Is the Spyderco Police model good for "hard use"?

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Kabanstva

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Dec 19, 2012
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I am sure the term "hard use" has a different meaning for most people, but is the Police G10 model knife good for hard use?

I want to buy this knife and I intend to use it as often as I can for fishing, general outdoor use, and hunting so I'll be using it for cutting bait, sharpening sticks when I am sitting in the forest being bored when the fish is not biting... and so forth.

Is this the type of knife that will hold up over time?

I want to buy the plain edge and the fully serrated model as well.
 
I would say that the Police is well suited for what you are describing, at least in terms of build quality. No worries there.
 
Kabanstva said:
Thanks for the replies.



What do you mean by keeping it to cutting? You mean periodically sharpening the blade?
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the kind that isn't tough on the blade and the action. keep to slicing, light whittling, modest push-cutting (preferably without having to push the spine with one's hand.) no batoning, no prying, no chopping, no trying to part a particularly big and tough bone joint on a big carcass, no throwing, no crazy cutting stunts like piercing coins or cutting nails and bolts, etc.

oh, one more thing. to avoid abuse, don't lend it to someone.
 
hank_rearden said:
the kind that isn't tough on the blade and the action. keep to slicing, light whittling, modest push-cutting (preferably without having to push the spine with one's hand.) no batoning, no prying, no chopping, no trying to part a particularly big and tough bone joint on a big carcass, no throwing, no crazy cutting stunts like piercing coins or cutting nails and bolts, etc.

oh, one more thing. to avoid abuse, don't lend it to someone.
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Great advice,

Would you say batoning is not advised with a folder knife in general or only this particular folder knife?

How about prying and cutting through bone? Is there a more suitable folder knife for that? (P.S I can't imagine using this types of knife to cut a carcass in a hunting at all.... but just curious if you said not to do it because the blade on this knife is weak or some other reason?)
 
Any knife really shouldn't be used to pry especially around the tip. Also any folder should not have much pressure on the blade pushing it to the left or right
 
danbremner said:
Any knife really shouldn't be used to pry especially around the tip. Also any folder should not have much pressure on the blade pushing it to the left or right
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Very good points. How about batoning, is it common for people here to use folders for that?
 
it depends on your experience and 'eye' for things metallic but you can see whether or not a blade is suited for batoning. one thinks of stubby blades with enough width and spine thickness as suitable. a thin, slim blade like the police 4 might get bent if whacked hard. on another forum, one's laminated mora also got bent due to batoning. i think the 'ol use-the-right-tool for the job is the best rule to follow.
 
What do you guys think of the Police series? I basically need something wit ha long blade but still needs to be sturdy, not that Walmart quality if you know what I mean.
 
Kabanstva said:
Would you say batoning is not advised with a folder knife in general or only this particular folder knife?
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You should never baton with a folding knife for a couple of reasons.

1: The handle scales on the knife are susceptible to breaking as is the handle itself
2: ANY folder is going to be mechanically weaker than a fixed blade, because of the pivot joint
3: The lockup can fail. Again, this can cause damage to the knife in a worst case scenario or even cause injury to you.

If you're looking for a knife to baton with, there are several nice fixed blades that can handle that just find. Or better yet, pick yourself up a nice hatchet.
 
The best advertisement for the police are old ones. I've seen a fair number of the stainless steel ones at gun shows, some of them beat really hard. In all cases the lockup was still good and there was no blade play. They were scratched, tips broken, serrated teeth worn down, dented, gouged, etc.. It looks like they take a lot of abuse and are still safe and still cut.

One thing to remember about the police, it's just over 4" and thus illegal to carry in many places in the US.
 
Thank you for the feedback.


brownshoe said:
One thing to remember about the police, it's just over 4" and thus illegal to carry in many places in the US.
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I've been reading the Illinois knife law and reading what other members are saying. I guess there is no length limit that you can carry it, as long as it's justifiable and you have good intent (aka, it probably would not be a good idea to have this knife in your pocket at the movie theater, etc.).

I'm mostly (95%) of the time going to use it around waterways that I am fishing off the bank. I've always had a serrated kitchen knife with me in my backpack for cutting bait that is longer than 5" blade, and nobody cares because it's obvious what I use it for and have good intent (aka not intending to ever use it as a weapon). I've had rangers approach me dozens of times every year and it never seemed to be an issue. With IL, it's about intent of use that makes the knife legal or illegal.... you NEVER want to present it in a way where it could come off as a weapon. Just gotta use your head and not play stupid games.
 
Please edit your post. Sales talk only belongs in the Exchange.
 
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