Looking back on it all.

I really enjoyed reading this thread, a lot of you are easily three times my age and have wisdom worth writing down and remembering. I loved all your different stories that shaped your opinion of the best knife design to use. I'd like to toss my two cents into this discussion as well!

I've done a lot of reading and I understand the pros of fixed blades over folders. However, folders just won out over me for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost, folding designs allow me to carry a 3.5" blade easily clipped in my pocket. Imagine a 3.5" fixed blade...the combined handle and blade length would be far too obtrusive, even if my state's laws allow me to carry 5.5" blades. I also happen to really enjoy flicking my knife open and closed. The supposed "fidget factor" companies like to advertise is a pretty real thing for a lot of us. My 0562CF is incredibly satisfying when pushing past the detent and hearing the blade snap into place. So satisfying and calming, and highly pocketable to boot! I have yet to cut myself because my father taught me that a respected blade is a happy blade. Happy blades don't try to cut their owners.

The biggest reason though, is that I have a deep emotional attachment to my first knife, which happens to be...a folder with a liner lock. My second knife is just an extension of that first knife, with a stronger frame lock, handle material, and blade steel. I don't buy into the whole "overbuilt, carve through a tank carapace" thing but I do appreciate well-built knives that I know are simple enough to maintain, and strong enough to last a lifetime. I made my purchases of folding knives on a combination of objective and subjective reasons, and I am beyond satisfied with my knife selection. I'll never need to baton wood or (heaven forbid) pry stuff. Hard, heavy work will always be reserved for larger fixed blades I have at home for that purpose. But for every day use in smaller cutting tasks? My folders are more than enough to fulfill that requirement.

That being said, I still appreciate complicated locks and the simplicity of fixed blades. The engineering that went into those designs is mind-boggling and nothing to sneeze at, as are the wonderful elegance of fixed simplicity. Different knives suit different people's needs, regardless of one design's superiority to another's design. I'm of the opinion that all knives are beautiful!