hard use folder

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william lee

Joined
Jun 16, 2013
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I am looking to buy a hard use edc tactical folding knife.I wanted some opinions on what is the absolute toughest folder out there.edge retention ,lock strength,quality of build are all top priority for me.I am looking for a knife I can/will bet my life on.as of now I am considering the Strider smf or a Medford tff 1.I realise there are a lot of lower tier knives there that "will do the job" but I'm looking for something that will exceed performance expectations.any input is greatly appreciated
 
Welcome to BladeForums William. If you do a search you will see many threads on this same topic, in fact I think we get 1-5 a week on the "hard use folder". Personally I wouldn't bet my life on any folding knife or fixed blade. I prefer God and my brain. YMMV.
 
Not sure you can find all of those qualities in a single knife, but there are plenty of choices that might fit: any CRK products, numerous Benchmades, Spydercos, Cold Steel are just some that spring to mind.
 
go with a Strider.... customer service is awesome and the knife just plain works :)
 
Top of the heap...Andrew Demko Custom. Wait list two years. You choose your materials. My Ad-10 coming with carbonfiber Ti handles and M4 blade. $600
"lower tier" ZT 030x blem from kershaw Guy.com you can absolutely bet your life on. I sent a 0300 to Afghanistan with my S-I-L on a combat tour. He loved it and testified of it's reliability. For $175 it's a hard to beat deal.
 
left you a visitor message with some info on Striders. and +1 to the Demko folder. mine is supposed to be coming up :)
 
william lee said:
I am looking to buy a hard use edc tactical folding knife.I wanted some opinions on what is the absolute toughest folder out there.edge retention ,lock strength,quality of build are all top priority for me.I am looking for a knife I can/will bet my life on.as of now I am considering the Strider smf or a Medford tff 1.I realise there are a lot of lower tier knives there that "will do the job" but I'm looking for something that will exceed performance expectations.any input is greatly appreciated
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you seem to be buying into the hype just nicely... those "higher end" knives will often actually be out performed by the lower end stuff, not that the high end knives are bad.

you can find popular benchmade, Kershaw, and spyderco models which equal or exceed the performance of these hyped knives for a fraction of the cost. the only reason to go for them is if you really like the design, which is valid. it just gets a little ridiculous when the hype leads people to believe the cheaper production models with the same materials are somehow inferior.

pick by what fits in your hand, your pocket and your budget, while offering the materials and specs you want. don't get caught up on name brand, as that really only improves forum cred. as long as you are comparing it to quality manufacturers at least.
 
You should look at three sisters forge or greyman knives. They make large, tough, well made foldrs
 
The benchmade adamas 275 is a strong folder with a d2 steel, comfortable g10 handles, and a beefed up axis lock. it is also well balanced. i have had mine for 6 months now and have never had a problem with the knife yet.
 
Production folder: Benchmade Adamas 275.
Custom folder: Demko AD-10

For the money It is hard to leat the Adamas. Thick .16" D2 blade. Beefed up Axis Lock. Thick Steel liners. The thing is a tank.

The Demko AD-10 would be the first knife I bought if I ever decide to spend $500+ on a knife. Problem is, I would be hesitant to use a $500 on much of anything and the Demko just begs to be used. .19 - .20" thick blade with a choice of several great steels. .05 - .1" titanium liners, tri-ad lock. Its a beast.
 
I highly encourage you to look at Cold Steel's Recon 1 series. They're tough as nails and proven by many people to be top of the line when you're looking strictly at performance. They come in all sizes and blade shapes so there's definitely something for you. My Recon 1 is my favorite folder (and I own much more expensive knives).

2j3iaeh.jpg


They come super sharp out of the box. Edge retention isn't what you'll see on a Sebenza or something, but the AUS8A steel is very easy to sharpen, and as Cold Steel heat treats it, it's very strong and tough. Damn near perfect fit & finish and superb ergonomics, with a very grippy handle. Did I mention the Tri-Ad lock, the strongest folding knife lock on the market? All this with a very lightweight knife that also won't break the bank!

The Recon 1 is the quintessential tactical folder. Here is a screenshot from my phone of the whole series. Image from Cold Steel's 2013 catalog.

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Here is a very abusive test of the Recon 1 Mini, which is on the top right of the above image. There are many abusive tests like this one on the Recon 1 series. It's one of the most proven tactical folders.

[video=youtube;ZiHLRkCKoSw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiHLRkCKoSw[/video]
 
Last edited:
the1911ninja said:
The benchmade adamas 275 is a strong folder with a d2 steel, comfortable g10 handles, and a beefed up axis lock. it is also well balanced. i have had mine for 6 months now and have never had a problem with the knife yet.
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I second this. It's hard to beat the 275 for toughness.

Also the Cold Steels are hard to beat for the money.
 
people always argue "timex is just as good as rolex if not better" .I'm no expert but when it comes to a piece of kit skimping on quality is almost always a mistake.I'm not really worried about "forum cred" I am looking for honest opinions on a piece if gear I plan on taking into harms way.I have carried every brand of production knife imaginable (because that's all I could afford)and one way or the other they all failed.I guess I should have been more specfic when I used the term "hard use".what I should have said is I need a folding knife that can withstand the rigors of combat environments and extreme climates.in my experience the majority of 150 dollar knives don't fufill that need.I do appreciate you taking the time to reply though.thanks
 
william lee said:
people always argue "timex is just as good as rolex if not better" .I'm no expert but when it comes to a piece of kit skimping on quality is almost always a mistake.I'm not really worried about "forum cred" I am looking for honest opinions on a piece if gear I plan on taking into harms way.I have carried every brand of production knife imaginable (because that's all I could afford)and one way or the other they all failed.I guess I should have been more specfic when I used the term "hard use".what I should have said is I need a folding knife that can withstand the rigors of combat environments and extreme climates.in my experience the majority of 150 dollar knives don't fufill that need.I do appreciate you taking the time to reply though.thanks
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What have you had that you liked the most?
 
william lee said:
people always argue "timex is just as good as rolex if not better" .I'm no expert but when it comes to a piece of kit skimping on quality is almost always a mistake.I'm not really worried about "forum cred" I am looking for honest opinions on a piece if gear I plan on taking into harms way.I have carried every brand of production knife imaginable (because that's all I could afford)and one way or the other they all failed.I guess I should have been more specfic when I used the term "hard use".what I should have said is I need a folding knife that can withstand the rigors of combat environments and extreme climates.in my experience the majority of 150 dollar knives don't fufill that need.I do appreciate you taking the time to reply though.thanks
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You are only going to get so much out of a folder. Here is a spreadsheet on some harduse testing for folders. It also has links to all the video's. It is some of the best testing I have seen on folders. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgfctrIRsI1_dERmZ1JQYXhZTUswaEd6ZlZkOUdTe mc#gid=0
I can only give you my experience and opinions from research I have done on this subject. I still stick with the Benchmade Adamas being one of the toughest folders on the market. I have no experience with the Demko but from some tests I have seen, the reputation of the tri-ad lock and the blade steels available it is going to be tough to beat. So you can either spend $120-$130 on an Adamas and get one hell of a knife that is built like a tank and has a buttery smooth axis lock or spent $500-$600 on a Demko and get a knife that is probably a little bit better.
[video=youtube;6ZwwLWQk664]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZwwLWQk664[/video]
[video=youtube;AGlH4WFlTFI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGlH4WFlTFI[/video]
 
Depends if you're looking for rugged and accurate along with not breaking the bank, plenty of watches out there that are cheaper and keep time better than a Rolex.

If its going to be at a point where unbreakable outweighs all else, get a sharpened prybar.
 
What will you be doing? That's the most important question to ask. If you'll be using your knife to just cut then a box razor will do the job, but if you want to pry and stuff then get a pry bar. What has your past experience told you since you've carried every brand? What part of those production knives failed? Which production knives did you use specifically?
 
william lee said:
people always argue "timex is just as good as rolex if not better" .I'm no expert but when it comes to a piece of kit skimping on quality is almost always a mistake.I'm not really worried about "forum cred" I am looking for honest opinions on a piece if gear I plan on taking into harms way.I have carried every brand of production knife imaginable (because that's all I could afford)and one way or the other they all failed.I guess I should have been more specfic when I used the term "hard use".what I should have said is I need a folding knife that can withstand the rigors of combat environments and extreme climates.in my experience the majority of 150 dollar knives don't fufill that need.I do appreciate you taking the time to reply though.thanks
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Looks to me like what you're looking for is a small fixed blade rather than a folder. There are some super strong folders out there, like the Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock folders and the BM Adamas, but no folding knife will ever be as strong as a fixed blade.

If you want the next best thing and are really reluctant to use a fixed blade for some reason, I'll have to irritate you a bitand rrecommend something that happens to be really, really inexpensive - the Cold Steel Pocket Bushman. It uses the unique Ram Safe lock, which really is the next best thing. The locking mechanism is basically a huge steel bar and a super strong spring. The handle is all steel construction and the blade is reasonably thick FFG 1.4116 steel made by ThyssenKrupp in Germany.

143ds42.jpg


No, it doesn't open quick or smoothly, but that's the price you pay if you want the next best thing to a fixed blade.
 
I say it every time and will say it again. I do not think there is a tougher folder than the ZT 030X. If I have to bank my life on a folder it will be my 0301 every time!
 
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