1-2-3-4-3-2-1" EDC blades

RetiredGuns

RetiredGuns

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Mar 13, 2009
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After over 5 decades of EDC, seems that a 2.75"-3" blade is just about perfect for most daily tasks. Carried everything from K-Bars to Ladybugs over the years and now I always favor a small Insingo, 3" XM-18, Native 5, Mini RSK or something similar. Every time I miss a knife like the Dragonfly or Military, I remember why I traded them off. None have been bad, just not carried. I have plenty to cover specific tasks but love the 3" knives.

What is your "sweet spot" for EDC?
 
I like to follow the 3:4 ratio, 3" blade and 4" closed. Seems to offer me the best balance of everything for an EDC knife. My favorites include the Small Sebenza, Spyderco Brouwer, and the Spyderco Delica.
 
6.5-7" OAL is pretty perfect for me.

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For an after work EDC, I’m fine with a 2.5-3” blade. BM 707 and Spyderco Rookie are two of my favorites. The Spyderco GB2 is another favorite at 3.6” I have rather large hands and enjoy the larger handle. I carry it at least as much as the smaller blades.

At work (construction, horticultural) nothing less than 3.5ish. Manix 2 Lightweight and Cold Steel 4Max are my current favorites.

It really all depends on what activities i have planned. When walking the dog I carry a very stabby 4” blade.
 
I have tried the smaller knives, and they are not for me. I must have a blade at least 3.3" long and an OAL of 7.35".
My hand size is large. The CRK large Sebbie 21 fits me well. The small Sebbie falls out of my hand when I try
to close the blade of the smaller knife. I prefer a grip of 4.3" long, but can handle a knife with a lesser length grip if the design
is correct for me.
 
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My blades have undergone a constant downsize as I aged. From a Buck 301 stockman and Camillus MIL-K-818 when I was a young G.I. to a Buck 303 cadet and 84mm SAK later. In my 60's I went down to a 2 to 2 1/2 inch blade. Now I'm happy with a 2 inch blade for my daily carry. As a senior citizen I know I'm not going to ever see the wilderness again, and I live in an urban/suburban setting, so I really don't need much knife. A small SAK like a classic with a alox SAK like a bantam or recruit does all I need. In fact, for heavy duty use, I use a Husky folding utility knife and just change the blade when it gets trashed.

I've even went whole days with just my Leatherman squirt as my sole EDC and survived. The blade on that is all of 1 3/4 inch. It opens packages and cuts twine just fine.
 
I regularly prefer a blade between 3.5-4" for folders, but there are a number of smaller knives that I like using and it's mostly all about the ergonomics. The Benchmade Bugout and the Kizer Mini Sheepdog are knives I often find myself picking up to use.

The CRKT Pilar is another small knife with great ergonomics, but the steel just isn't there. It did get me interested enough in Jesper Voxnaes designs to order one of his Bokers though.
 
RetiredGuns said:
After over 5 decades of EDC, seems that a 2.75"-3" blade is just about perfect for most daily tasks. Carried everything from K-Bars to Ladybugs over the years and now I always favor a small Insingo, 3" XM-18, Native 5, Mini RSK or something similar. Every time I miss a knife like the Dragonfly or Military, I remember why I traded them off. None have been bad, just not carried. I have plenty to cover specific tasks but love the 3" knives.

What is your "sweet spot" for EDC?
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About the same as yours. 2.75 - 3 inches.
Secondary requirement: a full size handle with room for a four-finger grip.
 
3.75"-4" is my preferred length.
If I am going to lay down $50-$150 for knife, I want it to be full sized, not "fun-sized".
My nicer, small knives are all unused, sitting in their boxes. Maybe I will start using them
when I am a Senior.
For everyday light cutting tasks, I prefer to use cheap, easy to sharpen knives.
I carry a SAK Classic on my keychain.
I also have a SAK Spartan, Super Tinker and a Gerber Mini-Para in my work bag.
 
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I have reached for smaller knives as I’ve gotten older. I typically carry 2 knives everyday. I like having a serrated blade backup (940-1S) as a second option to my Sebenza or QC Drift.

1. Small Sebenza PJ, dominates pocket time
2. Quiet Carry Drift, amazingly light and becoming a contender lately
3. Benchmade 940-1 carbon fiber with serrated blade, long time number 1 replaced by the 2 above most of the time.

I look forward to the times I’m wearing jeans or heavy duty work pants just so I can break out some heavier/bigger folders or edc fixed blades.
 
John Phillips said:
I look forward to the times I’m wearing jeans or heavy duty work pants just so I can break out some heavier/bigger folders or edc fixed blades.
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Total side track. But your post reminded me of an old long gone friend. A Brittany Spaniel named Brook.

She was a rescue dog that became the best hunting and fishing dog I ever had, my constant companion.

She would get all excited if i put on my jeans because she knew I wasn’t going to work and we were going to have fun that day.

Thanks for triggering the memories.
 
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