Folding Pry-bars.

honestly I used to want all overbuilt just in case. But in all the years I really have never needed it and have moved to smaller better slicers. That being said Demko makes my favorite folder and its big and has thick stock but also has a high hollow grind that is very thin behind the edge. So its basically the best of both worlds for me. In general I can get on board with something like a Sng and others around that size and thickness. I dont mind when overbuilt is more durable for like im going to pry this staple out of some wood without snapping or bending a tip or a little thicker edge for something like heavy duty zip ties. IMHO the whole overbuilt went ridiculously crazy with stuff like medfords and what not. Where basically all cutting performance went out the window just for it to fit the massive overbuilt category. Stuff like most ZT knives(which I like alot of) I find myself wishing they were a little thinner behind the edge. A little more diversity if they would make a couple of there folders with thinner edges I would be happy with the option. As far as being prybars a folding knife is not a prybar and should not be expected to perform heavy duty prying imo. Light prying for a small task sure like I stated above but I agree a knife is made to cut not be a prybar.
 
JR88FAN said:
When I am 25Ft up on an extension ladder, or in a attic, the last thing I want to do is go back and forth to get the "right" tool.....and in case your thinking that I should know what tools I will need before I start, you have never worked in a trade.

You think you know, but things seldom work out the way you thought they would.

^^^^This applies to a knife, or it doesn't deserve the pocket space...
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Amen.
I use variety of real pry-bars but for pilling off tiles, co-base, laminate, moldings and so on, their ends are too big,
my go-to knives for this are the BM Griptilian and the CS Voyager, along with few others, some custom,
some just production knives (Rat1, Avispa, CRKT Heiho and lately the Razel...).

Yes, it's a folder and yes, you can break it. That's why I don't jump on very expensive knives for this tasks and I like the whole "overbuild" notion,
I look at those as tools for particular job. Few of them are designed with other "jobs" in mind and they are the one I personally prefer.
 
Topcatpt said:
honestly I used to want all overbuilt just in case. But in all the years I really have never needed it and have moved to smaller better slicers.
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Me too. I use my folders primarily for lightweight slicing duties and my choice in folders reflects it. (My mainstay, among others, is a Small Sebenza.) I leave the tough stuff to my fixed-blades.
 
But with so many virtual fixed blades you could get virtually the same virtual performance.. Virtually.
bld522 said:
Me too. I use my folders primarily for lightweight slicing duties and my choice in folders reflects it. (My mainstay, among others, is a Small Sebenza.) I leave the tough stuff to my fixed-blades.
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Well there are those guys, of course. And Lordy knows they make a big deal of how strong their folders are . . . with good reason. But I'm just too old school to buy into it. To me, a "hard-use folder" is an oxymoron. There are better tools for tough jobs in my estimation . . . tools whose only moving part is me. ;)
 
I tend to agree I was just poking at you
bld522 said:
Well there are those guys, of course. And Lordy knows they make a big deal of how strong their folders are . . . with good reason. But I'm just too old school to buy into it. To me, a "hard-use folder" is an oxymoron. There are better tools for tough jobs in my estimation . . . tools whose only moving part is me. ;)
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bld522 said:
Well there are those guys, of course. And Lordy knows they make a big deal of how strong their folders are . . . with good reason. But I'm just too old school to buy into it. To me, a "hard-use folder" is an oxymoron. There are better tools for tough jobs in my estimation . . . tools whose only moving part is me. ;)
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Which one do you think would break first when pried with?

This?

71CBK1ESs-L._SL1500_.jpg


Or this?

dscn0337_edited.jpg
 
bld522 said:
That's not a question I'd have to contend with. I don't pry with my knives.
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You refuse to answer the question because you'd be proved wrong with your oxymoron label.

See, here's where your perception fails.

The term hard use when applied to a folder is merely a description of a folder that's heavier built than a normal folder.

The hard use folder is being compared to another folder.

It's not being compared to a fixed blade, which BTW, has also varying degrees of strength.

When you describe something as heavy duty, you compare it to another object with similar attributes. For instance, heavy duty shoes. Unless you are being obtuse, you would only compare it to another pair of shoes.
 
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Not generally a problem for me either. Light prying using my wrist for torque..... yeah, I do that with a SAK from time to time.
 
22-rimfire said:
Not generally a problem for me either. Light prying using my wrist for torque..... yeah, I do that with a SAK from time to time.
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Since it's not a problem for you guys, then why do you have a problem with the nomenclature?

I don't generally pry with my knives too but I recognize that one folder may be overengineered as compared to another. Obviously, a folder that's has more strength than needed for normal cutting can take more abuse than a lighter built one.

Additionally, since lighter folders can usually take a lot of use and stress, they can't then be described as light use folders because they are strong enough for most tasks.

That's the point where you differentiate the heavier built one because it can take harder use than the lighter folder.

Simple no?
 
If that works for you, it works for you. For me, it doesn't. Vive la différence! :)
 
bld522 said:
If that works for you, it works for you. For me, it doesn't. Vive la différence! :)
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What you really are arguing about is just semantics.

You really can't deny that one folder is heavier built than the other and will therefore be able to handle more stresses.

You've been throwing out that oxymoron label for some time now. I guess you really can't defend that with a serious argument.
 
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If you want to use your knife for heavy prying, go for it. I understand perfectly that you can't always have every conceivable tool with you when doing a job and who wants to walk back to their vehicle for another tool unless you have to. Have to is relative, but heavy prying generally falls into that category. I do use my large folding Razel for moderate prying, but I tend to use it more for careful scraping. If I am doing a fair amount of that, I'll have it on me for quick use, otherwise, it's a trip to the the truck unless that means walking down three flights of steps, and across a large parking lot to get to my vehicle. I find those long screw driver type pry bars useful, but more than anything I'll use a 12" prybar or a longer one if there is quite a bit of prying needed.
 
singularity35 said:
What you really are arguing about is just semantics.

You really can't deny that one folder is heavier built than the other and will therefore be able to handle more stresses.

You've been throwing out that oxymoron label for some time now. I guess you really can't defend that with a serious argument.
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Once again, if that works for you, it works for you. I said what I meant and I meant what I said. How you interpret what I said is none of my business. ;)
 
Here I stand with my fixed-blade in hand. Want to test it against your hard-use folder?
 
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