Hard Use Spyderco Folders

I just picked up a Barong off the exchange, but I don't think it is a hard use knife. Hairlesstwinkee, thanks for the comments on the Southard VS XM 18.

Does anyone have a Southard and XM 18 to post sisde by side photos?
 
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Paramilitary 2 has passed the test for me, but my criteria may be very different from yours. There is an article in Blade Magazine about Hard Use Folders. One of them was a Spyderco but I haven't seen this issue. No one sent me a copy. With some smart behavior on your part, a Paramilitary will fill in most of what a machete or axe won't do. I'm a fan, especially of the orange handled one. I occasionally set my knife down on green or loan it to someone who will. Orange is easier for my weak eyes to spot in the woods.
 
DWood said:
I can't be the only one who sees the similarities between the Southard and XM 18.
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There's only so much you can do to titanium frame locks. The human hand is shaped in one way so to maximize ergo you don't have many handle shapes. Blade shapes are obviously very different.
 
I never thought they were similar or even in close to the same in design until that picture. I saw one friday in a case and looked right over itm looks nothing like a hinderer. Why not look for a brand that has something designed specifically for hard use?
 
The original sabre grind Endura get my vote. I've beat the crap out of one of mine.
 
In my experience, the Para Military 2, Gayle Bradley, and Manix 2 XL are all more than capable of hard work, so I can recommend and vouch for all of them.
 
A lot of knives will put up with hard work and need nothing more than a sharpening and a tightening of the pivot. When I think hard use I think of abuse. A knife not built to be abused but built to withstand a certain amount of abuse in an emergency or something. Any knife can cut a lot of material because thats whatit was made to do. Chopping and batoning are considered abuse to me for a folder but a pm2 or military will do this as well as many other knives. Prying a door open is also abuse but I wouldnt begin to do that with either of those knives. Id prefer a zt or hinderer or something similar. Not saying it will do the job without being damaged or even do the job at all, but its much more capable than most folders. Im not familiar enough with spyderco to know if they make anything like this.
 
DWood said:
What are the "hard use" Spyderco folders?
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There aren't any "hard use" folders . . . at least not in my reality. Then again, my definition of "hard use" may not be the same as yours. My definition covers any eventuality I might have to expose my knife to and is predicated on not having a backup or any other tool to replace it. In a SHTF situation, I'd trust my life more to a $140.00 RatManDu than to any folder made by anyone on planet Earth. YMMV.
 
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Jim malone said:
I don't even consider the Gayle Bradley as hard use. Never understood why some would mention them. Maybe because it's M4 steel?
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[video=youtube;Qk0IxU-fuW4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk0IxU-fuW4[/video]

Because Mr. Bradley himself says so? ;)
 
kniferbro said:
Because Mr. Bradley himself says so? ;)
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One can only wonder if Mr. Bradley were left alone to survive for 60 days on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific and he could take only one knife with him, whether he'd take a folder or a fixed-blade. ;)
 
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This thread is not about folders VS fixed blades. You made your point that you don't consider a folder as a knife for hard use. OK.
 
Fair enough. Just keep in mind that if others are permitted to defend their positions, I'm permitted to defend mine. As long as our posts don't become personal, we'll be just fine. :)
 
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