Are thick knives really practical?

It's a great feeling knife honestly. Lot of things to like. My biggest gripe is that it came dull and pretty much dulls very quickly in use. I want to love it, but that just doesn't sit well with me.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I've heard the sheaths are very chintzy as well. :o
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True. I honestly feel like I'm giving it a little too much heat, but whenever I see them mentioned, I'm going to be honest and present the other side of the coin. I just micro-stippled mine, ground the spine a little for fire steel, the edge has been convexed like mad, and I've spent a lot of time sharpening it on arkansas stones, then water stones. Just seems like it doesn't wanna play ball. I tried to heat the plastic liner in the sheath to fit, and it held the blade pretty tight for about a week before going back to the norm. *shrug* I dunno what else to say to that one. Maybe it was a dud, as was stated in another thread. I won't be ordering another to find out.

I think I'm more along your line of thinking, myself. Only ever broke one machete in my life, and it was a lawnmower blade. Wide blade translates as a better shock absorber from the back, and can have just as much strength as a thick knife, with better cutting ability.
 
Most serious outdoorsmen you've heard of (Ray Mears, Horace Kephart, Nessmuk, etc.) eventually come to the conclusion that a thinner blade is desirable. From what I understand, the reason why is because: yes, you can clean a fish with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better. Yes, you can whittle a spoon with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better. Yes, you can clean a deer, cut up leather, make a shelter, etc. with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better.

Eventually, you realize that the 3/4" thick Rambo knife doesn't really do anything well... but it is heavy and hinders cutting tasks. And if your knife is made of good steel, has proper geometry, and was heat-treated properly, it will be plenty strong enough.
 
Magnaminous_G said:
Most serious outdoorsmen you've heard of (Ray Mears, Horace Kephart, Nessmuk, etc.) eventually come to the conclusion that a thinner blade is desirable. From what I understand, the reason why is because: yes, you can clean a fish with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better. Yes, you can whittle a spoon with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better. Yes, you can clean a deer, cut up leather, make a shelter, etc. with that 3/4" thick Rambo knife, but a thinner blade works better.

Eventually, you realize that the 3/4" thick Rambo knife doesn't really do anything well... but it is heavy and hinders cutting tasks. And if your knife is made of good steel, has proper geometry, and was heat-treated properly, it will be plenty strong enough.
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^Bingo.
 
It is, indeed, hyperbole, but the concept is sound. Unless that 1/4" is a broad flat grind it's going to be over-heavy and under-useful for 99% of what I do with a knife. Thickness for me is mostly important for maintaining rigidity. Even when batoning I find that as long as the blade is thick enough to keep it from buckling under the baton I have an easier time batoning with a thin knife--though you have to hit it more times before the wood separates I have an easier time actually sinking into the wood and the blade goes further per blow--it just doesn't pop the wood apart like a thicker one does.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
It is, indeed, hyperbole, but the concept is sound. Unless that 1/4" is a broad flat grind it's going to be over-heavy and under-useful for 99% of what I do with a knife. Thickness for me is mostly important for maintaining rigidity.
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Most of the thicker knives I've seen have had a rather high grind. I think most people have come to realize that a slab of steel with little bevel won't be of much use to pretty much anyone.:)

There ARE some knives out there which aren't well thought out though.
 
stabman said:
Most of the thicker knives I've seen have had a rather high grind. I think most people have come to realize that a slab of steel with little bevel won't be of much use to pretty much anyone.:)

There ARE some knives out there which aren't well thought out though.
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I've seen plenty of massively thick fixed blades AND folders out there that are way overbuilt. There are a fair number of thick knives on the market that have stubby saber grinds or narrow blades with full flat grinds and thick spines that make the effective grind angle much more obtuse. A broad flat ground blade ends up with a pretty thin edge as long as they're ground with a true taper.
 
t1mpani said:
What do you need an axe and a smaller knife for when there are thick knives? ;) For that matter, why jack around with an axe at all when there are perfectly good chainsaws?
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Fully agree, I'm terrible with a hand axe in the backwoods but I am a dab hand with the Becker Crewman in making firewood and heavish camp tasks.
 
I like to combine my EDC knife of the day with my trusty estwing hatchet. Then I am ready to cut or to chop or to pry. I actually also have several prybars. The biggest being about 6 feet long and weighs about 60lbs.I use it to lever big rocks around when rebuilding rock walls or messing with the foundations of old houses. Don't cut much with it though but its might handy when I really have to lever around something big.
 
Looks like im going to have to get an esee 5 and try it out to see if it will fill my camping needs.
Though im feeling the esee 6 would go nicer with my esee 3
 
Well guys, I sure don't know it all. And I probably forgot half of what I did know. My journey has slowly lead me to thinner\shorter blades, as I said previously, I'm currently experimenting with the little ESEE 4 and BK-16. This is my current limit on small and thin. What the future brings I don't know. But I feel pretty good about packing a 4 inch blade and some type of light chopper like a machete. I just ordered a Condor Barong which should be fun to play with. Anyway............. as for the BK-16 I still like it with limited use so far. The sheath is better than the usual Becker black bags. I also pulled the inner liner up and out, cut some off so that the knife rides deeper to accomodate the lower snap. My liner also lost its heat memmory and loosened up again. And the snaps are weak\cheap compared to say a Combat Master. But I will not pizz all over the sheath as it is a step up for Becker. :)Thanks for the comments\insight, I learn from all of you.:thumbup:
 
I believe that the arguement is more complex than most people will admit, and that their are good points on each.

A large knife is a hell of alot better than a small axe. When you shorten an axe you take away the very thing which makes it functional, its leverage. So how would you increase this leverage? Get a longer handle and with that usually a heavier bit (otherwise your axe will be out of balance). When you then consider this situation most people would then pair up their large survival knife with some sort of saw. This knife saw combo is indeed one of the most versitile and efficient way of processing wood available.

The problem with this method though is that by the time you add the weight of your large (and heavy) survival and your take down buck saw, for lets face it the tiny saw can only really process wood that you already can take down with your knife, you end up carrying the equivalent of an axe on your back! Sometimes, depending on the knife and its weight you may have an axe and a half weighing you down! I have found that I like using an axe and it has been proven by people on this very forum that a sharp boys axe can be used to chop down a tree crosscut a section and turn the rounds into kindling using minimal effort. The problem with axes is that they require a day to learn and a lifetime to master. This makes them inherently difficult to use safely for the simple reason that most people do not have the training or experience to use one well. A similiar claim can be made with a machete, pistol, crossbow, etc...

Personally I find I am reverting to traditional EDC. A medium sized axe for the chopping, sharp medium sized fixed blade for the skinning and such, and a small knife for whittling and gear maintainance. I think if your main goal is to batton with your knife 1/4 inch will suit you well. If you want to whittle spoons and clean small game a .09 knife will do you better but I think I'll stay at my happy medium of 1/8. It can batton, slice, dice, and fry you up before you even know it cleared leather :)
 
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