Need help/advise on picking a custom!

[Barry H]

Hi folks!
I am looking to purchase a custom folder and don't know where to look

I own a Dozier Tab lock with a 3" D2 blade. I am very fond of the heat treat on the blade, but I am not overly thrilled with the blade geometry (especially the drop point profile) And I am also skeptical of the liner lock.

I am a woodworker/carpenter and want this new knife to be a work knife. It needs to stand up to some hard use.

Here's what I would like: D2 or BG-42, 3" blade, clip point or spear point (maybe even a wharncliff). A handle that can be held with out slipping in wet or cold conditions. One handed opening. Either a pivot lock (like the Axis) or a lock back. $300-400 price range.

Any ideas? pics and/or links to makers would be great. Thanks!!

Barry H

 

[Bronco]

Hey Barry,
I think the lack of response to your thread may have a lot to do with your requirement to have a lock back capable of being opened with one hand. You don't see too many of those these days. But not to despair.

Have you taken a look at any of Bailey Bradshaw's Whitewing folders? Some of the features that are in line with your needs include; lock back design on some models, thumb studs for one hand opening are an available option, wharncliffe blades are featured among many other styles, and highly figured natural stag handles give excellent grip in all conditions.

Deviations from your specific desires include; Bailey almost exclusively uses CPM-3V steel in his blades, so as long as you don't mind settling for a steel that's better than the ones you've requested, this shouldn't be a problem (not as rust resistant as BG-42, but hell-for-tough when cleaning out rabbets, dovetails and dados), Bailey's Whitewing line of knives is not truly custom in the most technical sense (though the fit and finish is as good as any custom I own). He does, however, make fully custom blades as well if this is an absolute prerequisite for you.

Drop Chris Carlson a line and I'm sure he'd be able to answer all your questions. He's a great guy to work with. Good luck.

http://members.tripod.com/ctexknife/whitewing.htm

 

[shootist16]

I would recommend Mike Obenauf. Great work knives. They are linerlocks, but rock solid in my experience. I wouldn't shy away from liner locks. A liner lock that is built correctly is very strong and reliable. A good maker will produce a liner lock that is very dependable.

 

[Barry H]

Thanks for the reply, Bronco!!! I will definitely check out your suggestion. Unfortunately, for me, I have had too many production and some custom liner locks fail. And up to this point, I haven't been permantly damaged--come close though! I'd really like to carry a fixed blade at work but the municipal ordanance in Minneapolis and St. Paul prevent that option. Oh well.
Barry H

 

[Bronco]

Glad to be of assistance, Barry.

I've got one other recommendation for you that comes from the absolute opposite end of the spectrum (one that I wasn't even going to mention until you stated a desire to carry a fixed blade ). Whereas the Whitewing folder might be described as strong yet elegant, without question, IMHO, the folder that comes closest to the strength and security of a fixed blade these days is the Strider Custom Folder, model AR or GB (drop point and tanto blade, respectively).

Please understand that this is a completely different animal from the Whitewing. The AR and GB are overbuilt in every sense of the word. They are big, thick and not lightweights by any stretch. One disclaimer up front; the AR and GB are liner locks technically speaking, but with their massive .100" thick titanium liners and precision lock-up, I doubt you'll ever find a liner lock that instills you with a feeling of greater confidence.

The blade length (for legal purposes) is also longer than your desired max. While the specs list a blade length of about 4", you'll see in the photo below how there is a full sized finger cutout included in the choil which results in an actual cutting edge closer to the three inches you desire. This finger cutout also provides an added level of safety and security when gripping up on the folder. Even if the lock somehow managed to fail (though I can't imagine what force on Earth would cause this), your index finger would simply get pinched between this cutout and the handle, thus protecting the rest of your fingers from contact with the cutting edge. The security features of these folders are rounded out by a very positive liner ball detent which holds the blade firmly in place when in the closed position.

The .190" thick blades are not only crafted from BG-42 steel, but they're also heat treated by Paul Bos; a super combination in my experience. Likewise the G-10 scales are very highly textured and provide a secure grip under most all conditions. No Wharncliffe blades are available on this one, but the tanto bladed GB model may have the right combination of straight edges and sharp points that you're looking for.

Striders also come with unbeatable lifetime warranties.

Note that the newest Strider Custom Folders being produced differ from the photo below in that they now feature fully flat ground blades.

 

[jefroman]

The blades are .250 thick not .190
I think that the Buck-Strider folder is .190 thick.

Jeff

 

[Bronco]

Jeff,
I don't have mine on me as I type this, but I believe both the Buck version and the Strider Custom Folder feature .190" thick blades. Here is a quote from Mick Strider as found in a thread he contributed to last year:

Top : Strider/Buck .190 ATS34 blade, .070"Titanium liners, G10 scales.


Middle: Strider folder w/spear point. .190" BG42 blade, .100"Titanium liners, G10 scales.

http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum63/HTML/000039.html

 

[jefroman]

Thanks Bronco, I stand corrected. I thought that they had .250 inch thick blades because that's what all of the Strider fixed blades have.

Jeff