Real world merit of overbuilt blades

[Billy The Hungry]

I was running very low on fuel, and pulled up to the gas station. The fuel door was stuck, and wouldn't open. Being my wife's car, I didn't have my tools with me. I had a Cold Steel Recon 1 on me at that time. I used the knife like a prybar and finally got the fuel door open.
I do not like using my knives in that way, at all. Especially folders.
Had I a knife not as well built, I do not think it would have held up to my torque. I had to use a scary amount of force.

I strongly recommend that anyone in a similar situation please seek out a safer means of prying. I was somewhat panicking at the moment and wasn't thinking very clearly.

I don't really look for overbuilt knives. If a knife is overbuilt, but has the characteristics I'm looking for, even better. But I believe a cutting tool should be used for cutting. Being overbuilt doesn't aid in separating material, unless you're talking about bushcrafting, in which case a fixed blade or hatchet is the answer.

 

[Easyrider]

I guess I didn’t really explain myself very well. A folding knife is meant to fold, unlike a fixed blade. If you apply the same sort of abuse that may cause a folder lock to fail on a fixed blade the fixed blade is unlikely to fail.

I understand that there are some very strong locks out there but I suspect that either the pivot, lock or scales will fail before a well made overbuilt fixed blade will fail. I am referring to a load that is applied to the spine of either knife.

 

[ferider]

Overbuilt and cutting ability can co-exist. If you like hollow grinds.

In other words, is anybody referring to edge geometry when saying "overbuilt" ? Or mostly to frame, pivot size, lock, heft/weight, etc.

 

[scdub]

Somebody say overbuilt hollow grind???

These Mega Wardens kinda define that idea and I love them dearly - and when sharp they cut like the dickens!

These three are heading out to my Nephews along with some fresh BuyBrown kydex and 17 dps edges - real world boys probably won’t break them and that is good enough for me.

 

[DocJD]

I mean the knife is already broken in the middle where the pivot is.

Cold Steel Tri-ad lock .

Under destructive testing , usually (except for lateral / sideways loading ) other parts will fail before the lock .

Some of Cold Steel's beefier "hard use " folders are probably stronger than many fixed blades .

Still , a fixed can be made stronger at a comparable price and will always be more reliable and cleaner due to simpler design .

 

[DPC]

Realistically, for me it boils down to prying and hammering/hacking through hard things without a care in the world. Most thick knives cut well enough for the insignificant, menial daily cuts as well.

In my mind a knife is half as useful if it only cuts and doesnt hack or pry.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

As I get older, I find large chopping blades more and more of a hinderance than an asset. Of course, I have plenty of use for my khukuris if I am out reclaiming a trail down at the cabin, but for day to day, I don't really need an overbuilt folder OR fixed blade. I find myself leaving them at home.

This week we did some light hiking in the Great Smokey Mountains. I didn't need much more than something to open a snack, but being a knife knut I did have a BIT of redundancy. The Leatherman P4 Freedom in my pocket would have handled 100% of the needs I ended up coming across, but I did pack my new Fiddleback Monarch as my primary cutter. Very slim stock for a fixed blade with such a wide profile, but it would handle pretty much anything short of trying to pry a bank vault off its hinges. Back in the truck? An emergency Khuk, a tomahawk, and a Cold Steel XL Voyager. All unneeded over the 15-20 miles we put in over a few days.

I like packing light these days. My back appreciates it too.

 

[DangerZone98]

As I get older, I find large chopping blades more and more of a hinderance than an asset. Of course, I have plenty of use for my khukuris if I am out reclaiming a trail down at the cabin, but for day to day, I don't really need an overbuilt folder OR fixed blade. I find myself leaving them at home.

This week we did some light hiking in the Great Smokey Mountains. I didn't need much more than something to open a snack, but being a knife knut I did have a BIT of redundancy. The Leatherman P4 Freedom in my pocket would have handled 100% of the needs I ended up coming across, but I did pack my new Fiddleback Monarch as my primary cutter. Very slim stock for a fixed blade with such a wide profile, but it would handle pretty much anything short of trying to pry a bank vault off its hinges. Back in the truck? An emergency Khuk, a tomahawk, and a Cold Steel XL Voyager. All unneeded over the 15-20 miles we put in over a few days.

I like packing light these days. My back appreciates it too.

The Monarch looks like a handsome knife.

 

[Ourorboros]

You got by with what you had. It was more of that heavy duty stuff wasn't available and/or you couldn't afford it. Sometimes, so used to getting by with what you had you didn't notice if there was better available.

They certainly had fixed blade knives then and if there was a need the cutlery companies could have certainly made overbuilt knives.
I'll agree that convenience and overall material prosperity wasn't the same. But knives have been around forever, they didn't get smaller because people were just getting by.
At the same time people were struggling to survive during the Great Depression cars became more common place and not just for the rich. The associated services and tools had to spread around the country too. SOME people could have afforded a heavier knife if it was useful.