What would you regard as being the strongest folding knife?

[ringzero]

Even with that tip though

Even with that tip.     It is very thick stock and the tip is nowhere near as delicate as it may look in pics.

Oh I know it's still pretty thick

But to me if it was going to be 'The Strongest' it'd still have either a tanto or a spearpoint

Razels, from Graham and CRKT, have much stronger tips than either tantos or spearpoints, Micky D.

So, if you want the very strongest tip you'd have to go with a Razel.

.

But is you still wanted a usable tip (as I would) then a Razel just wouldn't cut it (pun not intended ) and as such a tanto, spearpoint or drop point would be better imo

That's only because you don't know any better than to use the tip when you should be using an awl or a prybar.  ;>

.

I guess that's why I abandoned tacti-cool's for saks then

You need to get a tacti-cool SAK, such as my OH-GAK.

One hand opening serrated spearpoint blade, but with a proper locking prybar and a sharp awl to save buggering up the spearpoint tip.  ;>

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[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Even with that tip though

Even with that tip.     It is very thick stock and the tip is nowhere near as delicate as it may look in pics.

Oh I know it's still pretty thick

But to me if it was going to be 'The Strongest' it'd still have either a tanto or a spearpoint

Razels, from Graham and CRKT, have much stronger tips than either tantos or spearpoints, Micky D.

So, if you want the very strongest tip you'd have to go with a Razel.

.

But is you still wanted a usable tip (as I would) then a Razel just wouldn't cut it (pun not intended ) and as such a tanto, spearpoint or drop point would be better imo

That's only because you don't know any better than to use the tip when you should be using an awl or a prybar.  ;>

.

I guess that's why I abandoned tacti-cool's for saks then

You need to get a tacti-cool SAK, such as my OH-GAK.

One hand opening serrated spearpoint blade, but with a proper locking prybar and a sharp awl to save buggering up the spearpoint tip.  ;>

.

I've for a PE OHT and it's great, but it's not legal edc so it just get's used around the house

[Magic Bus]

Oh good another excuse to show this one. I've had it for ever and it's got next to no play despite being used hard with little regard to maintenance   I took it apart recently for a clean and lube, the first time in 34 years 

[Benner]

Haven't seen one of those before.  Got any links or info on it?

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Good ole Sanvik 12C27 steel too if I remember rightly

[ringzero]

I've for a PE OHT and it's great, but it's not legal edc so it just get's used around the house

Now that I think about it, OHT series are fairly strong knives.

Suppose you had no choice but to pry something that was really stuck tight.  What would you rather use, the tip of a beefy tactical knife or the locking prybar of a OHT?

Suppose you had to pierce holes in some tough synthetic material.  What would you rather use, the tip of a beefy tactical knife or the sharp awl of a OHT?

Granted, for really tough cutting jobs a beefy tactical folder like the Chinook will outperform OHT.

Even so, the OHT serrated blade will cut tough materials surprisingly well.

.

[Magic Bus]

Haven't seen one of those before.  Got any links or info on it?

It's a Normark Super Swede.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Haven't seen one of those before.  Got any links or info on it?

It's a Normark Super Swede.

I believe EKA make them now though

[Magic Bus]

Good ole Sanvik 12C27 steel too if I remember rightly

Yes it is. It's an Eka knife Mike. Stamped as such on the lock release.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

12C27 is a fantastic 'real world' steel

Best of the old school stainless steel's imo

[Magic Bus]

I think they were issued to some branches of the British Armed Forces, but someone else may know better.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I think they were issued to some branches of the British Armed Forces, but someone else may know better.

I've known of a few squadies buying them as a private purchase, but I've no idea if they we're issued or not

Dunc might though if you shoot him a pm

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

12C27 is a fantastic 'real world' steel

Best of the old school stainless steel's imo

Heinnie has them Mike   - Link

[LatinoHeat]

What are you using to gauge a knife's toughness?  Locking ability?  Edge retention?  Or over all ruggedness?  If it is over all ruggedness, my vote goes to the good old fashioned Sodbuster.  I love Case's Soddie Jr., in CV steel.  Hard use knife that will last forever with minimal care, and the blades take and keep a good edge, being CV steel and all.  Simple, slipjoint construction means not too many pieces to break.  Strong spring keeps blade open, and I have never needed a lock, so that doesn't bother me.  If I was caught in a survival situation, and that's the only knife I had, I'd be ok.  Another choice would be an Alox SAK, such as a Pioneer, Farmer, or Wenger SI.  Can't beat an Alox SAK for toughness.

[Benner]

What are you using to gauge a knife's toughness?  Locking ability?  Edge retention?  Or over all ruggedness?  If it is over all ruggedness, my vote goes to the good old fashioned Sodbuster.  I love Case's Soddie Jr., in CV steel.  Hard use knife that will last forever with minimal care, and the blades take and keep a good edge, being CV steel and all.  Simple, slipjoint construction means not too many pieces to break.  Strong spring keeps blade open, and I have never needed a lock, so that doesn't bother me.  If I was caught in a survival situation, and that's the only knife I had, I'd be ok.  Another choice would be an Alox SAK, such as a Pioneer, Farmer, or Wenger SI.  Can't beat an Alox SAK for toughness.

The "criteria" are in the first post.

Although I do classify those as hard use knives, they are not even in the same league as most of the others mentioned in this thread.  I'm talking about the strongest folder and the thinness of the blades alone knocks all those out IMO.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

12C27 is a fantastic 'real world' steel

Best of the old school stainless steel's imo

Heinnie has them Mike   - Link

I know, but there not edc-able over here

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

What are you using to gauge a knife's toughness?  Locking ability?  Edge retention?  Or over all ruggedness?  If it is over all ruggedness, my vote goes to the good old fashioned Sodbuster.  I love Case's Soddie Jr., in CV steel.  Hard use knife that will last forever with minimal care, and the blades take and keep a good edge, being CV steel and all.  Simple, slipjoint construction means not too many pieces to break.  Strong spring keeps blade open, and I have never needed a lock, so that doesn't bother me.  If I was caught in a survival situation, and that's the only knife I had, I'd be ok.  Another choice would be an Alox SAK, such as a Pioneer, Farmer, or Wenger SI.  Can't beat an Alox SAK for toughness.

The "criteria" are in the first post.

Although I do classify those as hard use knives, they are not even in the same league as most of the others mentioned in this thread.  I'm talking about the strongest folder and the thinness of the blades alone knocks all those out IMO.

Ben's right, as much as I love my Farmers, on pure strength and following the original criteria, there just not in the running

[ringzero]

What are you using to gauge a knife's toughness?  Locking ability?  Edge retention?  Or over all ruggedness?  If it is over all ruggedness, my vote goes to the good old fashioned Sodbuster.  I love Case's Soddie Jr., in CV steel.  Hard use knife that will last forever with minimal care, and the blades take and keep a good edge, being CV steel and all.  Simple, slipjoint construction means not too many pieces to break.  Strong spring keeps blade open, and I have never needed a lock, so that doesn't bother me.  If I was caught in a survival situation, and that's the only knife I had, I'd be ok.

While not the toughest folder, the Case Sodbuster Jr. is plenty tough.  It's also an outstanding value IMO.

Soddie Jr.'s blade shape, grind, and handle ergonomics completely outclass SAKs for cutting ability and comfort during heavy use.

Blade is just under 3 inches so I'm surprised this knife isn't more popular in the UK.  Sodbuster Jr. is available all over the US for at most 25 bucks, and sells for less than 20 bucks in a lot of the big box stores.

Sodbuster Jr. is part of the Working Series, which is made up of inexpensive, but very durable knives.  Less attention to fit and finish than more expensive Case knives, because these are intended as budget priced working knives for tradesmen, farmers, etc.

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[Benner]

They are reasonably popular over here and I do know of a few people in the UK that have them, but being priced at around £25 and only available from 1 UK store that I know of, they aren't as popular as they could be.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

[Benner]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

Yeah that was mentioned earlier.  Don't think much could beat that, but with the whole pin thing it almost feels like cheating in a way.    It's almost a folding fixed blade. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

Yeah that was mentioned earlier.  Don't think much could beat that, but with the whole pin thing it almost feels like cheating in a way.    It's almost a folding fixed blade. 

Which is probably why I want one so badly

[Benner]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

Yeah that was mentioned earlier.  Don't think much could beat that, but with the whole pin thing it almost feels like cheating in a way.    It's almost a folding fixed blade. 

Which is probably why I want one so badly

Just sell everything you own and then you could have one.    Clothes and food are overrated IMO. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

Yeah that was mentioned earlier.  Don't think much could beat that, but with the whole pin thing it almost feels like cheating in a way.    It's almost a folding fixed blade. 

Which is probably why I want one so badly

Just sell everything you own and then you could have one.    Clothes and food are overrated IMO. 

Nah, it really is too pricy for what it is

I just don't need to disembowel tanks all that much these days sadly

[Benner]

Ah, understandable.  I only have to do that every other month so that's why I haven't bothered either. 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ah, understandable.  I only have to do that every other month so that's why I haven't bothered either. 

Yeah a polar bears hide is a wee bit thinner isn't it

[ringzero]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

The Rao might be the world's strongest folding knife, but it appears to be a solution in search of a problem.

Rao's 1/4 in thick blade is 4.x in long, set in a 5.x in long handle, for a total length of 10.x in when locked open.

But, Rao weighs in at 12.x ounces!

Consider weights of fixed blade knives with equal thickness blades and similar overall lengths.  Those fixed blades will be both lighter and stronger than Rao.

Rao is never going to be pocket carried, it almost has to be carried in its belt pouch, so why not carry a lighter fixed blade on the belt instead of Rao.

The only scenario I could see where Rao would have an advantage over a lighter, stronger fixed blade knife would perhaps be for vehicle crews.

A Rao on the belt rather than a fixed blade would allow armor crew to sit in their vehicle without the knife getting in the way as much as a fixed blade would.

That's it, I can't think of any other scenario where Rao would beat out a fixed blade.

.

[John]

Does the Rao have liners?

If not that maybe a weak point IMO

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

The Rao might be the world's strongest folding knife, but it appears to be a solution in search of a problem.

Rao's 1/4 in thick blade is 4.x in long, set in a 5.x in long handle, for a total length of 10.x in when locked open.

But, Rao weighs in at 12.x ounces!

Consider weights of fixed blade knives with equal thickness blades and similar overall lengths.  Those fixed blades will be both lighter and stronger than Rao.

Rao is never going to be pocket carried, it almost has to be carried in its belt pouch, so why not carry a lighter fixed blade on the belt instead of Rao.

The only scenario I could see where Rao would have an advantage over a lighter, stronger fixed blade knife would perhaps be for vehicle crews.

A Rao on the belt rather than a fixed blade would allow armor crew to sit in their vehicle without the knife getting in the way as much as a fixed blade would.

That's it, I can't think of any other scenario where Rao would beat out a fixed blade.

.

This thread isn't about the knife having a reason to exist, just what's the strongest design

[Magic Bus]

Ok I was thinking long and hard about this last night, and I reckon given this knife's features, this is probably the strongest design out there atm http://www.heinnie.com/8nXlkg150760/Knives/Extrema-Ratio/Extrema-Ratio-Rao/p-92-137-936/ And having that safety pin almost makes the lock strength a moot point

That's a beast, an ugly beast