Just going to leave this here...

[Fred Sanford]

I think the creator of the video is spot on. Look at our grand-fathers and great grand-fathers....they carried knives that did the job and did it well.

 

[bdmicarta]

I don't worry about lock strength but I can see where some people need good blade strength. I've read threads here where people broke tips or chipped edges. Some people us the knife as a tool and if they need to chop or pry with it, they have to use the tool that they have with them. Even if you are just slicing, depending on how you are holding the knife sometimes you can't help but put sideways force into the blade. I remember photos somewhere on the becker forum where a person was splitting a small log with their 3/16" thick becker and just pushing it through the material caused the blade to bend sideways a noticeable amount. If cutting through some wood can noticeably bend a 3/16" thick blade then normal cutting through tough materials can certainly put lateral bending on a blade that is half that thick. I have not broken a blade myself but I do feel more confident with a blade that I think has good strength.

 

[marcinek]

Total run time: 10:32

Maybe he had something good to say, but not gonna watch.

 

[marcinek]

As far as the blade breaking thats comes down to individual cases, no it wont always breaks for silly reasons but there is way less chance of my Dark Ops Stratofighter breaking in combat than my Barrage M390.

There's a bold statement. Has your combat experience proven that to be the case?

 

[not2sharp]

I think the creator of the video is spot on. Look at our grand-fathers and great grand-fathers....they carried knives that did the job and did it well.

I think that he is way off base. Not because I disagee that 1/4" thick tactical folders are nothing more than a fad, but because I do not consider anything collectible to require any kind of needs-based testing. We collect and enjoy knives because we like them and are impressed by the art, technology, history, community and innovation represented by these basic tools. I carry a plain jane stockman knife that has been meeting my daily needs for nearly 20 years and it doesn't even have a lock. Whatever drives me to acquire many other knives has little to do with needs. Most of the rest of my knives will probably never see any use; many of those are antique knives which I would only endeavor to preserve; or they are modern knives which for whatever reason have struck my fancy, they represent a cultural diversity which for the most part has long since faded into history. But, there is plenty of room for heavy use folders, fix blades and otherwise. The more tools we have at our disposal the better prepaired we are to perform a task well and with greater safety. The creator of the video comments that in an emergency he/we would grab the heaviest tool that we can find. I agree with him, but sometimes we must allow that a stout folding knife may just be that very tool, especially if the rest of our tools are temporarily beyond our reach. Knives may be light or heavy, small or large, sharp or not as sharp, they all have a role to play and we should worry less about finding that mythical all-in-one tool and simply enjoy them all for what they are.

n2s