How Long do Folders Last?

J

johnnycakes8787

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I was wondering how long a quality folder will last if i use it a lot but take good care of it. i ordered the D'allara and was wondering how long it might last for since im kind of new to knives.
 
depends on how you use it. and how much you sharpen it. Use it as a hammer(I know people who do this) and it won`t last long. A good quality folder, used as intended, and taken care of, should last for years.
 
Though I use with care... I am somewhat care free, and have lost a few expensive knives and other tools... the way I cope is I consider a knife, or carbon fiber Whitewater paddle or whatever - as LOST - the day it goes into "real" use... that is, used often, if not EDC'd. That way, I start it on it's "second life" and get all that time up to loss/destruction in a mystical, second life type manner!

Otherwise, My grandpa carried a few Case knives for years and years and years, and they lasted forever... and let me tell you... he used those things for EVERYTHING! He sharpened them all the time... he used them as a screwdriver, when his fingernails couldn't hold up (and that was not tooo often), and they were NEVER dull. I would watch him trim his VERY THICK fingernails like butter... Even though he used the crap outta them, he was always very careful and deliberate...from a generation who appreciated. every. single. thing.

The old saying always stands true. "Take care of your knife, and it will take care of you."
 
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This has more to do with the owned than the Knife.



Just ask So Lo about Buck 110's. :D LOL
 
At least 62 years.

And if I my Grand-Dad was around, he could probably quote you a bigger number.
 
That's actually one of the only things I like about the liner lock on my Spyderco Military, it just might wear out in my lifetime (as opposed to more solid locks that I will never get to see the end of).
 
My dad was given a new Case peanut in 1937, carried it every day of his life and used the heck out of it, till he passed away in 1981. The main blade was worn down pretty slim, so it got sent back to Case and had the blade replaced, and a cracked bone handle scale replaced. It still sees carrying by me. It's a very good knife. 71 years and still going. I'm leaving it to my grandson.
 
Folders will wear out. Every time you sharpened it on a whetstone a little of the knife is used up. I think a sharpener like the Spyderco Sharpmaker prolongs the life of a knife by allowing you to sharpen it but removing very little steel. Also, a quality folder will last a long long time if properly cared for. I have a Case Barehead Trapper from my maternal Grandfather and an Imperial heavy duty Stockman from my paternal Grandfather. Both knives show use but are still in excellent shape and will provide many years of use still.

RKH
 
I`ve had a small Old Crafty stockman for 50 years (the main blade is pretty worn from many sharpenings) and an Eye Brand (Carl Schleiper) Sodbuster (carbon steel) that`s still going strong after 39 years. I tend to take care of my tools....
 
I've got a SAK Champion that is about 30 years old, and a USA-made Gerber LST that is 20. They both have been used a lot, with only a bit of abuse (ie: being stupid with them). The LST in particular was my EDC for about 15 years, a time that included a lot of manual work that saw it used daily for cutting packaging, boxes and strapping and such. If you use a folder's edge to do what it's designed to and take care of the knife overall, it'll last a hell of a long time.

Matt
 
Lawlor69 said:
I've got a SAK Champion that is about 30 years old, and a USA-made Gerber LST that is 20. They both have been used a lot, with only a bit of abuse (ie: being stupid with them). The LST in particular was my EDC for about 15 years, a time that included a lot of manual work that saw it used daily for cutting packaging, boxes and strapping and such. If you use a folder's edge to do what it's designed to and take care of the knife overall, it'll last a hell of a long time.

Matt
Click to expand...

cool thanks
 
I honestly don't think anyone who posts to this forum will ever wear out a knife unless he's trying to.

I mean, if you have 2 dozen knives (in some cases a LOT more), and you know better than to "sharpen" them on a grindstone, and you have a lifestyle that allows for leisure time spent plinking away at a computer keyboard (versus, say, working a farm for subsistence from sun-up to sun-down like many of our grandfathers did), how in the heck are you going to wear out a knife?!

As a few folks have mentioned, our grandfathers who DID work a lot harder jobs than most of us ever will, often toted the same knife for decades and passed them down to sons or grandsons.

Me, I'm quite sure I could make do with virtually any one of my folders for the rest of my life. 'Course I'm 40 and have three little ones running around the house - that alone may kill me in a year or two! :D
 
A knife generally lasts until one of these things happen:
-It gets broken
-It gets lost
-You sharpen it like a billion times
 
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