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Hard use folding knives? (Page 2 of 2)
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Link Posted: 6/14/2023 3:44:00 PM EDT
[#1]
I have a few Emerson knives that have small issues. Two have sticky lockbars. Also have a Roadhouse that sometimes won't lock in place when using the wave to open. I've been meaning to contact them about it to get worked on, but ended up just putting it away and using different knives.
Link Posted: 6/15/2023 12:05:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: tsg68] [#2]
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Originally Posted By WTFShane:
I have a few Emerson knives that have small issues. Two have sticky lockbars. Also have a Roadhouse that sometimes won't lock in place when using the wave to open. I've been meaning to contact them about it to get worked on, but ended up just putting it away and using different knives.
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Ernie’s customs are great, I’ve never really liked the production versions as I find the liner locks are thin and weak. Always wanted a frame lock Commander but never saw one at a buy it now price.
Link Posted: 6/15/2023 2:05:28 PM EDT
[#3]
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Originally Posted By ROCK6:

@stone-age
The XIO (yes, Chinese) made Alpha Mark 1 was a small batch made by a knife enthusiast in China with access to some machinery from a more common knife company. It's a beast of a knife and not sure if they're still being made or not:

XIO Alpha Mark 1

The other two are still in production, but as with all Extremaratio knives, they're expensive. The RAO and the RAO II

ROCK6
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I've been kind of wanting a big folder, specifically the Glauca because I like its modified tanto blade. But that big finger groove on the handle . would've been ideal if that was trimmed down.
Link Posted: 6/15/2023 5:39:24 PM EDT
[#4]
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Originally Posted By Master_Blaster:


I've been kind of wanting a big folder, specifically the Glauca because I like its modified tanto blade. But that big finger groove on the handle . would've been ideal if that was trimmed down.
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Originally Posted By Master_Blaster:
Originally Posted By ROCK6:

@stone-age
The XIO (yes, Chinese) made Alpha Mark 1 was a small batch made by a knife enthusiast in China with access to some machinery from a more common knife company. It's a beast of a knife and not sure if they're still being made or not:

XIO Alpha Mark 1

The other two are still in production, but as with all Extremaratio knives, they're expensive. The RAO and the RAO II

ROCK6


I've been kind of wanting a big folder, specifically the Glauca because I like its modified tanto blade. But that big finger groove on the handle . would've been ideal if that was trimmed down.

The XL Cold Steel folders are hard to beat for the money and there are a few different models. I carried my first XL Voyager everywhere, including hiking in Alaska. I cut my food with it, opened boxes and carried it as a defensive item before I bought a handgun. I bought a second one in AUS10, cut myself badly and decided to put them both away. The drop point Voyagers look great but I stick with fixed blades over big folders now.

Check out the 4max Scout. I've seen them as low as $55 and it's a tank of a knife.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0851QHMJZ?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US
Link Posted: 6/27/2023 3:06:25 PM EDT
[Last Edit: doubleclaw] [#5]
It’s not a Gucci steel wonder blade, but I chopped down several trees with my CRKT M16-14, and it held up very well in the field for a $35 PX knife. I take it to the field every time.

I have several that I keep in my truck, around the house and in the shop. They work, hold an edge well and will take abuse that would kill most folders.

I have a bunch of the $5 knockoffs I bought in Iraq, and they hold up just as well as the real deal.
Link Posted: 6/28/2023 8:32:27 AM EDT
[#6]
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Originally Posted By tsg68:
That’s why I liked the Strider GB and AR they were thick blades but they were broad and had almost full grinds which made them tough but still relatively delicate cutters.  They made versions with steep partial grinds and thick spines but they weren’t as efficient as knives.
View Quote

This is a good point and it applies to fixed blades as much as folders. The Benchmade/Now-Hogue Ritter folder is another good example of a wide, full (or almost full) flat grind. You get the lateral strength of a thicker blade stock with a pretty damn good cutting efficiency of a thinner-stock blade.

We have been fooled into thinking thick-saber-ground blades and sharpened prybars are necessary for strength, but they're not, and you don't need to sacrifice cutting efficiency to have that strength. Knives that have a wider blade profile can really maximize both strength and cutting efficiency.

ROCK6


Link Posted: 7/7/2023 10:28:29 PM EDT
[#7]
20+ years ago I bought a strider 4 inch folder from
Duane Dwyer at a gun show here in Vegas.
It’s a tanto blade built like a tank and after all these years locks up rock solid.
Paid 90 bucks for it.
Link Posted: 7/7/2023 11:09:38 PM EDT
[#8]
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Originally Posted By Mobilty6:
20+ years ago I bought a strider 4 inch folder from
Duane Dwyer at a gun show here in Vegas.
It’s a tanto blade built like a tank and after all these years locks up rock solid.
Paid 90 bucks for it.
View Quote


Nice. Got any pictures of the knife?
Link Posted: 7/9/2023 1:19:29 AM EDT
[#9]
I will try can’t say I’ve ever tried to upload a pic here before.
Link Posted: 8/14/2023 2:16:40 PM EDT
[Last Edit: KissMethod17] [#10]
Buck 110 if you do not mind old school. Can be had for what $55 dollars these days? I see them at Walmart all the time.
Link Posted: 4/14/2024 10:31:09 AM EDT
[#11]
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Originally Posted By KissMethod17:
Buck 110 if you do not mind old school. Can be had for what $55 dollars these days? I see them at Walmart all the time.
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I do love a 110 and 112.  Just got a thing for those classic folding hunters.

Most days now I carry a combo of a Kershaw Blur and a small Classic SAK.  

When I was using blades for work I usually had anything from older Boker Barlow type (okay for general cutting) and always my 110 on my belt.  But heavier stuff from cutting strapping and slicing thru loader belts or tires I had a Becker folder.  Didn’t hold an edge great but I could hone it on a coffee cup or the edge of a truck window.  Broke one but kept another for a long while. Left it with the truck when I retired.
Coworker said it was still in there recently haha!
Link Posted: 4/14/2024 1:09:59 PM EDT
[#12]
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Originally Posted By WTFShane:


Nice. Got any pictures of the knife?
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Sounds like a GB which is probably a $600 knife now.
Link Posted: 4/14/2024 1:51:32 PM EDT
[#13]
I’ve had a bunch of “hard use” folders. I’ve used them hard too. Most of them have been on the pricey side. I’ve also had issues with most of them. Most folding knives, despite what companies might advertise aren’t really “hard use” knives.

I’ve pretty much settled on my Hinderer XM-18 3.5” slicer at this point. It has its own issues like screws that like to back out and the annoying free spinning spanner pivot but it ultimately works well for the tasks I ask of it. I also love that I can pretty much always get hardware for repairs or customization.



Link Posted: 4/14/2024 2:02:32 PM EDT
[#14]
ZT all day. I’ve even intentionally tried to get a 350 to fail by batoning it in seasoned oak. Still locks up solid
Link Posted: 4/14/2024 2:06:18 PM EDT
[#15]
True knives are pretty tough for cheapo hardware store grade.
Link Posted: 4/14/2024 2:27:51 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Brawnydog] [#16]
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Originally Posted By Mobilty6:
I will try can't say I've ever tried to upload a pic here before.
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imgbb.com
upload
copypaste
Surround pasted pic with [im g]  ... [/img] no spaces
profit
Link Posted: 4/16/2024 5:29:25 PM EDT
[#17]
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Originally Posted By ROCK6:

@stone-age
I let the Youtubers do it to their own blades, but they do give you a good idea of the amount of abuse some folders can handle. As we all know, lateral stress is the weak link, but some locking mechanisms are far more robust than others.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_101008.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_101008.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_100924.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_100924.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

There are a few that take a secondary pin to really make them stout...
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/.highres/20180404_121521_zps1kf4gmum.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/.highres/20180404_121521_zps1kf4gmum.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

However, the best off-the-shelf, seriously tough folder is Cold Steel's 4-Max with the stout Tri-Ad lock. Mines is the second generation and CPM 20CV and it's a pretty thick blade (0.18" thick compared to the pretty well-know Benchmade Adamas at 0.14")

I know knives, especially folders, aren't pry bars, picks, or choppers, but quite honestly, when you need an immediate solution to an extreme problem where time, distance, or circumstance doesn't allow you go grab the "right tool", you may very well need to use that folder in your pocket. Nothing rarely goes according to plan and that folder in your pocket may need to solve a problem it's not quite designed to solve. I have mostly been able to avoid that situation with my folders, but I've abused a few fixed blades well beyond their cutting purpose.

Even the original Al Mar SERE "Attack" folder was designed for such purposes of a compact tool (for crewman needling less on their person to get snagged or in the way) to serve almost as a fixed blade for SERE, from cutting themselves out of the thin aircraft skin to all the "survival" cutting tasks necessary for survival and evasion.

These are all my "big" folders with a Glock 26 and Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK fixed blade with a 5.5" blade.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/20190918_114034_zps7ekyagxj.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/20190918_114034_zps7ekyagxj.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

ROCK6
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Ohh Grayman for the win!
Link Posted: 4/16/2024 6:26:58 PM EDT
[#18]
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Originally Posted By ROCK6:



Even the original Al Mar SERE "Attack" folder was designed for such purposes of a compact tool (for crewman needling less on their person to get snagged or in the way) to serve almost as a fixed blade for SERE, from cutting themselves out of the thin aircraft skin to all the "survival" cutting tasks necessary for survival and evasion.
hotobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/20190918_114034_zps7ekyagxj.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds[/url][/URL]

ROCK6
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Love your Al Mar
Link Posted: 4/17/2024 6:23:57 PM EDT
[#19]
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Originally Posted By grabagear:
Ohh Grayman for the win!
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Originally Posted By grabagear:
Ohh Grayman for the win!

Yeah, sadly, he no longer makes his Sifu folder, but it's a beast...

Originally Posted By streetstar:
Love your Al Mar

Thanks, it was what got me into "mega" folders

ROCK6
Link Posted: 4/18/2024 5:15:30 PM EDT
[#20]
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Originally Posted By KissMethod17:
Buck 110 if you do not mind old school. Can be had for what $55 dollars these days? I see them at Walmart all the time.
View Quote



I love the looks of these too and gifted an auto version to my nephew for Christmas a year or so ago, --- but the topic being "hard use" gives me pause to reflect on the tip i broke on 2 of these knives over the years with very minimal manipulation (trying to break a plastic strap around an appliance box in one instance) - means i am all for the 110 and similar knives for general use, but hard use i couldnt go there

That said - if its truly a "hard use" task - i/ll probably be going for a sheath knife or a hatchet
Link Posted: 4/19/2024 12:14:33 AM EDT
[Last Edit: tsg68] [#21]
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All Buck Striders.  Fixed blade is an 888. Two drop point folders are 880 large, 881 small I believe and the two identical folders are 889 Steve Tarani Striders
Link Posted: 4/19/2024 12:29:03 AM EDT
[#22]
I need to close this thread before it costs me lots of money.
Link Posted: 4/19/2024 1:28:40 AM EDT
[#23]
Benchmade Adamas AXIS

Link Posted: 4/21/2024 11:33:30 AM EDT
[#24]
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Originally Posted By ROCK6:

@stone-age
I let the Youtubers do it to their own blades, but they do give you a good idea of the amount of abuse some folders can handle. As we all know, lateral stress is the weak link, but some locking mechanisms are far more robust than others.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_101008.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_101008.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_100924.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v440/ROCK-6/20210328_100924.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

There are a few that take a secondary pin to really make them stout...
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/.highres/20180404_121521_zps1kf4gmum.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/.highres/20180404_121521_zps1kf4gmum.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

However, the best off-the-shelf, seriously tough folder is Cold Steel's 4-Max with the stout Tri-Ad lock. Mines is the second generation and CPM 20CV and it's a pretty thick blade (0.18" thick compared to the pretty well-know Benchmade Adamas at 0.14")

I know knives, especially folders, aren't pry bars, picks, or choppers, but quite honestly, when you need an immediate solution to an extreme problem where time, distance, or circumstance doesn't allow you go grab the "right tool", you may very well need to use that folder in your pocket. Nothing rarely goes according to plan and that folder in your pocket may need to solve a problem it's not quite designed to solve. I have mostly been able to avoid that situation with my folders, but I've abused a few fixed blades well beyond their cutting purpose.

Even the original Al Mar SERE "Attack" folder was designed for such purposes of a compact tool (for crewman needling less on their person to get snagged or in the way) to serve almost as a fixed blade for SERE, from cutting themselves out of the thin aircraft skin to all the "survival" cutting tasks necessary for survival and evasion.

These are all my "big" folders with a Glock 26 and Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK fixed blade with a 5.5" blade.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/20190918_114034_zps7ekyagxj.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds" target="_blank">https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/v440/ROCK-6/Blades/20190918_114034_zps7ekyagxj.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bounds

ROCK6
View Quote


I should’ve gotten a Hossom Retribution while Ontario had them. Italian made.
Link Posted: 4/28/2024 5:47:36 PM EDT
[#25]
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Originally Posted By tsg68:
I should’ve gotten a Hossom Retribution while Ontario had them. Italian made.
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It is well made but with a pretty large handle circumference.

ROCK6
Link Posted: 4/28/2024 8:45:25 PM EDT
[#26]
Cold steel Meyham. I'm tempted. Currently only available in AUS10 steel. It's not cheap. It has the Atlas lock, I don't know if that's good or bad.











https://www.coldsteel.com/mayhem-aus10/
Link Posted: 4/28/2024 8:53:02 PM EDT
[#27]
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I want one of those so bad but I can’t decide if I want the mini or full size.
Link Posted: 4/30/2024 3:39:36 AM EDT
[#28]
I've got some nice folders (and OTFs and fixed blades). Honestly the only one that I carry anymore (unless I feel like carrying my Microtech Dirac Delta OTF) is my Cold Steel AD10 folder. It's beefy, comfortable, and just badass. My OTFs cost way more, but the CS AD10 is my do-it-all blade. It's S35VN.

Attachment Attached File


Attachment Attached File
Link Posted: 4/30/2024 6:49:37 AM EDT
[#29]
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Originally Posted By Curmudgeon762:
ZT all day. I’ve even intentionally tried to get a 350 to fail by batoning it in seasoned oak. Still locks up solid
View Quote


ZT0308. Haven't used mine much but it's beefy.

Or the Medford knives ROCK6 has (I think). But double the price of a ZT

Link Posted: 5/1/2024 11:03:22 PM EDT
[#30]
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I love my fullsize Adamas, not the best cutter I've had, but I've done some light prying with it over the past few months and haven't even felt a slight increase in blade movement. Everything still locks up perfectly, and I've cut a lot of materials with no noticeable loss of its edge.
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