Why EDC small fixed blades?

mhawg said:
But in SC carrying any fixed blade inside a city limit is illegal. No limit now on folder size but straight edges are Verboten!!
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There is nothing that I can find in the amended SC code specifying fixed or folder.

"Section 16-23-460. (A) A person carrying a deadly weapon usually used for the infliction of personal injury concealed about his person is guilty of a misdemeanor, must forfeit to the county, or, if convicted in a municipal court, to the municipality, the concealed weapon, and must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than ninety days.

(B) The provisions of this section do not apply to:

(1) A person carrying a concealed weapon upon his own premises or pursuant to and in compliance with Article 4, Chapter 31 of Title 23; or

(2) peace officers in the actual discharge of their duties.

(C) The provisions of this section also do not apply to rifles, shotguns, dirks, slingshots, metal knuckles, knives, or razors unless they are used with the intent to commit a crime or in furtherance of a crime."

There may be city ordinances, but I could not find the SC code that prohibited carry inside city limits.
 
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I quit carrying small FB's recently. Seems all the LEO's I talked to say that in their eyes a small FB is more easily interpreted as a weapon, even if it's legal length and legal to carry. In some respects, I can understand that. Looking at the issue as I imagine a non-knife person would, I would wonder why someone is carrying something like that, versus a folder, which is much more commonplace, and can look much less innocent depending on model. The only EDC FB I carry anymore is a Mora, and that when I forget to take it off and head to Home Depot in the middle of a project. Got a nice Becker Necker in a horizontal sheath. Used to wear it all the time. But, even though it's technically legal, I didn't want to get asked a ton of questions about why I carry it, if it was ever spotted by LEO's. Now out in the woods, I carry what I please, and opinions be damned. Besides, I can't think of a job that my Mini-Manix or Swisstool can't handle in daily life. So why bother with a FB, if you can get by without it?
 
johnu2 said:
Small fixed blades are much easier to handle when wearing thick gloves
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I think that depends. I'd rather have my Manix in my gloved hands, than my Becker Necker. There's a bit of size difference there. I'd call your statement a bit of a generalization.
 
Large fixed blades are even easier to handle when wearing thick gloves. As are large folders.

"Small" fixed blades are not ideal EDC items for me. I'd MUCH prefer fixed blades of about 7"-8" OAL. Or folders (which I classify as self sheathing knives) that unfold to that size.
 
raindog101 said:
I think that depends. I'd rather have my Manix in my gloved hands, than my Becker Necker. There's a bit of size difference there. I'd call your statement a bit of a generalization.
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Well that's true, it IS a a generalization. What I should have said was small fixed blades are generally easier to handle than folders in most cases when wearing thick gloves
 
johnu2 said:
Well that's true, it IS a a generalization. What I should have said was small fixed blades are generally easier to handle than folders in most cases when wearing thick gloves
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You missed the point of what I (and Shecky, in the very next post) was saying: It doesn't matter fixed vs folding, it's more about the size (and yes, women who say differently are not being completely honest ;)...). Here's another example: Vaquero Grande, or Boker Subcom FB? Which would you imagine would handle better with thick gloves on?
 
I have to agree with the "folders doesn't freak out LEOs" group. Although out here people carry 4" fixed at the food store, carpenters, hunters, camping people and such.

I also agree with the "folder can fold" group too, although I have never seen a folder fold backwards. As long as you just CUT things a folder works as well as a fixed, it is the stabbing part that is the difference. OK, if you drill a hole in something I can see the need for a lock that works properly.

Anyway, here in Sweden people are afraid of everything bigger than a SAK. If you would take out something like a CQC7, people would send the SWAT team on the "knife wielding massmurdering terrorist gangster maffia hodlum", especially if you are not a "swedish" person. Hey, they even sent SWAT (or Piketen) on an old guy waving a broomstick at some crows. For some reason people see a SAK as a pocket knife, a tool. Other knives are just weapons waiting to be showed into foreign ministers and such.
 
crustaceanmick said:
It has never made much sense to me to carry (EDC) a fixed blade that was under 3".
What can you do with it that you can't do with a folder of same size blade, of equal quality?

A 3-" folder when closed, being maybe 4" total, and a 3-" fixed blade, being somewhere between 6" to 7" total.

Everything else being equal, the more discreet carry of the folder and the convenience of not dealing with a sheath, would seem more desirable.

CM. :)
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Oh boy. There are a lot of reasons, and all of them good ones to someone who uses a knife for extended periods of time (that is to say, for more than a quick swipe at a piece of cord or cardboard at a time).

1) Ergonomics. I've never held a folder that had good handle ergonomics. Most are just downright hellishly bad, with all metal handles and what the heck not. Some few are "decent", but not good. The handle of a fixed blade doesn't have to be a compromise so it can fit the folding blade inside it, so it can be made much better than a folder's handle - if the maker bothers to.

2) Durability. Doesn't get much more obvious than this. The blade is fixed, instead of a broken folding one. The tang, the handle, and the blade can take much more pressure than a similarly made folding knife with similar steel and geometry. There's much less on the fixed blade that can fail.

3) Trivially easy to clean compared to a folder. No moving parts you'd need to oil or try to keep dirt and dust out of, and if you get it bloody skinning an animal, you don't have to take it apart with a screwdriver to get all the nasty stuff out.

4) About a million times faster than a folder. Ever tried opening a folder quickly, under real pressure, with your weaker hand? Not as easy as it is in training.

5) Tradition - fixed blades are the way knives were born, folders are modern toys.

That would be my top 5. :p
 
Small (around 3.5 inches blade length) fixed blades are starting to grow at me. They are easier to carry with suit actually, (thanks to belt) and you could not gunk up a pivot for lack of it.
 
I like any well made fixed blade but kinda tired of the "because the locks fail"
comments on folders. Never had a well made folder fail. Just make sure the locks engaged. Not too hard. Also they do get dirty if you don't maintain them. Like saying
I don't trust semi-autos because they have so many parts to keep clean, I rather
use a sharp stick nothing to go wrong. Also you can't just throw a three inch fixed blade in your pocket and go anywhere.
 
Strength
Ease of access
Simplicity
Durability
Carbon steel

I carry a RC 3 daily and I love it. With the RAT cutlery sheath system it is as easy as a folder to carry.
 
I use whatever knife is in my pocket for many things but mostly for cutting food. Apples, pears, carrots etc. I always have either a Bark River Woodland Special or Blackwater Boot Knife in my pocket. All because of the ease of cleaning and strength.
 
I carry a Bark River Mini Canadian when I'm doing something that requires frequent knife use combined with wearing gloves. I can't open a folder with gloves as easily as drawing and replacing a smal FB.
 
Why not carry a small fixed blade EDC? ;-)

For every positive you can find for a folder, I can find one for a fixed blade. And for every detriment you can find for a fixed blade, I can find one for a folder.

However, there's one really simple reason why I carry a small fixed blade EDC. . . I own a Graham Brothers Razel. It's just under 7" overall length, with a blade a little over 3". It has a pocket sheath perfectly designed to be carried comfortably and unobtrusively in a pocket. It's a beautiful knife, very functional, and just begs to be carried every day.

Note: I have nothing against folders. In fact, I've EDC'ed a folder more often than a fixed. But I've become a big fan of small (absolute max of 7" OAL, prefer closer to 6" AOL, both with a 3" blade or less) fixed blade knives. They're convenient, durable, and there's a lot of great custom makers out there who will make you any design you want.
 
JB in SC said:
There is nothing that I can find in the amended SC code specifying fixed or folder.

"Section 16-23-460. (A) A person carrying a deadly weapon usually used for the infliction of personal injury concealed about his person is guilty of a misdemeanor, must forfeit to the county, or, if convicted in a municipal court, to the municipality, the concealed weapon, and must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days nor more than ninety days.

(B) The provisions of this section do not apply to:

(1) A person carrying a concealed weapon upon his own premises or pursuant to and in compliance with Article 4, Chapter 31 of Title 23; or

(2) peace officers in the actual discharge of their duties.

(C) The provisions of this section also do not apply to rifles, shotguns, dirks, slingshots, metal knuckles, knives, or razors unless they are used with the intent to commit a crime or in furtherance of a crime."

There may be city ordinances, but I could not find the SC code that prohibited carry inside city limits.
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You're right, City of Columbia ordinance. :o
 
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