Large Folder Suggestion

J

JohnWayne360

Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Messages
164
Hello folks,

I'm in the market for a large folder (preferably 4" blade or close) with a sizable belly (wider that sebies and 'zaan) and full-flat/high-flat or full convex grind, but I'm willing to compromise on that. Something similar to the Strider SMF/DpX HEST/Izula comes to mind. If possible, satin/stonewashed blade. Weight is not an issue. Picky huh?

Budget would be around 500 bucks.

I'm not so well informed as far as folders go, but it should be stout. Solid. Capable of abuse. I know you guys can help me out on this.

Thanks a bunch.
 
What is it that you really expect from this knife?

Define abuse....
 
JohnWayne360 said:
Camp duties, whittling, splitting, prying, anything that could be expected to be thrown at a similar sized fixed blade.
Click to expand...

The short answer is there aren't any really, there aren't any folders out there that will take what a similar sized fixed blade will take, well not for long anyway.

That said there are some very strong folders on the market, both Production and Customs, but they have their limits because they are folders in the end.

I am guessing you want this knife to be useful in cutting things so there is a balance between what you want and what is really useful.

Most knives that really cut well won't take much prying without snapping off the tip or breaking the blade, that's both fixed blades and folders.

Knives that will take a lot of prying won't cut very well, that's just the nature of things and how they are.

You have to decide what you want, but I believe you need 2 knives, one will be a fixed blade for the heavy duty stuff and a folder or a thinner FB for the lighter duty stuff.
 
JohnWayne360 said:
Camp duties, whittling, splitting, prying, anything that could be expected to be thrown at a similar sized fixed blade.
Click to expand...

Camp Duties and Whittling is any knife.

Splitting and prying = thicker spine, tougher steel, rounded or squared tip.

Maybe an Ontario SP8...great underrated knife, not too expensive.

It'll be a tough go of it to go with a folder for what your talking about.

[video=youtube;jNF999H3ApU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNF999H3ApU[/video]
 
Ankerson said:
The short answer is there aren't any really, there aren't any folders out there that will take what a similar sized fixed blade will take, well not for long anyway.

That said there are some very strong folders on the market, both Production and Customs, but they have their limits because they are folders in the end.

I am guessing you want this knife to be useful in cutting things so there is a balance between what you want and what is really useful.

Most knives that really cut well won't take much prying without snapping off the tip or breaking the blade, that's both fixed blades and folders.

Knives that will take a lot of prying won't cut very well, that's just the nature of things and how they are.

You have to decide what you want, but I believe you need 2 knives, one will be a fixed blade for the heavy duty stuff and a folder or a thinner FB for the lighter duty stuff.
Click to expand...

A strong folder is what I'm really after, I'm just a sucker for over-engineered knives. I'm not naive enough to believe I can replace a fixed with a folder, however, I'm not really into small fixed blades, therefore a folder that sort of mixes some of the qualities of the two would do.

For straight up abuse, nothing beats my ESEE RC-5.
 
JohnWayne360 said:
A strong folder is what I'm really after, I'm just a sucker for over-engineered knives. I'm not naive enough to believe I can replace a fixed with a folder, however, I'm not really into small fixed blades, therefore a folder that sort of mixes some of the qualities of the two would do.

For straight up abuse, nothing beats my ESEE RC-5.
Click to expand...

LionSteel, most of the CS Tri-Ad folders offer a good balance, several custom makers can build you what you want because they can balance strength with cutting ability tailored to what you want.

Just don't expect miracles.
 
I just got an ESEE 5 to go with my ESEE4, very good knives. I'm going to agree with Ankerson, if you want a fixed blade, get a fixed. At the end of the day a folder is just that, a folder. That being said I have a Benchmade Bone Collector Axis large that has a few quirks, but it matches your criteria other than the splitting thing. I haven't tried that yet.
 
You might check out an Ontario Retribution 1. This is a monster of a folder. Blade is 4.6" long X .200" thick, and made from N690Co steel. It is a liner lock folder with liners as thick as some framelocks, at .100" thick. It doesn't come set up for a pocket clip though and is sheath carried. Unless you want to sand the handles down and attach one as I have.

Sorry for the blurry pics, but I'm using the camera on my Blackberry and only 2mp.

IMG00094.jpg
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IMG00095.jpg
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This would be the knife that you would want, but it's more than your budget and Andrew has a long waiting list.

[youtube]2CpFcHl4Q7s[/youtube]
 
Last edited:
Ankerson said:
This would be the knife that you would want, but it's more than your budget and Andrew has a long waiting list.

[youtube]2CpFcHl4Q7s[/youtube]
Click to expand...

Dammit Ankerson, why did you have to show me that? lol

You sir, have it the nail in the head. Guess I gotta start saving. Or keep looking.
 
what about a benchmade 710? way under your budget, but i think it would serve quite nicely. the AXIS lock is very strong,and it has a 3.9 inch blade.
 
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