why carry a folder unless you work in a "professional" setting?

Joined
May 24, 2010
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536
I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. Folders only seem nessesary IF you work in a corporate environ. If not, you are just wasting your hard-earned cash on an inferior product (IMHO). Folders fail, period. A solid piece of steel does not, unless put under extreme, extreme stress.
I just can't figure out why so many people continue to buy into the tactical folder thing....what's the point? Please clue me in? And I mean that in the most humble, non-confrontational way :) Here's my EDC.. and I thought it was kind of big at first, but now, I can't feel that it's even there.
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Once again, I mean no disrespect to those with folders!, I just want to be given a reasonable argument for there usefulness.
 
Practicality? Weight? Edge geometry?

One of my favorite knives the BM 943 takes up very little space when closed. Probably about as much as the handle on the knife in your pictures. It also only weights 2.62 ounces (probably a little less now after repeated sharpenings). The blade is also very thin as the distal taper extends towards the tip.

With a fixed blade, there's going to be a sheath involved, which adds more weight and more bulk to carry. Besides, there's a reason they are called pocket knives. If I removed the clip, it would disappear completely into my pocket, leaving nothing exposed.
 
Maybe its because most people know that they wont subject their folder to extreme stress AND they know all about using the right tool for the job. Not everybody goes around prying with their knives although alot of modern "harduse" folders are pretty robust.

Plus the folder might be the only type of knife thats legal to carry in their area.

And some folders look pretty damn good too. It dosent always have to be about the toughest and strongest knife. Alot of people are attracted to a certain knifes design.
 
Folders fail, period.

Mine don't. Not even my cheap folders. Or lightweight slipjoints.
Maybe that has something to do with the right tool for the job.

Of course, a lot of us do or did work in professional settings.

Some people write with fountain pens, some with ballpoints, some with pencils.
Some can hardly write at all. They use a keyboard and a printer.
It's all in what works for you and what you prefer to use.
 
Folders are usually a smaller, easier to carry package and it doesn't need a sheath. It's more concealable and generally more comfortable in the pocket. For those of us that work in an office environment, it doesn't scare other people nearly as much as a fixed blade. I know they are ignorant but that's the reality.

I'm sure carrying a fixed blade is as 2nd nature to you as carrying a set of keys, but I think a large number of folks prefer a folder. I carry a wallet, keys, a cell phone and a small flashlight along with my folder so I prefer a smaller package.
 
In 55+ years of carrying and using folders, I've never had one fail me when I was using it, period. I work in a warehouse where I cut a variety of materials from cardboard to zip ties to strong strapping material. I play in the woods down south where I cut wood, bushes, stems, paper & plastic, and occasionally food tins.

I carry folders because I can get a longer cutting edge in a smaller package. That's important to me for some of the thick materials I cut. I can also keep a folder completely concealed with nothing sticking up out of my pocket. That's also important in some of the places I go. I've carried FB as EDC tools before and may do so again if it suits me, but for now, a good folder is my best choice.
 
I don't need a 44 mag for disposing of ants.

I don't need a fixed blade for opening boxes or mail at my office.
 
The proverbial horse that has been beaten to death a thousand times over...
A folder has it's place, just as much as a fixed blade. Working in a corporate or "professional" environment has zero to do with it. I carry a Leatherman Supertool, Izula (fixed blade), and an additional folder - and I work in a professional setting as an IT Administrator.

You ask for a reasonable argument to be provided to you, however that is subjective. What may be reasonable to you may not be so for 99% of people, and vice versa. Now, you say folders are a waste of hard earned cash as well as ihnferior. What reasonable proof can you provide that would convince me that your statement is an accurate & truthful one? I for one have seen many fixed blades defeated as well as folders. How would you explain that away? Is it pure coincidence? Misuse maybe?

Different strokes for different folks, not better just different. :thumbup:
 
A lot of it is due to legal reasons....

Or even if you can have a fixed blade on your belt it wouldn't be accepted very well in certain places like stores etc.

I sure wouldn't go into my local Target or Grocery store with a Busse Battle Mistress on my belt. Even if I did get in the door I am sure the law would be called soon after even though it's legal for me to do so.

It's about using common since....
 
"Folders fail, period."

Love when opinions get touted as hard fact. I've never had a folder fail on me after 10 years of using them.... and I use them pretty damn hard.

I think the real question is, how do you sit down?
 
For me, folders are more comfortable, lighter and not as threatening to other people. I talked to a law enforcement friend and he said they don't worry about folders unless they're auto. They do get ineterested in fixed blades.
 
I carry a folder when I can not carry a fixed blade I would much prefer to carry a fixed blade when ever possible I have had very good folders fail

I do not like liner locks or frame locks it is not that they will fail it is that you can accidentaly release the lock when you twist the grip.

Like Esav said you have to use the right tool for the job

Folders are for light duty

I have been carrying a folder with a Demko lock of late when I can not carry a fixed blade and so far I am impressed with the lock.

I carry it in waist band hideing the cli[p under my belt.

I am so sick of seeing pocket clips sticking out of pockets it looks stupid IMHO

Tactical folders are and always have been an Oxymoran if you are carrying a knife for self defence make it a fixed blade
 
Well, first of all in California any fixed blade must be worn openly, you can't just throw a pocket sheath in your pocket. And I have no interest in wearing my knife on my belt like a fashion statement.

Second, my folders don't fail, because I treat them like the tool that they are. They are not hammers, nor prybars, nor hand held missiles. Hell, the way I use most of my fixed blades would not cause them to fail if they were folders either....

Also, like someone else said, you get much more blade in a much smaller package. My folder with about a 3.75" blade disappears whether it's clipped in my waistband, or in one of my pockets. And I find the length useful for cutting thick, fibrous material, and more importantly food prep when I'm not in the kitchen. Cutting a bagel with an Izula is not near as helpful, though you can do it, and an izula would take up more space on my person.

Though I absolutely would carry an Izula if I could, neat little blades :p
 
Seems to me like anybody could snag that thing outta your pocket before you'd even have a chance to react...

I have to agree with Esav. And I'm also going to ask why you seemed to imply a lumping of all folders into the "tactical" category. I think it goes without saying that a bone handled slipjoint does not qualify as a "tactical folder." In saying this, I mean only to say one does not have to buy into the "tactical folder thing" in order to appreciate the convenience of a folder. I also doubt it's much of a stretch to imagine that someone in say Chicago, or Toronto, or Seattle can get away with wearing a fixed blade as they walk through their local Best Buy. I remember I was in Wal-Mart once (years ago...do my best not to anymore) with a fixed blade on, and I was asked to leave the store until I removed my "weapon".

It's a strange world we live in, but we do live in it, and sometimes compliance is better than all out resistance, fighting every battle that presents itself. MANY times in the contemporary era, one encounters hostility in the face of carrying a knife. Hell, cops will give you a hard time for anything with a blade wider than your palm in most cities, and that is for folders alone! Just try to keep from harassment if they catch you carrying a folder. It's become difficult to explain to the denizens of the modern world that the knife is one of man's oldest and most valuable (read, useful) tools and not some vicious weapon. Especially if that denizen happens to be wearing a badge.

"The modern mind is in complete disarray. Knowledge has stretched itself to the point where neither the world nor our intelligence can find any foot-hold."
-Albert Camus
 
what's the point

1 - ease of carry. I carry a bunch of EDC items, including a pistol, Blackberry and flashlight, and anything that reduces the bulk and weight is good.

2 - I don't use folders in a manner reasonably likely to result in lock failure, so that takes your primary selling point off the table. I open boxes, clam shell packages, etc. The most I might ever push a knife is to clean up some PVC pipe or something, and but even then I baby the knife. Its a "right tool for the job" thing.

3 - while I don't have the slightest care whether my EDC knife scares people (as long as its legal, they can bite my ankle), a folder has the side benefit of being less likely to precipitate a Nervous Nelly to call the cops.

Primarily, though, its the ease of carry thing, coupled with the lightning fast deployment of a Spydie hole. JMO.
 
ok, thanks for all the replies and keeping it somewhat civil. I made the comment about folders failing due to having bad luck in the past with a couple of models (not misuse on my part but a loosening issue due to the "fail point" where the blade meets the handle.i just wanted some opinions from folder users as I have an opportunity to purchase one from a maker whom I trust. Thanks again for your 2 cents and lesson learned :)
 
You are 100% right that a fixed blade will (likely) never collapse on your fingers.

Its a cost/benefit thing. We engage in that kind of analysis all day, every day. Do I eat at McDonald's, or is worth driving 5 miles for a better restaurant? Cost/benefit. Same thing with what knife to carry. Its all good. I'm just happy to live in a Free State where I make that decision, rather than having it made for me.
 
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