Today’s folding knives have become much more than a gentleman’s penknife or a farmer’s pocket utility blade. Technically those are still part of the crowd, but with better grades of materials have come many advancements in folding knife technology. Innovative opening systems give many the one-handed convenience of automatic opening knives, without the same restrictions in ownership and use. Fully open and locked, the best folders are as strong as fixed blades.
Today it’s possible to buy an excellent combat knife or survival blade in a folding clip style. You won’t even need a sheath if you’re happy clipping the knife to a pocket seam. On the other hand, a belt pouch is a good way to make sure the knife stays with you, and also a way to keep the dirt out. That’s one problem to consider, if you find an assisted opening folder an attractive idea. To work well, these knives need to be clean. If your normal occupation would jam them full of sand or hay, something simpler might be a better option.
That won’t stop most of us from appreciating a good tactical or utility folder in the same way we’d admire a good rifle. Some things just require a little more maintenance, and turn out to be well worth the trouble.
Truly the next generation of Buck hunting knives, the Buck 278 Folder has all the features of a good emergency knife as well.
The Boker Che offers a skeletonized lattice handle and all the features of an automatic except the spring.
The Buck Rush might be the automatic for the rest of us — a little nudge is all it requires.
