Best thickness for survival

T

TedRango

Joined
Mar 8, 2011
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I am trying to pick out a new survival knife. I posted a similar thread in the ESEE forum but am trying to get more advice. What thickness is best for a primary survival knife, especially if one is carrying a hatchet so no battoning would be necessary? I was looking at the ESEE 3 and 4 but feel the 3 may be too thin and the 4 may be too thick. So any knifes that someone can recommend would be very helpful. Stainless or carbon is fine I do live in 90% humidity for most of the year so keep that in mind. It will be mainly used for camp chores, skinning game, fishing and bushcraft. Thanks.
 
When Im toting a hatchet I usually stick with 1/8th inch thickness. I havent had the need for much thicker unless some batoning might be necessary, and even then, if the knife is full tang, batoning wont bother the blade at all. Ive batoned over 8" chunks of wood with a 12" machete and had zero problems (but a thin blade will destroy your baton real quick)
 
1/8" is probably best for cutting ability. Should be okay to baton with too. If the blade is 4-5", I would go with 5/32" because it looks more appropriate and is plenty strong for any batoning you might try.
 
I would say 3/32" or 1/8". You only need thickness if you intend to pry stuff.
 
HornyToad said:
1/8" is probably best for cutting ability. Should be okay to baton with too. If the blade is 4-5", I would go with 5/32" because it looks more appropriate and is plenty strong for any batoning you might try.
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+1. you nailed it toad.
 
Don't forget about the grind of the knife. A full flat grind vs. a flat blade w/scandi, with the same spine thickness, will still be a different knife. Spine thickness does add strength, but how thin do you want the rest of the knife to be?
Look at these 4 blades. Each one has a different grind.
The middle two are similar in spine thickness, but the grind starts much sooner on the ESEE Junglas, than the Culberson. The black scale left on the Culberson shows where the grind starts. I wish I could show you the cross section of those blades, that's the important aspect here to consider.
100_0958.jpg

100_0962.jpg

Here's a 1/8" thick Fiddleback Forge Nessmuk with a scandi grind. The entire blade is 1/8" thick, not just the spine.
100_0924.jpg
 
I make knives out of 3/32, 1/8, and 5/32 thicknesses. If I'd have a chopper I'd go with the thinnest. Thin cuts. But the 5/32 cuts really well also, and give peace of mind. Thicker than that I don't carry far.
 
unless you want a dedicated axelike chopper (machete style is a different beast), for real knife work in the real world (which ends up being a lot of food processing, general cutting, small wood notching and batoning, etc) 3/32 to 1/8 for a scandi, "scandivex (or convexed saber, whatever. taper grind), or many flat grinds. You can get away with 3/16 on some flat and full convex grinds, but you'll lose more than you gain unless a certain amount of heavy work (box lid prying, pelvis splitting, etc) is your norm.
 
Thanks, I haven't seen another one like it. Is it the only one with that grind? It has to be the sharpest knife I own, and that handle is the most "organic" I've ever held.
 
I have seen and used 1/4" knives that cut better than 3/32" knives. It realy depends on grind and most imortantly edge geometry IMO.

That said, I prefer a 1/8th"
 
Thanks everyone. I feel like I would have more confidence in a 3/16" blade but maybe the 1/8" would serve me better.
 
You opened a can of worms with this question

Like asking who makes the best car

IMHO if you have an Axe already and do not see yourself having to to pry or baton -then
1/8-3/16 will work great

I have more knives with 1/4" thinkness--but I chop------A LOT.

Experiment with different thickness's and grinds to see what you like.

What I or someone else likes might be totally wrong for your application.

Try 1/8" first--then go thicker.
 
1/8" is more than thick enough for 95% of what you'll ever do with a knife. Since you have the hatchet, you have the other 5% covered.

If you weren't carrying a hatchet, I'd go with 3/16"-1/4" for a do it all heavy duty tool.

My preferred thickness for a all around camp/outdoors blade is 3/32"-5/32".

If I were designing a blade, it would be either 1/8" or 5/32" thick.

I have one knife that is 3/16" thick. All of my other blades are thinner.

I have one knife that is 1/4" thick and that's a Kabar Potbelly. It's a tank, but it also is a VERY good cutter, in addition to being a beastly chopper. I can make fuzz sticks with it almost as well as I do with my Mora.

I have no use for a knife that is more than 1/4" thick. A Stanley Wonder Bar is 1/4" thick. If I need a sharpened pry bar, putting an edge on my Wonder Bar would make a more useful all around tool than a knife more than 1/4" thick.
 
tonym said:
I have seen and used 1/4" knives that cut better than 3/32" knives. It realy depends on grind and most imortantly edge geometry IMO.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately I understand this very well!:)

In my humble opinion, with a good edge I believe that 3/16" is the best jack of all trades but a master of none for a knife.
 
As an all-arounder, particularly if I have something larger for the heavy duty tasks, I'd lean towards 1/8 or 5/32.
 
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