Help me find my “for life” $300-500 “overbuilt” folder

maximus83 said:
You chose wisely. Now to help you spend even more of your hard earned $$, you should browse over to theknifeconnection.com, check out the custom handles, sheaths, pouches, and all the other nifty add-on items for your ESEE. :)

Enjoy!
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No thanks. I am now broke!
 
Valyrian steel said:
Nope. too heavy
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Then that begs the question. Why did you have it with you when you were hunting?
Or was cleaning the white tail done after returning to camp / home / car?

I agree about the too heavy aspect. I carry a fixed blade when hunting, because it is lighter, and also easier to clean afterwards.
 
Dan of Bazz Clazz said:
Then that begs the question. Why did you have it with you when you were hunting?
Or was cleaning the white tail done after returning to camp / home / car?

I agree about the too heavy aspect. I carry a fixed blade when hunting, because it is lighter, and also easier to clean afterwards.
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It's absolutely nothing personal, but we kinda have to be serious here. A Buck 110 is about the farthest thing from a hard-use, lifetime folder. I mean, less than optimal steel, it weighs like seventeen lbs., no pocket clip so you're forced to use a belt-pouch (not great for folks in an office environment), that weak little "pivot pin" of what, is it? Peened brass? No thanks.

I have three or four Buck 110s. They are all pristine, because I have never carried them. Just so many better knives out there, sorry. My opinion.
 
Quiet said:
It's absolutely nothing personal, but we kinda have to be serious here. A Buck 110 is about the farthest thing from a hard-use, lifetime folder. I mean, less than optimal steel, it weighs like seventeen lbs., no pocket clip so you're forced to use a belt-pouch (not great for folks in an office environment), that weak little "pivot pin" of what, is it? Peened brass? No thanks.

I have three or four Buck 110s. They are all pristine, because I have never carried them. Just so many better knives out there, sorry. My opinion.
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Not offended in any way. We are in agreement on several factors.
There were 2 main points I was trying to make. First is that the 110 has already been around for a "lifetime" and continues to sell. I may be wrong, but I don't believe ANY of the other knives mentioned in this thread can make the claim of being around for 50+ years, fundamentally unchanged. They do take a beating, and will certainly last the owner's lifetime, since they have already proven that. It's size is comparable or smaller than several of the knives mentioned previously. A pocket clip has little to do in the way of its lifespan or durability. As for the steel, as has been so often pointed out before, it's all in the heat treat.

The second I didn't weigh in on nearly so much, primarily because some would have taken offense, something I absolutely was not trying to do. But I will elucidate further now, PROVIDED, everyone understand that I am not bad mouthing anyone, their knives, opinions, or rational. That being said, if we all would take a moment to be honest with ourselves, and I include myself in this as well, an awful lot of knives are marketed and bought due simply for the buyer's ego gratification.

Some want to be the hip early adopter, being the first kid on the block to have the latest / greatest toy.
Some want to be with the "in crowd" owning "the best" to be included in the group. Hey we all have favorite brands we dig. But for some, it is a way to join the gang.
Some want to flaunt wealth, be it actual or illusion, by showing how much they spent on something, or only buying the ultra pricey products.
Some want to demonstrate how knowledgeable they are, be it on a brand, style, material, origin, what ever. We elevate ourselves because we know and demand the "fine points" that only the true believers know about.

We all do it in varying degrees, in one way or another. It is one of our basic characteristics of being human. But let's at least be honest about it. Like one of the earlier posters said - and my apologies for not giving them the proper citation credit here - "any well made knife will last a lifetime if used properly and taken care of".
 
Buck 110 is a nice looking knife , but everytime a hard use folder is asked about somebody will start in about how tough it is. It's weakness is it's pivot because there's simply no threads and it's tiny, like a slip joint. There's a reason folders today have massive pivots with threads. If you can't see the advantage then go ahead and crow about the old Buck 110 being right up there with the modern stuff.
 
These were around even longer than the Buck 110 and served the purpose, but there's been advancements in tough folders since both the Buck 110 and the flint knife.

Flint_knife%2C_Egypt%2C_1000-401_BCE_Wellcome_L0058416.jpg
 
I don't think I know what a hard use knife is after reading this thread. I have been hands on in construction for over 40 years and carried at least one knife for daily use the whole time doing all kinds of things needed on commercial as well as residential sites. For over 50 years I have been hunting, hiking, camping, fishing and all that entails when you "rough camp". Many years ago I had just a couple of knives to my name that I carried, so the recreation knife was also the work knife. Now it is usually that way by choice as I rotate around the herd to pick the one I want to carry.

My oldest folder is a CASE large copperlock. Bought it in '76, and it is still going strong even after carrying it exclusively for about 20-25 years and using it as described above. It started out a beautiful burgundy red, but sweat and dirt from filthy hands doing filthy work (and being cleaned with charcoal lighter fluid as needed) has turned the scales dark brown. The CASE shield is worn mostly smooth, and the rivets holding the scales have lost some of their heads. The pivot is worn enough that you can see the outline on the bolsters. The springs are certainly weaker than when new, but stronger than one of the Queen knives I bought a couple of years ago. Still snaps shut. I still carry it on occasion. So what kind of "hard use" is there to be considered? l have camped, hunted, fished, and used this knife at work for decades with no problems.

Back to the notes above about a good knife being properly used and properly taken care of lasting at least one lifetime.

Still working in the trades, I carry heavier, larger knives now (but still keep a small jack or pen in the pocket as well) as I have moved into a trade segment where I need something a little more matched to the job. Still, I doubt that my needs are nearly as severe as many here.

Allowing for an occasional lemon, occasional bad heat treat, occasional bad assembly, etc., has anyone here actually broken a knife when using it as a knife? Not talking about cutting bolts, prying open crates, opening metal paint cans, chopping down small trees, etc., or the stuff the guys photo themselves doing a the city park to get their knives dirty. We all know about the YouTube vids that gleefully show failures of all sorts (not just knives) but I am depending on the integrity of this group. Who has had a knife fail (other than being worn out over a long period of time) when using it for knife tasks?

Not all of us will be cutting our way out of downed aircraft, not too many of us use a frickin' folder to "process wood" while playing survivor, no doubt few will find themselves stranded on an island with no other hardware than pocket knife (how did that survive?) and need to put together shelters, canoes, etc.

I think SharpieB made a couple of excellent choices, personally. Doubtful he will have anything but many years of doing whatever he wants with that combo. But I am wondering about the definition of "hard use" for some here. It is obviously something I don't understand. Anyone?

Robert
 
DocJD said:
:eek: Wait...uh, somebody will pay for those "little swimmers " ? Now you tell me ! SOOO much money gone down the drain .:p
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You ole dirty turd, wasting all that good money. Oh hell, they probably wouldn't give you much anyway! Lol
 
midnight flyer said:
I don't think I know what a hard use knife is after reading this thread. ...
I think SharpieB made a couple of excellent choices, personally. Doubtful he will have anything but many years of doing whatever he wants with that combo. But I am wondering about the definition of "hard use" for some here. It is obviously something I don't understand. Anyone?
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Good post, but careful, you might get voted off "fantasy island" (ducking for cover).
I think knives and steels are much improved over what they were 30+ years ago (or 50 yrs ago when I left my first boy scout folder on the picnic table one winter and it turned into a hunk of rust :( My bad. And all of us knife knuts here appreciate good tools. And for many, the tool capabilities far exceed what modern life demands of them (unless we are in construction), so we use them when we are playing. All good, though. Some people spend a lot of money on guns they don't need, or boats, or golf clubs that don't help them play golf any better. But it is all good if you are not using your kid's food money :)

edited to add: I do use my folders for chores around the property, repairing fences and dog kennels, and a folder is often easier to drop into a chore coat pocket rather than carry a fixed blade (although I have plenty of both). And if I want to lean on a cut, I appreciate the solid feeling of a sturdy knife. But lots of good knives will handle anything I do.
 
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midnight flyer said:
I don't think I know what a hard use knife is after reading this thread. I have been hands on in construction for over 40 years and carried at least one knife for daily use the whole time doing all kinds of things needed on commercial as well as residential sites. For over 50 years I have been hunting, hiking, camping, fishing and all that entails when you "rough camp". Many years ago I had just a couple of knives to my name that I carried, so the recreation knife was also the work knife. Now it is usually that way by choice as I rotate around the herd to pick the one I want to carry.

My oldest folder is a CASE large copperlock. Bought it in '76, and it is still going strong even after carrying it exclusively for about 20-25 years and using it as described above. It started out a beautiful burgundy red, but sweat and dirt from filthy hands doing filthy work (and being cleaned with charcoal lighter fluid as needed) has turned the scales dark brown. The CASE shield is worn mostly smooth, and the rivets holding the scales have lost some of their heads. The pivot is worn enough that you can see the outline on the bolsters. The springs are certainly weaker than when new, but stronger than one of the Queen knives I bought a couple of years ago. Still snaps shut. I still carry it on occasion. So what kind of "hard use" is there to be considered? l have camped, hunted, fished, and used this knife at work for decades with no problems.

Back to the notes above about a good knife being properly used and properly taken care of lasting at least one lifetime.

Still working in the trades, I carry heavier, larger knives now (but still keep a small jack or pen in the pocket as well) as I have moved into a trade segment where I need something a little more matched to the job. Still, I doubt that my needs are nearly as severe as many here.

Allowing for an occasional lemon, occasional bad heat treat, occasional bad assembly, etc., has anyone here actually broken a knife when using it as a knife? Not talking about cutting bolts, prying open crates, opening metal paint cans, chopping down small trees, etc., or the stuff the guys photo themselves doing a the city park to get their knives dirty. We all know about the YouTube vids that gleefully show failures of all sorts (not just knives) but I am depending on the integrity of this group. Who has had a knife fail (other than being worn out over a long period of time) when using it for knife tasks?

Not all of us will be cutting our way out of downed aircraft, not too many of us use a frickin' folder to "process wood" while playing survivor, no doubt few will find themselves stranded on an island with no other hardware than pocket knife (how did that survive?) and need to put together shelters, canoes, etc.

I think SharpieB made a couple of excellent choices, personally. Doubtful he will have anything but many years of doing whatever he wants with that combo. But I am wondering about the definition of "hard use" for some here. It is obviously something I don't understand. Anyone?

Robert
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https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/how-overbuilt-is-too-overbuilt.1548077/page-3#post-17783047

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/how-overbuilt-is-too-overbuilt.1548077/page-2#post-17782674
 
midnight flyer said:
Not talking about cutting bolts, prying open crates, opening metal paint cans, chopping down small trees, etc., or the stuff the guys photo themselves doing a the city park to get their knives dirty.

Robert
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Pretty sure if I chopped down any of the trees at any of the city parks, the cops would show up...most likely SWAT, since SWAT always shows up for everything in this city.
Somehow, I doubt they'd be impressed by my "hard use" at the park. ;)
 
As for examples of "real life hard use", as a necessity, I don't have a lot.

I have this though...
Was going for a hike. Didn't bring any fixed blades, saws or axes, because there would be no fires or "processing wood."
On my hike though, I saw a perfect Hawthorne tree; perfectly straight for enough of it's length to make a perfect walking stick. I used the Rajah 2 that I had with me.

Now sure, it's only a $100 knife, not $500.
And I guess I could have gone home, got a saw, came all the way back, try and find it again, etc.
And I would not have died if I did not get that walking stick.

It sure has made walking a lot easier many times since though, when my back is feeling like crap. :thumbsup:

So no, I didn't kill 1000 ISIS fighters, or pry open a burning van full of nuns, or survive 3 months in the Amazon with only a knife to keep me alive.
But the knife made things easier that day. :)

I also used the Medford Praetorian at the lab to pry something or other...I forget what now.
It wasn't a matter of life or death either, but it saved time not having to look for something to use instead of it.
 
Higgs Particle steel said:
Crap! Didnt get here in time to persuade the OP to buy a Medford Praetorian, this was his one chance and you guys recommend Buck, Cold Steel, and Spydeco?

If I made this thread people would recommend all kinds of expensive crap but this guy gets reasonable advice and makes reasonable purchases!?!? Props to the Hinderer and Chris Reeve people! lol

Now I question everything.
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Exactly!

I wanted to buy a Medford, Hinderer or CRK and ended up with a reasonable $150 ESEE 6 and a $120 Cold Steel. The enablers here weren’t very enabling. ;)
 
If you want the knife to literally last decades I would go with a 4max or a Demco custom. I have plenty of knives in different lock configurations and brand names. The Tri-ad will last forever and up to horrible treatment. The steel is great and blade shape is excellent as well. Hope this helps you out my friend.
 
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