Best size knife for EDC. Your opinion

This is funny, I found myself staring at my folders not two seconds ago. They all seem to have 4" handles and blades between 3" and 3.5". I'm pretty certain that I prefer handles that are about 4" more than anything else. The weight I'm not so concerned about but the folders usually fall between 3 and 4 ounces.
 
The knife that was a long time favorite and saw most use was a skeletonizied el cheapo 2.5" semi serrated thumb studded folder from Lowes. I think I maybe paid $12.00 for it. The serrated edge cut many a hydrolic hose and pallet band and under a piece of equipment with my my hands full I could draw and thumb it open in one motion. I felt like I was missing a body part if I ever found myself without it and took it hard when I finally lost it.
Now I carry a Kershaw Kuro assisted flipper but feel overdressed. It seems to always be on out some table when I need it around the house and not hanging in my pocket where it should be.
 
I've settled on 2.25 - 3" as my favourite EDC size. They are large enough to do a lot of jobs and they have just large enough handles to fit reasonably well in the hand. Spyderco Dragonfly and Chaparral are examples of small knives with outstanding handle ergonomics even if you have large hands. They are also small enough to be very light and easy to carry.

For me the difference in comfort between carrying a 4" and a small 2.25 - 3" EDC is a big deal. It's also important to me that my EDC does not appear overly aggressive or intimidating to people in a corporate sort of environment and I do not carry a knife with defence in mind.
 
Codger_64 said:
I've used a slim premium stockman for well over thirty years as a literal every day carry, not just a figure of speech. It rides unobtrusively in the bottom of my pocket until I need it, and can be fished out by fingering it from the outside of my pocket without having to stick a dirty or wet hand in there. It is 3 9/16" closed length. I have found it capable of doing most any chore, including those I would prefer a fixed blade for, in a pinch. But to each his own I say.

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3 5/8" closed
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3 1/2" closed
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Since it will be "Every Day Carry" my criteria will be:

1) Easy to carry as possible without any burden
2) Inconspicuous as possible
3) Can handle most tasks that I’ll encounter in a typical day (I work in an office environment)

The knife meeting my criteria will be :

i) Weight to be less than 4oz.
ii) Blade length to be less than 3.5” (ideally 2.5" to 3")
iii) Deep carry clip
iv) Thinner profile
 
Your criteria are totally aligned with what I look for in an EDC as well Sunby.

I should have mentioned thinner profile as being important in my post as well. Even though the Benchmade 530 is a bit longer than I would normally prefer for EDC (3.25" blade or so) it's so thin and light (<2 ounces) it is as easy to carry as some smaller knives for me.
 
I prefer about a 3 to 3.5" blade with a closed length up to 4 to 4.25". I have bigger ones, but they seldom get carried anymore. The Spydie Delica and my trusty 111mm SAK fit into this size range.
 
I'm sorta funny about the knives I carry. Due to a spinal cord stroke in July of 2012, I'm left having to use a walker to walk. Not feeling sorry for myself as I was able to work my way out of the wheelchair, and I am also able to now drive, and have been doing so since September! I'm doing great!!

Now with that out of the way, I can get down to answering the question. I found that a fannypack gave me the best way of carrying the items I need to have with me. This includes my wallet, certain meds, a Victorinox Fieldmaster, and a CS aluminum Tilite VI. And I always carry what I term my EDC in my right front pocket, and that knife rarely has to be used, but it is going to be between 3.5"-4.5", but I really like to have a 4"+ blade. I just enjoy carrying a larger folder, I always have and at 57 I don't see myself changing.

So, for me, I find the best size knife for EDC to be one with a blade length between 3.5"-4.5", but really like it to be a 4.0 + blade.

Btw, the Victorinox in my fannypack is the knife I most often use, and the CS Tilite? Just for fun, though I don't think law enforcement would find it funny.:eek:
 
addylo said:
Liner lock is still my favorite for one-hand operation. Although I've grown kinda fond of the compression lock on my PM2. Still seems kinda backwards though.

While I like the Axis lock for dependability I'm not a huge fan when it comes to operation. It's not a big deal though. They're OK.

Back locks are my least favorite. They require two separate steps to close one-handed. I've got to really like the knife otherwise in order to forgive the back lock. The Native is one such knife.
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Well said addylo! I would only add framelock's, and also stipulated that the linerlock/framelock would have to be built correctly. As long as that is the case I have no problems with linerlocks or framelocks as my favorite locking system.
 
I've always liked to comfortably hold an EDC knife, extend my index finger along the spine, and gauge the contact area along it. Depending on the grip this usually ends up between 2-3/4 to 3-1/8 in. This works well for me.
 
I'd say my most used EDC knife is my Sanrenmu H03, on the other hand I like large folders like the Cold Steel XL Voyager Vaquero.

I've a Voyager Medium clip incoming, which might bridge the difference.

I think blade shape is a little more important than overall size. I prefer a full flat grind as it offers a better slicing tool, and most work I do with a knife requires slicing. I also like the clip style point more than a spear point for aesthetic reasons.
 
For me, an EDC is the knife I carry to handle the routine cutting chores we all do on a daily basis - cutting paper, slicing open containers, trimming loose threads, cutting rope or cord, slicing fruit, etc. For me this means a smallish knife: 2" - 3" blade, preferably flat ground, sharp, good tough steel (stainless or carbon steel), and relatively small, non-threatening to non-knife folk, and comfortable to carry. For most of my life (I'm 54) that meant small traditional folders; but the last dozen years or so that has meant a knife with a clip such as a Spyderco Dragonfly or Calypso. I'm also currently experimenting with small fixed blades: Right now I carry both a Dragonfly SS and a Brous Blades Silent Soldier (wharncliffe) and am looking at getting a small custom knife made.

Frankly I just can't see the point of 4"+ "EDC" blades unless one is cutting very thick material. A few inches of steel will cut 99.9% of everything we expect a knife to cut. To me anything that big or larger is either an "outdoor" knife or a weapon, and I just don't see how self-defense knives can be properly considered EDC. Sure, they can be carried every day (Indeed, I used to carry a Spyderco G-10 Police daily "for more serious purposes" but it would never have been pulled out except in a threatening situation) but that doesn't make it an EDC.

Just my opinion and YMMV.
 
I have choices, and my rotation right now includes:
- Kabar Warthog II (inexpensive, right blade size)
- a kit-made Laguiole I made myself (like the thin, sharp blade and slim handle for pocket carry)
- a D'Eskabar
- a Camillus military utility folder
- an older Browning 3-blade hunter

I often carry two of the above, plus I fit in a few others. The D'Eskabar and the Camillus would be hardest to do without.
 
My EDC:

I work in photo/video production, This is what I do:
- opening and repacking stuff
- tighten camera related attachments
- lunch
- cut stuff at various heights
- share tools
- open post shoot beers.
so my knife need not be big, tactical, mirror sharp, expensive. Here it is: a $30 Alox Cadet!
If I lose it I'll just buy another one.

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My favorite size is 3.25", I like my ZT 0566 and Kershaw Skyline.I love big 4" folders, but they are just too long to pull out in front of people. I love keychain knives like Ladybugs and Manbugs because all but the most anal non-knife people can handle them. Currently the Dragonfly and Cat are my go to small knives, both are right around 2.2".
 
Killtation said:
Same here. My first "real" knife (Not a 1 dollar cheapie from Wal-mart) Was the Cold Steel Scimitar.
Beast of a folder. 4 inch VG-1 blade, titanium linerlock, thick Zy-Ex handles, and crazy sharp. Could shave with this knive, stab it through a car hood several times, do heavy cutting for a few days, and shave with it again. (I know from experience... yes.. i actually stabbed a car hood about a dozen times. Never lost a bit of sharpness in the tip)

Sadly it's now in an evidence locker at the local police station. (cries a single tear) Moved on to more reasonably sized blades after that.
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May I ask why its in an evidence locker? :rolleyes:
 
orixa said:
My EDC:

I work in photo/video production, This is what I do:
- opening and repacking stuff
- tighten camera related attachments
- lunch
- cut stuff at various heights
- share tools
- open post shoot beers.
so my knife need not be big, tactical, mirror sharp, expensive. Here it is: a $30 Alox Cadet!
If I lose it I'll just buy another one.

IMG_6559_zps44070d30.jpg
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My choice 90% of the time as well.
 
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