Are modern slipjoints too small?

Hashishiin said:
though it would be taken very seriously if a, not teacher, but member of administration, saw it
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🤣 In my day every so often the 2nd grade to 12th grade teacher would exclaim to the class "I forgot my pocket knife this morning. Would one of you please loan me ("one of" was added to the request after 4th grade) yours?"
We always got it back before the end of class or the school day if we only had the one teacher and didn't change classrooms.

Personally, I think he or she was taking a poll to see if more had started carrying a cutting tool.
The male teachers did have their trousers on*, and the female teachers hadn't "forgotten" their purse (generally large enough to cary the 40~50 pounds of makeup, hair spray, perfume, a box of "that time of month" things, a thermos of coffee, lunch, keys, pens, change of clothes, cash and cheque book, credit cards, and whatever else the average lady in the 1950's and 1960's carried in her shoulder suitcase/overnight bag known as a "purse", before the one hand semi-pocketable barely larger than a cheque book "clutch purse" was invented and became popular.)

*In that day/era/age a "gentleman" (or not) was more apt to forget their trousers and the keys to the house and his car, than they were to forget their pocket knife.

Times have changed, that's for sure. In my humble opinion they haven't changed for the better.
I think things started going downhill starting around GCA 1968, the end of Pledge of Allegiance, and A.M. vocal non-denominational school prayer. ☹️
(The kids are still praying silently "oh _ insert deity_ please let me pass this test/quiz!" every time the teacher gives them an unexpected pop quiz or test.)
 
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Weird old thread resurrection.

Too small for what? They come in lots of sizes. I have traditional knives ranging from the Case Peanut, Tiny Trapper, Small Stockman patterns that are under 3" closed, up to full sized Trappers, Case Back Pocket, Buck 110, Case Large Stockman. I have more than one knife in pretty much any normal size range for what I would consider pocketable. There may be things where the Peanut is too small, but a medium stockman or regular Trapper is just the right size.

Pocket knives are tools of convenience, for the random cutting tasks that arise in daily life. Perhaps in modern daily urban or suburban life, the number of cutting tasks that arise are much less frequent than in a rural or agrarian setting, so perhaps fewer people find a need for the bigger pocket knives.

For any serious blade usage, I would opt for a purpose-built fixed blade knife. In my case, that would be kitchen knives, which is the only real use I have for knives for specific purposes. If I were a hunter, I would likely use a fixed blade hunting knife in a sheath, or a filleting knife if I were a fisherman.

For general convenience, the range of available slipjoints still seems to cover most of what I need.
 
JohnDF said:
Parts of it are.

Parts of it were.

Pocket knives are more than just a cutting tool or collection piece to some of us.
They create a connection to our memories and experiences, and sometimes we like to talk about it.
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I agree, my only issue is people making specific attributions. "Things are bad because of *insert some religious or political belief I have*" isn't a memory or an experience and it isn't about knives.

The stories and memories themselves I enjoy.
 
I have always thought a 4" knife (give or take an eighth) to be about perfect for pocket carry. Single blades in this size range are still nice and light, while if much larger at all, multi-blades get pretty heavy/bulky/noticeable in the pocket. When lounging about at home in light clothing I usually carry something a little smaller, so 3½ to 4⅛ inches closed is my sweet spot. For at least the 67 years of my life there have been plenty of choices in this range. With the advent of the modern OHO, big knives, say over 4½" closed, are much more plentiful than ever before.
 
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