Why does everyone want such "tough" folders?

hardheart said:
I don't quite understand it either. Thick knives suck at cutting and suck at prying. If they're pocketable, they also suck at chopping.
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SO your saying knives like Strider or Hinderer (XM-18) are bad at the above mentioned tasks? :jerkit:
 
I carry Strider folders! why? because I can! & I trust my life with them!!!

Oh yea I carry spyderco's too!:D
 
So-Lo said:
I also don't understand why people talk about locks so much. I cut with the edge 100% of the time, are they cutting with the spine? :confused:
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They are fixated on the lock because they don't want the blade closing on their fingers and cutting them.
Also using folding knives for very strenuous/stressful things (like batoning) puts a lot of stress on the locking mechanism.
Therefore they want the strongest lock mechanism available.
I haven't batoned with a folder but from what i read its best not to even lock the blade when batoning so the strength of the lock mechanism might be a moot point.
A lot of this is connected to "what knife would i want if the SHTF?" and TEOTWAWKI and self defense kinda scenarios.
Which can be fun (in a nihilistic way) to speculate on but which i personally don't take too seriously.
But then i live in a place with a very low social upheaval/crime rate, maybe if i lived in Detroit or Washington D.C i'd feel different.
Anyway theres no harm in Walter Mitty stuff, whatever rocks your boat!
Personally while I like and own various types of lock blades i primarily carry and use slipjoints.
My SAK's and my stockmans/barlows/peanuts all work fine for me without a lock. In 20+ years of using SAK's i haven't yet had any major cuts or injuries (knock on wood).
:D
 
I am not the one making bold statements, you are. You said they suck at everything, not that there are better tools for each application. If you have never owned a Strider/Hinderer then you should not make such a statement. Many of us do need a knife that can do more then just cut. I like to think of it more as "jack of all trades, but master of none".
 
michaelmcgo said:
It seems 1 in 3 threads lately have been asking what production folders are the strongest? People say they want a folder that can handle anything and everything. I do not understand why you want a knife so thick that it diminishes it's cutting ability, because you may have to pry with it someday. How many people have broken a normal thickness knife? I understand that a knife is designed for cutting (especially a folder), and therefore I buy a knife that is good for cutting. I own several fixed blades that are super thick and very tough, I may pry with one of those. My toolbox is chuck full of things good for prying, I will never use my razor blades for that, because they were not designed for that. Maybe I don't live a rough enough lifestyle, but I will never own a 1/4" thick bladed folder!
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Yes I have broken a normal thickness knife blade or two. Sometimes things happen. I still prefer thin blades. As for why people ask for such tough folders, it is probably for the same reason people start threads that are destined to devolve into flame wars. Because they can.
 
My guess from seeing people who carry such knives is that they are tools. Not the knives but the people carrying them.:D

The only people I have ever seen who carried a 1/4" thick folding Tanto/prybar, were total D-bags. There are more morons in this world than smart people so it only makes sense to market towards retards.

I'm not saying there is not use for a tough folder but when I see a guy at a gunshow with a super duty folding knife just to cut zip ties, I wonder what is going on.

I have found that if you use a knife a knife, you don't really need anything more than a 3-4" blade and it doesn't have to be thick. My Spyderco Centofante 4 has been able to handle everything I have asked it to do. Sure there were times when a larger knife would have been better but I made do.

If I need to pry open a car door, I will find a prybar, if I need to chop down a tree, I will use an axe. If I need to make my ego feel better, I guess then I will buy a $400 pry-knife and show it off as I try and open a letter.
 
I have to agree that the spine wacking over testing of folders is a bit much to me. I have carried knives for forty years and only once had one fold on me while in use. That was a cheap Japanese knife in the 1970s. If you use the knife correctly, it should hold up.....
 
As far as knives go, I seem to get by quite nicely with my Spyderco Delica. Which is also short enough to be street-legal here in Denver.

Sure never stopped me from owning a whole lot of other knives, though, including a Randall 12-9!
 
I don't know. Tough over weak, I guess. I'm just not so sure how much more "tough" you get for a pile more money anymore, though.
 
I own many types of knives, of all price points. And I assure you that knives made by Companies like Strider and Hinderer do make a truly heavy duty knife. Are they "tougher" then Spyderco or Benchmade?... Yes.... Are they worth the extra money compared to those companies?... Only you can decide that.

I would like to state I do own both Spyderco and Benchmade and they both make great knives. I also feel a lot of people dis the $400.00+ knives b/c they can't afford to buy and test one out.
 
I sometimes have to cut through Quickrete with my folder.
 
I think that it is that some times you just need something that you can't break easily.

I weld and do construction and occasionally have to loan my folders out, hence the reason I need something hard to screw up.

Unfortunatly most warrenties don't have a "I loaned it to my stupid co-worker and dip-doo broke it" clause. :(
 
This is a very hard question. I assume our definitions of tough vary a bit. Some have said they prefer a thin blade to a thich one, but why can't a thinner bladed knife be tough:confused:!! Several have mentioned sebbies as great slicers i.e. thinner bladed than most. But a sebenza is definitely a tough knife.
 
Bkultra said:
I am not the one making bold statements, you are. You said they suck at everything, not that there are better tools for each application. If you have never owned a Strider/Hinderer then you should not make such a statement. Many of us do need a knife that can do more then just cut. I like to think of it more as "jack of all trades, but master of none".
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If there is a better tool, then it sucks to settle. I would bet that that is the mentality applied for several people who buy these knives in the first place, thinking that they are better tools. I never mentioned any brand, I do not know how thick Strider or Hinderer folders are (sure, I could search). I said thick knives, I did not say tacticals, customs, expensive, whatever other category anyone decides to add to my posted message. Thick knives do suck at cutting when compared to comparable quality thin blades. They suck at prying when compared to almost any screwdriver and every prybar. Folding pocket knives absolutely suck at chopping when compared to large fixed blades, axes, or hatchets.

I need tools that can do more than just cut, not just a knife. I've broken several knives over the years, I still look for thinner, better cutters. I also carry other tools and try to keep myself better equipped. I found it was better to walk the 30 feet back to the toolbox while working on a vehicle, doing a little metal fab, or some hamfisted woodwork, than to risk my knife. I found it was better to double check the contents of my offshore unit than to spend a week on an oil rig trying to bum tools and again risk my knife. I feel it better to carry a variety of tools in my vehicle than to rely on my knife in a roadside emergency or in case of a hurricane.

To me, thick folders are harder to cut with, too dangerous to pry with, and nigh impossible to chop with. Yes, jack of all trades, master of none. I just don't think that is a great thing.
 
kgriggs8 said:
The only people I have ever seen who carried a 1/4" thick folding Tanto/prybar, were total D-bags. There are more morons in this world than smart people so it only makes sense to market towards retards.
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It's good to see that the Dale Carnegie lessons are paying off. :p
 
I've found the Cold Steel Voyagers to be a solid combination of strength and cutting ability. The blades come sharp out of the box and they're also polished, which maximizes their corrosion resistance. For defense they suffer a bit because there's no adequate stop to keep the hand from going over the blade when the knife is thrust against a hard surface. Plain blades are nice, but Cold Steel's serrations are very fine and work well in slicing. With heavy cutting the serrations can be chipped off.
 
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