Bastard blade talk: Let’s talk about the middle child of knives

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DangerZone98

Joined
Dec 7, 2019
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One thing I picked up from this forum that I didn’t really think about before was having two “sweet spots” for carry knives: big honkers with at least 9” blades and more maneuverable cutters with 5” of blade or less. Big ones are for chopping or otherwise filling the hatchet role (a separate discussion for another day) and the small ones are for carving, feathersticking, or dressing game. This particular school of thought made me rather curious if bastard blades, knives with blade lengths in the 7” neighborhood, serve a practical purpose in the real world.

I mostly agree with the consensus that a seven-incher won’t excel at either small-knife or big-knife work. But while it won’t be as precise as a dedicated bushcrafter or as massive as a chopper, I find that a quality bastard blade reasonably fulfills most utility work that I ask of it. It can open boxes just fine without feeling unwieldy at all, and I find it doesn’t weigh me down as much as a bigger blade. At the moment though, I don’t really do carving with my knives, so I can’t comment on that front.

Does the jack-of-all-trades characteristic justify ownership? I’ll leave that to the user. Personally, I think bastard blades are neat to have and they fill the utility role just fine. If I could only have one blade on hand for the day for any reason, I wouldn’t feel underknifed with a seven-incher.

What about you fine ladies and gentlemen here? Yay or nay for bastard blades? Do they have a place in the knife world?

P.s. The term “bastard blade” also sounds pretty badass.
 
A 6 or 7 inch Medium Mark II/BK-7 size knife is what you carry when you don’t want to carry a Small and Large knife combo; but still want to take a fixed blade.

n2s
 
I think a bit of it depends on the the size of the wielder, as well as the purpose of the knife. At 6'5" my daily carry pocket knife is a 4 inch blade in order to fit my hand well. Most of my belt knives are in the 6-9" range. Mostly used as camp knives or utility blades when in the back country though. My current favorite is my Spyderco Schempp Rock, at just a hair under 7 inches, but very versatile and light weight.
 
Just for the sake of context, I would mention that the classic Mk II Ka-Bar had a 7-in. blade. I believe the Ka-Bar was considered a utility/fighting knife. For myself, I think a 5.0-in. or 5.25-in. blade might be the sweet spot, but I haven't made up my mind yet.
 
DangerZone98 said:
One thing I picked up from this forum that I didn’t really think about before was having two “sweet spots” for carry knives: big honkers with at least 9” blades and more maneuverable cutters with 5” of blade or less. Big ones are for chopping or otherwise filling the hatchet role (a separate discussion for another day) and the small ones are for carving, feathersticking, or dressing game.
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Lol, we've got some different ideas...

To me a big knife (18-24 inches) is useful for cutting grass, clearing brush, or trimming the springy bushes. Something under about 4 inches is useful for everything else. Everything 4+ inches to 18 or so inches is a bastard blade IMO.

Doesn't mean I don't have them, doesn't mean I don't use them, but it does mean I don't find them to excel at much**

** Except for kitchen knives, my 10 inch Sabatier will be pried from my cold dead hands, it does daily work in my kitchen.
 
All depends on what you need to accomplish .

If you really need to do a lot of heavy chopper , wood processing / clearing you will regret not having the proper tools .

Same for light / medium "grass " machete work .

Same for delicate , precise small blade work , like removing a splinter or other surgery . Or processing lot of fruit , potatoes , etc.

Your medium sized , do everything knife will not be great for anything in particular , but will be somewhat useful for everything . ;)







 
Mister Coffee said:
Just for the sake of context, I would mention that the classic Mk II Ka-Bar had a 7-in. blade. I believe the Ka-Bar was considered a utility/fighting knife. For myself, I think a 5.0-in. or 5.25-in. blade might be the sweet spot, but I haven't made up my mind yet.
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Yes, I should've mentioned the fighting/utility knife, haha. It was sorta in my subconscious when making the thread.

I like blades in the 5" neighborhood too. Neat to have on hand as well.
 
DocJD said:
All depends on what you need to accomplish .

If you really need to do a lot of heavy chopper , wood processing / clearing you will regret not having the proper tools .

Same for light / medium "grass " machete work .

Same for delicate , precise small blade work , like removing a splinter or other surgery . Or processing lot of fruit , potatoes , etc.

Your medium sized , do everything knife will not be great for anything in particular , but will be somewhat useful for everything . ;)







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Totally agree. Cold Steel has no shortage of bastard blades. Recon Tanto, Leathernecks, the SRK. And my GI tanto just arrived today lol.

Nice Warcrafts, man.
 
I’ve essentially come to the conclusion that for my style of 3 season backpacking and hiking a single fixed blade with a 4” blade length is all I need and am willing to carry. I’ve really dialed it into two knives; one 3.75” (1/8” thick) and one 4” (5/32”). Which I select depends on the trip. I will say I spend as much time as possible walking and as little as possible in any campsite.

When I want more (winter backpacking, really the only time I plan on making a fire in the backcountry), I add a small forest axe and typically set up more of a base camp to hike from. I don’t do a lot of this.

When car camping, I add a splitting axe and the small forest axe. Neither weight nor space are issues. Fire and splitting are more of a theme for me in this environment.

In the end, it probably depends on where you’re going and what you like to do.
 
I have no problem with 7" blades - they are actually my favorite for all-around bushcraft/hiking/camping.

A lot of it has to do with the ergonomics and weight of the blade, more so than the length. One of my favorites is the Becker BK7. It has a perfect balance point, is relatively light and it is quick to wield and maneuver. Many mid-length blades (4"-5") don't have the right balance point (for me), and tend to feel tip-heavy, or they have a big chunky handle that offsets the balance.

So given the choice, I would take a 7" blade that balances well in the hand versus a shorter blade that is too tip or handle heavy.
 
The older I get, the more I appreciate smaller fixed blades over larger ones.

That said, I would not feel handicapped by carrying a 7" KaBar in place of a 3.5" blade and 12" blade if lost in the wilds. It's just a matter of choking up to do OK fine work and knowing your limitation when it comes to processing. The latter being why I am beginning to lean heavily on a sub 4" fixed blade for edc and hiking. I just dont find the need to go after 8" deadfall. Similarly, I can cut fuzzy sticks or whittle a trap with a 7" blade well enough not to need a smaller one if I have to.

In short, bastard length blades are OK by me :)
 
A ridiculous thread (IMHO). 6&7 inch blades are the sweet spot. Just small enough for detail work, without being to big to ride on a belt.

BK7
KA-BAR MK2
Pal USN MK1
Randal Model 1
Buck 119,120,124, etc

All great iconic very capable knives. It’s Blasphemy to cal them anything but perfect.
 
eveled said:
A ridiculous thread (IMHO). 6&7 inch blades are the sweet spot. Just small enough for detail work, without being to big to ride on a belt.

BK7
KA-BAR MK2
Pal USN MK1
Randal Model 1
Buck 119,120,124, etc

All great iconic very capable knives. It’s Blasphemy to cal them anything but perfect.
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Then call me a blasphemer.
I like a 4-5 inch fixed blade. If I need a big knife, I really need an axe, hatchet or machete. I have owned over half the knives you listed and found them too big for many things.
 
My favorite size for a fixed blade.
Had a KABAR USMC from the age of 15-45yrs. It was my sole fixed blade. Gifted it to my nephew after my wife gave me the RC6 for our 10th anniversary, eleven years ago. Have a few other fixed now, but the RC6 gets used the most. Used it this morning to cut some twine. Keep it in my truck just like I did with the USMC.
https://imgur.com/yPczxVF
 
If I think I'm likely to be doing any serious chopping, I prefer a tomahawk. My EDC is a 4-1/2" fixed blade, but it's thin, so as to be a slicer. For outdoor work, a 6-8" fixed blade and a tomahawk do most of the duty. The SOG S-1 Bowie is my favorite. Yeah, it's thick, and heavy, but it's plenty tough, and it looks good. The Becker BK-5 is another top choice, light, thin, slicey, and easy to sharpen. It's also a very capable kitchen knife. Incidentally, Kabar/Becker's 1095CroVan is also known as 0170-6C, or Carbon-V, when Cold Steel was using it. Another 8-ish inch blade is the Cold Steel Drop-Forged Survivalist. Again, relatively heavy, but it's 52100 steel, integral construction, nothing to fail, easy to sharpen, and takes a really good edge. I have other knives in this size range, as well.

For me, these aren't bastards of any sort. Rather, they're more like front-line troops, sent to die, if necessary. I have some SF types, 9+ inches and capable of some serious destruction. I also have some REMF types, most under 5 inches, some with fancy recurves and such, and thus more specialized, but also pretty much useless outside of their niche. Generally, though, it's the grunts that do the ground-work. With a tomahawk, in case they need to call in some heavy artillery. No sense being KIA if it can be avoided by intelligent planning.
 
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I don't have any use for blades in the 5"-9" range in a forest wilderness. Most of my outdoor knives are around 4.5" or 10". I think most people who prefer axes and hatchets to big wood chopping knives don't pack in their tools themselves, but use a vehicle to carry their tools for them. I haven't found any one tool that is as versatile as a big chopping knife, especially with a finger choil, or any one tool I'd want to have more in an emergency or survival situation. From what I've seen, most people don't like to think about these situations, or plan for them, but they do happen. I don't like to compromise with tools that I might have to use to save my life, or others, and mid-range blade lengths are too much of a compromise, besides not doing anything well, at least for my needs. Saws are useful but I wouldn't want to clean a fish with one or pack one in when I have a knife that can also chop wood.

Since knives are such vital wilderness tools I usually also carry one with a blade around 4.5" for back-up and more delicate tasks. If I need a blade length much shorter than that I prefer a folder or multi-tool.

I'm not a fan of relying on a knife for self-defense but if I had to use a big wood chopping knife for that purpose I wouldn't feel like I was poorly equipped.
 
NapalmCheese said:
Lol, we've got some different ideas...

To me a big knife (18-24 inches) is useful for cutting grass, clearing brush, or trimming the springy bushes. Something under about 4 inches is useful for everything else. Everything 4+ inches to 18 or so inches is a bastard blade IMO.

Doesn't mean I don't have them, doesn't mean I don't use them, but it does mean I don't find them to excel at much**

** Except for kitchen knives, my 10 inch Sabatier will be pried from my cold dead hands, it does daily work in my kitchen.
Click to expand...
 
There are certainly lots of good choices:

img_0268-sm-jpg.1336544


n2s
 
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