Large folder vs Fixed blade

Buy all the fixed blades you want, chances are you'll end up carrying a folder.

For convenience, they are hard to beat.

And that's from someone who owns several fixed blades and folders.

Also, heavy folders are a drag, in more ways than one.

There are plenty of good folders that cut like the dickens and dont weigh a ton. The big, overbuilt folders are IMO a pure marketing gimmick of the 'our folders are so tough they can survive a nuclear bomb' variety.

You want a big folder? Get a Spyderco Military. Light as a feather and cuts like a mofo.
 
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folders are weaker and heavier, a good fixed can be easy to carry
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A small sandwich steel =2,5"
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a small Jens Anso=3"
They are light and slender
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3,7" sandwich chute
 
I have a real passion for small fixed blade knives. They find their way into my pocket or on my belt quite allot. Here's a 7" (OAL) utility that I wear around without raising an eyebrow:
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Flat ground forged 1084. The spine is a full 1/4" at it's thickest so it's sturdy enough for just about anything.
 
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I tend to enjoy smaller fixed blades. They come in more varieties and are capable of quite a lot.
 
I can carry a small fixed blade in my purse as easy as a folder! If I have on a belt a fixed blade is as easy to carry as a folder. If I am hiking or geocaching I usually have a small camelbak so I just put my knife in it most of the time.

I have a bark river psk that is awesome with a turquoise handle but the little kydex sheath scratches the blade. I got a pocket sheath but then it makes the whole package large. I may try to make a minimum leather sheath that does not scratch the blade.

Actually those flexible plastic cutting boards would probably be acceptable material to experiment with. For pocket use, not neck sheath.

if mine did not say "first production run" on it I wouldn't be so upset at scratching the blade. I probably should have gotten a plain jane handled one. Someday I'll learn.
 
I've had the pleasure of testing 2 knives that make great comparisons to your question: the ZT 0500 and custom maker Dan Koster's EDC fixed blade.

My opinion of the 0500 is that it is tough enough, and the Hawk lock is strong enough to allow the ZT folder to be comparable to a small fixed blade. In my review of it, thats one thing that really impressed me about the 0500. It's one tough knife!

On the other hand, there are some magnificent small fixed blades out there. I just finished 3 weeks with Dan Koster's new prototypes, and I was impressed enough to buy his v.1 proto. Its a great knife in a size thats manageable enough for EDC.

Since most everyone has seen the ZT, here are 3 pics of the Koster custom I bought, showing it's relative size:


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Both are worthy of consideration!

And BTW, those are Dan's dirty fingernails, not mine!
 

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I'm glad to hear that I'm not completely out to lunch on this. When I saw some of the monster folders I thought there must be something I wasn't getting. They weigh more than a lot of my fixed blades and are bulkier. I thought that there might be some secret use for them, and I just wasn't seeing it. My edc for in town is the spyderco that I found on the ground up in Alaska. No idea what model, just a nice sized stainless handled cutter. For hiking I usually have my Leatherman wave, plus a 4" fixed blade (exactly which FB depends on the terrain).

Here is a pic of my current favorite. (made by Cristof at Koyote Knives)
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powernoodle said:
But there is no question that a fixed blade won't have a lock fail and accidentally fold on your fingers.
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I've read this before. How or in what use would/could a folding knife "fold on your fingers"?

When I use a knife, the blade edge is either pushing away from you (using pressure to keep the knife open) or slicing (again using the pressure of the slicing motion; keeping the knife open). In either action, after completing the task the knife would be open. It would take pressure on the spine of the blade to close it on your fingers.

The only way I can think of to have a folding blade "fold on your fingers" is to put pressure on the spine of the blade; the lock fails and you cut your fingers. I don't know what use or action of a knife would entail this sequence of events. The only other way I can think of such a failure would be a stabbing motion into a hard material where the knife is deflected into a closing motion and the lock fails. Again, I can not think of why I would do that.
 
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cadjak, I never said a small FB was superior to a well made folder. The ZT 0500 I tested had all the characteristics of a FB, yet was nicely packaged in a folder that fit in my front pocket. Is a tough folder 100% comparable to a FB? No, not always. Can you drop a small FB in your front pocket and not draw attention with it? No, not always.

In public, which do you think would draw less attention: someone removing a folding knife from their pocket or someone unsheathing a FB? I think the answer is obvious, unless you happen to live in an area where knife/gun carry is a common everyday occurrence. Fortuneatly for me, I live in one of those areas. So that's why I say they compliment each other, not compete with each other! :thumbup:
 
dextersp1 said:
I've read this before. How or in what use would/could a folding knife "fold on your fingers"?

When I use a knife, the blade edge is either pushing away from you (using pressure to keep the knife open) or slicing (again using the pressure of the slicing motion; keeping the knife open). In either action, after completing the task the knife would be open. It would take pressure on the spine of the blade to close it on your fingers.

The only way I can think of to have a folding blade "fold on your fingers" is to put pressure on the spine of the blade; the lock fails and you cut your fingers. I don't know what use or action of a knife would entail this sequence of events. The only other way I can think of such a failure would be a stabbing motion into a hard material where the knife is deflected into a closing motion and the lock fails. Again, I can not think of why I would do that.
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Anytime someone uses a folder putting direct line pressure on the point. Stabbing, for example. Drilling. I use the point (spine side) of my knives sometimes for marking when doing carpentry.

Andy
 
Fixed blades are better. So are long guns.

The problem is carrying them around. Thus, we have folders and handguns.
 
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I really like that little Koster. What steel did he use on it? TIA
 
Buffalohump said:
Buy all the fixed blades you want, chances are you'll end up carrying a folder.

For convenience, they are hard to beat.
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Depends on where you are. Personally, I carry a folder around town but if I'm heading for the outdoors for any reason its a fixed blade that comes along. No moving parts and easy cleaning are the main reasons for my preference but each to their own.
 
When I didn't have all that many reasons to use a knife over the course of the day, I used to carry a Syderco Endura, and it served me well.

Now, I always carry a fixed blade. Out of the knives I've owned, I've gotten much better performance from my fixed blades, and they just feel "right" to me. Plus, I can get a fixed blade in any style I want, and I find them easier to clean and maintain than folders.

I generally use one of Dozier's horizontal carry kydex sheaths, or have a leather pancake sheath made. Both styles are very secure and easily accessible.

I live in Montana, and upsetting the public by carrying a knife isn't much of an issue as long as the blade stays under four inches.
 
dextersp1 said:
I've read this before. How or in what use would/could a folding knife "fold on your fingers"?
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I have no idea what he was doing since I was not with him when it happened, but one year at Boy Scout Summer Camp the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge instructor had a lockback and it folded on his fingers and his finger was bandaged for the rest of camp. The ironic thing was that earlier he was telling Scouts how his knife was superior to a fixed blade.
 
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