A folding knife is the one people actually carry. It goes in a pocket without a belt, it is legal in far more places than a fixed blade, and it does the hundred small jobs a week that nobody plans for. Everything else in the catalogue is bought for a purpose. A folder is bought because it is always there.
What is on this tag
Blade lengths run 3, 3.3, 3.5 and 4 inches, with open lengths from about 6.5 to 8. Steel is Damascus of 1095 and 15N20, forge welded and acid etched, at 58 to 60 HRC, with a couple in stainless for people who would rather not think about rust at all. Scales are buffalo horn, ram horn, walnut, olive wood, stag horn and stabilized resin, most with a brass bolster and mosaic or black pins. These are slip joint and lock back patterns rather than one hand flippers. Each ships with a leather slip.
How a slip joint behaves
A backspring holds the blade open and holds it closed, and there is no lock to disengage. That means two hands to open and two to close, which is slower and considerably harder to do badly. There is nothing to wear out except the spring and the pivot, and a knife built this way stays serviceable for decades with a drop of oil twice a year. If it ever feels gritty, that is pocket lint rather than damage. The care guide covers cleaning without dismantling anything.
Carry and law
Blade length is usually the number that decides legality and the limits vary by state and sometimes by city. Check before you settle on a size, using the state by state summary. For a straight comparison of which folders are worth carrying daily rather than admiring, read the everyday carry notes, then browse the folding pocket knives.
What arrives
Each folder comes with an edge on it and a leather slip. Natural scales differ between knives in grain and tone, and every Damascus pattern is different, so no two are alike even in the same model. Keep pocket lint out of the pivot and put a drop of light oil in it two or three times a year.
Free US shipping
On most pieces. Heavier and oversized ones carry a flat charge.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
