Going from folders to fixed; locking to slipjoints

[sideways]

My progression has been:

SAK --> "cool" belt knives --> "cool" (but non very functional) locking folders --> better belt knives --> better locking folders --> SAK --> light locking folders that cut.

Now I rotate between the SAK's and the light locking folders for everyday carry tasks.

If I need a fixed blades they'll be in the kit. The tool kit, vehicle kit, or hiking kit.

Regardless of what else I am carrying the SAK classic lives on the keychain.

 

[SaintZe]

Sure. Less ZT, less large folders, more focus on ergonomics, ambidexterity, and blades that provide a decent tip and as much belly as possible. I got in the habit of getting rid of anything I don't use- food, shelter, clothing, transportation, a night out with friends, a donation to a good cause.... just about anything will provide a greater RoI than an expensive tool that sits in a drawer gathering dust and fingerprints. My once-coveted 0560 rarely saw any significant use and weighed more than my phone, wallet, and keys combined, plus it cut like a brick, so no reason to keep it around. I started out wanting to collect. Now, if I buy a knife and it can't outdo one of my current stable of ~5 knives, then it goes.

I do stick to more modern designs though. Locks aren't a necessity, but one-handed opening and finger choils are too convenient to give up for the sake of supposed heritage or tradition.

 

[KingMC]

I carry locking folders because it is against the law to carry fixed blades where I work. I carry locking folders because they're the ones that are easy to open one-handed, slip joints and friction folders are not designed for one-handed opening and that is essential where I work. I carry locking folders because I need my knives quickly accessible with one hand and slip joints and friction folders rarely come with pocket clips.

 

[Comeuppance]

Sure. Less ZT, less large folders, more focus on ergonomics, ambidexterity, and blades that provide a decent tip and as much belly as possible. I got in the habit of getting rid of anything I don't use- food, shelter, clothing, transportation, a night out with friends, a donation to a good cause.... just about anything will provide a greater RoI than an expensive tool that sits in a drawer gathering dust and fingerprints. My once-coveted 0560 rarely saw any significant use and weighed more than my phone, wallet, and keys combined, plus it cut like a brick, so no reason to keep it around.

MAN do I relate to that. My first folder over $120 was a then-$220 0561. I treasured it but still carried and used it as much as possible. It only took me two weeks of that before the honeymoon was over and I had to accept that it was ridiculously unwieldy and had the cutting capabilities of a volkswagen bus. Sure, I could drive a tank over it, but the tank would also serve better as a cutting tool.

 

[aranawhite]

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)!



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.



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.



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.



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, You host a topic well.
Love the kydex *click* too, and the feel of a right fixed blade, but haven't carried one since i was a reckless youth. They don't wear practically for me, rather have a pistole too. Slips are beautiful and versatile but i don't like things hanging in my pockets, so i keep a small (peanut) size slightly larger just bothers me right now. So locking folders it is, and an axis lock that easily flips open then closed with one hand may be my preference, I'm still in training.
My dad carries 2 or 3 but there're always tactical folders and he's about 70.

 

[MountainPeek]

I'm heading the same way. For over a year I've carried a Cold Steel Tuff Lite. Recently, I purchased one of their Urban Pal neck knives, and attached a Spyderco G-Clip via paracord to the sheath. It is a JOY to carry IWB, whether wearing a belt or not. The T-shaped handle means that it rides quite low and comfortably, yet still having an extremely secure grip when in use.

Now, since I basically EDC a fixed blade, I'm seeing less and less need for a locking knife, even one with the superb TriAd lock. I'm thinking about swapping out my Tuff Lite for Cold Steel's Lucky One (Slipjoint, carbon fiber scales, 2 5/8" blade, S35VN at 0.9 oz) as soon as it comes out. Then again, my Tuff Lite works just fine, so maybe their is no reason to spend money to downsize...

 

[whp]

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.

Chemically shmemically. This is a knife forum. Let s do it the old fashioned way.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I'll be honest, legalities, social mores and convenience keep me stuck with folders and the broad availability of very strong, reliable locks keeps me from using slipjoints exclusively. That said, I have a White River Clasic Sendero firmly in my sights and I might just give fixed EDC a real go just because I dig the design so much. The sad part is I'm already designing a couple of custom sheaths for the thing in my head, so I may put off buying knives for buying knife holders for a hot minute. Which just seems vaguely wrong to me.

 

[Charlie Mike]

Same here.

 

[bflying]

Wait, I thought we were all crazed apex loving blade knuts here. I can't bring myself to pick a specific draw. Love the nostalgia and class if the slippies, the utility of the fixed, and the advances in engineering/machining of modern folders.

 

[stabman]

Wait, I thought we were all crazed apex loving blade knuts here. I can't bring myself to pick a specific draw. Love the nostalgia and class if the slippies, the utility of the fixed, and the advances in engineering/machining of modern folders.

Carry em all!
I have a modern folder in the right front pocket, a karambit in the left, with a small fixed blade knife AND a Swisschamp in the backpack.
That's my normal carry, even when headed to university, the gym, or buying groceries.

When headed to the woods I just add a bit more water and one or two big fixed blade knives.

Moar Knives!!!

 

[RX-79G]

The main problem I have with traditional folders is that they sink to the bottom of my pocket and go horizontal, then stick out because of my speed skater thighs. Clips are really nice for me. I really like SAKs, but this causes me to carry them less.

One of my all time favorite knives was a Cold Steel Ready Edge. It was a very useful shape and size for a tiny fixed blade, it stayed upright in my pocket because of the rubber handle's grip on the fabric, and you could pull it out of the push button sheath easily enough that it would stay behind when you pulled the knife out. They used to be really cheap, now not so much, so I haven't replaced the one I lost.

 

[coop1957]

Trending more towards traditional slipjoints. I work at a local school district in the maintenance department. We are allowed to carry a knife but no fixed blades and a large modern locking folder is frowned upon. I usually carry a small trapper and a serrated Spyderco Dragonfly for cardboard boxes.
Enjoy using a slippy with carbon steel blades. Takes a really good edge. Coin pocket carry keeps em in good shape.

 

[ThePeacent]

I could just get by with these two for the rest of days, probably, but where'd the fun be?

I try not to be realistic with all my needs, because then I'd have no PC or Internet, no smartphone, etc. cause I don't really need them.

But I want to have fun, and enjoy, and part of it includes this hobby and going through all of its phases (traditionals, folders, fixed blades, steels, etc.) and taste a bit of everything before finally settling on a unique style or category!

 

[TBL]

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.

Carry em all!
I have a modern folder in the right front pocket, a karambit in the left, with a small fixed blade knife AND a Swisschamp in the backpack.
That's my normal carry, even when headed to university, the gym, or buying groceries.

When headed to the woods I just add a bit more water and one or two big fixed blade knives.

Moar Knives!!!

Agree with all of the above! Variety is the spice of life. Find out what you like and use it! I love having a fixed blade (3-5 inch blade) on my belt or in a pocket and feel naked without it. Even worse, If I don't have a folder in my right side pocket. Everywhere I go in my EDC bag is a large fixed blade (6 inch +) and a multitool.

I got my first slipjoint (other then a SAK) this past month and I'm loving just putting it in my pocket and using it when required.

 

[Kwon Kwang]

I've always liked fixed blades more than folders, and those who have been around as long as or longer than I can attest to that. If all I can carry is a folding knife and I want lock strength, I'm grabbing my Recon 1, but I definitely agree with you on the whole, OP. Hell, all I've been carrying for the past month is a fixed blade and a slipjoint, and the only reactions I've gotten over the fixed blade are oohs and aahs. I've been openly belt carrying it in front of my peers at school and in front of police. That's in Canada, mind you. I can't stress the accuracy of what you said enough: "The secret is to just not be stupid with your sharp things."

Especially those heathens who carry Mantis knives that way!

Heathen here. I wouldn't carry a Mantis if you paid me to.

 

[toker]

I don't see any possible way I could carry a fixed blade with at least a 3.5" blade. With a firearm and a magazine on my belt, there is no more real estate there. So a folding blade in my right front pocket is the best way for me to carry still.

 

[AF]

I like carrying a small fixed blade that I made and a modern locking folder. I've found that canted horizontal front belt carry is my preferred method. The knife has to be small for it to be nearly invisible. So my fixed blade is usually 2-3" in blade length and my folder is 3-4".

 

[o4tg]

My knife tastes have changed drastically as well, but not to that extent. I still prefer a folder. I've been wanting to get a fixed blade, but it's a size thing. I don't wear super tight clothes, but whenever I've tried carrying fixed it hasn't worked. The one exception was a knife that the sheath hung down into my pocket, but that was back before cell phones so I had a pocket to spare.

Now my favorites are flat grinds with flippers, but there aren't many around. And preach on about tip down carry. My buddy insists on carrying an assisted Kershaw flipper tip down right side. I've told him, but he'll have to learn the hard way I guess.

 

[jimmyd1982]

I find my knife preference shifts based on need. I used to run service calls for a cable company and I would carry a small/medium fixed blade with a kydex sheath in the colder weather (when I could wear a jacket). In the warmer weather I'd go with something I could quickly open, close, and pocket with 1 hand.
Nowadays I usually prefer a traditional or a fixed blade with a nice leather sheath.
I do need to look into either getting/making a pocket sheath, or buying a new belt because I've lost some weight recently and the fixed blades don't hang as comfortably as they used to.