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

I hardly carry a fixed blade period, even in the woods hiking or hunting. Never had a failure. A Buck 110 is a classic example of those people who only have one knife. I know a mechanic who has carried and used a Kershaw Scallion for just over five years now. What he has put his through working on concrete trucks? You wouldn't believe. Still works like new.
 
I really think that one reason people gravitate to folders is that there are alot of good proudution folders out there and not many good prouduction fixed blades and that is especially true when it comes to prouduction fixed blade sheaths.

I think if more people took advantage of some of the great sheath makers out there more would carry fixed blades.

I do not want to seem like a folder hater I have many and carry them at times.

My main problem with them is I can not tell you how many I have lost over the years in pocket carry. I am very active jumping in and out of trucks onto machines etc. I do not like anything in my pockets as large as a big folder.

I have also been cut by accidentally disengageing a liner lock while in use and suffered tendon damage.

When I have to have dress clothes on in the summer and I am not wearing a suit jacket I will wear a folder IWB so it does not show or a fixed blade neck knife under my shirt. If I am not in a dress situation it will always be a fixed blade in custom leather .

Once the weather cools down a nd I can wear a cover garment it is always a fixed blade and then at times up to a 9 1/2 inch blade.

In a defensive situation a fixed blade in the right carry setup is always faster than a folder

Just what works for me
 
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Sidehill Gouger said:
I personally think most of you guy are exaggerating a bit about people/co-workers calling 911 over a Vic Classic. Give me one instance of a key chain pen knife causing the cops to be called rather than just pretending you are James Dean rebelling against all that authority out to hold you down. When the airports started confiscating them, I was astounded at just how many people, male and female, actually had a Vic hanging on their key ring. Seemed like over 50% of the U.S. population
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I don't think they are exaggerating. I've had co-workers freak out over a one inch keychain folder that I used to cut open boxes at work. Lot's of "Gasp! Why do you have that?" bullshit. Nobody actually called 911 but there was plenty of freak out. Hoplophobia.
 
squinty said:
I don't think they are exaggerating. I've had co-workers freak out over a one inch keychain folder that I used to cut open boxes at work. Lot's of "Gasp! Why do you have that?" bullshit. Nobody actually called 911 but there was plenty of freak out. Hoplophobia.
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What did they think you're going to do with a 1" blade? If you were up to mayhem wouldn't a bigger knife be in order?
 
singularity35 said:
What did they think you're going to do with a 1" blade? If you were up to mayhem wouldn't a bigger knife be in order?
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well tbh, if someone wanted to cause mayhem, a 1" knife is all they'd really NEED. sure, you can do alot of damage with a machete, but lets be honest. there're plenty of ways to kill a fella with a 1" blade
 
singularity35 said:
What did they think you're going to do with a 1" blade? If you were up to mayhem wouldn't a bigger knife be in order?
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In the case of the woman in the library that I was talking about, it was hard to tell what she thought was going to happen with that little blade. The man who had the blade had brought some books to return in a plastic bag, which he had knotted at the top. He simply pulled out the little slipjoint to open the bag so he could put the books on the counter, and the woman freaked out because he had a "dangerous weapon."

Who knows what sets people like her off, what goes through their minds (assuming they have any). Dangerous weapon? Give me a break. She was simply irrational, and loud about it, too. The security guard came over and tried to calm her down, but when that didn't work, he simply asked the guy with the knife to put it in his car, which he did. The woman was still ranting when I finished checking out my books and left.

I have long wondered why a public library would need a security guard, anyway. Now I realize it's probably because of people like her: your tax dollars at work.

To the poster who doesn't believe that anyone would freak out over a little blade like that and call security/911/whatever: yeah, those people are out there. I know: I've seen one in action.
 
dawsonbob said:
To the poster who doesn't believe that anyone would freak out over a little blade like that and call security/911/whatever: yeah those people are out there. I know: I've seen one in action.
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its really sad... I've been asked by police to put my gerber paraframe in my car, which i can kinda understand. at least he wasn't irrational about it, more of a "its the rules" kinda thing. the truth is, limiting dangerous weapons does NOTHING to promote safety. laws apply to those who follow them; if someone wants to kill you, or anyone, you think any kind of "weapon" control will stop them? no. attempted murder etc is up there on the list of felonies; illegal weapon possession doesn't really amount to much in comparison
 
That's true. Even in the knife culture we have here, some people seem to take it personally that someone is carrying what they perceive to be a weapon. I was picking up a package in the PO and this woman's eyes nearly bugged out when I pulled out my persistence to open the package. To her horror, she saw that what I had in the package was a fixed blade made by a local maker in some other part of the country. I guess she made some kind of remark to the PO employees because they LOLed and said that I was a hobbyist and they know me well. Really worth it to see her deflated after that. :D
 
I carry a folder over my fixed blades about 90% of the time, legality isn't really a issue here but I prefer a pocket clip knife for comfort and convenience sake.

Haven't had a frame-lock fail on me yet and I use them fairly hard.
 
macmiddlebrooks said:
Folders fail, period.
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While I agree with those posters who say that if you are using the right knife and cutting smartly they will not fail, there is always the potential for it in a folder. If 999 times out of 1000 it holds, you only need that one time it fails (whether through lock-wear or misuse is irrelevant) to be seriously injured.

The perfect solution is the butterfly knife. You get the convenience of a folder with the strength of a fixed blade. The problem is most places have outlawed them. So not only is it unwise to carry one around, but since demand is not there, we don't have as much variety in styles, sizes and materials as with regular folders. A sad state of affairs. To my mind, there is no better folder than a butterfly.
 
Today I saw a nice little custom 3/32 or 1/8 knife, slim G-10 handle and around a 3" blade.

Pretty much a little paring knife, but good steel and better handle material, I carry a little fixed blade, folders and never had an issue with anything breaking, locks failing or whatever.

I say if you buy quality, know what you're buying, you won't be disappointed or "under-knifed".
 
I love a good fixed blade,but,I love folders also.When it comes to knives I like variety.
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
I personally think most of you guy are exaggerating a bit about people/co-workers calling 911 over a Vic Classic. Give me one instance of a key chain pen knife causing the cops to be called rather than just pretending you are James Dean rebelling against all that authority out to hold you down. When the airports started confiscating them, I was astounded at just how many people, male and female, actually had a Vic hanging on their key ring. Seemed like over 50% of the U.S. population
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No I'm not joking....

Some people flip out very easy, who knows why, but they do.....

To them a knife is a weapon period and that's any knife we would have on us....

I used my folders all the time at one place I worked and more times than not I would get strange looks....

They would go up to ask for the manager to make a big deal out of it, well guess what.... I was the manager. LOL ;)
 
I work and live in environments which allow anything I want to carry. I have both fixed and folders... I prefer a GOOD folder (Sebenza, Spydie Military, Griptilian, ect...) over a fixed blade any day... mainly because I don't want the bulk of a 3-4" bladed FB with me most of the time. There are times where a FB (RAT -3 usually) goes with me in my car - or manpurse if I'm on my bike.
 
Well, I work in and out of an office where most of my co-workers are female. All have knives around their desks or in their purses and all use them daily for cutting what ever needs cutting. I don't always agree with their choices as most prefer the little tiny models, Spyderco Ladybugs, Vic Classics, etc. but whatever works for them. Nobody freaks at the slight of a little pen blade. I've certainly never worked any place where a Swiss Army would get you called on the carpet.

People that do freak deserve to be ridiculed for the irrational individuals they are.
 
It seems that some of us on here insist with the folder issue living in the world of possibility as opposed to living the in world of probability. As it relates to folders start living in the world of probability. I have hunted and fished since I was a small boy and am now a 40 year old man, I have rarely seen anyone at any camp use a fixed blade for anything other than cooking in the kitchen, period, nor do I see people who are damn good woodsmen carry one in the wild. I'm talking about people who live out the woods and run hunting and fish camp operations. Training hunting dogs and hunting/trapping hogs at night for fun.

If it is significant cutting chore they use a machette or a small hatchet or large axe. If someone actually showed up with a large fixed blade on their belt at the places I hunt they would literally be laughed out of camp and probably looked upon with some suspicion. I have seen folders used hard and out right abused and I'm not talking about the high end stuff either and keep right on ticking. Fixed blades are cool I like em but outside of the kitchen there simply isn't much call for them.

Now to be fair if your a moutain man or true lone wilderness survivalist where weight is an issue I totally and completely understand the one large fixed blade thing. But again lets operate in the probable not the possible, the percentage of people that will ever live like that despite whatever is coming down the pike for us as a civilization is so small to be practically irrelevant. Moreover the percentage of people that have the knowledge and mental toughness to do it is even smaller. If anything ever happens your basic need is shelter, well you already live somewhere so unless that area is rendered totally and completely uninhabitable your going to stay put, grow a garden and forage for food, medicines, and services just like everyone else. Plus their is safety in numbers.

You should at least in theory have all the tools needed to survive and thrive if you have enough yard space right their at your house or in your utility room or shop. Didn't mean to ramble but the OP in my opinion is missing the macro picture.
 
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