Am I the only guy who prefers the smaller knives?

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pastormarty

Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
157
I grew up with knives and love them, but I confess that I cannot remember an occassion when I have needed a large one. I have cleaned rabbits up to deer with 1.5 to 2.5 inch blades. I attribute it to my father who grew up on a farm during the depression, enjoyed every outdoor hobby and was extremely hands on; yet he never felt he needed 4wd, a shotgun with more than 2 shells or a blade over 3 inches. I think he learned to make do and conveyed it to me as well.
 
Most of my blades fit into the 2-1/2" to 3-1/2" category. Actually, my folders tend to be larger than my FB. I use mostly 2-1/2" FB for work and they work very well in the warehouse and around my house & garden. My folder blades usually run about 3" (small Sebenza, small Bone Collector, Native 5, etc). I have one 4" FB that I carry when we're camping. Other than that, I stay in the 2-1/2" to 3" range.
 
I'm odd in the fact that I either prefer a very small compact blade around 2- 2 1/2 inches or a big 3 1/2- 4 inch blade. Rarely do I ever really need the larger blade, I just like them. Most cutting tasks can easily be accomplished with a smaller blade.

Years ago knives were treated more like a basic tool than a collectible item. It was not unusual for a person to buy one or two knives and use them for about everything they did in the course of a day. If it wore out just buy another one. I have 30+ knives and I doubt any of them will be worn out and need to be replaced.
 
I prefer and mostly carry the mini versions of the BM Barrage and Griptilions.

I also have and like the BM Aphid.

So you're not alone.
 
I always carry a small backup/sheeple friendly se knife in my lr pocket.....I've been doing this for about 2.5 years.

Of course I always have a big folder with me too.
 
I love all knives, big and small.

I find my smaller knives get used more than my larger ones. It seems like I have to make special trips to use them, but I do use them.

I prefer a 3-4.5" bladed knife, but usually carry something smaller, either folder or fixed, daily.

Good post.

Moose
 
The vast majority of my knives are around 3.5" because that's what I prefer. For what it's worth I grew up using tools but not carrying knives - I actually didn't start carrying until after college.
 
I have found that if you ask 100 knife lovers you will get definitions of what is small, large, sharp, best ALL over the map.

I used to carry what I would call "small" once I started carrying something Large(r) I never went back so I suppose it may be a matter of acclimation more than anything. I don't know that I ever said OMG I wish I had carried a different size today, seems like anything from 2"-4" serves just fine. Maybe that is why Most knives fall in that size range.
Now, the day I strap on a 16" machete and say "Oooh, just right" I may just go whole hog and put on my propeller beanie hat and go dancing down the center line singing show tunes.
I dunno.
 
Long ago my brother gifted me a Gerber Magnum Jr. and said "This is all you need for hiking." In twenty years I can't say I proved him wrong.

I have a Becker for the woods but only because it makes some jobs easier. For "leave no trace", minimum impact hiking I leave it behind.

In civilization it is another story. There are plenty of times that a 3.5" or longer blade has come in handy. Also a few times I brought a small blade and wished I had a larger one. A small blade is just fine 80% of the time though, even as small as my Cold Steel mini-pal that opens boxes with the best of them.

Clarification: handy as a tool, not SD. That's a different thread.

:)


Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
 
I prefer smaller-ish folders. I really feel no need for anything over 3in in a folder, with an ideal size being 2.5-2.75in. Anything smaller than that and it starts to feel a bit small to me.

My fixed blades are all larger than my folders, ranging from my BK11 3in (ish) to my BK9 (9in).
 
Growing up (I'm 57) I wanted my pocket knives (usually trappers) to be big enough to cut a burger in half. Now many knives with locks and pocket clips are twice the size of my old trappers, but the blades still aren't long enough to pass the burger test - including my favorite EDC MiniGrip. Still, I sure do appreciate the locks and pocket clips - those trappers used to do terrible things to my Levis.
 
I always have a large, medium and small. Usualy a sak and my dragonfly, and then a large folder. I mainly use the sak and the smaller knives.
 
I too prefer smaller knives since I have small hand and like having EDC but work in an office environment.
My knives are folder with blade length of 3" or less and OAL lenghth of 7" or less.
Benchmade Osborne 943 is the largest knife in my collection.
 
I do not mind a smaller blade length, but like a larger handle that I can get all fingers on. So a three inch blade usually has a decently long handle, while a 2.5 inch blade has too small of a handle. Spyderco addresses this in what they call "little big knives." Having a finger choil on a smaller knife with a smaller handle can help too.
 
I do not think that I will ever need a knife larger than 3.5", except in the kitchen. I have a Mora with a 3-3/8" blade that I use for dressing deer, and it seems big. Everything else is 2-3".
 
I've never needed more than a few inches of blade. In my younger day I carried a 3 to 4 inch bade sometimes, but most it was a Buck Stockman. Later in life, I downsized bit by bit, and now carry a Case peanut in my pocket as my main edc. So far it's been just fine, and I can use it in public with no worry. Since I started to use a damascus bladed peanut a year ago, I've gotten comments on what a nice looking little pocket knife it is. Especially from women. And it's two inch blade cuts anything I need to cut.

Carl.
 
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I feel the same way. Once they get over a 3'' blade, they seem a little bulky in my pocket. Even with traditional knives I lean toward smaller ones. It could be it is just what I am used to. I have a few larger ones with 3.5'' blades but seldomly carry them. I rarely seem to have a need for a larger blade.
 
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