Tactical Folding Knives vs Tactical Fixed Blade Knives

If you have been searching for a tactical knife, you probably have already seen quite a few variations of tactical folding knives and tactical fixed blade knives. They can vary quite a bit regarding weight, blade length, form factors, and price. But how do they compare? Which type of knife is better?
Well, the short answer is: it depends on your need.
This answer probably won’t be beneficial for your particular situation, but it is almost impossible to give a definite winner without knowing your needs.The best and easiest way to find out which knife is better is to buy and try them both yourselves!

Although I recommend trying both types of knife out yourselves, it is still useful to look at some of the Pros and Cons of both types of knives:

Tactical Folding Knives:

Just like its name suggests, this type of knife can be folded into smaller form factor. It sometimes refers to as “pocket knife.” You can learn more detail on the history on this wiki page.
Pros of Folding Knives:

• Easier and more convenient to carry and store: it’s usually smaller and lighter than fixed blade knife.
• Safer to carry or transport: it’s folded, so as long as the lock remains in place, you will be fine.
• Depending on where you live, a folding knife might be more “regulation friendly.”

Cons:

• Usually more expensive.
• More moving parts meaning a higher chance of failure (less reliable) compared to fixed knife.
• Not suited for heavy lifting and usually easier to break at the joint.
• Takes longer to deploy. there is simply more steps involves to deploy a folding knife

Tactical Fixed Blade Knives:

Fixed blade knife has been around for a long time and it’s usually very reliable and durable. But knife industry developed tactical folding knife for a reason. There are certain aspects of fixed blade knife that can be improved by moving to folding knife. Let’s look at the Pros and Cons of fixed blade knife.
Pros:

• Faster to deploy. There are far fewer steps involved when using a fixed blade knife.
• Usually more durable, especially with a thick blade and full tang knife.
• Less moving parts, so it’s usually more reliable as well.
• Usually less expensive to a folding knife with similar dimensions and qualities.

Cons:

• Fixed blade knife is usually larger regarding form factor, which can lead to inconvenience when carrying.
• Requires an excellent sheath to carry around safely.

Final Notes

In my opinion, fixed blade knife and folding knife are both critical parts of the tactical knife family. They should not be viewed as competitions, but rather they complement each other very well. My recommendation is to have at least one tactical folding knives and one tactical fixed blade knife, and use them as you see fit.