FRN question

E

EagleIH

Joined
Dec 5, 2009
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179
I was just wondering if anyone had any experience regarding how FRN will hold up down in the bottom of your pocket (i.e. mixed with keys, change, etc.). I know any pocket knife will take a beating while riding with keys, especially. Any thoughts?
 
Nothing will happen to the FRN but the exposed steel on the frame and blade will get scratched.

Edit, you also run the risk of something wedging it's way into the knife such that the blade opens a bit without you knowing.
 
Here is a Delica that has been in my pocket with screws and a drilling tap. Holds up great imo!

 
The fiberglass reinforced nylon from spyderco has more fiberglass than other, "regular" frn.
That said, it will hold up just fine, i gave a delica to somebody who took it to hell and back, used it on construction sites, and the frn is still going strong, although the blade is now half or close to that..
 
Thanks. I was curious about carrying a Spyderco FRN without a clip. I wasn't sure how well it would hold up with keys, change, etc. I often pocket carry a handgun in one of my front pockets, so I often can't spare an empty pocket for a knife just by itself.
 
The FRN on my 2 1/2 year old zdp endura still looks almost new, and that served as a dedicated work knife for many months
 
The stuff holds up great.
I've had an Endura since the early 90's that got used a lot. The blade looks rough, but the handle still looks excellent.
I have a Fallkniven TK3 with it too, and it has yet to show one single mark after a few months of carry.
 
In my opinion, if you are going to carry in the pocket with keys and change, then FRN is the way to go.

Tom
 
It plastic. It will dent. Nothing serious.
The again what will not.
 
It'll take on light scratches and very minor dings, but you're not likely to cause any functional damage to FRN unless you're deliberately trying to do so. It is really tough stuff.
 
Stuff is damned near indestructible. It's really amazing how tough it is, considering how light it is.
 
I bought a serrated Dragonfly back in 1995 or '96 and after a few years it went missing until I discovered that my dad was carrying it. He carried that knife for almost 10 years in his pocket, with his keys and change. He used it for everything. The blade was AUS-8 but I think I sharpened it maybe once or twice for him. The FRN is pocket worn. All of the edges are rounded, the molded clip is smoothed out on its edges, and it looks like it was sandblasted. :D

It has a lot of character and I don't think he carries it anymore. when I am down there for Easter I'll try to snap some pics if I can find it.
 
FRN or fiber reinforced Nylon is an injection molded thermoplastic with about 30% fiberglass added as fill. As such, it is a high strength engineering plastic that is used when resistance to deformation or breakage is required. It doesn't have a high gloss finish because of the fill. It won't shine up in your pocket because surface wearage just exposes more fill. The fill might scratch other stuff. Don't put your grandfather's Gold pocket watch in the same pocket as your FRN knife. Some of the early FRN folders, such as the Gerber LST, had a one piece handle. This construction really kept the cost low. You could add an expensive blade and still keep the price in the ballpark (Boye folders or Spyderco Manix).
If I were operating on a tight budget, I would start by looking at these knives. Once the injection molding dies are paid for, the price per handle pair is measured in cents. Some good bargains here.
 
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