Folding or Fixed Blade?
Short answer: One folds, the other doesn’t. Both are nice, one is stronger. Long answer: Okay, this one has inspired argument for decades. Here’s the straight skinny. If a knife is to be strong, very strong and tough, used in tactical, rescue or lifesaving operations where the durability of the piece is tantamount to survival, a full tang knife is the only way to go. That’s because it is one solid piece of steel from tip to tip. It is usually reinforced at the critical areas, at the bolsters. A fine handmade full tang knife should have a fully tapered tang, making the blade tang (the metal under the handle scales) lighter at the carrying end, but thick and strong at the spine (the thick part of the back of the blade). A folding knife has one major deficiency: the pivot. History and experimentation have given us many ways to reinforce, strengthen, and attempt to make rigid this tenuous pivot, but let’s face it, it’s still a tiny piece of steel holding a long levered blade. Also, no matt
