This was the subtitle to Gear Patrol’s review of the new Benchmade PSK. An interesting question without a perfect answer.
To fold or not to fold? In the outdoor knife world, answering that question can to some extent define the type of knife at hand, or at least its general category.
If it folds, it can probably pass as an EDC pocket knife — with gonzo exceptions such as the Gerber Double Down. If the blade is fixed, with additional exceptions in the desk/utility knife space — it’s more likely to fall into the bushcraft or survival knife camps.
But every once in a while, a folding knife comes along that dares to lay claim to the title of “only one you need when your back’s against the wall.” That appears to be what Oregon-based Benchmade is going for with its latest high-end release, the $400 PSK (“personal survival knife”).
I have used folding outdoor oriented knives, and some like the Hogue/Ritter RSK, the Cold Steel Mackinac Hunter, and others, but I still prefer a fixed if I am going to be relying on it.
Read the whole thing at Gearpatrol.com