Please help me find the perfect one-hand opener

R

rjc149

Joined
Feb 23, 2012
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31
I'm going to sound like a knife Karen. Please bear with me.

I'm looking for my perfect pocket folder, primarily for backpacking/hiking, but also for general utility.

But, like a 40-something single Karen looking for her soulmate, I have some standards. These standards may seem unreasonable. But they are my standards.

1. No super steels. I want to sharpen my knife, not work on them. I prefer a good steel, of course, but that can be sharpened on a hardware store aluminum oxide stone. I don't want to pay more for sharpening equipment than the knife itself. I don't have hours to spend bringing a very tough steel back to shape.

2. No recurves. Same reason as above. I want getting a razor edge to be a simple and conventional process.

3. 3.25+ inch cutting edge.

4. Thumb deployment, either studs or a hole. I don't like rear index finger stud deployment.

5. Substantial in the hand for heavy cutting chores ie. bushcrafting type tasks.

6. Relatively simple to disassemble for maintenance and cleaning. I'm wary of springs and ball bearings.

I had a Spyderco Endura -- too light and flexy for that blade size, and I needed gloves to use it for real cutting tasks. It's not comfortable.

Benchmade Griptilian -- unacceptable blade play (especially for that price point). Returned.

Kershaw Blur -- S30V on a recurve.

I'm looking hard at the RAT 1 in D2. I would not mind spending more on a high quality knife that will not need replacement.

Can you help me?
 
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Youre on point with the Rat in D2. Plus the price won't kick your ass. If price is not an obstacle, go for a Large Sebenza, you can find some on the secondary. S35VN, S45VN and Magnacut are not noticeably hard to sharpen like some super steels. In fact some super steels are even easier to sharpen than some more traditional steels, for example: Cruwear. So go with the Rat, otherwise you may want to consider going for the next tier of knives.
 
Slice O Life said:
Youre on point with the Rat in D2. Plus the price won't kick your ass. If price is not an obstacle, go for a Large Sebenza, you can find some on the secondary. S35VN, S45VN and Magnacut are not noticeably hard to sharpen like some super steels. In fact some super steels are even easier to sharpen than some more traditional steels, for example: Cruwear. So go with the Rat, otherwise you may want to consider going for the next tier of knives.
Click to expand...

Agreed, they have an excellent heat treat on their D2. It is a safe bet. Just wish they made a flipper version because thumb studs are my nemesis.
 
R rjc149 sounds like you and I share many of the same preferences in a folding knife. I recommend the Spyderco Tenacious and/or Resilience in S35VN. Better than an Endura in my opinion. No blade play, and the lock mechanism was show to hold over 300 lb of hanging weight (tested on a Tenacious by Knifecenter IIRC), and excellent ergonomics out of the box.

Just a quick note:

rjc149 said:
I don't have hours to spend bringing a very tough steel back to shape.
Click to expand...

I believe this should read "very wear resistant steel".
 
Usually Id recommend you a Steel Will Gekko, but they sadly dont make em anymore, at least not in N690. Very comfortable knife to use, very solid. It has springs, but every lock back does.

S35VN is not overly difficult to sharpen or strop, very well rounded steel IMO. If you can find a Sebenza 21 or 31 in that steel youd have almost the perfect knife. They are VERY well designed as working knives, no fancy pocket jewelry. Only downside being that theyre not the most ergonomic, but not horrible either. My recommendation, remove the clip of whatever folder you get & itll instantly be 10x better.

But really, just use a stainless fixed blade for outdoor stuff. Much less of a PITA to clean. Also ergonomically much better, usually.
 
rjc149 said:
I'm going to sound like a knife Karen. Please bear with me.

I'm looking for my perfect pocket folder, primarily for backpacking/hiking, but also for general utility.

But, like a 40-something single Karen looking for her soulmate, I have some standards. These standards may seem unreasonable. But they are my standards.

1. No super steels. I want to sharpen my knife, not work on them. I prefer a good steel, of course, but that can be sharpened on a hardware store aluminum oxide stone. I don't want to pay more for sharpening equipment than the knife itself. I don't have hours to spend bringing a very tough steel back to shape.

2. No recurves. Same reason as above. I want getting a razor edge to be a simple and conventional process.

3. 3.25+ inch cutting edge.

4. Thumb deployment, either studs or a hole. I don't like rear index finger stud deployment.

5. Substantial in the hand for heavy cutting chores ie. bushcrafting type tasks.

6. Relatively simple to disassemble for maintenance and cleaning. I'm wary of springs and ball bearings.

I had a Spyderco Endura -- too light and flexy for that blade size, and I needed gloves to use it for real cutting tasks. It's not comfortable.

Benchmade Griptilian -- unacceptable blade play (especially for that price point). Returned.

Kershaw Blur -- S30V on a recurve.

I'm looking hard at the RAT 1 in D2. I would not mind spending more on a high quality knife that will not need replacement.

Can you help me?
Click to expand...
Svord Peasant knife meets all of your criteria except #4, but I assure you it can be operated very easily with one hand, and it can withstand batoning.
svord.gif


Liner lock would not be my choice for the use you describe, because to me they are one of the weaker lock designs. The Peasant is purely utilitarian, and you will probably dismiss it, but it's the folding knife I would rely on in the woods. You will have to solve the issue of the blade touching the rear Chicago screw. Once you get past that, there is very little down side to this knife.

IMG-2022-02-26-08-25-12-146-2.jpg


Not my video, but very nicely done:
 
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The Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter and AD-10 are worth considering. The only point on your list I'm not sure about is disassembly, because I've taken apart a few CS knives and getting the lockbar in place is always a bit of a struggle for me (YMMV, and all that). But otherwise, they're right in the sweet spot for hand-filling, made-to-do-work knives.

Ultimate Hunter
37odfw2.jpg


AD-10
CtEK5gp.jpg


Emerson also comes to mind, assuming thumb disks are OK. The brand is polarizing, and they're definitely overpriced for the materials involved, but I've owned numerous Emersons and they all had great ergos and did everything I asked of them. Super easy to disassemble for service, and they're no-nonsense working knives.

CQC-7BW
jxWZpVz.jpg


Tiger
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1. Go to gun show.
2. Stop at knife tables.
3. Peruse. Fidget. Fondle.
4. Test the weight and how it sits in the pocket.
5. Have fun.

Asking for right cutter is like asking what kind of shoes to wear. What works for me, won't for you.
 
The first thing thay popped into my mind was the Ontario RAT 1. Bearing in mind you want something a little heavier for bushcraft type activity though, I thought of the Recon 1 or AD10.

Budget - RAT 1 Aus-8
Spend a little more - Cold Steel Recon 1 spear point S35VN
Spend some more - Cold Steel AD10
 
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