A weighty issue.

J

jackknife

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Oct 2, 2004
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Weight. We fight it all our life in some ways. Backpackers shave off tag and ounces. Engineers try to keep it down in everything from planes to cars. Weight is the enemy of performance. A 1911 pistol weighs 39 ounces empty, and a Smith and Wesson model 38 weighs 14 ounces. Which one will a Joe Friday carry?

I guess pocket knives are no execution. I've seen a steady downward trend in my pocket knives when it comes to weight. I once thought nothing of carrying a full size stockman with three blades. It wasn't a big knife, but it had some heft to it. But with growing older comes more stuff in the pockets. Being older, you have hopefully learned something from all the adventures, as well as the misadventures, of youth. Being caught out in different circumstances, and suffering discomfort and/or humiliation for being ill prepared should be learning experience. Should be. Now in senior citizen years I find I've accumulated a surprising amount of 'stuff' in my pockets. There's a small flashlight for those times being caught in the dark by power outages or night. The little aluminum Bison capsule of meds for arthritis and other things that pop up on the radar as we age. Then there's the pocket size bottle of Purell Hand sanitizer for those clean ups of yourself or grandkids. Then there's the RONCO pocket defibrillator for those unexpected chest pains.

By the time you reach retirement age, the room for our pocket knife is getting crowded. There's bulk to consider, and weight. I was thinking of this as I weighed my peanut and found out it is almost the same as a number 7 Opinel, or a Victorinox recruit. Three very different knives, with very different dimensions in size. Yet on a little Weight Watchers scale they are within a fraction of an ounce of each other. Granted, a weight watchers scale is not exactly a precision instrument that will weigh stuff for a N.A.S.A. mission, but it gives a good idea of comparison perspective.

So, weight vs bulk. In a pocket knife, what is more important to you? The physically compact size of a peanut or mini-copperhead, or the slightly bulky but feather lightness of a Opinel? It's interesting how some larger knives can be very light weight depending on construction. Sodbusters seem to go pretty light on the scale. But they don't ride well in Dockers, where a peanut or Buck 309 companion just nestles right in at the bottom of the pocket and stays there.

Weight vs bulk. what do you all lean towards?

Carl.
 
Carl- I'm 53 years old. At this point in my life, I want a light weight folder, period! I found the Bucklight 422 to be just right for me. It's super light in weight and yet the handle is hand filling. The Orange color is just too cool too. Another favorite light weight folder is my BM53.
Good thread!
Rolf
 
For me bulk is more of an issue than weight.
I love carrying my Yella Peanut. It just rests on the bottom of my RFP and when carrying a hanky on top I don't even feel the knife on my leg.

A modified Opinel 6 is the biggest knife I want to carry. Especially when it slips horizontal in my Pocket :grumpy:

Furthermore I don't carry anything else in my "knife pocket" (a stay over from my Spyderco days :p)

My left front pocket is reserved for my mobile phone, right back pocket for wallet, left back for tobacco poach, lighter and Victorinox 84 mm Tinker and watch pocket nothing.:)
 
Weight is more important but bulk is very important too. I carry a pen knife most of the time instead of a jack because it has most of the blade I need in a lighter and smaller package than a jack with the same size blades. Although, I carry GECs mostly which tend to be heavier and bulkier than other makes.
 
Carl, great thread. As an avid backpacker, ski tourer and bike tourer, weight is, indeed, a very central consideration for me.

For EDC use, I find that profile of the handle trumps weight. I also find that general usability trumps weight.

Today, I'm carrying my Schrade 5OT, which for those who aren't familiar with it, is about the same size as a Buck 501. It's a single blade lockback with a 2.75" blade. The frame is very thin and I find that this flat profile allows the the knife to ride in my pocket nice and flat. It is this flat ride that contributes to comfort in my pocket, more so than weight. I've borrowed my kid's Opinel #6 which weighs much less but the rounder profile is, for me, instantly more noticeable in my pocket. I hated the way my Camillus peanut carried. The profile was to boxy. I feel this way about most slip joints.

A related issue is ensuring that the top end is slick and rounded. My 5OT has a square end and a round end. With the square end in the pocket first, the square bolster finds its way to the point of the pocket while the round end floats more easily as I move. Likewise, I prefer carrying my Opinels with the lockring down.

My larger and heavier Buck 500 is also a great carrying knife in the pocket. Again it is due to the thin profile and round bolsters.

For backpacking and backcountry skiing, I want my primary knife in my pocket where it won't interfere with my pack. For this, I want very light weight and a flat carry and the Bucklite Max 486 (or 482, depending) fits the bill perfectly. Sort of like a hyper lite version of the Buck 500.

Lastly, while I like a thin frame for better pocket carry, I prefer a wider frame if I think I'm going to spend time whittling. My Ecolite 112 is probably my commonly carried knife at this point on account of this but here, when all other things are equal, weight matters only a bit. The Ecolite is much lighter than the classic 112, but since I melted the bolsters on my 112 just a bit, it rides rather well in the pocket. Again, a flat profile and slick bolsters matter as much or more than weight, at least for me.
 
Yeah, the Buck 422 is a lightweight knife. A little big, but light. Again, we run into the bulk vs weight issue. It seems like with traditional pocket knives it comes down to large bulk vs small size. Like a peanut instead of a Texas jack or barlow. But the light weight old traditionals seem to go on the larger physical size, lke Opinel, Svord, Okapi, and sodbusters. I guess those bolsters and liners weight something. It's interesting to me that in the old days they didn't seem to concerned with weight, and there are very few shadow patterns made of the standby designs. I only thought of all this because of those tan caliber lightweights of Case, and I wondered why somebody way back didn't do something similar? Like a shadow pattern barlow with stag or bone scales with maybe no liners. Or some kind of tropical hardwood scales. Look at the Opinels, no liners there with the blade pivoting in wood handles. Or even just some thin brass liners. I'd love a shadow stag peanut just for yuks.

I've seen some very nice custom shadow pattern sodbusters here on the forums. Mostly custom, but still a very viable working knife with enough strength to do a lot of cutting. So if we carry the concept down to the smaller model knives like mini copperheads and 3 3/8th Texas jacks, we should get a small AND light knife.
 
I guess for now I'm in between half bulk and half weight at lease the way I look at it. I want carry anything heavier then a cattle king size stock knife and the largest locking knife I carry is my 5 1/2 oz BM Ruckus! I want carry those two together under any circumstances. If I carry the CK I want something like my micarta Calypso Jr., Opinel #7 etc. and I have the Ruckus I want something like my NF #85. I cut weight where I feel I need too!
 
It's a good thing we have lots of knives to choose from. :D
And yes, about the shadow pattern linerless Sodbuster... I can't wait to try this one out, being made for me by Brian. This one will be light weight AND thin.
 
It depends on what I'm wearing. I can carry more knife in jeans than in dress pants or a suit. (Remember in I Spy, when the agents needed a silencer but neither was carrying one because "It makes a line in my suit, man.")

For me bulk is more limiting until I reach a critical weight where I have to keep hitching up my pants because the knives keep sliding them down.

I've just replaced my taper-handled Coghlan's Opinel #7 with a slightly modified Schrade slim trapper. More weight, but not too much, and a comfortable shape, so I'm happy.
 
I'm one of the "old guys" also. I don't carry much in my pockets. I'm a bit of a minimalist when I'm out and about. I make my wife carry my RONCO pocket defibrillator. :D

I've found that I like a pocket knife that weighs somewhere around 2.5 oz or less. Lengthwise 3 5/8" is the max in the pocket, preferably 3 1/4" or 3 1/2". If a pocket knife is more then 1/2" thick, I'm not likely to carry it very often.

As to the question "weight vs bulk", for me bulk is the main factor with the thickness of the knife being more important than the length.
 
Bulk is the big thing for me. I've not yet reached the point where I carry everything but the kitchen sink, so weight isn't a problem. Currently my most carried knife is a stag #73, and it's a little bit over three ounces. On the other hand, I can't imagine carrying an Opinel due to the bulk. The handle may be a pleasure to use, but I wouldn't be able to stand its thickness in the pocket.

- Christian
 
It's weird. I can deal with thickness so long as the knife lays flat. My 112 and Ecolite 112 are ok in the pocket but my Camillus Peanut and Ulster Camper are more noticeable. The latter 2 don't stay flat.
 
I don't carry any traditional knives, only my SAK but heres my 2 cents:

I carry my Leatherman Surge everyday, so weight doesn't bother me. Wouldn't want to carry that big mother in my pocket, though. Thats what the belt pouch is for. I prefer smaller folders for my EDC, so theres some pocket space left for other stuff and it doesn't print so much

Since you were talking about older people: I'd have to say that ease of operation is a pretty important feature, too
Opening a slipjoint with a strong spring only with the nail nick is impossible for some older people.
An ergonomic handle is pretty important, too so you can work with it without getting cramps in your hand.
 
For me it varies. I usually have a traditional, a one hander and often a neck knife along as well.

hiking/fishing/hunting - weight or size doesn't matter / fixed blades are carried in these situations along with folder

summer shorts - weight matters, size doesn't

dress clothes - weight and size matters

jeans - size matters, weight doesn't

It also depends on what pistol I am carrying at the time.

jwh
 
Bulk is more of an issue to me than weight. My pocket space is limited because I can't leave anything in my back pockets while sitting down anymore. So my wallet takes my entire left front pocket. I like to have a peanut or pen knife in my watch pocket, and depending on the days activities another one down in the pocket or riding clipped to my pocket. If I'm going to be working/fishing it is a quick one hand opener like the skyline (light and carry's real nice). Hunting I'll have a fixed blade and usually my congress so I can whittle while I wait in the blind or sitting by a tree. I won't carry my congress often daily, it doesn't carry all that well in kahki's (4 blades, thick).

Good thread topic.
 
I'm 33 but carrying more of my own excess weight, guess more knives just don't make a big deal. I've always been big boned and had a big frame since I was a kid. I gravitated towards larger knives because I have big paws. My perfect pocket knife though? Either my Spyderco Native V or Tidioute Beavertail 73. When I started hanging out with knifemakers, I liked the "3 is 2, 2 is 1, 1 is none theory". I was walking around with a large one hand opener, a small one hand opener, and a SAK. I found that I was only using the SAK and small one hand opener, and mostly the SAK. That SAK was a blue alox Farmer, and I moved down to the black alox Pioneer, which I lost in my accident and sometimes feel naked without. The peanut is a great little knife, but I like to have more in the pocket. A SAK or a Tidioute 73 single blade trapper is good enough for me. I'm too banged up to go on any hikes, but I was getting along just fine on my walks with my old Remington two blade jack.

I carry a small 40 lumen Pelican light in my front right pocket, my keys hang on a carabiner hooked to my belt loop, and my big Spec Ops wallet (near indestructible!) rides either in my left back pocket or in the lower thigh pocket on cargo pants. I carry my smaller bills in a Dockers money clip, and I also carry my "medicine", a small pouch sewn together by my father containging horse hair from his appaloosa horse and my sister's rosary (she passed away when she was about 7 months old). I usually have some more folders in my truck. Out and about, usually my peanut in my front right pocket, and my 73 either in my back pocket or with the peanut. Most other knives stay in the truck, I might toss a large folder in my pocket when I am out hiking, but the little bit of walking I've gotten in recently has just been with a small folder in my pocket. In the rare instances that I carry a fixed blade, it is usually a small Kephart that Scott Gossman made for me. 3" A2 blade, more than enough for most tasks. Out of all of the knives I own, I've gotten the most use out of the small Kephart (3" blade) that Scott Gossman made for me, the black alox Pioneer and a chestnut bone peanut. I guess smaller is just better in the long run.
 
Hi Carl,

I always love hearing your take on things no matter how different it may be. Personally, I carry a fully forged steel 1911 commander sized. I have light knives and heavy knives. Bulky and sleek. With a knife that does not clip into a pocket this issue becomes more important. First, I have to like the knife and how it functions and feels. I'm still making my way to my ultimate preferences, but I have a good feel for the knives I prefer. I don't want an 8 ounce slipjoint in my pocket, but anything 4 1/4" or less is just fine. I had fun weighing my most carried knives. I know you saw that.

As for getting older being a reason, well, my grandpa died at 86, always carried either a 1911, 357 mag or 44 mag. To the day he died he had a surefire hung around his neck, seriously, until the day he died. He always carried a leatherman original supertool on his belt along with a buck 500 series on his belt. He carried a Puma White Hunter when he traveled.

My other grandpa was a one knife man, always carrying his Case 62087. I know you are familiar with them. He carried that until he gave it to me as a kid. He never carried a knife since.

Different strokes I believe. I think its going to be hard to find a true pattern across the board.

Kevin
 
Well, I'm of the AARP age so I'll chime in. For jeans, anything up to a large (not cattleman) stockman or 3 layer SAK is comfortable for me in my pocket. If weight or bulk is an issue, I think the most overlooked knife is the Vic Cadet. Not much bigger than a peanut, but a still nice and slim, and offers a true 4 finger grip. It's become my go-to knife when wearing shorts or dress pants.
 
C_Becker said:
I don't carry any traditional knives, only my SAK but heres my 2 cents:

I carry my Leatherman Surge everyday, so weight doesn't bother me. Wouldn't want to carry that big mother in my pocket, though. Thats what the belt pouch is for. I prefer smaller folders for my EDC, so theres some pocket space left for other stuff and it doesn't print so much

Since you were talking about older people: I'd have to say that ease of operation is a pretty important feature, too
Opening a slipjoint with a strong spring only with the nail nick is impossible for some older people.
An ergonomic handle is pretty important, too so you can work with it without getting cramps in your hand.
Click to expand...

I'll second that notion 100%. I love my slip-joints, but the older I get, the more I appreciate my Buck 110 knives. More weight for sure, but more confidence inspiring in an older mitt.
 
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