Very large folding knives?

Y

Yorkshire Boy

Joined
Sep 27, 2008
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I was thinking how convenient and useful folding saws and mini axes are.

Then I started to think about knives like the Cold Steel Rajah II and the Opinel no.13

Can anyone think of any other very large folding knives?
 
Cold Steel Espada both in polished up 7075 aluminum and available in G10 now. As I recall the XL of this model has a 7.5" blade!

STR
 
Great, so we've got the Rajah with a 6" blade, the Espada XL at 7.5" and the Opinel with a 9" blade.

How big is the Case knife?

Anymore ideas?
 
I find the Rajah II works well as a light folding hatchet.
The big Opinels are still finesse knives, slicers, not choppers.
I carry a 6" Vaquero Grande in the woods to fight off the gnats and mosquitoes.
 
This year has been wet. Everywhere I go, if I can see trees, the mosquitoes can see me. Walking through the woods is like sleeping in Dracula's castle -- where do I go for my transfusion? :(
 
I realise it must be a niche market but I'm suprised there aren't more huge folders.

With the zombie fighting craze going on, maybe more manufacturers will offer goliath folders in the future? Although it would be nice if they were specifically designed for outdoor use rather than fighting the undead! (I wonder if outdoor use is even more niche than zombie fighting?)

I like the apparent robustness of the Rajah II but wish the blade was longer. Can you imagine what it would be like with a 9" or 12" blade! :eek:

The Opinel no.13 looks a beast but I wish it had a 2nd locking system to it. A locking pin (similar in concept to the Extrema Ratio Rau) that can be screwed into the Virobloc lock, making it impossible for the Virobloc to turn back to the unlocked position. IMO a synthetic handle would be good as well.
 
Biggest folder I have a large Cold Steel Twistmaster. Love that CarbonV steel!
 
Yorkshire Boy said:
The Opinel no.13 looks a beast but I wish it had a 2nd locking system to it. A locking pin (similar in concept to the Extrema Ratio Rau) that can be screwed into the Virobloc lock, making it impossible for the Virobloc to turn back to the unlocked position. IMO a synthetic handle would be good as well.
Click to expand...

rdg said:
Biggest folder I have a large Cold Steel Twistmaster. Love that CarbonV steel!
Click to expand...

I grew up before locks on knives. The Opinel is secure enough for anything I would do with it. :p
The Cold Steel Twistmaster was an Opinel with a synthetic handle.

There was a spate of megafolders a few years ago. Now the tactical trend is toward robustness more than pure length, which is easier to achieve in a fixed blade anyway -- especially for outdoor pursuits. Machete / golok / khukuri.
 
I would not feel comfy chopping with my #13.
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The blades on these knives is pretty thin out towards the point, and flexible. A slicer it is. A chopper it ain't

Andy
 
The Camillus CUDA MAXX has a 5.5" blade. The MADD MAXX has a 7" blade. Darrel Ralph made a few custom MAXX's with 9" blades. When opened, these things double in length.
 
How about this old Camillus?

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My dad keeps one in his truck. I found this one awhile back. Think I'm gonna clean it up and put it in my boat. Dad has used his since I was a kid. It chops. Liner lock from hell, too.
 
I think the largest folder I've ever owned is the Ontario Retribution I, designed by Jerry Hossom. I traded it recently because it was simply too big for anything I'd need in the field or camping.

I've put a lot of thought into this recently because I've decided to trade and/or sell most of my large folders, mostly those over 5-1/2" closed. I don't carry or use them much at all.

So, just for the heck of it, this and the next post will have pics I've made recently of a bunch of my large folders; to me, "large" is anything 5" long closed or longer. However, I've had several big chunky folders that were not as long, but larger in other dimensions.

Since I had pics already made, I figured I'd post them up here for a size comparison. (I'm constantly surprised at how much smaller or larger a knife is 'in real life' once I've received it.) Shown with a 6" machinist's rule and a 2AA-cell MagLite flashlight for scale.

U.S. Schrade LB7, 5-1/8" closed. Not the largest on the market, but the first large folder I had (in high school), and the one I compare all my others too.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011015.jpg


Case #6265 and U.S. Schrade #25OT two-blade Folding Hunters, 5-3/8" closed.
Largefolders11-8-2011015.jpg


Remington (Camillus made) R1253, 5-3/8" closed. The longest traditional type I have.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011016.jpg


Spyderco Military, 5-1/2" closed.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011006.jpg


~Chris
 
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Shown with a 6" machinist's rule and a 2AA-cell MagLite flashlight for scale.

Cold Steel TiLite VI, aprox. 7-1/4" closed. The longest (closed) I have in my collection right now.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011004.jpg


Cold Steel Spartan, 6" closed. I took the ugly square hump off the top of the blade.
Largefolders11-8-2011001.jpg


Cold Steel Pocket Bushman, 5-3/4" closed.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011021.jpg


CRKT Natural, 5-1/4" closed.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011010.jpg


CRKT M16 & M21 folders, 5-3/8" closed.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011012.jpg


Smith & Wesson CK46BT, almost 5-3/4" closed.
LargefoldersptII11-8-2011018.jpg


By far one of the largest folders I've ever owned is the Ontario Retribution (6" closed), traded a month ago. Shown with
Cold Steel Spartan, U.S. Schrade LB7, Cold Steel Pocket Bushman and S&W CK46BT:
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~Chris
 
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the CKRT M16 and M21 are large? I have one of each for my EDC. I've been carrying 4" bladed folders since I was 15. when I was younger I ordered some cheap stiletto-type folder out of a catalog and it had a 6" blade and 7" handle. it was pretty long but I think it only cost like $25 so it was more of a novelty. my cold steel rajah II gets used and used hard. really handy in the woods when I don't feel like strapping on a fixed blade.

I wish cold steel would take the spartan blade and put a rajah-type handle on it.
 
I don't understand the original post. OP, are you asking if a very large folding knife can substitute for a good folding saw or small axe? The answer is "no way." A good quality folding saw by Bahco or Silky will process wood effortlessly in no time and be almost weightless in your gear. There's a reason by Dave Canterbury swears by them, as do most survival pros. I think it's one of his top ten gear pieces, actually.

You'll find many people here who will always go with a 3 or 4" fixed blade knife and a 9 or 10" folding saw. That covers most of your bases and adds a heck of a lot of convenience in small, light packages.
 
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