I am a city guy, retirement age, with aching knees and aging eye sight. However, I am a very busy non-stop handyman type of guy.

If I was going to buy a fixed blade and a folder that can "save the day" as they say, if I was stupid enough to get myself into whatever kind of trouble. What is the knife going to be ??

Have been thinking of the Coldsteel SRK knife, but not sure about the folder

Any good multi-tool would work if it had the tools you need. I do like a one hand opening capability as I always seem to be holding in one hand what I need to work on and pulling the tool out with the other. It gets awkward. However, my Swiss Army Ranger gets a lot of use.

Depending on what cities you are in or will travel to, the fixed blade can be problematic, even if not illegal. I like the SRK, but might choose a shorter knife.

I'm an unabashed Leatherman fan. The Wave+ is outstanding.

On the higher end from Cold Steel, I'm a big fan of Bradford Knives for a fixed blade.

Give us a clue on where to start. There are lots of options in steel, price point, size... I’d recommend stainless steel rather than carbon steel because being a city guy this knife will likely just sit in your bag getting no use or care, and stainless blades should be fine.

For the fixed blade I’d recommend a Mora Companion in Stainless, not because it’s the best knife available, but because it’s a good knife that’s inexpensive and won’t set you back when you decide you need to step up. There are lots of better knives but not at that price. A lot of folks in this forum like Mora knives.

Folders? A single blade locking folder or a multiple blade slip-joint?

Check out Doug Ritter RSK® MK1-G2 a Knifeworks Exclusive. As I understand a % of the price goes to support this forum.

I am a fan of Mora knives. I own several, the first dating from the 1970's. Extremely inexpensive, there are some models that cost more (almost $80!!) I also have several RSK Mk5's, which inhabit many of my kits.

For folders, it is hard to beat the traditional Buck 110,although it is a bit heavy for my taste. Recently, lighter weight (and cheaper) models are on the market.

my go to appliance is a Leatherman Skeletool, which gives me a couple of screwdrivers and pliers, along with a quality 3" blade. Alwaya EDC where permitted.

I am not a fan of the over hyped, over priced "Rambo" blades which seem to be everywhere.

There should be many comments on this topic...

Concur, a Buck 110 is a great place to start in a locking folder. I recently found my second Buck 110 (circa 1988). My first Buck 110 was from 1972 but my father liked it so much...

Here are some options:

Rustick 4 Inch

TCT PEC

CRKT SIWI

The CRKT SIWI is the mass produced version of the TCT PEC. Both of those knife makers (Rustick and TCT) are friends of mine, just for full disclosure.

And I do agree with Hikermor that Moras are excellent for the price.

Thanks everyone


Well, here are a few pointers

# We can leave the law consideration here because I am not going to carry it on my person. Most likely it would be sitting in a bag in the car trunk until needed.

# The fixed blade may be most likely used in improvising stuff in urban setups

# I live in a city that is humid, and hot (not in the U.S.)

# About steel type ..etc. The knife should be able to take rough treatment. If I had to choose between harder and softer steel, I choose softer. If it bends under heavy use I can hammer it and un-bend it

In all honesty, my vision of the knife purpose is very blurry. It all has to do with the fact that I am expecting lots of hard work and hard circumstances (on the personal level) some 1.5 years from now, and decided that a good knife has to be on my side to rely on when life decides to squeeze my wits again. If I am in the middle of a home construction project, and my knee collapses again, I may need to fashion some crutches for example. But before you laugh, I do have two canes in the trunk, and now I am adding two real crutches, but that was an example where a knife can be handy.

Just in case you may ask : what it is you are worried about when you are in a city. People are around you all the time.

Well, a few years ago, when I was younger and dumber, I did spend time supervising our first home being built. I was alone inside the construction area, but had a "batman belt" carrying a cell phone, a multitool ..etc. with whistle around my neck. Something did collapse on me and I was pinned under for about 15 minutes. Wasn't too serious and I had the cell phone to call if I needed , but I freed myself.

Now, I am many years older, with poor knees and much less fitness level. I have to rely more on tools to save the day. And the most important would be a knife.