Help choose folder.

K

Klabbarparn

Joined
Apr 20, 2015
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16
Sweden calling.
Please, no remarks on my English...

Been looking for the perfect slim 4" folder strong enough to handle some firewood splining (?). No batoning or other crazy handling, just making thin sticks for starting fire in the sauna, fireplace or so. For that I need a strait spine that allows me to push the blade with left hand. A Fällkniven F1 Folder would be my choice, the problem is it doesnt exist. I even recommended them to make one but they didnt think it would hold for the purpose.

The Benchmade North Fork looks close to my needs but looks far to heavy to always carry around. The Dozier from Ka-Bar looks ok but has questionable steel and plastic handle.


A G10, micarta or wooden handle with medium or premium steel with a strait or drop point blade with flat spine is what I´m looking for. Don´t like military stuff or black blades. I always polish my blades so blood and food don´t get grip. If I cant shave with my knife I sharpen it. S30V or Elmax sounds like good steel for the job.

Help me find a good choise please.

Have a good day.
 
That North Fork is only 3 ounces,, but not the 4" blade your looking for.
I think you might have a hard time finding something that is 4" blade length, lightweight, and sturdy...
Good luck!

Closest thing I could think of is a Spyderco Military,, or a Southern Grind Bad Monkey,,, but both are heavier than that BM
 
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As rcb2000 noted, the BM North Fork weighs only 3.41oz / 97grams. If that's "far too heavy" then you are going to have trouble finding a 4" that's tough enough to process firewood.

I was going to recommend the Spyderco Endura at 3.75" in VG10 but it's 3.63oz / 103grams.

Ummmm ... why not a fixed blade like the Morakniv?

A Mora Craftline with a 4" robust stainless steel blade at 2.93oz / 83grams is better suited to processing firewood than any lightweight folder.
 
Cold Steel American Lawman is only 3.5" and just under 4oz., but the cts-xhp steel coupled with the triad lock will serve your purposes well...
(The Recon1 gives you 4" but also weighs over 5oz.)

Boker+ titan gives you 3.75" of 440c with a lockback, but weighs in right about 4oz.

Benchmade McWilliams and Henry is almost 4" of d2 steel (almost "stainless", but tough) with the axis lock, but also, like the spyderco military weighs in well over 4oz. at 4.5oz. and is black g10

In my opinion you'll have a hard time finding something better to suit ALL your requirements... You want 4" but strong enough to handle your requirements, which means more steel weight not just in the blade itself, but additional weight in the handle to accommodate said blade... You also want a strong reliable lock fir said harder use, not just a liner lock, so it seems ≈4-5oz. Give or take Is about as good as you'll get.

If weight is a top concern, then maybe the opinel no.10? No premium steel, but straight as spine you'll get, pretty reliable lock from what I've read, wood handle, and under 3oz.?
 
Spyderco Military for bang for the buck pure excellence or any Shirogorov for lotsa monies would be my recommendations.
 
I would say go with a Morakniv Bushcraft Black. It's not a folder but it has a really sharp, straight spine.

Or if you really want a folder, I'd look at the cold steel bushman, or recon 1 drop point.
 
im not gonna make a recomendation as i have no experience with it, but check out the sog slimjim xl read reviews it may be the knife you want.
 
I have the right knives for the job, but they don´t really fit my pocket...

https://www.instagram.com/p/yzPqD9OnTv/?taken-by=klintberg
The fat Karesuando Lapp knife is great for everything from slice smoked meat to making playing cards of birch. Get one if you ever get your hands on one.

https://www.instagram.com/p/67s4t4OnbU/?taken-by=klintberg
This one looks better than it works. I really have´nt found any real use for it. The Karesuando does everything better (exept for punktering the artery of deers... :-( )
 
The Benchmade 710 was my first thought after reading your post. The Spyderco Military is another good option. Don t let the name put you off. Also the Cold Steel Code 4 is a light strong knife, with fine steel.
 
I prefer the Opinel #9 Inox for what you describe.
Opinel #9 Inox Drop Point & Micra by Pinnah, on Flickr

The Opinel's convex grind works wood very well. The smaller and more common #8 has a very thin blade. Too thin and flexible for good wood working for my taste. The #9's blade is just stout enough to maintain decent edge control while making feathersticks.

The larger #10 is even more robust and actually works wood even better and is the closest thing I've found to a folding fixed blade in terms of wood shaving making. But, it's a bit big for pocket carry.

I generally reshape the handles with a sanding block to make the sides flatter for better pocket carry and better edge control. I often file the tip down from clip point to more of a drop point, for a more durable tip too.

Another thing to note.... I find hard cutting in wood can stress a knife's lock and the Opinel's lock stands up to this hard cutting force better than any other I've used. Do not trust the lock to resist hard closing force. But it is very, very durable for the type of cutting you describe.
 
Consider the Dokka or Skala models by Helle Knives.

Either one should be perfect for your needs.
 
I am allready in a relationship with an old no8. As you say, good for salami and cheese or maby even a shave? Sharp as F but thin as a leaf. Love it!
I´ll definetly take a look at the #9. Never even thought about it!
Rust hasnt bothered me ever, I like to take care of my steel and wood. First thing will be to sand of the slippery laqure layer and pore fill it with some 600 paper and oil. Then sharpen and strop it of course.
 
If you can tolerate the work needed to keep the joint happy, you may be a good candidate for the larger Opinels.

I find that the 10 is similar to the Mora Companion in many ways. The blade is thick enough to not hop when making curls as the 8 does but it's not so thick as to useless in the kitchen. The 9 is between the 2 and a better pocket knife than the 10 but it can skip when working really super hard wood.

I always file the 10s tip to a drop point and one of the benefits of this is that it allows me to shorten the handle considerably, as the tip is deeper in the well. This plus flattening the side makes the 10 tolerable for pocket carry.

It's worth noting that Opinel hardens their 12C27 stainless to 58 Rc and their carbon to only 56. This allows for a smaller edge angle before the edge will roll. I like the carbon for shop use and the stainless for wood working.

Good luck!!
 
"
It's worth noting that Opinel hardens their 12C27 stainless to 58 Rc and their carbon to only 56. This allows for a smaller edge angle before the edge will roll. I like the carbon for shop use and the stainless for wood working. "

12c27 is a good Swedish Sandvik steel, did´nt know the Frenchies used that.
I think I might have found my pocket companion though. Nothings are perfekt but it has one hand opening, ok steel, looks ok and the price is just fine. Wouldnt cry if forgot it somewere and thats a good philosopy for me.
 
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