Best knife for whittling?

[SimonMast]

Hi, Can anyone recommend a a general purpose knife for day to day use? I work with horses and need something for cutting baler twine and maybe getting stones out of hooves. Ideally it needs to have a folding blade. Cheers, Pete.

this would do very well for the tasks you mention chap,

Yes, was going to be my recommendation.

 

[mrcharly]

That said though, it's not without its drawbacks. The points on them are very flimsy and the locking mechanism is pretty feeble (yet still UK illegal as far as I'm aware?); I've had it fold on my fingers many a time and have worn the plasters to prove it.

I'm trying to imagine doing anything that would make the lock fail. I think the blade would snap first, unless your locking ring is loose and has rotated round to the 'unlocked' position.

 

[SimonMast]

I'm trying to imagine doing anything that would make the lock fail. I think the blade would snap first, unless your locking ring is loose and has rotated round to the 'unlocked' position.

I suspect you're right about it actually failing. Mine certainly isn't difficult to turn (and certainly isn't radically different to the other Opinels I've used, as I recall), but the way that I rest my index finger is what seems to rotate it. Might just be me, I guess.

It's a decent locking mechanism, admittedly. I think friction folding is a better idea, but then again the no. 8 wouldn't be my choice of EDC anyway even if it were legal.