Fixed-blade knife?

I think just about everyone on here has more experience with knives, and stronger opinions about knives than I do. I recently purchased a fixed-blade knife because it had a feature that I liked, and was on sale. Now I’m thinking of returning it. I just prefer a pocket knife to a fixed blade. Can you give me a good reason for keeping it? Why do people like a fixed-blade knife? What do you see in one? Why do you prefer a fixed-blade knife to a pocket knife?



Here’s what I bought:

http://www.rei.com/product/876523/light-my-fire-swedish-fireknife-2014-overstock



Many thanks in advance

Give serious consideration to use.
If your intent is that it be a rescue knife, the one issue I have with your current purchase is the point. Typically for rescuing other paddlers from water entrapments, the preference is a blunt point, to preclude cutting the victim you are trying to help. I recall a case a number of years ago that a victim had his femoral artery severed by a well intentioned rescuer who was trying to cut the victim out of his trapped poly kayak. The victim died from blood loss. The rescuer was an MD.



I carry a fixed blunt point knife, however I have gone through several; one got in my way of paddling when affixed to the PFD, another was lost out the sheath when I came back in over the side of my boat, etc. I do like the quick grab aspect of fixed blades. If you intent is just to have a nice handy tool and perhaps spread some peanut butter at the camp site, I think a folder is just fine. My two cents worth.

I should have included more info
This is not for paddling, and not intended a paddling rescue knife. It’s for camping. And I don’t hunt, don’t dress dear, and don’t fish.

For that, I always use a folder
as it has always worked for me and it is easy to pack and carry. Just my preference.

Poking, prying, punching
A good fixed blade is a utility tool. Folders have a built in weak spot, or not good for a situation where a failure in the lock mechanism will cause injury.



If all you do with a knife is cut rope then a folder would work just as well.

Useful for clearing old tackle…
Out of the tree line. I have a similar blade I carry on my hip. 90% of its use is to cut away fish hooks and tackle hanging in the air. No name tags on the lines, baited when the river was higher. Now it’s waiting to hook a paddler in the tree line.



My rescue finite has a blunt end.



If I had to use a folding knife most of those hooks and tackle would still be there, too much hassle to open and close.


Tough to split wood
Tough to split wood with a folder. Fixed can substitute for a hatchet or axe, and is less easy to hurt yourself with.

good knife for your use
You said the only thing you want the knife for is for use in camp. If that is the case, the knife you bought will do just fine. If you just prefer a folder, there are plenty that will handle most camp chores.



The two advantages of a fixed blade are that it is easier to clean and it can be used to split small diameter firewood down to pretty small sizes so that it is easier to get a fire started, especially when all of the small stuff that is lying around is damp.


knife
Out away from civilization an injury can be serious. A one piece knife can’t fold by mistake, have it happen with a folder somewhere where you can’t get medical help can be a serious problem.



Bill H.

That Mora
is actually a pretty good camp duty knife. Easy to keep clean and so is the sheath. Comfortable handle. Decent blade material. I’d just hang on to it and put it in my camp kit.

Agreed
The Mora pictured is a decent camp knife at a very reasonable price.



If you ever baton wood, a fixed blade is the way to go.

4

– Last Updated: Feb-19-16 2:39 PM EST –

muh van's instrument panel top is covered with loose black Walmart towels cut to fit. A sharp short paring knife.

Nearby and findable: http://search.nrs.com/search?w=river%20knife

BTW there's a Yakyak sale.

river knives proliferated with tupperware.

why buy the Gerber ? everyone has one like kayak pumps.
No, I doahn like kayak pumps but the knife is OK. Looks good on the pfd alongside the VHF.

a small Gerber single blade clasp knife permanently in the day pack card pocket. A multitool should be in there but zuviel est righto ?

and a $75 Leatherman. Worth $75 ? you bet your whatever. Needs customing....eg functional pick.

Lost one with a sharp strong pick triangular pick alongside a thick truncated 4 sided pry bar with file one 2 sides down from a smooth head. Head's abt 1/8th" thick

Broke the can opener using for a pry bar. L sent a new one back. Thanks L. Hope your foot fungus heals.

back to

– Last Updated: Feb-19-16 2:37 PM EST –

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/baton

Fixed Blades
I carry both a fixed blade knife with a 5’ bade, full tang and sheath as well as a folding or pocket knife with a 3 inch full tang blade. I use the pocket knife for basically everything. I use the fixed blade for more heavy duty things like striping bark, cutting branches, atoning branches, making kindling, etc etc Using a folding blade for those things would destroy it in minutes

Excellent choice!

– Last Updated: Feb-19-16 6:08 PM EST –

Bowrudder- you made an excellent choice for a camp knife. I have the same one only black.

I find the belt clip annoying so I have a loop of paracord that I use for a neck carry (now I've probably started a neck knife entrapment thread that will surpass 303). ; )

It has a pretty big cult following among the survival/bushcraft dudes and, it's a great value.

And, having the built-in Fire steel may turn u into a fire building ninga. U'll be gathering natural tinders and lighting them up.

So, I'd keep it- but hey, you'r the guy who has to be happy with!

Good luck,

4r

woodcutter


best served moving to a quality machete.



There’s room so move to the top.



paint blade yellow, practice machete karate, find sapling need thinning n try felling.



think beaver.

Try opening a can with a machete
Or pounding a stake, or prying the lid off an old treasure chest you’ve found. You can’t tie a machette to a sapling to make a spear. Your not going to jump out of a tree onto a deers back and slit it’s throat with a machete or a leatherman. You can’t dig a latrine or even a decent slit trench under incoming fire with a machete.



Sure it would be nice to carry a machete and an axe and a crosscut saw and an adze and a shovel and a can opener and a hay knife and a pry bar and a pick and a hammer and a pair of scissors but the post is about straight knives vs folders.



Focus dammit, focus.

Tried

– Last Updated: Feb-20-16 3:00 AM EST –

a Marine Corp machete ? ...his head fell off like the instructor said ...

splitting wood:

swing rear blade onto butt side
hammer top blade with a hammering stick

intruders:


pick up machete with yellow blade

look menacing

opening cans:

place can on ground or rock

wash machete blade

press tip onto can

Push down

Repeat

I have both
folding and fixed blade camp/canoe knives and I prefer the fixed blade for the reasons mentioned by others above and also because a fixed blade is instantly available without futzing around to get it open in an emergency.

I generally go with a pocket knife

– Last Updated: Mar-06-16 11:40 AM EST –

when camping, but there are already some good suggestions about fixed blades- won't fold up on you but of course you can get a locking blade knife, which solves that problem. A fixed blade is typically longer so it does some things better- I believe someone already posted about splitting small kindling- add scaling fish to that list- doing it with a pocket knife is pretty nasty- with the scales getting stuck down in the grooves. So a fixed blade knife is easier to clean after a messy job.
A knife to avoid are those pear handled folders that were popular thirty years ago- the pear wood would swell when it got wet and you couldn't open the knife- rendering it useless on a canoe trip but it looked good in the catalog.