Sure, it's not impossible, I don't think anyone is suggesting that. If you have no issues, that's good.Vivi wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 12:01 pmI've never had an issue with ergonomics using a folder to prep a meal for 1-3. I do it pretty frequently since I camp and hike multiple times a week.Albatross wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:25 amI definitely don't enjoy using much more pressure to make the same cut, because the geometry was intended for more general purpose tasks. That can be a safety hazard. Try cutting up some squash with a folder. To me, this is the same as, "a sharp knife is a safe knife", because a dull knife, just like a folder in the kitchen, requires more pressure to make a cut, increasing the odds of slippage.Evil D wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 6:00 amI don't see why some of you are so hung up on the comparison. It's not about what is best, it's just about enjoyment. Is the loss of performance in the kitchen really that unbearable of a loss that you can't make it through a meal prep unless you have your kitchen knife? Are you cooking for 20 people everyday where the efficiency of dicing your veggies becomes a critical issue? I just don't get the big deal. I like using my knives. That means using them for whatever, whenever the need arises. I'm usually one for over thinking things but I think y'all are over complicating this one.
Another issue is ergonomics. Most folders become uncomfortable MUCH faster than a fixed blade. If you use a folder to cut potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery for a stew, you will most-likely have a sore hand. The design of folders(generally) doesn't allow for an even distribution of pressure, due to the scales(think PM2, with the gap between them), whereas a fixed blade excels in this area, allowing for longer periods of much more pleasurable cutting.
Something full flat ground from 3mm stock with a reprofiled edge cuts just fine. If your folder is slipping cutting basic foods it simply needs sharpened.
Skip six minutes in:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hl3n-BtLoaI
Now with a Police 4:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=1Xw4u6LMt14
Both work just fine for simple food prep tasks.
I disagree, because reprofiling can help, but still leaves a lot to be desired. Sharpness and how thick the edge is, can also get you only so far. A thick stock can get bound up in harder materials, such as the squash I mentioned, which can cause slipping, due to excess pressure required, and the added resistance. The edge can only bite into materials, if the stock thickness isn't limiting the edge's contact. I can sharpen a knife to hair whittling, but if the stock thickness is too great, it will cut hard foods like a butter knife.
Stock thickness makes onion slicing more difficult than it needs to be, especially if thin slices are needed. Again, not impossible, but more difficult than necessary. Cut an apple with a thick stock and you'll see it more splits than slices the apple. When the entirety of the blade needs to pass through a dense material, or one that needs be cut thinly, I'll take a kitchen knife, and save myself the hassle of reprofiling a folder to use it for food prep.
I have seen those videos before, there's no doubt the knives are capable, and work well for you for your purposes.
If kitchen knives weren't the superior tool, people would buy folders for their kitchens.
Also, it seems that most people consider food prep to include mostly just soft foods. That's fine and all, but not all foods are soft. My P4 has considerable lock rock, so it doesn't get used for food prep. The only knife large enough, in my collection, is a Military, and that's got a thick blade. Smaller than that is even more unpleasant to use.