Toughest EDC Folder?

[Tora]

Cold Steel Vaquero Grande - 6" serrated Blade - 13 1/2" open. Ultra sharp and cuts through anything you need to. The locking mechanism is the strongest in the business. I can legally carry it concealed in CA. Sell on Amazon for $75.00

[znaps]

The E4 is quite grippy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, it's a sweeeet knife.

It sure makes me happy . First, I got a Delica; later, an Endura. Then, I was done. These suit me perfectly. There may be other great knives on the market, but I haven't felt the need to search them out. If ever either is broken or lost, I will replace it with the same or then current version. A simplified life has its satisfactions (multitools is a different story ).

[daimleramg]

JUst got my Spyderco Endura 4 in the mail today, this is a pretty nice knife. I wish I got the version with G-10 handles, but this is good enough.

[Pingwin]

Hello everyone (im new here )
I had a Buck bravo - that is a very tough piece of sss ... knife
Prying and stuff are not a problem for this quite heavy duty knife.
Now i own a Kershaw ZT 0400 knife , it has a 4mm wide blade , nice tanto and very durable handles .
The bad thing is (in my opinion of coarse) the steel - its s30v , which in my opinion is very hard to sharpen , and to get a scary sharp cutting edge.
Thanks

[brighterisbetter]

I wouldn't consider myself a knife collector by any means. I've always had folders ever since I was a kid from the likes of Buck, Gerber, etc. And the only fixed blade I ever owned was an Uncle Henry fillet knife in my tackle box. That was until I joined CPF. Reading.....and reading.....and reading some more prior to making a purchase (something that is downright impossible to do when it comes to flashlights) I got a feel of what kind of knife I would benefit most from. This was all in hopes of actually taking advice from others for once. So I decided that at the very minimum, I should have a framelock folder for EDC and a fixed blade for survival/SHTF situations that I would keep in a B.O.B. I opted for a true custom for the fixed blade. As for a knife that everyone seemed to praise for EDC but was also quite a bit out of my budget, I had settled on a small Sebenza. I was transitioning from a SOG Vision because although it was a great solid knife, it was extremely heavy for its size and I'm also a non-serrated type of guy. I just couldn't do it though. The price scared me away and most of my disposable money went to flashlights anyway. So I settled on a Bradley Alias II after watching some YouTube demonstration videos. I was very pleased with my purchase. It really is the great knife that I'd hoped it would be. A few months go by and I've got the Sebenza-bug again. This time I snap one up used and I'm absolutely thrilled. Now having owned one, I would gladly pay twice the retail price to get a knife this awesome. It really is that great of a knife. So I sold the Alias II. Recapping on what I mentioned earlier, I'm not quite the knife buff many of you are, but I do recognize quality when I see it. So from my limited experience in the hobby (which you all dragged me into by the way), I would hands down 100% trust my life to a Sebenza. It is for me the ultimate folder. My .02 YMMV

[guyg]

I'm suprised the Buck 110 hasnt been mentioned. The other knives mentioned under $100 are all good if you cant afford a Sebenza or Strider.

[cadjak]

Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter.

[nathan310]

my advice is wait, save and get a used sebenza for a little over 200. i saw one fresh from crk refurb go for 240 on ebay recently. look on the forums and you can find them cheap. why not get what you really like? youll never find some 100 buck knife that has everything a sebenza has to offer.

[kaichu dento]

Just thought these pics belonged here too.

[romteb]

To my knowledge, the toughest folder is probably the custom american lawman from Andrew Demko, not only does it have the strongest locking system (tri ad lock) but you can choose the thickness of any part of the knife.

You can see some of the ones he has made here and here

[bullettproof]

Strider RC tops all I have ever seen even tougher then my SMF.

[nbp]

Hi guys. Kinda forgot I had started this thread, haven't checked in on it in a while. Good to see there were still some nice discussions going on. I didn't end up buying anything knife-wise for awhile as cash was short, but things are better now, and I just got a new EDC folder. I got a LNIB Spyderco Caly 3 carbon fiber off the marketplace and this knife is freakin sweet. It looks super sexy, feels great in the hand, and locks up like Fort Knox. The size is deceiving too. It doesn't look very big, but open it really is plenty of blade. And did I mention it feels great in the hand? This might bump my Delica out of primary EDC folder position. Although I'll still use that one quite a bit as I don't think I can bring myself to use this beauty for some of the rougher outdoor adventures. Overall though I am really pleased with the Caly. I'm on a slippery slope, I feel like after two Spydercos, I may not be able to stop! Might have to sell a couple other knives and look for more Spydies! Somebody stop me!

[Kraid]

Spydies are good. And have great customer service should you need it. But wait until you get a ZT, Emerson, Strider or Hinderer in your hand. Talk about a slippery slope!!!

[choombak]

I have quite a few knives...almost as many as I have flashlights. A few of them are pretty decent: couple SOGs, a Spydie Delica 4, a Boker, a Gerber, etc. So it's not a matter of really NEEDING another knife, but well, you all know how it goes.

I was looking at Sebenzas, and wow, those are some good looking knives IMO. And everything I read says they are built like tanks. I would love to carry one of those. But there is NOOO way I can spring nearly $400 on a knife.

So I want to know what your opinion is.... what is the toughest, built like a tank, will never fail you, last forever, EDC folder I could get for <$100?

Let the suggestions flow freely. Thanks!

Nick

For a folder to be an EDC, there is a limit of toughness - a very heavy and beefy folder may not be a good EDC choice given its sheer weight (maybe the weight drills a hole in your trouser pocket! ;-))

But, there are folders on the market, which are good EDC choices, can be pretty much used on a broad range of tasks, and maintain a good edge. Post-task clean-up (PTC), especially cleaning the blade of all the debris of the cutting job, is also a very important task of keeping your folder dependable. There is no folder that can remain dependable without proper care, and a folder that you properly care for will probably outlast you! ;-)

Also, your physical structure determines how large a folder will be a good EDC choice for you - for eg., Endura is tad large for me for an EDC, while Delica fits the bill perfect. The knife ergonomics also determine a lot - I find knives with metal handles to be less grippy than the FRN ones.

Hence, IMHO, there is no "do-it-all" holy-grail folder, and it is less likely that there will be any here soon. Having said that, my vote goes for Spyderco Delica 4. Pretty much cuts through anything, reasonable edge retention, easy to sharpen, not much PTC required. You can have one for $50 on the marketplace, so in $100, I will have two Delica 4's -- one as a backup (two is one, one is none).

-Amarendra

[bullettproof]

My Striders make my Spydies feel like little girls

[cal..45]

I do own several spydercos (delica, endura, salt) and none of them ever has let me down for their demanded task, so i can fairly say they are tough enough (and believe me, i don't baby my stuff)

however there are certain tasks, i would never do with ANY folder, probably not even with a fixed blade - but if i had to, a small fixed like the Becker BK-11 (becker-necker) or similar is definitely the way to go.


cheers

[Yang1815]

Benchmade Mini-Grip or regular Grip. There are some great H&K, Harley knives too for under $100.

[The Sun]

The XM-18/XM-24 are the best real EDC knives on the market today, IMO of course

....and if you can break one you probably won't be around to tell the story of how you did it!!!

[jzmtl]

Lionsteel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALiObhUjEIM

Not under $100 but probably as tough as folder goes.

[The Sun]

i like the Lionsteel knives, and that model is a tank! i had one a couple weeks ago, but wound up selling it...didn't like the blade profile. but, definitely a solid knife.


this is as tough as a folder gets right here .209" blade, .200" Ti, .250" G10 (or you can also get Ti on the other side)

[nbp]

What am I looking at there?

[TKC]

My two toughest knives are my XM-18 & Shane Sibert Mini Pocket Rocket.

[merkava001]

take a look at this one http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/deta...product=20,its a bullseye for your request !!!!

[kaichu dento]

My two toughest knives are my XM-18 & Shane Sibert Mini Pocket Rocket.

Those are the pics that talked me into getting an XM-18 and BM 755. Can't believe anyone would follow these two knives up with a Spyderco Native in a thread about the toughest folder.

These two knives make a Sebenza feel like a lightweight and fragile piece of kitchen cutlery.

[Kraid]

What am I looking at there?

I would say a Crusader Forge knife.

[romteb]

Can't believe anyone would follow these two knives up with a Spyderco Native in a thread about the toughest folder.

It might be because this thread is about the toughest folder <100$ (i missed that part too at first...)

[Bladedude]

Under $100 a cold steel ak-47 is a good way to go, tough as hell, decent Aus-8 steel, and solid lockup. Used mine as a prybar a few times in a pinch, its reliable.

However raw toughness i don't think theres anything better than a custom Sibert MPR or Benchmades 755 MPR modeled after the Sibert original. I have the first production Benchmade run 559 of 1000. Its pricey but this is the only knife I would call a tank and possibly indestructible!

[octaf]

You might have to go just a tad over $100 to get a benchmade mini skirmish, but that would be my choice. It's a fantastic knife for the $$$ and it is built tough.

+1, for mini skirmish, BM635.

Regular skirmish is kind of too big for my taste.

In btw mini skirmish & sebenza in terms of the price, is Bradley Alias.

I once owned all three of them at the same time, and honestly, I do not see a big difference in quality among them. All three built really firm with Titanium handle w/frame lock and S30V blade.

[octaf]

this is a good point as any folder will potentially fail in some way

I use knives all the time and also make them,
I've had pocket lint clog a few lockbacks without being aware until I start cutting or have to stop and un-clog when time is of the essence.

Liner locks are generally less trouble and I usually prefer them.
spyderco seem to have the one handed opening lockback perfected if thats what an individual prefers.
I really like the security factor of dual lock mechanisms, this is a valuable feature if you're using a folder in wet/muddy and difficult ergonomic situations,something I find often.
For years I always used the kershaw lockback with the full rubber handle for skinning and gutting fish and game etc...its the only knife I could hold onto reliably.

Above all these choices,a fixed blade would out perform most tasks easily,(IMHO) over a folder... thats is why I make small fixed blades occasionally
as this is such a good compromise... you get an indestructable,dependable un-complicated format with the bonus of pocket carry or neck carry.

a good neck carry fixed blade is a good cheap option... cold steel make an excellent one.
This what I make....







this format gives good all round ability but is sadly under-rated.
I'm a big fan of folders but when it comes to toughness and tough jobs in most cases its a fixed blade that will win.

+1,

and your little fixed is beautiful !

[octaf]

this is as tough as a folder gets right here .209" blade, .200" Ti, .250" G10 (or you can also get Ti on the other side)

Beautiful maciej creation !