Going from folders to fixed; locking to slipjoints

[Comeuppance]

I've found myself carrying and using my modern locking folders less and less.

I buy them and trade for them all the time, but my slipjoints and fixed blades see most of the action.

Realistically, if a knife needs to be locked to safely cut the thing you need to cut, just skip the lock and get a fixed blade. Never closes on you. Spine whack it all day.

If a knife doesn't need to lock, then a slipjoint will do it.

I have my 0452CF with me today, but all I've been using is this:

I see the need for locks less and less as days go by. I used to be obsessed with lock strength and percentages - as if I've ever really been at risk of wearing out a quality folding knife. I was nervous about going into fixed blades for EDC but nobody bats an eye. I was nervous about slipjoints and the physical integrity of my fingers, but they're doing just fine after months of regular use. The secret is to just not be stupid with your sharp things.

Now I see a lock as a dangerous crutch by comparison to knives with no lock. You will never think a slipjoint will stay open if you push against the spine. You might do that and be unpleasantly surprised with a folder you assume has locked securely open.

I don't know, guys. I like my modern folders, but I feel like they're more man-toys than tools for me. I don't need CF, bearings, a Ti framelock with a steel insert, and S35VN steel to cut tape and open packages. I'm not some kind of tactical fishmonger that needs 4.25" folding filet knives with deep carry clips for tactical concealment... paradoxically followed by a loud *THWACK* when I flip open the very shiny, large, and noticeable knife.

I could always just pull out the Spyderco Roadie on my keychain, or the Rough Rider in my back pocket, or the Cold Steel Pro Guard on my belt. Maybe I just have modern folders because I want to have something "nice" to show to any potential other "knife people" I run into. I don't know! I use it, but I don't know if I would exactly be lost without clips or locks, which is a sentence I would never have typed a year ago.

Very recently, I ran into some heavy financial problems. I sold almost every knife I had that could potentially be replaced, which ended up being 8/10 of my modern locking folders. Now that I'm out of it and have some money, I went ahead and started replacing those knives... Through commissioning fixed blades from makers.

KniveJournal entry over. Have you found yourself changing your carry style completely, or have you in the past?

 

[Dangerously]

I have a similar experience. My uses are mostly around the house or out in the woods, so maybe that's the reason. A Victorinox and a 3.5"-4" fixed blade better serve me than a 3"-4" folder.

Don't get me wrong, I still have the folders, it's just hard to justify carrying them.

 

[ConBon]

Standing ovation from me and all the people in my head . I've learned quite well that you can't get faster or more durable than a fixed blade, and that openly carrying one around isnt so bad (I've talked with a number of knife nuts from it though!) Slippies are much more versatile, relaxing, soothing, and publicly acceptable.

Connor

 

[stabman]

I find the convenience of the size of blade that can be comfortably carried in a locking folder works for me.
I find fixed blades of up to four inch blade length to be less convenient to carry and use, and many have handles on the short side when having a short blade.

I do like big fixed blades for use though.

 

[CloudsRest]

I've been carrying small fixed blades more than folders lately too. I know that they aren't as publicly acceptable, at least in most cities, but I try to counter that with a nice leather bushcraft-style sheath and a small blade. Usually it's my Izula or BK24 in some Patriot Leather.

 

[jstrange]

I haven't quite gotten into fixed blades yet but I am with you on the slippies. I got rid of almost all of my locking folders, at least the ones I could move and make anything off of.

 

[sideways]

A fixed blade is better... but I don't like carrying them. A locking folder that I can slip in any pocket is more convenient than a fixed blade flopping around on my belt.

 

[Comeuppance]

I haven't quite gotten into fixed blades yet but I am with you on the slippies. I got rid of almost all of my locking folders, at least the ones I could move and make anything off of.

I recommend giving it a shot whenever a fixed blade manages to catch your interest. I thought about what kind of folder I generally prefer and the manner in which I carry and use them, and tried to find a knife that emulated that as closely as possible. Rigging that Cold Steel neck knife with a Tek-Lok via paracord turned it into an EDC masterpiece that I love so much that I've commissioned a tool steel version of the knife (as easy as AUS8 is to maintain, I use it so much that I have to break out my sharpening equipment every three days if I don't want to hack and saw at stuff)

A pocket fixed blade might just be the ticket for you, depending on your style of carry and dress. You might consider picking up a CRKT SPEW or Minimalist and seeing how you like it. There's a very different feel and capability to fixed blades that I didn't appreciate until I started regularly carrying one. Once my commissioned knives are completed, I'll have more fixed blades in my rotation than folders. That's how drastic and how much better the experience is (for me)!

I've been carrying small fixed blades more than folders lately too. I know that they aren't as publicly acceptable, at least in most cities, but I try to counter that with a nice leather bushcraft-style sheath and a small blade. Usually it's my Izula or BK24 in some Patriot Leather.

There are a number of fixed knives, both commercially available and from makers, that are designed to be carried in the pocket with a low-visibility sheath setup. I don't bother with that, living in Tulsa where people can be seen walking around with Taurus Judges strapped to their hip, but I do rest assured that I could go fully concealed without issue or inconvenience.

Standing ovation from me and all the people in my head . I've learned quite well that you can't get faster or more durable than a fixed blade, and that openly carrying one around isnt so bad (I've talked with a number of knife nuts from it though!) Slippies are much more versatile, relaxing, soothing, and publicly acceptable.

Connor

There's a strange kind of satisfaction to using a slip joint. Many people here enjoy their slipjoints partly because they associate them with family members they recall carrying and using them, but I have no such lockless lineage to emulate. I think there is something fundamentally enjoyable and inherently (dare I say it) classy about them. Especially ones with half-stops. Click, clack, cut, clack, click.

I have a similar experience. My uses are mostly around the house or out in the woods, so maybe that's the reason. A Victorinox and a 3.5"-4" fixed blade better serve me than a 3"-4" folder.

Don't get me wrong, I still have the folders, it's just hard to justify carrying them.

Agreed on all counts, minus the woods venue. It's funny - I greatly dislike most (not all) locking folders with blades shorter than 3.5", but I love my Böker Peanut and my largest slipjoint has a blade that sits well under the 3" mark.

I find the convenience of the size of blade that can be comfortably carried in a locking folder works for me.
I find fixed blades of up to four inch blade length to be less convenient to carry and use, and many have handles on the short side when having a short blade.

I do like big fixed blades for use though.

Short handles are a plague in the fixed blade world! If one can't get a comfy and confidence-inspiring grip, one won't use the tool.

And, hey, you don't see me listing my 0452CF for sale. I carry and enjoy carrying the thing even if I almost never use it. Besides, I totally impressed the crap out of the gun store knife guy when I broke that out after he tried to impress the crap out of me with his 0770CF. We both had a special knife guy moment of mutual appreciation of taste. Priceless.

 

[Comeuppance]

A fixed blade is better... but I don't like carrying them. A locking folder that I can slip in any pocket is more convenient than a fixed blade flopping around on my belt.

Flopping?

You either need a better belt or a better carry system. This is why I eschew leather dangly sheaths and go for rigid kydex rigs... Also because I unashamedly love that kydex *click* when resheathing.

 

[stabman]

Short handles are a plague in the fixed blade world! If one can't get a comfy and confidence-inspiring grip, one won't use the tool.

And, hey, you don't see me listing my 0452CF for sale. I carry and enjoy carrying the thing even if I almost never use it. Besides, I totally impressed the crap out of the gun store knife guy when I broke that out after he tried to impress the crap out of me with his 0770CF. We both had a special knife guy moment of mutual appreciation of taste. Priceless.

That's the next best knife moment to when someone needs something cut, and runs in asking "Does anyone have a knife?"

 

[ConBon]

I have no elders who carried slipjoints either, but they still make me feel classy, warm, and sensibly old fashioned.

Connor

 

[sideways]

Flopping?

You either need a better belt or a better carry system. This is why I eschew leather dangly sheaths and go for rigid kydex rigs... Also because I unashamedly love that kydex *click* when resheathing.

That's just the problem. It becomes a system... It requires effort and I end up dressing around it or having to adjust things throughout the day. I'd rather it's just was a useful little gadget I slip in a pocket and forget about until it's time to dig it out to cut stuff.

 

[Kitten Party]

Same exact thing here man. I only have rat folder and a blur and never carry them. I have slippies and fixed blades always and it feels stupid to carry a modern folder and fixed at the same time. I just feel the slip joints out perform folders in cutting and fixed blades out perform them in durability. And both are much classier IMO.

 

[stabman]

I just feel the slip joints out perform folders in cutting and fixed blades out perform them in durability.

My slip-joints don't cut any better due to not having a lock...the blade seems to do the cutting.
And many folders disagree about fixed blades being more durable; every time you see a folder with a broken blade but the lock held, that's another real-life case where a fixed blade would not have been any better (one with the same size, thickness and blade grind, that is).

 

[Comeuppance]

That's just the problem. It becomes a system... It requires effort and I end up dressing around it or having to adjust things throughout the day. I'd rather it's just was a useful little gadget I slip in a pocket and forget about until it's time to dig it out to cut stuff.

"system" is probably the wrong term to use, then. I just attach it to my belt via a tek-lok and it's there in a manner of seconds and stays there, out of the way, until I decide to take it off... which takes all of a pinch on the tek-lok clip. I could get even fancier and fashion a pocket clip and carry it in my pocket if I didn't want anything on my side. It's actually less movement and work to draw, use, and re-sheath a fixed blade (especially in Kydex) than it is to draw, open, adjust the grip, use, and close a pocket knife. I have my knife ready to use in my hands in less than two seconds from beginning the motion, and stowing it takes just as little time.

Belt loops are not an option I really ever consider. Ever. Belt loops seem archaic and inconvenient to me, but, then again, so do leather sheaths and people pay a premium for those. Diff'rent strokes.

 

[Shankenstein]

Yes, I do. In 40 years I've gone large folder-->large locking folder-->SAK-->Micra-->Mini-Barrage. Just this year I've been branching/rotating, but still getting used to it. Still like my mini barrage a lot, but I figure its time to get some out of their boxes. BM 940, SOG Twitch II, Imperial slip joints. I just purchased new SAKs, and I pulled my old retired SAK executive out and gave the blade some stoning to get it ready for frequent use. One-hand opening is a big need/attraction for me, but were it not for that, SAKs and traditionals would probably get most of the pocket time.

 

[Comeuppance]

My slip-joints don't cut any better due to not having a lock...the blade seems to do the cutting.
And many folders disagree about fixed blades being more durable; every time you see a folder with a broken blade but the lock held, that's another real-life case where a fixed blade would not have been any better (one with the same size, thickness and blade grind, that is).

All salient points, but it is worth mentioning that the majority of folding knives have considerably thinner blade stock by comparison to fixed blades. Also there's probably something to note about leverage and having full tangs and whatnot, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment further on that.

And, yeah, modern locking folders have a much higher chance of being made with modern particle metallurgy steels, so traditional knives don't generally cut circles around modern folders in edge retention - maybe KP was referring to the ergonomics and maneuverability of smaller knives?

Either way, it's not exactly common that people break the blades their folding knives - locking or otherwise. I'd wager that more folding knives are broken intentionally, for testing its limits or for whatever other reason. I've never seen the need to jam any variety of knife into something and then move the handle in any direction in a prying motion, which is honestly the only way I can think to break a folder's blade... And I definitely would have wanted to have used a fixed blade in that situation regardless.

 

[stabman]

I think it really has to come down to your uses, and what is convenient.
Some people find one option more to their liking, while others have the opposite preference.
It's all good.

 

[Comeuppance]

I think it really has to come down to your uses, and what is convenient.
Some people find one option more to their liking, while others have the opposite preference.
It's all good.

It really is all good. There is no "best" knife format other than the one that works best for you.

Except for people that carry tip down in their front right pocket. Those people are wrong and need to be chemically sterilized.

 

[stabman]

Except for people that carry tip down in their front right pocket. Those people are wrong and need to be chemically sterilized.

Especially those heathens who carry Mantis knives that way!