What are the practical reasons to get large folders versus fixed knives?

Mud Shrimp Moe said:
The bottom line is I prefer a fixed blade for anything approaching "hard use." But in an urban environment, I don't use my knives "hard" very often. And modern well built folders are so strong, really, that I don't carry a fixed blade day to day. My preference is for folders under 4" in blade length, however, as any real life "need" for a larger blade shifts my preference to a fixed blade.

So, in short, I keep a fixed blade or two in my car and usually carry a folder <4" unless I'm outdoors or working hard.
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Ok but what exactly is "hard use" I think that this needs to be defined as there are some extremely strong folders out there.
 
In public places I would rather come across as a gentleman (with a knife in my pocket) than a redneck or a pirate!
 
Folders are nice if you want something compact. In certain situations I would bring a folder over a fixed blade like a public or dressed up type setting. But overall I prefer fixed blades. They offer more strength, easier to maintain, easier to take out and put away etc. The other thing that's nice about fixed blades is they have less parts so you don't have to worry about the fit and finish as much or adjusting screws. Folders are cool tho, they have their place.
 
For me it depends on the job. If I know I need to chop with it, get it really dirty, fixed blade.

EDC tasks = folder.

Folders are also a lot harder to clean many times if really dirty, fixed blade usually cleans up nice.
 
The only advantage of a folder for me is the portability and dealing with the public. Where I live, no one would carry a fixed blade on a sheath. I live in the city, and people would find that weird. A folder with a clip sticking out of your pocket, or--at the maximum--a buck 110 on a leather belt case (my current EDC) is acceptable to most people.

But for real chores in the field, a fixed blade is superior in every way, no question. :)
 
I think there has been some thread drift because of some possible trolling earlier. The OP question concerned Large Folders vs Large Fixed blades, and in that category, I think he has a good point. Folder's make superior EDC blades IMO due to the vastly higher portability, and lighter weight. The bigger a folder gets though, the less efficient it becomes at those same things. Granted, normally a large folder is still more portable than a similar sized fixed, but (especially with hard use folders) the gap gets much smaller, and the strengths of the fixed blade really start to pop out.

Personally, I prefer folders in general over fixed blades, but once you get past a 4" blade or so, I would rather just carry a fixed. I will admit a big part of my love for folders comes from craftmanship, and general sexyness. A folder feels like a precision engineered (or in the case of traditionals, delightfully old fashioned) piece of equipment, that brings joy in function and design. A fixed blade for me feels about as neat as a nice hammer, or quality screwdriver.

I guess for me, when it comes to spending big money, I bring a lot of aesthetics and pride of ownership in. The fixed blades I own are all inexpensive (my Izula is both my smallest and priciest fixed), and there is nothing fancy or "cool" about them. They are all business. My folders tend to be in the $75-$200 range, and most of them have a lot of aesthetic styling, or neat mechanical features (fancy locks, intense 3D machining, exotic blade steels/shapes).
 
bobusx said:
I think there has been some thread drift because of some possible trolling earlier. The OP question concerned Large Folders vs Large Fixed blades, and in that category, I think he has a good point. Folder's make superior EDC blades IMO due to the vastly higher portability, and lighter weight. The bigger a folder gets though, the less efficient it becomes at those same things. Granted, normally a large folder is still more portable than a similar sized fixed, but (especially with hard use folders) the gap gets much smaller, and the strengths of the fixed blade really start to pop out.

Personally, I prefer folders in general over fixed blades, but once you get past a 4" blade or so, I would rather just carry a fixed. I will admit a big part of my love for folders comes from craftmanship, and general sexyness. A folder feels like a precision engineered (or in the case of traditionals, delightfully old fashioned) piece of equipment, that brings joy in function and design. A fixed blade for me feels about as neat as a nice hammer, or quality screwdriver.

I guess for me, when it comes to spending big money, I bring a lot of aesthetics and pride of ownership in. The fixed blades I own are all inexpensive (my Izula is both my smallest and priciest fixed), and there is nothing fancy or "cool" about them. They are all business. My folders tend to be in the $75-$200 range, and most of them have a lot of aesthetic styling, or neat mechanical features (fancy locks, intense 3D machining, exotic blade steels/shapes).
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I agree with this for the most part. For example a small fixed blade like an izula will be stronger than any 4+ inch blade folder regardless of how strong the pivot, lock, or thick the blade stock is. I know in my experience that I would rather carry a small, light fixed blade with a pocket sheath rather than a massive folder that would be heavier, bigger, and weaker than a small fixed blade.
 
a 4" folder is a lot easier to carry than a 4" fixed blade. I also enjoy using folders more.. Also easier to get out and use with one hand.

I've carried a concealed fixed blade before, and imo it's a lot more of a hassle than clipping a folder into your pocket (even small fixed blades). you can make a FB deploy faster than a folder, but in my experience not a comfortably concealed one.

it also helps that a ~4" frame lock goes way beyond the strength/durability that I need for what I do. I think some people don't realize how damn strong they actually are?
 
I spend up to 4 hours driving to and from the job site plus 8-10 hours working. I'd rather have a 5" closed folder in my pocket than an 8-9" fixed blade on my belt all day.
 
I thought this was about really big Sifu-type folders. A 4" folder is what I view as average. It's a lot more convenient for me to have a folding knife.
 
If you look at the OAL of the knives you posted for comparison, you will answer your question. The practical reason is size, they are easier to carry and more concealable. On the average 4" shorter in length.
 
Tim616 said:
Folders are also a lot harder to clean many times if really dirty, fixed blade usually cleans up nice.
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This is also a good point. A lot of deer have been dressed with a Buck 110. But also I know a lot of guys who have, who point out that it's a pain to clean all the blood and crap out of the folding mechanism and everywhere else in the knife. A fixed blade is simpler to clean up, for really messy work.
 
twid said:
I spend up to 4 hours driving to and from the job site plus 8-10 hours working. I'd rather have a 5" closed folder in my pocket than an 8-9" fixed blade on my belt all day.
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Yep this makes sense to me. If you want to carry a big blade on you for EDC, a large folder might be the only option unless you want to go to some kind of harness under your shirt, like Mercharness or SurvivalSheath.com makes. But a lot of people don't like those, so I can see why the folder is the option you want.
 
bobusx said:
I think there has been some thread drift because of some possible trolling earlier. The OP question concerned Large Folders vs Large Fixed blades, and in that category, I think he has a good point. Folder's make superior EDC blades IMO due to the vastly higher portability, and lighter weight. The bigger a folder gets though, the less efficient it becomes at those same things. Granted, normally a large folder is still more portable than a similar sized fixed, but (especially with hard use folders) the gap gets much smaller, and the strengths of the fixed blade really start to pop out.

Personally, I prefer folders in general over fixed blades, but once you get past a 4" blade or so, I would rather just carry a fixed. I will admit a big part of my love for folders comes from craftmanship, and general sexyness. A folder feels like a precision engineered (or in the case of traditionals, delightfully old fashioned) piece of equipment, that brings joy in function and design. A fixed blade for me feels about as neat as a nice hammer, or quality screwdriver.

I guess for me, when it comes to spending big money, I bring a lot of aesthetics and pride of ownership in. The fixed blades I own are all inexpensive (my Izula is both my smallest and priciest fixed), and there is nothing fancy or "cool" about them. They are all business. My folders tend to be in the $75-$200 range, and most of them have a lot of aesthetic styling, or neat mechanical features (fancy locks, intense 3D machining, exotic blade steels/shapes).
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Yes, you've got what my initial point was. And the knives I own are similar to yours: the folders I have are nicer and tend to cost more, my fixed blades usually cost LESS and are both tougher and used for harder, dirtier tasks. My fixed blades are closer to pure "tools", while my folders are sort of a mix of Art and Tool. And that's not a bad thing, as we've already discussed.
 
maximus83 said:
However I've been thinking lately about this: With large folders, why pay the added costs in $$$, the extra weight penalty (due to locking/opening hardware), and the reduced reliability of a folder? Instead, for folders why not just stick with small to mid-sized folders for EDC/pocket type of use, and for any blade in the 4" or larger vicinity, just get fixed blades?

Somebody chime in here and convince me why large folders are still useful for more than defensive use, and why they still deserve a place in your kit. Why is it still useful to carry a large folder, rather than just carrying say a medium folder for EDC, and then adding a 4" or greater fixed knife for hunting, camping, survival pack use?
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People pay, including me, because we have the money to spend on something we like. A Buck 110, Delica 4, Case Peanut, and a larger fixed blade/machete should cover almost all the knife tasks I've ever encountered. But I have a few other knives because that is what I choose to spend my extra money on. When someone is using extra money and not buying something out of necessity, they are mainly paying the added costs because they LIKE whatever they are buying more than, say, a fixed blade - due to aesthetics, everyone else has one, social statements. More money for a folder the same size as a fixed blade has nothing to do with this idea, it's about what people want to spend their money on more.

Now I agree with your reasoning that if one is going to carry out of necessity a +4" knife, then one should carry a fixed blade. If you are doing kinds of work that require a blade that large, then the knife will probably be put to hard use, and would therefore need the ultimate strength of a fixed blade. The only instance where I could see a large folder being needed without the added fixed blade strength is for food preparation, like large fish filleting or possibly meat carving, and then again fixed blade ease of cleaning should win out on that for professional food preparers (I never see folders on Iron Chef). I feel like outside of that, a +4" folder is only carried for defensive purposes or because the person carrying it likes large folders more than fixed blades.

Personally, I find my Endura too large for EDC, but I only cut things around a farm, so I find the larger blade to be too much for my needs. My sweet-spot for folders is 3.25" to 3.5" and anything larger I would much prefer a fixed blade, because the job at hand requiring a larger blade would also require (for me) the strength and ease of cleaning of a fixed blade. It has changed from an Every Day (Carry) task to a "I have an out-of-the-ordinary task to complete. I need a specific tool (the fixed blade) to finish it."

Or, to sum it up, people will buy what makes them happier, whether that be a large folding blade or a small fixed blade. Desire beats out reasoning all the time in the world. Just like my desire for the Spyderco Endura FFG and the Kabar BK14.
 
So I'm wondering what hard use tasks do you think a folder would not be able to do?
 
Nternal said:
So I'm wondering what hard use tasks do you think a folder would not be able to do?
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Everything. It's not that you can't use a folder hard--you can. Lots of people do! But when you use it hard, you put immense pressure on the locking mechanism, pivots, etc. There is no bombproof knife; they can all fail if abused enough. But a full tang is much, much stronger and simpler than a locking mechanism (and all the pins, springs, bushings, and other tiny parts).
 
There seems to be an assumption that the large folders are weak and all the fixed blades are strong. Those are,in many ways subjective terms. Your Izula or my Scrapaviore will not be significantly stronger or more capable than the 0200 or my 0300. That's tested and proven by my experience. And I know some fixed that can't even compare it the strength of my 0300, so don't assume just because it is fixed it is better.
 
Maddogg774 said:
There seems to be an assumption that the large folders are weak and all the fixed blades are strong. Those are,in many ways subjective terms. Your Izula or my Scrapaviore will not be significantly stronger or more capable than the 0200 or my 0300. That's tested and proven by my experience. And I know some fixed that can't even compare it the strength of my 0300, so don't assume just because it is fixed it is better.
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This is exactly my point and the tri-ad lock is probably even stronger than the liner lock or framelock.
 
I think the "hard-use folder" thing is generally a little stupid. A hard use knife is a fixed blade.

I think most people who buy hard use folders do it mainly because they think it's cool and still use them only for things that could have been done just as well with a lighter slimmer knife, which is more comfortable to carry and usually sharper. There, I said it.
 
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