent large folders such as the BM Rukus, BM Skirmish, TOPS Magnum, Ontario Hossom Retribution...all are bordering on fixed blade size when open and can do some pretty heavy work for a folder.

As was already mentioned, it depends on where you're located and what you plan on doing.

ROCK6
 
Here's what I base my selection upon:

1) When I go camping or hiking I don't want to chop down trees or hack my way through the forest...I'm an advocate of the "leave no trace" policy.
I also prefer camping and hiking in nice weather (lucky for me, here in the Carolinas we usually have nice weather from March to December :D ).
And since I'm carrying everything on my back or in my pockets, the last thing I want is a big heavy chopping blade.
I want something sharp, reliable, and light-weight.


2) I almost always get wet when camping, and I sometimes get wet when hiking too (fog, mist, rain, creeks, lakes, Carolina humidity, ocean mist, etc...).
This means that I prefer a very rust resistant knife...which means no carbon steel knives.


3) I'm a man of limited means...in other words, I'm poor.
So, price is always a consideration when I select any knife, and it's especially important when I'm selecting a knife that I might lose somewhere in the woods or in a lake.
There's just no way that I'm going to carry a high-dollar-knife while camping or hiking.


My current favorite hiking/day-trip knife is the yellow Spyderco Pacific Salt.
It's light-weight, easy to sharpen, high-viz yellow, and totally rust-proof (and dishwasher safe too for easy clean-up back home).
It's really the perfect light-weight hiking folder.:thumbup:


But if I'm fishing, which I do on most of my camping trips, I prefer to have a multi-tool as well.
My current fav is the Leatherman Blast.
It's great for repairing reels and modifying gear and such.
and the weight is'nt much of a factor when it's in the tacklebox.
 
SAK's are great for general use on the trail. I have a Trekker that suits me fine. I looked at a lot of folders and I EDC either a Boker Trance or a Benchmade Griptilian-- the Boker at work where it is more abused. Either will make a perfectly good trail folder. Benchmade also makes the Ritter survival knife based on the Griptilian design with a different grind and a higher price.

IMHO, any decent locking blade stainless folder will serve you well on the trail. There aren't any real secrets--- they are made for cutting. 99.9% of the use your trail knife will get is stuff like trimming shoelaces, cooking, or small wood working projects like a hot dog stick or a tent peg. In survival mode, a folder is your sharp go-to knife for making fuzz sticks and other tinder for fire building and small, precise work like making trap triggers-- and cleaning small game if your trap works. I would look for a rubust lock and a good straight flat-ground blade. I prefer plain blades over serrated for the ease of sharpening and wood working. If you climb or sail or otherwise work with rope, then serrations may be a benefit.
 
for me , when I go bush , I take two knives minimum , often I take more , but thats usualy because I just want to , or Im trying them out before putting a new line on ebay or something ...

I try and take a light and a heavy duty folder with me the heavy duty one is my Okapi , the lgiht duty one varies , lately its one of the Okapi Inox folders , cos they are sexy , deadly sharp , rarer than hens teeth and one of the few stainless blades I feel comfortable carrying . Otherwise , its a plain old Opinel

I have found that a slim sharp blade will do great for slicing dicing slitting skinning and other straight forward cutting tasks , but when called on to do more robust tasks , as opening raw shellfish , prying coconut meat from the shell , gouging out chuncks of root to get to the grubs inside , other tasks that involve cuting and prying or twisting at the same time ... the slim blades do not stand up to the task quite so well

for me , this is where the Okapi comes into its own , its cheap , takes a HEAP of abusing , has a blade shape that gives a realy strong blade that will take the twisting prying and gouging and with its chisel profile , still be a deadly sharp blade that slices with ease . Just less ease than a more scalpel like blade :)

I carry two blades simply because I can , the thin one is my "luxury" knife if I had to only have one , the more robust Okapi lock knife would be my choice anyday .

I tend to shy away from stainless blades simply because in my experience , they break , chip out snap ... thats if they are able to hold a reasonable edge , other wise they bend ... and dont hold an edge for any time at all . True tho , I cant afford the expensive ones that likely do not have this problems , and I am not always nice to my knives when Im doing a job .

OTOH , the cheap hi-carbon steel ones I usualy carry hold a good edge and will bend before breaking , peening the edge back into line on my Opinel is not an uncommon task for me , I recon its better to have a second chance and have to peen the edge straight than have a chunk chipped out

just my 10c
 
allenC said:
Here's what I base my selection upon:

1) When I go camping or hiking I don't want to chop down trees or hack my way through the forest...I'm an advocate of the "leave no trace" policy.
I also prefer camping and hiking in nice weather (lucky for me, here in the Carolinas we usually have nice weather from March to December :D ).
And since I'm carrying everything on my back or in my pockets, the last thing I want is a big heavy chopping blade.
I want something sharp, reliable, and light-weight.


2) I almost always get wet when camping, and I sometimes get wet when hiking too (fog, mist, rain, creeks, lakes, Carolina humidity, ocean mist, etc...).
This means that I prefer a very rust resistant knife...which means no carbon steel knives.


3) I'm a man of limited means...in other words, I'm poor.
So, price is always a consideration when I select any knife, and it's especially important when I'm selecting a knife that I might lose somewhere in the woods or in a lake.
There's just no way that I'm going to carry a high-dollar-knife while camping or hiking.


My current favorite hiking/day-trip knife is the yellow Spyderco Pacific Salt.
It's light-weight, easy to sharpen, high-viz yellow, and totally rust-proof (and dishwasher safe too for easy clean-up back home).
It's really the perfect light-weight hiking folder.:thumbup:


But if I'm fishing, which I do on most of my camping trips, I prefer to have a multi-tool as well.
My current fav is the Leatherman Blast.
It's great for repairing reels and modifying gear and such.
and the weight is'nt much of a factor when it's in the tacklebox.
Click to expand...


I started to post something exactly like this but realized that you had already said that. Great post by the way!
 
The *use* is probably the most important thing to consider. I really like a 3 blade slipjoint for fine work and dinking on tiny shavings. but I'm mad for lockblades. I've cut myself. One time teaches :)

I carry a SAK lockblade outrider model (I need the scissors, phillips, saw AND the corscrew, so that's the model of choice) everywhere, every day. I also EDC an al mar tactical, but that's not really the topic. I have several 2 to 4 inch lockblades in various bits of gear. I prefer liner locks, but I'm not adamant.

Slipjoints are nice, can be really well made, and *can* be stiff enough that I'd feel safe dressing small game or feathering some kindling.

The opinel knives are an excellent system, as well. Simple, sturdy, cheap, and useable.
 
I have 2 different types of folder i will carry. When backpacking it has to pass the following requirements.
Sharp. Light. Stainless. Cheap enough that it can be replaced easily if lost. About a 3" blade. Thus my current folder is a Spyderco Byrd Crow.

I don't carry anything more than a Leatherman Micra for a multi-tool because I have never needed one and can't justify the weight.

But if I'm climbing I need something different. It has to be sharp, possibly serrated, be able to be secured with a carabiner to my harness and have a means to open alcoholic beverages. So a Buck Whittaker or a SAK climber fits the bill.
 
When you travel a lot one thing that becomes apparent is that folders are better in that they are more compact and draw less attention. You are a lot more likely to have one on you than the optimal fixed blade.

As much as I like my fixed blades, the folders are a lot better for carrying around all of the time.

One thing I've also noticed is that in weird places you can generally find a copy of one of the local chopping tools, but well made small knives are at a premium.

Many times what I'll be traveling with is a Leatherman Charge Ti and a Ka-Bar Mule (3-3/4" lockblade folder). The Mule gets most of the use and abuse out in the field, and it can generally take it. The Charge is a tool kit. The pair make a good duo. With those two discretely on your belt, just grab a machete or an axe and you are set.

For a regular folding knife I like the Ka-Bar Mule. It has a great handle design, and the lock-up is like the Buck 110 and it doesn't jam up with gunk the way a liner lock does. The blade is AUS-8A which holds an edge well but can take a pounding a lot better than some of the wundersteels like S30V. The Mule is one of the few folders I've trusted to baton with.

3050_large.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top