Hard Use Folder Suggestions

I just got a giantmouse clyde on the secondary for just over $100. Haven’t done a ton with it but I have no reason to believe it won’t perform just as well as any other “hard use” folder. Love the size, shape, and it’s super slicy with Elmax steel. I’d guess it would serve you just as well and be far more enjoyable to carry than most standard picks for a”hard use folder”. But really, that topic is extremely broad and I could think of at least 5 more options that would do everything you want and more
 
Barman1 said:
Right here.
Don't need to look much further down the list, just grab the GB2...or a GB1 if you can find one in your range.
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Thank god two of you said it before me. I was going through this thread and afraid no one was going to say it. The GB1/2 for heavy hard-use cutting is top of the top. Gayle Bradley is a blade sport competitor. His entire gimmick is tough knives with high performance cutting capability.
 
VorpelSword said:
Hard use? From "a source close to the subject", I have heard that many Special Ops guys go for the Chris Reeve folders. Now these guys are tough guys, and another school of thought among them is that (and here I must paraphrase) ". . . a folding knife is just a broken sheath knife" or something like that but with NSFW wording.
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There is no “spec ops guy” knife, and most people in the military aren’t “knife people”. Some buy what the PX sells.. some buy Emerson’s… some don’t even carry a knife. Actually, I would venture to say in the course of routine garrison duty MOST don’t have a knife on them.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Zt has made quite a few 3.5-4” folders over the years in Elmax (0620, 0801, 0566, 0770) but they’re not super thin blades.
Spyderco is the king of steel options tho, and those are usually thinner, lighter knives than ZTs, so long as you don’t mind the hole.
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I’ve been wanting a Spyderco for a while now…
 
Elmax is not a very tough steel. The Spyderco Carribean is great for hard use. LC200n is extremely tough. I e seen it used in machetes even. The comp lock is great and durable, and the Carribean’s handle is comfy and provides great traction. A very underrated hard use folder!
 
Thank you all for all the great suggestions!

Googling GB1/2, Native, the Clyde in Elmax, etc, etc…

Magnacut would probably be my steel choice if it comes down to it. However, not sure I have the patience for some folders to really come out in it…

I actually received a Kizer Eliminator that I’d ordered, in S35VN (decent for what I’m looking for…) with a Ti frame lock. If I can’t sell it on eBay, it might become my new “hard user”. (Super slicey hollow ground, high-finish blade, large grippy handle, and a knife that doesn’t act so fancy that I mind abusing it…
 
Leo Greer said:
I’m looking for something on the higher-ish end ($150-$300), in a tough steel. So far, 3V, CruWear, 4V, and maybe Elmax have passed my muster for steels in the ranges I’m looking for.

Currently, I own more than enough folders that are in 20CV or M390, but I’m looking for something in a bit tougher steel, though not necessarily with a beefy blade. (Check out Latin Thomas’s work on thin edges and tough steel. Long story short, tough steel makes thin edges viable and increases overall wear resistance…)

Suggestions? Thoughts? Steels that I’m missing?
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Ask dcdavis here
He is one real user of folders at work :^D
 
Buck 110 gets a lot of hard use from millions of users. Buck's 420HC steel is tough, highly corrosion resistant, takes a very fine edge with little effort and will stand up to heavy use as well as more exotic steels.
 
Dergyll said:
3v: hard to find on production folders
CRUWEAR: harder to find on production folders
4v: even harder to find on production folders
Elmax: you get the idea.

Edit: let me clarify: in your price bracket

Not impossible of course... Adamas is CRUWEAR now, but I read some bad articles about their performance so havent bought one yet. Also, s*** tends to get stuck in axis locks especially dust and stuff, making them not my first choice for "hard use".

Based on your choices, it seems you want a small-medium hard user with an exotic steel with a decent toughness? Did I get that right?

Try the Spyderco Native, especially one of the sprints in Rex45, LC200N, M4, Magnacut (wink wink). If you want larger, go Native Chef (misspelling on purpose).

Spyderco Endela, Endura also comes to mind. The new Straight Stretch in K390 is my 2021 favorite release from them, AWESOME knife. FFG means awesome slicers, and K390 in my family use, has more than enough toughness as a folder.

Shaman works too, but I think you might find it a bit big, heavy, and underwhelming.

ZT also makes some great light hard users.

Sounds like a CS American Lawman or similar is perfect for you. AUS10a is tougher than S35VN in my experience, just FYI.

Some of my thoughts about "hard use":
Dergyll order of operation
1 - get a fixed blade
2 - backlock (I count triad lock in here)
3 - framelock
4 - everything else

Say no to assists, springs, etc anything that complicates a knife mechanism. I've rusted my fair share of knife internals. Also, some of the best hard users, are not always the prettiest.

Thanks for reading my brain dump!
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Yes—I’m looking for something in a tough steel, because the way my research is going, it seems to me that a tougher steel actually increases the usability and cutting ability of a thin-edged knife.

I’m not necessarily requiring a tough lock/handle/total design. My intent is more to find a blade that can really take it, while still retaining features like high slice factor and (at least decent) edge retention.

Thanks for the suggestions! Endela and Native are on the Google list…
 
Alberta Ed said:
Buck 110 gets a lot of hard use from millions of users. Buck's 420HC steel is tough, highly corrosion resistant, takes a very fine edge with little effort and will stand up to heavy use as well as more exotic steels.
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In the budget steel category 14C28N is pretty tough also. Can't go wrong.
 
Hard use opinions will vary from person to person. What I consider hard use, may not hold for someone else.
What I do take into account now is what will I be doing with the knife and make my decision off of that. I've learned that lateral stress is very common when you use a knife for task other than slicing.
To find a folder in some of the steels you mentioned will be way over what you want to spend. Folks have mentioned some good options so far, not really much to add. I truly doubt you'll find just one knife that will perform the duties you've mentioned so far. I like K390 steel, IMO, it is a good all around steel. I've got the Police, Endela and Delica in K390. Out of the three, the Delica is the best slicer. I wouldn't take the Delica to work, it just simply wouldn't last as long if I used it for a work knife.
 
That GB-2 is looking pretty darn like what I’m looking for… Doing some more research, but that may be my pick, as long as I can sell something else off to find the budget. M4 is something I hadn’t considered.
 
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