What’s your favorite large folder with 4 inch or greater blade?

CS AD10 would be my choice. But generally speaking that is usually fixed blade territory for me.
 
SALTY said:
For the price - they can't be beat and having one in your pocket, another in your pack and even a back-up for the back-up is not a horrible thing for the price of just one more expensive knife that would not perform better enough to justify the price delta. That said, if the ergos don't work for you - then my opinion may only be of value for the others reading this thread.



I have the 4-max and a bunch of other Triad lock Cold Steel knives; they are all performers but the AD-10 is my favorite. It doesn't meet your 4" requirement, but a nice 5" Kephart like the Becker BK62 stashed safely in your pack would not be very heavy, can handle those "tall" fish we both hope you catch and is a downright dandy knife for doing just about anything in the wild. If you are also going to "pack" a knife, throw in a very lightweight and very handy Spyderco Catcherman while you're at it for cleaning fish. Having one knife to do it all is a compromise on all counts.

Let's face it, the advantage of having a knife on you is that, well, it's on you when you need a knife. That being said, if you down a game animal, which, as we all know, is when the real work begins, you have time to fetch a fixed blade from your pack. But your question was about a folder and in you pocket weight matters more than in your pack - so while I would respectfully suggest compromise on your 4" requirement for a pocket knife and having a larger fixed blade safely available someplace else, I think a Triad lock Cold Steel that fits your hand would suit you fine and if under 4" can be tolerated, the AD-10 is hard to beat for you. Too bad the ergos of the Voyager don't suit you as having three of them around ain't a bad thing; they punch way above the ($) weight. I also have a couple CS Recon-1 knives, they are very similar to the Voyagers but have G10 slabs.

Though I believe it to be otherwise a strong lock, I am not a fan of the Axis lock for a hunting knife. IMHO, those dainty little springs and related goins-ons of the Axis lock don't get along well with the blood, guts, gristle and fat ... and all the dirty things we hunters do with knifes. Disclosure: I do have and enjoy my Adamas, but I don't use it for hunting.

I've got a bunch of Emersons ... too many, actually, so I am not anti-Emerson but for your purposes I've never found them to cut as well as all of the other options discussed in this thread and the blood, guts, gristle, fat and the dirty things I mentioned in the preceding paragraph ain't so great for liner locks either. Emerson knives have their purpose and I've never considered field dressing game and other hunting chores among them.

CRK Sebenza is a great choice and a frame lock works for a hunter.
I've field dressed many, many, many deer and other critters with Buck 110s; they are very good and if you get a Buck Custom Shop one or one of their other offerings in a more premium steel than 420HC, you really have something!
I don't buy Strider knives so I cannot comment on their performance afield.

Now that I'm done rambling, and even in the face of you wanting only a folder of four inches, please forgive my thread deviation and indulge/consider the following scenario:

Cold Steed AD-10 in you pocket (or Sebenza, or ???) and a fixed blade or two (much preferred for so much of what we hunters do with knives) in a pack.

Happy hunting!
Click to expand...

Wow! That’s a lot of info to consider! You’ve pegged my situation just about spot on and probably stated my quest in better words than I could hope to! Your making me wish I hadn’t gotten rid of those Tatanka’s, and have me looking harder at those voyagers again, your logic can’t be denied there. It’ll probably take me a few days and some more time on the internet than I have available this morning to check out all your recommendations, but I wanted to at least start with thanking you for taking the time to provide such a wealth of information! Chris
 
Ben Dover said:
If you can find one, the BM 610 Rukus.

View attachment 1293995
Click to expand...
Oh yeah! I had a shot at a Neil Blackwood prototype and have been kicking myself in the backside for years now cause I dilly-dallied and misse out!

say, do you prefer the serrated edge or plain for hunting? I have a tough time sharpening the serrated so have landed on straight at this point in time, but I sure have serrated on all the knives we keep in the family life jackets cause I’ve seen time and again how well they cut rope.

it’s sort of off topic, but here’s a pic of my kid with a gerber rafting knife that I ground the serrations and blade all round on so he couldn’t hurt himself. Before I gave him the knife, he wouldn’t wear the life vest. Now that he’s older, I put an edge back on the thing and he still carry’s it, only without serrations:)

tNl2Pvm.jpg
 
Last edited:
hopsbreath said:
Only one recommendation so far in this thread for the Police 4, but it was the first knife I thought. The supply of K390 P4’s is rapidly dwindling though, so go get one! Big-bad-blade with truly top-tier steel and it carry’s smaller than it’s size.
STzMs8u.jpg
Click to expand...
That’s a great suggestion, about halfway between the military’s I like so much, and those Tatanka’s that were kind of over the top for me. I’ll have to do some searching and see if I can make a deal on one to give it a try! Thanks!
 
I gott
HKGuns said:
CS AD10 would be my choice. But generally speaking that is usually fixed blade territory for me.
Click to expand...
a admit I still pack a couple of them old “vintage” gerbers and bucks in the pack, in the boat, in the plane... just in case the folders don’t get it done. And while I’ve yet to do a moose up without eventually grabbing up a fixed blade, this last caribou hunt we never did break out the really big knives, not that I’ve got anything against fixed blades, I still can’t walk past em in a display case or online for that matter;)
 
hopsbreath said:
Only one recommendation so far in this thread for the Police 4, but it was the first knife I thought. The supply of K390 P4’s is rapidly dwindling though, so go get one! Big-bad-blade with truly top-tier steel and it carry’s smaller than it’s size.
STzMs8u.jpg
Click to expand...

+1. The Police4 is an absolute slicing machine, and one of my favorite knives to use.

w4M0mgQ.jpg
 
The Police and Military knives are slicy - which is not a bad thing for ... slicing. In camp there's a good bit of slicing going on but I want something a little less pointy, with a little more belly and maybe just a little bit stouter for field dressing medium and larger animals; hence my preference for the 4-Max or AD-10. Again, assuming you're not using a fixed blade for this task - as would be my first choice.

While I certainly have nothing against large folders for they are my own preference, once you get to that 4-inch size, carrying comfort, especially when sitting on an ATV or what not can getting annoying. While I get the safety concern of having a large fixed blade "on you" while on a horse, ATV, motorcycle or some other conveyance that you can suddenly find yourself off of, I would think about re-visiting the idea that you have to use the "on you" folder for everything.

When afield, especially big game hunting, I almost always have a backpack on me or with me. That said I will also typically have a folder on me as well but I've rarely killed anything such that time to get or distance to get a fixed blade wasn't possible. Truth be told, an argument could be made that you only need a good multi-tool "on you" and your knife/knives, saw, etc. can be in your pack. That said, we've all become spoiled at the convenience of having a one-handed opening folder on us at all times - makes life easier.
 
Has anyone out there got any experience with the Fox Aruba or Tracker knives? I know they are on the heavier end of the spectrum, but they sure enough meet my desire for 4” or greater knives, and they seem to have a design that would work great for skinning? Not to mention they seem pretty stout?
 
I posted this picture before,10.8oz of heavy metal... The Ontario Retribution 1 designed by Mr. Jerry Hossom which dwarves the puny 5th pocket knife Pilar and even the Spyderco Military! Just have to find them...

The Ontario Hossom Retribution 1 Large Folding knife features a 4.265" N690Co Cobalt enhanced stainless steel blade that is .200" thick. The Micarta handle on the Retribution 1 Folder is 6" long and is equipped with a titanium liner lock. Overall, the Retribution 1 Large Folder knife is 10.625" in length.

Or if it makes you subconscious of having that larger of a folder in your front pocket, you can get the "puny" Retribution 2

The Ontario Hossom Retribution 2 Medium Folding knife features a 3.875" N690Co Cobalt enhanced stainless steel blade that is .160" thick. The Micarta handle on the Retribution 2 Folder is 5" long and is equipped with a titanium liner lock. Overall, the Retribution 2 Medium Folder knife is 8.625" in length.


xHDwI4B.jpg
 
All
SALTY said:
The Police and Military knives are slicy - which is not a bad thing for ... slicing. In camp there's a good bit of slicing going on but I want something a little less pointy, with a little more belly and maybe just a little bit stouter for field dressing medium and larger animals; hence my preference for the 4-Max or AD-10. Again, assuming you're not using a fixed blade for this task - as would be my first choice.

While I certainly have nothing against large folders for they are my own preference, once you get to that 4-inch size, carrying comfort, especially when sitting on an ATV or what not can getting annoying. While I get the safety concern of having a large fixed blade "on you" while on a horse, ATV, motorcycle or some other conveyance that you can suddenly find yourself off of, I would think about re-visiting the idea that you have to use the "on you" folder for everything.

When afield, especially big game hunting, I almost always have a backpack on me or with me. That said I will also typically have a folder on me as well but I've rarely killed anything such that time to get or distance to get a fixed blade wasn't possible. Truth be told, an argument could be made that you only need a good multi-tool "on you" and your knife/knives, saw, etc. can be in your pack. That said, we've all become spoiled at the convenience of having a one-handed opening folder on us at all times - makes life easier.
Click to expand...


All great points to ponder, I struggle with the same points (more or less) about a handgun. We encounter bears pretty commonly when fishing, hunting, hiking, and I used to be in the camp that bigger was better for bear protection. Nowadays I believe the gun you are most likely to have on you when you see a bear is the best size;). First I went to cross draw holsters for less interference when sitting and riding, then even smaller to the pocket sized... so kind of like your theory about the handiness of a tool in your pocket that’s easy to use, it just makes good sense. I guess to be completely honest, I’m trying to talk myself into leaving the fixed blades at home instead of carrying them in my pack;) not sure if I’ll ever get there, but cleaning them caribou last fall didn’t require any fixed blades.

The “pointy” comment also rings true, we tried some Sog 5” knives, they were too pointy to slice a hide up the belly line:(
hTnrGHf.jpg
 
SALTY said:
The Police and Military knives are slicy - which is not a bad thing for ... slicing. In camp there's a good bit of slicing going on but I want something a little less pointy, with a little more belly and maybe just a little bit stouter for field dressing medium and larger animals; hence my preference for the 4-Max or AD-10. Again, assuming you're not using a fixed blade for this task - as would be my first choice.

While I certainly have nothing against large folders for they are my own preference, once you get to that 4-inch size, carrying comfort, especially when sitting on an ATV or what not can getting annoying. While I get the safety concern of having a large fixed blade "on you" while on a horse, ATV, motorcycle or some other conveyance that you can suddenly find yourself off of, I would think about re-visiting the idea that you have to use the "on you" folder for everything.

When afield, especially big game hunting, I almost always have a backpack on me or with me. That said I will also typically have a folder on me as well but I've rarely killed anything such that time to get or distance to get a fixed blade wasn't possible. Truth be told, an argument could be made that you only need a good multi-tool "on you" and your knife/knives, saw, etc. can be in your pack. That said, we've all become spoiled at the convenience of having a one-handed opening folder on us at all times - makes life easier.
Click to expand...

I’m anxious to try this Spyderco subvert on this springs bear hunt, which i think according to what your saying both it and that 4max might have a better skinning design? That being said, when it comes to boning out an animal to better fit it in your pack, or the airplane, those blade shapes like the military has don’t seem to lack anything, and they actually do skin pretty good as well, possibly requiring a bit more care to avoid cutting through?
kTfov5I.jpg
 
JParanee said:
Curious why you just would not go with a fixed blade for a general camp hunting blade
Click to expand...
I honestly don’t know the whole answer to that. When I was a kid, even after I cut myself with that knife that folded up on me and Dad gave me that first fixed blade gerber I still secretly wanted a folding hunter. I never cared for having a belt knife hanging down and interfering with sitting in a boat, airplane, atv, etc. and I guess part of it was a kid thinking he knew better than his father. I may be completely wrong, I sure enough own one of every knife I remember him using as I grew up, and he seems grateful every time I give him another folder for Christmas, or for each hunt we still manage to pull off together occasionally. But he still has that old gerber on his hip with his woolies every time we get to butchering... while he does make a show of using the folders around camp:). (Did i mention he’s a great Dad!)

I do know I don’t care for those leather sheaths from a safety standpoint, a deep cut from a knife like these in the wilderness is no small thing, but I’ve been following the advice I’ve been getting here and looking at some kydex sheaths, thinking on having a couple “cross-draw” type made up and trying them out.

Nonetheless, I appreciate your all taking the time to offer me up some additional suggestions to feed my appetite for cool knives, I’ll glad I have even a half baked excuse to offer the wife when yet another package shows up on the porch;)

YM275Fl.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top