Folder v/s Fixed

[robinkevin]

Hey y'all I have always carried a folder, but use to be just a simple Case or Old Timer. 3 or 4 years ago I was given a cheap Winchester knife which had a pocket clip and thumb stud and I grew to appreciate the quicker thumb stud one hand opening... I have since went with Buck which I have always found to hold a good edge but its a little stiffer than the Winchesters was. I am now thinking of getting a small fixed blade knife for EDC, what do y'all carry and whats the pros and cons of both?

 

[allaroundhunter]

Not old enough to CCW, so I don't keep a fixed blade on me at all times. When at the farm I always keep a fixed blade on my weak side and a folder on my strong.

However, when I'm out and about I always keep a CRKT M21 on me.

 

[Armored farmer]

I have several good fixed blade knives that stay in the drawer because I have grown accustomed to the assist open folder with pocket clip. I really like my Kershaw 'Needs Work' (dumb name for a great knife). Getting a fixed blade drawn from it's scabbard is a pain sometimes. Often I am wearing bibs or coveralls either for hunting or work. I can clip my knife into any pocket, and not need to dig inside my bibs for my knife. A fixed blade can also be slow to re-holster.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Venue

If I worked in the woods again, I'd EDC "both" as routine.

I work in an office full of geeks and admin types, but only a few of them are as hardy as the geeks I worked with in Reno.

In Reno, a fixed blade wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in engineering (in fact, one of the guys there put a new handle on three Bowies I provided, in exchange for which he kept two; when he delivered mine there was much oooh-ing and aaaah-ing in engineering).

Up here though, my office is populated with much more "genteel" folk. Nobody gets spooked that I have a full-sized folder on my belt, but a fixed blade would be pushing the envelope a bit. They've become accustomed to seeing me frequently in the kitchen making a salad for lunch (chop, hack, slice). I've been dubbed the "gadget guy," the guy who always has pliers, screwdriver, knife, whatever. I can't imagine how that happened. I'm always so discreet.



(I could, of course, keep a fixed blade in the desk. I already keep a 3.5-inch ceramic paring knife there, with its own little blade cover.)

 

[alaskanativeson]

My D2 Griptilian is always in my pocket, my Busse Active Duty is either in my shoulder bag or on my belt.

 

[dayhiker]

I always have a simple SAK in my pocket. If I think I'll need more "knife" than that I will put my Fallkniven F1 on my belt.

I live in a rural area, and am allowed to conceal if I wish. So carrying a fixed blade is not a big deal.

 

[guyfromohio]

Tiny little folder, but it isn't even remotely considered a weapon by me. Tool, nothing more

 

[Armored farmer]

A pocket clip folder can be slipped down out of sight into a pocket if it doesn't seem appropriate to be seen for some reason.

 

[robinkevin]

How quick on the open action on the needs work and do their knives come open in your pocket. I looked at needs work before but the straight edge kinda turn me off I am more of a drop point type of guy (find more uses for it). I really like my current EDC which is a Buck as in OP, but its a Buck Bantam and its really stiff to open, I can flip it open with one hand but its a pain, also it has a mid handle lock which I have learn to live with but not really too happy with it at the same time...

 

[Armored farmer]

The 'needs work' is VERY quick. One finger operation. I have had mine for months and it has never came open in my pocket...and I never thought that it might. It is not "a pain" at all to open with one hand, in fact....it doesn't even have a thumb stud or nail nick. the blade reminds me of my Stanley utility knife. It is a useful design. Not only is the blade unique, but so is the handle. It reminds me of a chef's knife.
I dare you to try it. It is a great EDC, IMHO.

 

[22-rimfire]

Out in the woods, I love a fixed blade. In the office or on the street, many will view it as a weapon and not a tool. To avoid this impression, I suggest a folder of your choice. There are lots of really good folders. Some are very fast to open if that appeals to you.

 

[conw]

In the office or on the street, many will view it as a weapon and not a tool

Yep, this includes me . My fixed is strictly a weapon (clinch pick) and I have 2 utility folders (Native 5 and Ladybug Salt Serrated).,

 

[robinkevin]

Main reason I carry is tool... but close second place is it is a weapon one that I am trained with and feel a little better with than just bare hand defense when an attacker could have a weapon themselves. I really don't care if people view my knife as a weapon if I did I would never open carry my sidearm.

I am thinking about the needs work... how hard is a strait blade like that to sharpen? Is it flat grind?

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Sodbuster or a Stockman in my left front pocket and a Buck 110 on my weakside. I keep a full sized fixed blade in the rigs I drive.

 

[JShirley]

For many, if not most, US citizens, a fixed blade may be illegal (if carried concealed), and will certainly be viewed with some suspicion if viewed by law enforcement. The exceptions to this typically work with their hands, and the blade fits into their tool kit, or people out hunting or fishing.

 

[whiteboy192004]

I also carry a Needs Work. For $30 you can't beat it. I find it easier to sharpen because of the straight edge. Mine has stood up to everything I've thrown at it.

 

[Tirod]

"EDC" means it's a tool used every day, and that's 18/7, unless you happen to sleep with a knife clipped to your boxers. That makes it a personal carry knife, not necessarily a large work tool. Since you can carry a 4" folder for that work more easily than a 2" fixed blade, it's preferred. And a look around at work, on the street, on duty, in the FOB, that's mostly what you see.

Some go more for a multitool, but the 3.5" folder with locking blade is 99% of the commercial knife market new models over the last 25 years. That's about as far as it can go with any consistency, tho. From there, it's buffet of choices in either extreme.

Since my focus has been on durable duty knives - which some mistakenly call tactical - I've narrowed down features to a short list of what will give good service. Again, it's a personal knife, and any expedient use as a weapon should be considered as minimal. A drop point flat ground blade with nitrided finish, liner lock, G10 scales will do it.

The drop point is the most useful shape, and offers a lot of versatility in various cuts. Flat ground from edge to top cuts with the least friction, and is easy to clean. The nitrided finish is extremely scratch resistant and creates another step up in a friction free cut. The liner lock is the simplest architecture, thin for carry, and in this price range, done right, unlike cheaper knives, even from big brands like Buck. The G10 scales aren't inexpensive and require more labor to shape, but are nearly indestructible, stiff, won't collapse against the blade, and offer grip. In my experience, I've never dropped a G10 handled knife, but expect a metal handled one, aluminum or titanium, to hit the concrete. That isn't user friendly when it slithers away when you need it most.

There's a lot of emo whiz-bang in the knife world, and the marketing does everything to exploit it. Concentrate on the features you need, and you make a better choice. You're better off with a lockblade SAK than a bayonet, keep in mind, it's an everyday personal use knife, not that specialty tool in the belt bag or chest plate rig for combat.

 

[Armored farmer]

The Needs Work...

I guess it is relatively easy to take an edge. I have only sharpened it once that i remember. That was after a dreary day running the combine when soybean stems insisted on wrapping around the reel. I used the 'Needs Work' repeatedly to cut the stems off my reel. After about the forth or fifth session of this, I grew frustrated and began to slash 'em off disregarding the blade and its metal-to-metal contact with the machinery. I sat down with the whetstone that evening and touched up the edge....good as new. (Which was very sharp BTW)

 

[zhyla]

There are so many great folder options these days I don't really think a folder is necessarily inferior to a fixed blade for the average office worker. A 3" or 4" folder solves nearly every cutting problem I'm likely to run into and could fend off an attacker in a pinch.

I can't really imagine carrying my 8" fixed blade everywhere day to day. Hiking, sure, but not around the house or office. It's just too bulky for too little benefit.

 

[JEB]

i would recomend the CRKT M21 or M16 depending on your size/blade style preferences. i carry an M21 daily and love it!

 

[CWL]

Like all important questions in life, the only correct answer is "it depends".

Choose your knife for the purpose. Sometimes a folder makes sense, sometimes a fixed does, many times having both would be a good idea.

 

[robinkevin]

I am thinking both does sound good idea... mainly fixed for defense and folder for my odd jobs. This way it allows me to pick the best blade for both with out compromise.

*BTW in the great state of Kentucky we are pretty much free to do what we wish within reason. A basic hunting knife can be carried openly or conceal (due to the purpose it is design for) other fixed blade knives are fine this way also though from my understand they have to be under 3", a state police I know couldn't find this in his handbook however. Hopefully we will also pass constitutional carry of firearms next time it comes up for vote as well, time will tell.

 

[308win]

I carry two folders every day - SAK and Opinel #7. Sometimes on weekends in addtion to these two I carry either a Kershaw, or a Marttiini. I don't carry any of these purely - not even remotely - for defensive puposes.

 

[beatledog7]

I voted both because I have a folder in my pocket and a fixed in the car door pocket. The folder is a Kershaw Leek, and the fixed is a sort of compact Bowie, either a Kershaw or Oregon.

When the Leek is too obvious, like in church, I carry a little Buck. I picked it up years ago in Kosovo and have lost and recovered it a dozen times. Great little $20 folder.

 

[sixgunner455]

It depends.

On my person, there are usually two to five folders, depending on if I couldn't make up my mind as I looked in the knife section of my sock drawer, and how I am dressed, and what I am doing. Usually, it is two or three.

In my vehicle, or in my bag, there is usually another folder or two, and a fixed blade.

Most of the time, a pen knife is all I really need, and almost every day of the week, I can get by with nothing but that pen knife. I just like knives, and see the utility of different tools for different purposes, kind of like having different sized sockets and wrenches and screwdrivers and so forth.