Looking for a good folding blade

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kta2402

Joined
Feb 25, 2009
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454
Hi guys,

Okay I need to seek a couple of good folders for the outdoors and survival situations, I already have a Doug Ritter RSK 1 orange handle and works great I love it. I'm looking for other alternatives, basic drop point, preferably flat grind or high saber, it has to be a thumb stud thereby no holes (sorry spyderco) and it needs a good locking system. Blade length between 2.5 and 4 inches. price, no concerns. oh and no coated blades preferred.

thanks in advance.
 
its gonna be asked so figure i will. what are you going to be using it for? making fires, edc, bush craft only, ect cause it makes a difference. i would say a zero tolerance or strider if your going to beat them up because of the warranty mainly lol but on top of that they are great knives. also rat has a new izula folder coming ou tan ts looks pretty solid so again it all depends on what your talking about and what your going to do with it
 
Well, thanks for asking then, it has to do basic camp chores : feather sticks, notching, cutting small wood, making marshmallow sticks, ...
It has to be adequate for food preparation.

It will be EDC, used to make fires (not firesteel striking) and used for bushcraft.

It will be put in a flight bag along with a RC6 or RC4, it is a backup blade and small work blade than can be easily carried on ones self.

I have several RATs, Izula, HEST, RC4 and RC6 I prefer fixed blade and love RAT Cutlery and Rowen Mfg for what they do, but I'm looking for a new folding knife.

The Izula folder folder is still new in their project gallery so I'm not expecting it for another year or so.

The Chris Reeve knives seem good but I don't enjoy hollow grinds for outdoors, the Umnumzann is not really efficient as it is dependent on a fluorinated grease for the pivot lubrication and doesn't seem to hold a couple of washes, and by their price I really need to be 100% confident in them before even thinking of buying one.

And I'm not too hype on the tactical so remaining classic, discreet and less "offensive" is a must for a knife.

Here are the following blades I'm already eyeing for a purchase :

- Ontario RAT 1, plain edge satin blade but AUS 8 is kind of a turn of
- Falkniven U2, curious about the steel
- Another Doug Ritter RSK 1 w/Black handles, stonewash blade
 
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I don't want holes because by my own experience, It is akward with gloves, i makes the blade bulkier or it isn't big enough for grip, mud and cr*p gets into it. And I've just grown not to like holes for one handed opening, I owned a couple of spydercos, I think they really make a great job but I just can't seem to get over it as I've sold all of them. so sorry no holes, hell I even prefer nail nicks.
 
If you can deal with a flipper the JYD II composite blade would be a good choice. The BM mini-rukus, rat-1 (good HT on that AUS 8), TOPS CQT thunder hawke, and spyderco military have all performed well for similar tasks that you have described. I know you don't like the spidie hole but the millie is to good not to mention.
 
If you're willing to give holes a second chance, I'd reccommend the gerber Ease-out DPSF. Great light-weight S30V robust folder. I've used it with very thick gloves on and had no problems opening it
 
Been carrying and using a spyderco since about 1987 and have never had a problem. Dressed lots of game with them as well, never noticed crud building up in the hole, of course I wash it when needed. Military in my pocket right now, maybe I have been using them wrong? ;) :D

How bout a SAK, farmers get lots of good press. I would suggest a trekker one hander but they have that infernal hole. CRKT makes lots of models with no hole, never owned one so can't review. Chris
 
I use a ZT301 that I bead blasted the coat from. It's easy to open and hard to beat. The only pain is that it is a recurve, but a diamond rod takes care of that.
 
Wow ive carried a spyderco for years and never found the hole hard to manipulate with gloves on, I think the origional manix folder was a rediculously nice woods blade, and the notches on back were great for strikinga ferro rod. If you gave it a look you may be pleasantly suprised.
 
For the money, why not get a RAT-1? It's way solid, takes a great edge and does a good job holding it through camp chores and light/medium duty. Just throw it in a bag as backup and forget it till you need it.
 
I've carried an Osborne from Benchmade for 6+ years (I have a pre-production model). It doesn't look like much, but it is an awesome knife. Easy to carry and wickedly efficient cutter. A favorite EDC for me--gets carried more than my Sebenza or Griptillian--because it is light weight and compact.
 
I always recommend the Ritter RSK folder when somebody asks for the same qualities. If it's not the Ritter, I usually recommend Emerson or even Benchmade's HK knife model 14205. It has the axis lock that I'm pretty comfortable with and never had an issue. For typical folder use, a well constructed liner lock is fine...heavy use is for the fixed blade. Al Mar's SERE 2000 is still going strong, although my liner lock needs some tweaking, but it's a great design.

a100sf.jpg


hk14205.jpg


SERE-2000.jpg


I know you don't like holes and I carry two folders as work EDC, one being a Spyderco Military...I've never had an issue and love the complete design. Even though the Emerson CQC-10 has a hole, the Emerson's "wave" allows you to open it directly from the pocket and it's my other favorite Emerson design for outdoors. I know they are all geared towards the "tactical" market, but I love their handling in the woods and I've been quite confident in their liner lock. I don't care for the black coated blades either and their "clear" coating is much more palatable.

CQC10SF.jpg


What I don’t see listed any more are Benchmade’s Ruckus models…the handles are a little odd, but the blade profile is excellent.

ROCK6
 
How about a Fallkniven PXL?

pxl-web.jpg


It's a brilliant knife with excellent steel, good looks (at least in my opinion) and a very ergonomic handle.
 
Franciscomv said:
How about a Fallkniven PXL?

It's a brilliant knife with excellent steel, good looks (at least in my opinion) and a very ergonomic handle.
Click to expand...

That's a beautiful blade...almost too nice for field use:D I really like that blade profile:thumbup:

ROCK6
 
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