Once I got into fixed-blades... I just don't care about folders...

I always enjoy the idea of an EDC fixed blade, but the fact is, I sit at a desk all day in an already knife-unfriendly environment, so really all it is, is an impractical fantasy. Plenty of my folders, I'm able to slip into a pocket and no one's the wiser. Any carry method I might use that would render a fixed blade 100% concealed would make having it worthless. I'm not going to untuck a shirt just because I want to snip a thread off that same shirt. Likewise, I have plenty of small fixed blades, but not one of them is what you'd consider completely and comfortably concealed when the knife and its sheathe are slipped into the pocket far down enough that none of the knife can be seen. Useability is also a factor there, I don't want to have to take the whole thing out of my pocket, remove the sheathe, set it aside, slice my apple in half, and then have to resheath the knife and put the whole thing back in my pocket. Nah, I'll just slide my ZT 0640 out of my pocket, open the knife one handed, close it the same and slip it back into my pocket.

Maybe if I had some sort of outside, or facilities job, I'd revisit the idea. Finally, I'll just say, in all my years of going to work, not once, not a single time have I ever come into contact with a job wherein something needed to be cut and a quality folder in my pocket wasn't able to do the job.
 
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JJ_Colt45 JJ_Colt45 what is the maker and model of the wood handled one?
 
I have, it seems, been this way since birth. I own and carry a number of lovely folders, they have their place but to me they are always a second or convenience based choice to a fixed blade knife. My best friend (of the last 35+ years) is exactly the opposite. Choice, it is such a wonderful thing ;)
 
Sharp & Fiery said:
JJ_Colt45 JJ_Colt45 what is the maker and model of the wood handled one?
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That is a Carothers Performance Knives EDC2 ... the Koa wood scales were made by a fellow BF member here ...

it is the same model as the top knife of the three in the first picture that has OD Green Micarta.

They are D3V steel and great 3" small fixed blades that carry very easily.
 
No. Fixed blades just aren’t working for me. I haven’t found a carry method that works. Folders are just quicker and easier. As much as I want a fixed on me while hiking I think I’m more of a folder in pocket with a mora/chopper in the pack kinda guy. Sadly. I like fixed blades. :D
 
As I get older, I prefer simplicity and low maintenance. Having no moving parts to lubricate or crevasses to collect dust bunnies is a plus. Then, at age 65, it occurred to me that hammers are even better. I don't even need to sharpen them. Just keep my thumb out of the way when I kill something and pound it enough to chew it. :)
 
I do appreciate my fixed blades, but i just don't enjoy them anywhere near as much. I enjoy having finely tuned folder and maintaining it, i like the mechanical aspect and how well it can be done on certain examples. As nice as my fixed blades are they just lack personality, plus i cannot carry them daily in my work environment. If i worked in the outback everyday i would probably use them more, but even so, I wouldn't be sitting on the couch fondling a fixed blade during a movie.
 
Not everyone can walk around at work or wherever with a knife on their belt and most "pocket" fixed blades are cumbersome. A fixed blade is not always practical.
 
6-7" should be pocketable by anyone .

Bark River makes some nice 6-6.5" blades and of course there's the BK-11, BK14 and Izula.

I find pocket sheath my favorite for daily carry and a horizontal kydex sheath while being active in the outdoors .

I just pull it out. Don't have to deploy it .It's so easy .
 
CanadaKnifeGuy said:
6-7" should be pocketable by anyone .

Bark River makes some nice 6-6.5" blades and of course there's the BK-11, BK14 and Izula.

I find pocket sheath my favorite for daily carry and a horizontal kydex sheath while being active in the outdoors .

I just pull it out. Don't have to deploy it .It's so easy .
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I'm sorry, what? Oh, you mean total length. In any case, still no (again, for me). A pocket fixed blade is still more cumbersome than most folders, and there's still the extra step of pulling the knife from your pocket, and then the knife from the sheath. It's not for everyone.
 
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While I agree that a one handed opening locking folder is the most practical for most day to day EDC scenarios (my perspective is that of a desk jockey, unsurprisingly), I've also been getting into fixed blades lately - out of necessity. The knife laws here in Germany have pretty much criminalized one-hand folders that lock (and, in the eyes of the public and a lot of misinformed public safety officials, even non-locking one handed folders or locking two-hander). Fixed blades are much easier for law enforcement etc. To understand because there is a simple blade length limit of 12cm (bit under 5") to enforce.

So I've been carrying fixed blades with mostly 3" blades - very comfortable in a flat 3-layer leather pocket sheath in my front right pocket next to my phone... Exactly where I would clip a decent folder.

Knives like the Enzo Necker disappear in the pocket completely, while slightly larger knives such as the Brisa Bobtail will stick out just half an inch or so. I've been carrying some 4-inch knives this way every now and then as well, but they stick out about 3", so they're not very well concealed. Not an issue if you like to talk to everyone you meet about your knife, but annoying if you're a discreet person... So this is mostly relegated to outdoors trips rather than day to day at the office unless I know we will be doing work that may require a blade (we build a lot of prototypes and work seems to think a cheapo box cutter is adequate for fine detail work when when carving stuff out of ABS).

I'll post some pictures when I get to work later and have my laptop open :)

-edit- The Enzo/Brisa trio: https://imgur.com/a/jY16fC5

Both the Trapper and the Necker came with decent leather sheaths that are a bit bulky (thick, mainly) for pocket carry - what's pictured is three pocket sheaths that have been glued, but not trimmed or stitched yet. Should hopefully be a lot prettier when they're finished:D
 
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