Fixed or Folder?

[sharpshooter996]

This Discussion is for an EDC (Every Day Carry) blade. There are many makes and models out there and largely it is just a personal opinion. Modern folding knives with pocket clips can be carried totally discreatly but one always wonders if he is giving up strength and toughness to his brother the fixed blade. There are many small fixed blades available that can be carried out of sight. some carry from the neck, others in the waist band of your trousers, and some at the ankle. But are you really at an advantage with a fixed blade. That is the question?

After rummaging thru some of my blades this morning, this question popped into my mind as I was looking for todays EDC. I thought may be I should carry a fixed blade today or should i just go with one of my folders? I thought a little more and decided I should do a test. I would put two blades in a side by side comparison and see if one would rain supreme.

The two blades I decided to put to the test are, the Cold Steel Recon 1 tanto (Folder) and the CRKT Polkowski/Kasper Companion. (Fixed) Both of these offerings come with a part serrated blade.

The Recon 1 is a 4" blade of AUS 8A with G-10 textured handle that is reinforced with heat treated steel liners that run the entire length of the handles and secured with 5 locking bolts. It uses CS Ultra Lock that works by a spring loaded locking pin that moves into a cutout in the blade tang as the knife comes to the fully opened position. The lockup on this blade is dead tight. Blade thickness is 3.5mm or .135" and overall weight is 5.5oz

Next is the CRKT Polkowski/Kasper Companion. this is a 3 1/2 blade of AUS 6A full tang construction. blade is also 3.5mm or .135". Handles are injection molded polyoxymethylene acetal, that have been slightly textured. Each handle has 6 locking screws. this knife comes with two sheaths. Trouser carry sheath is equipped with a belt clip and chain. Multi-purpose sheath features two slots, eight holes and four locations for belt clip for various carry.

The test included digging thru 2x4, 30 chops on 2x4, cutting heavy rubber o-ring, cutting 1/4 poly rope with both serrations then plain edge, splitting kinlin from 2x4 with use of wood baton, cutting fuzzies, and cutting 1 1/2 saplings with use of wood baton.

Pic
(1) Knives closed and in sheath (note belt clip on sheath)
(2) CRKT unsheathed and Recon 1 open
(3) Result of 2x4 digging. The CRKT took bigger bites than the Recon 1. both dug thru with no problem. The recon 1 felt more sold during this test.
(4) Cut Heavy rubber O-ring, 2 cuts plain and 1 serrations. Both knives cut well with plain edge. the nod goes to the recon 1 here. This knife gets sharp easy and keeps a very good edge. I had a hard time sharpening the CRKT could not get it quite as sharp as recon 1. With serrations both knives cut equal. the Recon 1 started the cut easier and the CRKT cut thru a bit better.
(5) Up close of serr cut on rubber. (note the smoother cut from the recon 1 serrations, these really pay off on the more fiberous materials and tend to start cuts more easy that conventional serrations)

[sharpshooter996]

Pic

(1) 1/4 Poly rope cutting. 5 pieces each. 3 serrations, 2 plain edge. with the plain edge both cut well. it was a little easier to cut along the straight blade on the recon 1. both cut clean. it may have been different if I could have got the CRKT as sharp as the recon 1. just my guess. with the serrations both cut the same. I did not have to use any more pressure with either. both knives serrations are very sharp. the cuts were clean. ( it may have been different with a rope of natural fiber, sorry i did not have any on hand I wanted to destroy!) Lol

(2) 30 chops on 2x4. Here the Recon 1 was superior. It is quite a bit more blade heavy than the CRKT. And the sharp edge of the Recon 1 bit deep for a 4" blade of this weight. It surprised me here on how well it chopped.

(3) Splitting kinlin with wood baton. Here I chopped up some small kinlin pieces off of a 2x4. Both blades worked good here. This task was easier with the Recon 1. Its blade is much thicker near the tip and for this matter the whole of the blade. it feels more solid for this type of work. and the extra 1/2 of blade helps.

(4) Cutting fuzzies. Both knives were up to the task. the CRKT created better fuzzies. Im not sure if it was the Chisel grind on the blade or the fact that the wood it was using was dryer. Both knives bit and cut well.

(5) Another look at the 2x4 chopping

[sharpshooter996]

Pic

(1) CRKT cutting 1" sapling with use of wood baton. No prob here, knife feels comfortable.

(2) CRKT cutting 1 1/2 sapling. Again no prob, Knife feels good.

(3) Recon 1 cutting 1 1/2 sapling. Blade feels strong and much up to the task. Knife felt very sold doing this.

(4) CRKT (Note slight bend in blade near tip.) After cleaning up the blades from todays test I noticed what I thought was a bent blade on my CRKT. after closer inspection my observations were confirmed. This is a real bummer. Can only think it must have happened on the 2x4 dig. I was not beating the knife's on any of these tests. it was just a steady pace with both knives. O well ill let you be the judge on this one:D

Conclusion- My initial thoughts after the test were a positive with both knives. Both preformed well at the tasks. And both felt solid. They each had there strength's but for me I like the Recon 1. It is both comfortable to cary all day and its tuff tuff tuff. I have used this knife almost every day for the past 2 years and I have yet to have a prob with it. I use it hard but I also care for it. it has never failed me or not been able to complete any task i have thrown at it. I can not say this for many of my other folders.

After the final inspection on the CRKT my thoughts are a little less than positive. I have owned this knife for 5 years and it has seen little use. up until today the only thing I have done with it was cut some rope and some garden hose. it came with a decent edge but does not keep it for long. this may be a result of the AUS 6 steel of just the blade grind. todays use can not be described as hard and after seeing that the blade took a bend I would not, and will not trust this knife with anything more than household chores. Sad because I like the feel of this Knife and its looks. But you can say looks dont mean everything in the knife world. in fact they dont mean much at all sometimes. Noss can attest to this:D

These Knives were in the same cost catagory, and I thought same use. only test's will tell.

Price paid for CRKT-$42
Price paid for Recon 1- $55

(hope you enjoyed the test)

[sharpshooter996]

Izan I was not finished posting the test. it is completed now:D

[Noss]

Awesome tests. :cool: Great work. Very detailed. The CS Recon 1 looks like the clear winner between the two. Thanks for the tests. I would ask some questions but it looks like you covered them already. :)

Bring us some more.

[Izan]

I am sorry Sharp. If a Mod could delete my initial post that would be great.

[sharpshooter996]

Not a problem Izan. Thanks Noss, I had a lot of fun doing the test and I definetly learned a thing or two. Your right when you say you never know until you do a test. at first glance and initial use you would not see the CRKT and its weakness. I cant wait to do some more tests, and I cant wait to see some more new ones here :D Keep up the great work Noss and I really like the way this forum is coming along

[eatingmuchface]

wow... I would expect a fixed blade to be a clear winner but it looks like I was wrong.

cool.
thanks for the test man, you really did cover everything. :D

[sharpshooter996]

Your welcome eatingmuchface. Ya the test surprised me too. If they left the blade thicker on the CRKT i think it would have done better. It's a great handling knife, just not to tough. :(

[Tac45]

Wow this is totally freaky. This morning I was playing with two knives, deciding which I should use. The knives? Cold Steel Recon 1 G10 or pulled out of storage the CRKT Polkowski/Kasper (Black blade)! How totally bizarre. Shooter have you got a spycam in my house?

Jokes aside. Outstanding test. My Kasper never gets used. I've always disliked the 'needle' tip. Sure it was designed as a defence blade but like the Craford/Kasper folder it has worried me as an all purpose knife. I don't use the G10 Recon much either as my earlier Zytel Recon 1 is still going strong. I hate the grind on the Polkowski Kasper. CRKT say it's a dual grind but it's more chisel than anything else. The secondary bevel is so small. They have also done this with the Titanium M16-14T. My old model M16-14LE has a true dual grind. The titanium is the same as the Polkowski/Kasper. I contacted CRKT a while back about the grind. They told me they changed it but it is technically ground on both sides.

The Polokowski/Kasper I purchased as a replacement boot knife for work use. It was to replace an Aitor Botero. I never did change boot knives. I think I made the right choice. Your test certainly gives me comfort in that thought.

[sharpshooter996]

Tac45 that is kind of freaky :eek: Can i say great minds think alike, LOL ! I have always been interested in a good short blade fixed for every day carry, guess this one is not going to fit the bill. Scrap yard is selling one that looks pretty sweet. Its called the Street Scrapper 4 and it's using INFI steel, with a price tag of $140 it ain't entry level but that INFI is some crazy stuff. Im sure that would out preform the CRKT :D

The Recon 1 is a great Piece, however i find myself sometimes wishing that I was carrying a blade with some belly. I know they make the Recon 1 with a clip pt blade but I was thinking something along the lines of the CRKT Lightfoot M1. Just dont know how stout that piece is. I doubt its as tough as the Cold Steel i am currently carrying.

Any thoughts to ponder?

[Tac45]

Sure is freaky. My mind is a strange place LOL. I doubt the CRKT M1 would be as stout. If you compare the Emerson Commander and the Recon1 G10 the CS knife looks far stronger. Thicker scales and blade. The finish on the CS knife is also better. The Emerson G10 scales don't fit flush with the frame like the CS does. I don't know if that is the same with all the Recon 1's or Emersons but it is with my ones.

If you want a real beast of a folder with plenty of belly. Benchmades Skirmish model 630. It's big and thick with a solid titanium scales.

The Scrapper four sounds like a beast.

Here is an old comparison pic I took a few years ago when I bought the Recon1 Zytel and the Skirmish.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/tac45/Sizecomparison.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/tac45/BenchmadeSkirmish4.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/tac45/BenchmadeSkirmish2.jpg

[sharpshooter996]

Hey Tac thanks for the pictures. Your right that Skirmish has belly to spare. How do you compare it to your other folders you own. Any faults you can find with it?

[eatingmuchface]

I hear the skirmish is just a freaking beast!
but a little big/bulky for edc (thats not my opinion but someone sles)... but if it is they have the mini skirmish.
:D

the ss4 is great (especially with the mudder handles) but they go for more than 140$ on the secondary market...

[Tac45]

Hey Tac thanks for the pictures. Your right that Skirmish has belly to spare. How do you compare it to your other folders you own. Any faults you can find with it?

I don't like the clip. Being long and shiney it stands out a bit. It is also slippery. It doesn't want to hold onto the pocket well and since it is a heavy folder it wants to slide out of the pocket sometimes. I also wish now I had purchsed the black one. At the time I bought it the Skirmish wasn't easy to get and this one was avaiable locally. It cuts very well. You can flick the blade open without using the holes. The weight of the blade will do it but not fast. The lock up is nice and solid. It is a mono lock which means the scales are the frame and liner. The scales move across like a liner lock would. Only unlike the liner lock the frame scales are quite thick. I'll take some new pictures showing the lock and thickness of the blade and scales.

[sharpshooter996]

Hey Tac thanks for the input. the skirmish does look like a solid knife. compared to the Recon 1 its blade looks huge :eek:. its large belly and recurve look like it is up for some serious work. wish they were not so expensive i might like to try one!!!

[Tac45]

Oh it is most solid. Been a busy week. Will get those pictures on.

[Shaolin]

Excellent review/test. I have a Recon 1 4" half serrated blade, it use to be my EDC, but now I carry the ZT0200 instead.

[sharpshooter996]

Shaolin thanks, the Zero Tolerance looks like a solid knife. Pretty heavy though. Bet it cuts better than the Recon 1. What are your thoughts on it likes dislikes, and do you have any pic to post. Preferable some of it in use. Thanks

[Shaolin]

It is a monsta, lol really beefy. Yeah, it does cut better than the Recon 1. The only thing I'm not happy with is the lanyard hole is on the wrong end, that's it. Definitely worth the price from kniveworks. Very grippy as well.

[sharpshooter996]

cool thanks, ya the price is good for what you are getting. :thumb: