Can I baton a Victorinox?

Emm

Joined
Sep 9, 2018
Messages
4
wass6p
I have a Victorinox Rangerwood 55, and its currently my own knife (and therefore my pride and joy), so I don't want to risk breaking it. But on that same note, it was expensive (for me) and I don't want to buy a new knife just to put this one outta action. Though its a fold knife, it does lock straight. Would I be able to baton it and other bushcraft things or is that risky territory for breaking my blade?
thankss
 
wass6p
I have a Victorinox Rangerwood 55, and its currently my own knife (and therefore my pride and joy), so I don't want to risk breaking it. But on that same note, it was expensive (for me) and I don't want to buy a new knife just to put this one outta action. Though its a fold knife, it does lock straight. Would I be able to baton it and other bushcraft things or is that risky territory for breaking my blade?
thankss

Welcome to the forum, Emm.
The short answer is NO. Your knife has a very capable saw ( for its size) use it. If you must baton, buy a fixed blade knife.
Hang around this forum for any length of time and you will think nothing of spending 100$ on a knife. ;):D
 
If you INSIST on trying it, which is probably gonna happen...then make sure that the blade is loose and NOT locked. In that way, you can keep all of the force on the top of the spine...without putting undue pressure on the lock itself.
Of course, the previous posts are correct...buy a proper fixed blade.
 
You could with very small pieces of soft wood but I don’t think it’s worth it. That’s a great knife you’ve got and will serve you well with all it’s intended uses. Batoning...not so much.
 
Yes, you can. As long as it was blessed trice by Odin. As well as carried through the swamps of Ethiopia and across the Tundra of Mexico. Only then can you baton with it.

Good thing I it's called Muninn then eh? I'll take that as a firm no ahah (can't be the only one who names cars and knives right... Oop)
 
No you can’t baton with a folder unless you are trying to destroy it. You can find used fixed blades here on the exchange that can take serious beatings for very reasonable prices. I would recommend something like a becker bk9. Or for the lowest cost an Ontario ranger or sp53.
 
wass6p
I have a Victorinox Rangerwood 55, and its currently my own knife (and therefore my pride and joy), so I don't want to risk breaking it. But on that same note, it was expensive (for me) and I don't want to buy a new knife just to put this one outta action. Though its a fold knife, it does lock straight. Would I be able to baton it and other bushcraft things or is that risky territory for breaking my blade?
thankss

Short answer. Never baton with folding knives.
 
Or even a small folding saw from Silky or Fiskars. You. can cut, split and quarter wood with a saw with no banging or chopping. A saw is lightweight and quiet, takes way less calories to use. Not to mention safer. The saw on your SAK will work very well.

Lots of youtube videos on splitting wood with a folding saw.
 
I will go against the grain a little in that not all batoning is the same. It seems like some people think batoning is starting with a club and beating the hell out of the spine, and for some blades it is. For the Vic, you would do a lot lighter tap and hit it more times. You would use a wedge to finish the split with or without the blade still in the wood to finish it off.

Leave the blade unlocked as having it locked can mess up the lock and stop pins.

As mentioned, a fixed blade is a better idea and there are fixed blades that are better for batoning than others. Still, the wedge on the back of the spine or to split the wood is easier on the knife and sometimes easier in general. Start a split with a blade is completely reason for most quality knives if done carefully.

Of course, there are plenty of different ways to process wood. I prefer knives and saws over axes if I'm packing it in simply because axes are heavier and more clunky to carry but they are a lot of fun around the home area or where I don't need to carry it for miles. It can also be argued that batoning is safer than an axe because you're not swinging that sharp implement around. I've recently started trying out a lightweight tomahawk and my opinion may be changing as you can store them separate so the odd L-shape isn't a bother.

Ultimately, find what works for you and you enjoy.
 
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