Heavy Duty Folder

[BOD]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

The Griptillians 550 sheepsfoot and 551 drop point and the Ritter look most promising but the Ritter RSK isn't on the Griptilian 2006 catalog. Is it only available in shops? I ask 'cos I need to use mail order where I am.

Does anyone have the 550 modified sheepsfoot? It appears a more robust tip than the 551 and also I am leary of thumb studs as I believe they can open if caught on something. It is also cheaper that the Ritter but very similar

 

[Martyn]

Hi,

I am looking for an inexpensive heavy duty folder 3"-4" drop point or similar with a full sized and comfortable handle for medium-large sized hands and would appreciate some advice.

Use and preferences are:

1. for use mainly with wood - strong enough for batoning (if needed) yet with Opinel style sharpness.
2. throws a good spark shower with firesteels
3. no serrations
4. good lock

This is for occassions when it's not 'politick' to carry a fixed blade in a sheath or a parang/golok.

Ta

What about something like this....

The AlMar SERE 2000

...basically a folding woodlore!

 

[Stuart]

another vote for the Ritter RSK, I replaced my spyderco with the ritter and never looked back, for the price its the best bushcraft folder I have used to date.

you can find information on it here: http://www.equipped.org/rsk_mk1.htm

though it is manufactered by Benchmade they do not sell it, it can only be bought here: http://www.aeromedix.com/index.php?_siteid=aeromedix&action=mfr&mfrid=dougritter

if you are able to wait untill I am out there next, mine will certainly be coming with me.

it wont cast sparks stright out of the box, you will have to file the spine a little.

that Al-mar folder looks good Martyn, I've not tried that one

 

[BOD]

What about something like this....

The AlMar SERE 2000

...basically a folding woodlore!

Nice. The blade is just what I had in mind. Ver y similar to my previous folder which was nicked by some souvenir hunter. Can you throw a good spark off the spine?

It is unfortunately even more expensive than the Griptilian

 

[Martyn]

Nice. The blade is just what I had in mind. Ver y similar to my previous folder which was nicked by some souvenir hunter. Can you throw a good spark off the spine?

It is unfortunately even more expensive than the Griptilian

You can throw an excellent spark off the spine, it's ground with a very acute square which bites well. The steel is VG10.

Ask on britishblades under the wanted section and you may get lucky and get a good one at quite a discount. There are quite a few knocking around as they are something of a classic among collectors. I think I picked mine up for about £100, but I've seen them go for less. Though the shipping to Borneo might be a deal killer.

 

[Martyn]

that Al-mar folder looks good Martyn, I've not tried that one

Worth a look stuart, they are very substantial.

 

[BOD]

if you are able to wait untill I am out there next, mine will certainly be coming with me.

That would be good Stuart. What is the handle like - comfortable?

There are lots of good looking blades out there but can't tell what it feels like from a photo

 

[Stuart]

the handle is very comfortable for a folder, its made of plastic rather than somthing more substantal like G10 so it feels a little light.

 

[BOD]

Since the Ritter and the Griptillians seem to have the same handle might it not be an idea to get the 550 or 551 as they are considerably cheaper?

 

[Stuart]

Since the Ritter and the Griptillians seem to have the same handle might it not be an idea to get the 550 or 551 as they are considerably cheaper?

You could do, though I should think that the thumb hole in the 550 Griptillians blade reduces its strength some what and the steel on both the 550 and 551 is 440C rather than S30V as in the Ritter which is probably where the difference in price lay.

 

[BOD]

I would have though that the pin on which the blade rotates is the waekest link and would go before the blade snaps.

I thought the 551 modified drop point a little too "pointy" and vulnerable compared to the Ritter and the mod sheepsfoot 550?

The Al Mar looks robust too

 

[Hoodoo]

Well, the Ritter is my favorite outdoor folder, but I do think you will find the Griptilian more than adequate. A BM 721 is also excellent and is one I carried for years until the Ritter finally replaced it. The 721 handle is superior though, imo. Would love to have an RSK blade on a 721 handle, but Doug was trying to keep prices down as much as he could and still deliver an S30V blade.

I think 440C is way underrated, but if you want to go with something different, but still save a little money, you can buy a Griptilian in D2 from Cabelas.

 

[Hoodoo]

I would have though that the pin on which the blade rotates is the waekest link and would go before the blade snaps.

I thought the 551 modified drop point a little too "pointy" and vulnerable compared to the Ritter and the mod sheepsfoot 550?

The Al Mar looks robust too

On some of the tests I've seen, the weakest link is the locking mechanism. The Axis lock is one of the strongest locks out there. What frequently happens with liner locks is that the blade stop pin wears down. This is accelerated by frequent flicking of the blade to open it. This causes the blade to rotate more when opened, which causes the lock to walk to the far edge of the knife. Eventually the lock could reach the far liner and even a gap can develop. There are lots of folks who will defend the liner lock, but I don't think it's happenstance that some knife companies like CRKT added an additional lock to their liner locks.

In contrast, as the stop pin wears on an Axis lock, the lock does not weaken but maintains its solid lockup.

If you manage to break the tip of a Griptilian, you were misusing it, imo.

 

[Hoodoo]

Don't know if this will help but, here's a comparison shot of the miniRSK and miniGrip.

 

[ggfh666]

What about a Kabar Mule.
It is a sturdy knife and not to expensive.

 

[Brian]

I've been looking for a folder like this for a while and all this talk has made me get one of the RSK's, shame on you, making me spend more of my hard earned cash!

 

[Buckshot]

I like the blade shape of the ritter.
Is there anywhere in the UK that sells them or is it just from the website Stuart posted.

Mark

 

[oetzi]

Gerber Gator 6064 with 154CM blade or Benchmade Ambush with AUS8 blade.

 

[steven andrews]

Is there anywhere in the UK that sells them or is it just from the website Stuart posted.

You can only get the RSKs from Aeromedix.com.

If you are ordering from Aeromedix ask them to ship by USPS Global Priority. Shipping will be much cheaper than their default method.

 

[Bardster]

It may be worth noting that the griptillian range has been updated and the current steel is 154CM rather than the previous 440C. Makes it even more of a bargain IMO. ( and yes i have one on order to go with the rest of the set as well as a fixed griptillian. )