"Hard Use Knife" -Again

[Toyz]

How about a Boker Cop Tool in 440C?

Under $50, 3/16" thick, just over 6" long, G10 scales, and it comes with a leather case.

You can pry all day with this thing.

 

[Shorttime]

The coffeemaker is a definate for me.

Thanks, Marcinek. I should have been clearer from the outset: is it possible to generate a concensus opinion of maybe three to five knives to recommend to somebody? Especially somebody who is relatively unfamiliar with knives. Or maybe there should just be a banner at the top of the site that says: expect the unexpected.

 

[marcinek]

The coffeemaker is a definate for me.

Thanks, Marcinek. I should have been clearer from the outset: is it possible to generate a concensus opinion of maybe three to five knives to recommend to somebody? .....

Yes. If only three to five members reply to your question.

 

[allyourblood]

I'm pretty sure that almost no knife will meet your initial requirements with any consistency, but I'll pick the Cold Steel medium tanto Voyager. Inexpensive, stainless blade, good build and stout edge for teensy baton'ing.

 

[Presumed_Lost]

Oh yeah, and my job absolutely prohibits fixed blades of any length on the property, and folders only if they are under 3" blade length.

These also seem to be concensus for a lot of LE across the country: if it's a 3" folder, you walk. If it's fixed blade, or +3" blade length, you get to make an extra contribution to the police budget for that year, and maybe a ride in a cruiser if the officer is having a really bad day.

I'm in your camp on this one, Shorttime. You ask for recommendations within certain specs, and 8 out of 10 of the responses are patiently telling you that you don't want that, or shouldn't.

I've tried in thread after thread to explain that:

1. I live in the 'burbs. I don't carry for expected needs, because they are few and trivial. I carry for unexpected needs. When the unexpected happens I won't be able to go home and get stuff, so we're talking EDC, and we are not talking diverse specialized equipment.

2. In the entire state where I live fixed blade knives are treated very much as you describe, sometimes even tiny neck knives trigger a reaction. The legal situation is (explicitly) MUCH more lenient about folders. Somewhere else I might well carry a fixed blade, one way or another. Not a good idea here.

Hence, my EDC interest is mostly about sturdy folders. Mostly I get told, over and over again, that if I want "sturdy" I don't want a folder. Gee, thanks.

Fortunately for me but unfortunately for you, the legal situation here explicitly does NOT limit folders by blade length, so I haven't really looked into really sturdy sub-3" folders. There must be more than a couple, though. Of what I own, I might go with the Ritter mini-Griptilian ("Rittergrip", "Ritilian") probably upgraded with Wilkins scales, but it wouldn't surprise me if there are sturdier choices.

I've never held one, so I may be way off base, but how about the CS mini-AK? Same lock as the others, and looks to have a rather long handle in comparison to the blade, which seems like a good idea with a folder that small... at least be able to put a lot of pressure on what blade there is.

 

[umberto00]

Get an Swiss Army knife Alox Farmer. Nice, easy to sharpen blade. You can pry with the screwdriver. Instead of batoning, use the saw. And Law Enforcement types won't view it as a weapon.

 

[marcinek]

I'm in your camp on this one, Shorttime. You ask for recommendations within certain specs, and 8 out of 10 of the responses are patiently telling you that you don't want that, or shouldn't.

I've tried in thread after thread ...

... Mostly I get told, over and over again, that if I want "sturdy" I don't want a folder. Gee, thanks.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -
Albert Einstein

 

[umberto00]

I wouldn't recommend the CS Voyager series. I had a lock fail on mine (but this was an older model, bought it around 2000). Maybe the locks have improved?

 

[allyourblood]

I wouldn't recommend the CS Voyager series. I had a lock fail on mine (but this was an older model, bought it around 2000). Maybe the locks have improved?

i haven't heard any widespread reports of this here or anywhere else. By and large, it appears that the Voyagers are quite stout and shouldn't warrant concern. It's very likely you ended up with a lemon. It's rare, but with almost all knives, it happens.

 

[umberto00]

It's a great knife (I keep it next to my front door for SD purposes). The lock failed when I was using it as a prybar! HA! Learned my lesson! Now, whenever I use a knife, I don't take the lock holding for granted, and cut very CAREFULLY...

 

[marcinek]

i haven't heard any widespread reports of this here or anywhere else. By and large, it appears that the Voyagers are quite stout and shouldn't warrant concern. It's very likely you ended up with a lemon. It's rare, but with almost all knives, it happens.

Not with fixed blades. Their locks never fail.

 

[OrdnanceBubbaUSMC]

It's a great knife (I keep it next to my front door for SD purposes). The lock failed when I was using it as a prybar! HA! Learned my lesson! Now, whenever I use a knife, I don't take the lock holding for granted, and cut very CAREFULLY...

The new Voyagers are very different from the older ones, much more solid with a better lock. I used an old 4" Tanto Voyager to pry a ton of times though - how were you applying force on the knife when you were trying to pry with it?

 

[Presumed_Lost]

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -
Albert Einstein

Not listening to facts doesn't make them go away.

 

[marcinek]

Not listening to facts doesn't make them go away.

Precisely. Folding knives fold.

 

[Presumed_Lost]

Precisely. Folding knives fold.

Sometimes.

But there is a MUCH greater chance that a good folder will not fold when I don't want it to than there is that the smiling gentleman with the badge and gun will understand why I need to carry a fixed blade.

Repeatedly insisting on an option that is not available is not helpful.

 

[marcinek]

Repeatedly insisting on an option that is not available is not helpful.

The nonfolding folding knife option is not available.

 

[iammark]

Sounds like this is what you need! :S


http://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=z8aqTqTsCOm2sQL-lN34Dg&ved=0CJkBEPMCMAg

 

[Bill1170]

Ah. So if somebody logs onto this forum and starts a thread wanting to know what "hard use" or "heavy use" or "heavy duty" folding knife they should get, the forum community should recommend they actually get

1) A folding knife for light cutting
2) A prybar for prying
3) A small hatchet so they don't have to abuse their knife
4) A fixed blade for heavier cutting
5) And maybe a coffeemaker, ya know, just in case?

I will definately give the Cold Steel Mini Lawman a look, thank you.

Only #'s 1 and 2 are needed in your pockets. #4 can stay in your car. #'s 3 and 5 can stay at home. Enjoy the mini Lawman if you get it.

 

[Picksmith]

Cold Steel mini AK-47. Then you can hammer on the pommel end for some seriously ludicrous abuse. I have a buddy on deployment on his second big version because he uses a knife for chores like prying rotors off a humvee. You should see that poor thing. Split handle scales from hammer impact, pocket snagger snapped, missing pieces of the edge, pommel swinging loose from missing screws, and if the clip didn't finally pop loose opening stuff he might have eventually finished it off.

 

[Presumed_Lost]

Cold Steel mini AK-47. Then you can hammer on the pommel end for some seriously ludicrous abuse.

I'm tempted to get one just to play with, check out the new lock, and maybe to carry when I go into the city where there is a 3" legal limit even for folders.

Might have to strip that blade coating off, though.