What would be better for camping and fishing hard use(spyderco military or Recon1)

Oh boy, here we go, haha! Anyhow, can't comment on the Military because I don't own one but I do have the Recon 1 and can tell you it's an overbuilt and well made large folder. It still slices well too, unlike some overbuilt monster folders. Cost half of what the Spyderco costs, and if you damaged or lost it it'd probably give you less grief. Food for thought.
 
Well I'd say neither, because I'd take fixed blade personally if I thought there was going to be "hard use" - Fallkniven F1/ESEE 4/Swamp Rat Ratmandu/ or any one of the Becker BK-2, -5, -7, -9, -15, -16, -17.

But seeing as you asked, I'm the opposite to crom in that I can only comment on the Military and I *wouldn't* recommend it for hard use. It's a great knife, but the blade just doesn't give that feeling it's going to take a lot of punishment. Certainly the tip is very fine and there are reports of broken tips around. On reputation though, the Recon 1 sounds like it might be what you are looking for.
 
ozgooner said:
Well I'd say neither, because I'd take fixed blade personally if I thought there was going to be "hard use" - Fallkniven F1/ESEE 4/Swamp Rat Ratmandu/ or any one of the Becker BK-2, -5, -7, -9, -15, -16, -17.
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+1, gotta use a sheath knife for hard use.
 
Go for the military. For most camp and fish chores you are going to need a slicer and with a full flat grind the millie is a great one. Filleted 35 or 40 fish with it and can thinly slice onions.....not all thick folders do this well.

Still plenty tough for carving etc but going to be more versitile than the recon1. I have a lawman which is pretty close to the recon.
 
I love the Military, own two. It has a delicate tip though, so take that into account. The Recon 1 is very robust, at the tip as well, particularly if you take a Tanto. Might grind it into a spanto, like I did... :D
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I like spanto that you made, but my favorite of all are clip point blades........Maybe Ill take both recon one and military and use them hard....I will have an axe or machete available for larger tasks probably!I find axe much more useful than a big knife !American lawman looks good too.Maybe Ill buy it and just strip blade of coating!Philwar , how does the lawman slice dompared to military?
 
You have to define what you mean by "use hard". If you intend to use it as a pry bar, then you need something thick at the tip. If you intend to try to hammer it through nails, then you probably need something with good carbon steel instead of stainless, in fact for any type of hammering or heavy chopping a good fixed blade is better. And the beauty of a fixed blade is that a very tough knife like the Beckers costs significantly less than a Military. If you mean that you are going to do a lot of actual cutting then the Mil would be fine for that, and maybe better than some others because its thin blade would slice better.

As mentioned the Cold Steel costs less than the Military too, as do other similar knives such as the Spyderco Tenacious or the "big dog" CRKT knives. I always thought the CRKT knives would be good for hard outdoor use because they are low priced and if you break or lose one it isn't such a big deal. I bought 2 of the 4" blade models for myself but I also have a new Spyderco Paramilitary 2 for my EDC.
 
Im not a linerlock fan for hard use, so unless you were looking at the Ti military for considerably more money, of the two, I would say recon 1. If you are set on a folder though, I would start by choosing the best locking mechanism for your intended use. For truly rough use, the protection a flipper offers your fingers is hard to beat.
 
boki_zca said:
Philwar , how does the lawman slice dompared to military?
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Mine's been reprofiled, it's now an excellent slicer, but it was no slouch before. The Military, well, what can you say, there's nothing wrong with it whatsoever except for the tip-down only carry. I think it's a legendary slicer. So, very little to choose from between the two. Of course, S30V holds an edge significantly longer... ;)
 
I took a Military camping a couple of weeks ago (along with a fixed blade) and while I was there decided I would scoop up a CS Recon 1 spear point after I got back. Military was fine but I kept opting for the fixed blade even when carving sticks due to my uncertainty of its robustness at the tip. Don't get me wrong, the Military is my favorite general use and daily carry knife at this time but the Recon 1 does feel tougher and the lock feels more rugged for a camp beater. Will try and remember to report back after camping again in a couple of weeks. Good luck in your decision.
 
Im getting American lawman , and cant wait to see how it performs....Wish cold steel made recon 1 with flat ground blades like on new voyagers!
 
If you want a folding knife for cutting, and you're going to be processing fish and game then the Military would be my choice. However, if the intention to beat on a folder and do things other than pure cutting, perhaps tasks for which a folding knife is not intended, then get the Cold Steel. But I'm certain you realize for rough work a fixed blade is always the better choice than a folding knife. A stout fixed blade intended for woodcraft is safer and more reliable.

When I'm outdoors, I never really need a heavy duty knife, as just about all of my requirements can be met with a cutting tool. If I think woodcraft might involved as an element in an outing, then an axe, folding saw, or some kind of chopper gets included in the kit bag.

These days most of my backwoods activity consists of hiking a on summer's day up to an alpine lake in the Cascades. I just tote along a Spyderco Endura...light-weight and functional. I enjoy my knives, but am too old to lug a blade for which I have no use up a 10 mile marked trail.
 
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The Military would be my first choice. Camp chores for me would mostly be cleaning fish/game (I've used it to clean brook trout all the way up to stripers no problem), opening a package, cutting cord, eating dinner, etc. I use a hatchet/axe for firewood so a slicer is just fine for me. It all depends on what the intended use is.
 
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I would much rather clean a fish using a Spyderco Military than a Cold Steel Recon 1...

Spyderco Military FTW, imo.
 
timberweasel said:
I would much rather clean a fish using a Spyderco Military than a Cold Steel Recon 1...

Spyderco Military FTW, imo.
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Exactly. For real camp chores the Military will excel. And unless you're using it as a hammer, the thinner FFG and distal taper to the tip will only increase performance, and not be a problem for strength.

Notice the people who thought it was too weak all *felt* like it was too weak. The problem here is people seeing newer and newer overbuilt knives, and reading online about thin grinds and weak tips. On a theoretical level, it's true it's not quite as tough. But in real world use, are YOU really going to have a problem with it? Most people who know how to use knives will not.

That said, the Recon is a fine knife, and cheaper, and will do everything you need to do as well. I personally find the Military to be the best knife I've ever handled in the 4" folder range. It carries so well, and does everything a knife needs to do extremely well. But unless you really need the millie, you can't go wrong either way.

Let's not forget the people who did most camp chores with a slipjoint less than half as thick as the Military. Though I would prefer a small fixed blade for certain uses, you can get by just fine.
 
How did you narrow your selection to those two options, they are not very similar. The Military is under 4oz but the blade is fairly thin towards the tip. Have you considered a Benchmade 275 Adamas... ...or maybe a ZT 0350 or 0200, they would all be the same price range as the Military but more robust like the Cold Steel. Cold Steel folders have never really caught my eye.
 
You know, a Mora would be perfect for this, and they're reeeeally cheap. You could get a Becker Necker or ESEE Izula, too, and it wouldn't set you back much.
 
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