Is a folding knife over 4 inches worth owning?

[tinfoil hat timmy]

yes

duh

 

[DangerZone98]

Depends on your definition of "worth owning"..........if it interest me and I want it its worth owning IMO.

If one’s definition of ‘worth owning’ is modestly sized folding knife that’s good enough to get the job done, I would say no. Something like the Ontario Rat 1 or Spyderco Tenacious would realistically suit all your reasonable folding knife needs.

But if ‘worth owning’ means big honking reliable knife that honestly looks pretty cool like the Ford Raptor looks cool, then heck yeah. Sweet 4Max right there.

 

[HJK]

I have several folders over 4" and up here in Canada that is not against the law, per se.
YES, they are great knives and serve some purposes very well.
You can easily carry quite a big knife as compared to a fixed blade of equivalent blade length.
Obviously you need very solid construction and a reliable lock and pivots ( although you should NEVER actually rely on a lock and instead need good technique).
Mine are mostly frame locks.

A big folder well done is a thing of beauty
Like my old Busse folder....

 

[Lesknife]

For me I would find it difficult to get by without a larger folding knife at least 3.75 blade in my job and lifestyle on a daily basis. I may not use it every single day but when I need it I need it. I also carry a smaller knife for tasks that a large knife can’t get to and as a sticker picker and a mid sized flipper at 3.125 is my primary knife.

As for self defense a knife would be as a last resort for man or beast and from my experience a coyote is very quick and can easily dodge a knife in close proximity and bite you before you have a time to react. I’ve seen this firsthand. They are visious and much more savage than a dog. I have used a club and a steel rod to fend off coyotes and that is most effective. They respect a large piece of wood or rod as it can injure them and possibly starve before healing.

As for weight, 8-9 oz don’t seem heavy to me. I will soon be 65 years old and I’ve been accustomed to carrying around weight since I was a kid.

 

[irsh]

For me I would find it difficult to get by without a larger folding knife at least 3.75 blade in my job and lifestyle on a daily basis. I may not use it every single day but when I need it I need it. I also carry a smaller knife for tasks that a large knife can’t get to and as a sticker picker and a mid sized flipper at 3.125 is my primary knife.

As for self defense a knife would be as a last resort for man or beast and from my experience a coyote is very quick and can easily dodge a knife in close proximity and bite you before you have a time to react. I’ve seen this firsthand. They are visious and much more savage than a dog. I have used a club and a steel rod to fend off coyotes and that is most effective. They respect a large piece of wood or rod as it can injure them and possibly starve before healing.

As for weight, 8-9 oz don’t seem heavy to me. I will soon be 65 years old and I’ve been accustomed to carrying around weight since I was a kid.

Yikes. While I've seen a lot of coyotes and hit them on the road I've never had one come at me. Maybe one of those telescoping rods would be a good carry.

 

[Lesknife]

Yikes. While I've seen a lot of coyotes and hit them on the road I've never had one come at me. Maybe one of those telescoping rods would be a good carry.

This was back when I used to go coyote hunting with my friends gray hounds. Sometimes on a long chase the dogs would be tired and the coyote would be tired as well. After they catch the yote one dog will keep him pinned and other dogs catch their breath. Then as they recover they change up but sometimes they let go in the exchange and the coyote is free and he ain’t happy. You don’t want to shoot him because of other people and dogs close by so a club or steel rod is very effective.

I’ll never forget when a young yote got away from the dogs and went into a gully near by. My buddy and I jumped in, he on one side and I on the other trapping him. As my buddy went to club him he stumbled on some rocks and fell dropping his club, btw, there was some alcohol involved lol, he was scrambling backwards like a crab with the coyotes open jaws just inches away from his crotch Lol I found a old wood fence post close by and went to club him with it but it was a bit long and hit the side of the gully but it hit him with a glancing blow enough to get him off of my buddy. Then he was coming at me all hackled up and bristling with teeth, I then clubbed him with my now shorter wood fence post. The other guys had caught up and were watching from above and were literally rolling on the ground laughing. One said it was like watching cave men trying to make a kill. Lol but we got him. The things we get into smh. It was quite adventurous but sometimes a bit dangerous. I’m thankful to have survived!

 

[bdmicarta]

I'm planning to move to Colorado in the next 6 months, and they have a 3.5" blade limit which is vexing. However, I tend to avoid trouble so I don't think anyone will notice.

First I'm not a lawyer but I thought there was a qualification that a larger knife was acceptable if you were using it in an outdoors context which I assumed meant camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, things like that. I suspect outside of Denver and Springs nobody would pay any attention to your knife unless you had made the police really mad at you. Nevertheless I visit Colorado occasionally and I make sure that what I'm carrying is less than 3.5".

 

[jackknife]

I don't really think a folding knife over 4 inches in blade length is worth while.

After a certain point, just carry a fixed blade.

Thats kind of where I think I'm coming from. If my little keyring SAK classic or Christy knife can't handle it, then my Buck 102 woodsman can. I basically don't like folding knives for much more than opening mail, cutting a string, whatever. More than any light duty cutting, I really prefer a fixed blade. Safer, easier to clean, and can be leaned in a bit with no worry about folding on you if a lock fails.

 

[Daedric Panther]

I love both of my 0452 variants, they carry extremely well for such a large blade

Yup. My 0452 was one of the very few knives that survived the purge I did a while back. It’s been in my back pocket everyday since the day I bought it well over a year and an half ago. Paired with a SAK classic on my keys I’m set. If I need more blade than that I have a fixed blade in both my vehicles.

 

[ROCK6]

Philosophy of use. Yes, I own a few “large folders”, more as a hobby than for my occupation, but my occupation is what spawned one of the larger folders for military use. The Al Mar SERE/Attack folder was design to be a compact, hard use folding knife that wouldn’t get hung up on aircraft straps and the multitude of hang-up points. These were belt mounted and the more modern pocket folders conceal and keep it even more svelte.

I would always choose a fixed blade over a folder, but these folders have their place, even if a small niche. Knife laws are pretty stupid and there have been places where a 3” fixed blade is illegal, but a 6” bladed folder is legal. I have no restrictions except for work, where I’m not relegated to the Lilliputian 2.5” bladed folders.

Just for reference, the fixed blade is a Mad Dog PATAK (5.5” blade) that I wore for many years in uniform.



I think they have their place for an appreciative knife enthusiast, someone who likes to sarcastically follow the law, or those who want a larger knife blade but in a folding form factor. Now, if you’re wearing skinny jeans with those tiny coin-sized front pockets, you getter just stick with your SAK Classic!

ROCK6

 

[Weiss]

I own some 4 and 5.5-inch folding-blade knives because I like them, find them useful, and they are convenient to carry. I can cut through a lot of mundane things easier with big knives than small ones. Sometimes that’s food preparation, like slicing a turkey with my 5.5-inch Voyager, or slicing a loaf of bread, or a bunch of lettuce, and so forth. For such tasks I can simply grab the knife in my pocket rather than one from the kitchen drawer. I also get a kick out of having a big blade so easily and readily available just in my pocket. Here’s one of my favorites, an XL Cold Steel Voyager with a 5.5-inch blade, presently in one of my pockets as I type. It’s a great slicer.



I also have a 5-inch bladed Buck 105 Pathfinder that only weighs 4.5 oz, while the Voyager weighs 7.2 oz, but once you add the sheath to the Pathfinder, you get a combined weight of 7 5/8 oz, and it’s a two-piece carry, which makes it bulkier, often in need of a belt (not just a pocket), and less convenient. Sure, I like it when camping or hunting, but for doodling about my very average life, I prefer the folder.

As always, your mileage (and logic ) may vary, and whatever your choices, enjoy them.

 

[afishhunter]

Is a folding knife over four inches worth owning?

IMHO the answer is "yes" ... if you are referring to closed length.
A "xl", stockman, standard trapper, moose, 2 blade sllipjoint folding Hunter, sunfish, and the venerable 301 still the numer one seller for Buck after 60 years and counting, are 4 inches or longer closed.
The 110 is five inches (as are a Daddy Barlow and large Texas Toothpick). The 2 blade slipjoint folding hunter is 5.5 inch closed. (both blades are a tad over 4 inches.)

IMHO, if you are referring to blade length, the answer is: "Maybe. It depends on your uses."
A folder on the belt in a horizontal sheath is not as likely as a non-folding knife with the same blade length to "get in the way" when you sit or get into/out of a vehicle. (a dangler sheath can help).
A folder is just as capale as a non-folder for peeling/ cleaning/field dressing/gutting and butchering game critters, and/or scaling and cleaning fish.

I like my CS KUDU and (long discontinued) ELAND for game and large fish processing duties.

Washing/rinsing the folder under running water gets rid of the blood n guts/fish scales.
It isn't necessary to take the folding knife apart to clean it. "Traditional" knives are held together by pins for the most part. (some pre-2004 Schrade/Old Timer and Uncle Henry had/have Swendin Key construction, rather than pins.)
There are some pre-depression and pre-WW1 slipjoints that had screw/bolt together construction. (they were not intended to be taken apart.) they are about as rare as a correctly cooked steak. (seared 1.5 to 2 minutes front and back: Steak should moo and try to escape when stuck with the fork.) restaurant or steakhouse 2" thick T-Bone or Sirloin steak. .

IMHO The folders are also a might more manouverable than a like size blade non-folder.

 

[Choctaw Dan]

They're worth owning, if....

 

[bowman47]

I don't have many folders with blades over 4 inches. I generally carry knives with blades around 3.5 inches which is plenty for my purposes.

 

[DDDYLN]

Blade length is a secondary concern for me. I consider the size of the handle first. I have XL-XXL hands and prefer a handle at least 5" long. Most of the Cold Steel large and extra large folders have great handles that fit my hands very well. These knives have blades 4" or longer. Another reason to own them is just because I can.

Same. My palms are 11" in circumference. Small folders don't work for me. I typically carry a Cold Steel XL Voyager.

 

[mmyron1]

I have one folder with a blade length over 4 inches. It's an Emerson Super Commander. I did not buy it. It was "gifted" to me on duty. I personally won't buy a knife with a blade length that large. My sweet spot is 3.25 to 3.5 inches. Not because of the blade length. More that knives it that size fit my hands and pocket better. They feel more balanced. The Super Commander rides in my bailout bag.

 

[Drop bear]

Try to cut a pineapple with a 3 inch knife and get back to ne.

 

[David Mary]

That’s a problem of circumnavigation

 

[norcalAF]

I'm converted, just check my thread. I'm with you OP!

 

[Kryme]

To me folders over 4 inches are pointless, because at that point I'd just carry a fixed blade. And I'm saying this as someone who is primarily interested in folders.