Bigger Men, Bigger Blades?

I'm a pretty small guy, only about 5'9" 150, and I prefer a smaller knife. For a folder I like about 2.5-3 inches. and in a fixed blade I really dont care for much over 3.5
 
I'm going to carry a Scrapyard 511 IWB pretty soon and I like to carry a folder with a ~4-inch blade. I could easily get by with an SAK or a smaller blade, but I just like having something bigger.
 
I'm 6-1, 210, wear large size gloves. Been carrying an Endura for 20 something years. I find I don't care for 6" fixed blades as much as 7-8" knives. Also prefer 5" to 6". Seems like a resonance thing. Just feels right. Don't own anything larger than ~8". I like a 7-8" fixed blade to complement a 4" folder and a hatchet. Sort of a chef's knife and a paring knife. Oh, and as for women, I'm with Arnold in Total Recall, like them athletic and slutty.

 
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Andrew Colglazier said:
I need "larger" knives for the kind of jobs I need them to do. The other day I needed to trim out a window frame just a touch to get a window to fit. All I had on me at the time was a small necker with about a 2.5" blade. The handle and the blade were too small for the job, and it could have been dangerous. I had to be very careful.

Today I had to cut pieces of Tyvek into squares. A smaller knife with a shorter blade would have made this job harder to do, but the 4" folder I had on me was just right.

Little knives for little jobs. I rarely "need" a small knife.

Andy
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I used to do those very things with a tiny 440c HAK. Under two inch blade without any real handle to speak of. Never felt a "need" for a larger knife, the cruddy little HAK was more than enough blade for the job.
 
5'6" 155. I prefer a large fixed blade like my CS Trailmaster, even when just day hiking or in my truck. I just like the extra capability of a larger blade. No dickin around when making a walking stick, clearing brush, fire etc. I will almost always pair it w/ a multi-tool and or small-medium size folder for fine detail work.
 
this really doesn't matter that much to me. I am an average sized guy. I like blades that get the job done. Different jobs need different sized blades. You cannot base a "one blade" decision on how big you are, but on what the job is that you need to get done.
 
Well, I guess by this thread I'm a small guy... 6', 185lbs. I drive a small truck, and I'd carry a bigger folder but there already isn't enough room in my pants. Ha.

I edc a mini-grip, a buck lockback, or a mercator cat, and a small sak/leatherman micra. Fixed blades in the 3.5" to 4" range. I have a big chopper, but usually carry a saw instead, b/c I don't want to haul a big blade around. For my methods and use, it's not worth the weight. ymmv
 
BigNick said:
How do you feel about the size of your knife in comparison to your physical size? I'm a big guy, I'm 6'0 and 280 and wear a big knife. I don't want to say knives are like pants, but in a way they are; if they don't fit, don't wear em! I wont regularly use a knife that doesn't "fit me." I have folders that fit in my pocket, but if I can't feel it filling the pocket I won't like it. I'm a big fan of bowie knives; it's not like I have a small mans complex and I need a bigger truck or bigger bike or in this case knife, it just feels natural. Do other portly gentleman feel this way I wonder? My dearest friend who is a small dude only wears big tactical knives that are as big as his forearm, he drives a big truck and is always complaining how its not big enough, but he at the same time is always wound up and not very mellow, like he has something to prove. So is there a small mans complex with knives? I like bigger knives because I'm a bigger guy but do smaller guys like bigger knives because they are smaller? What do y'all think?
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Maybe there is something to this. I am 6'2'' and 240. I find my Becker Eskabar to be a bit small for my hand, but because it is thick enough and tough, I like it. I have never cared for those little ''bush craft'' exacto knives that so many favour. I can physically wield a large knife and that's what I favour. If a knife is too small in hand for me, it begins to feel like a little clumsy toy. Besides, it's a mind set for me. If lost, injured, whatever, in the bush I want a decent sized wood processor not a dainty pen knife. I've never seen an old fur trader knife from this part of North America that had a blade less than four inches long. The prevailing sizes by far were 6-9 inches on average. And these guys lived on a heavy meat diet with constant butchering.
 
I'd be more concerned over whether the knife fits the task rather than how it looks in a photograph. Obviously ergos and carry play a part, but aside from that, I have different knives for different tasks. I don't use a machete for whittling and I wouldn't use a Spyderco Bug to perform forest clearance, doesn't matter what height I am.
 
Good Lord!!! Were most of you on this thread fed steroid injected beef steaks in the womb?!?! :eek:;) The largest person in my family, even going back 100 years was my father who is 5'9" on a good day and 160# soaking wet. Hell my mother is 4'11, and her mother is 4'7". Jeebus People!!!!!
 
irrelephant said:
I used to do those very things with a tiny 440c HAK. Under two inch blade without any real handle to speak of. Never felt a "need" for a larger knife, the cruddy little HAK was more than enough blade for the job.
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To each their own. I like to have enough blade to be able to get the palm of my hand on the spine to bring more force to bear when cutting. A small knife makes that impossible.

I can cut a thread with a large knife or a small knife. I can notch lumber with a large knife, not so much with a small one.

Small jobs can usually be done with a larger knife. Not so easy going the other way.

Andy
 
6'3" and 225 with a BWM. I love it and find it easy to use. I do have a BJLE on the way which I may switch to in the long run.
 
6'1, and I carry a Victorinox cadet and hopefully soon a small sebbie. The small sebbie is the perfect size for me.
 
Im 5'11 190 LBS and in good physical condition. I usually carry my 9" SOG tigershark (the old style one). I can throw it accurately from about 15 yards. I actually just got an 11" Chukuri from the Ex-Ghurka Kukri House and its probably the most badass knife I own. Its a little over a pound and a half and is fully capable of loping the head off of a coyote. As for folders.... My EDC is a benchmade 710 but if Im on a dayhike or just having a yard work day, I like to carry my cold steel rajah II. I carried my Rajah II in the jungles of Honduras and it destroyed anything that was in its path. I even scared off a thief which was awesome. Anyways some of the smallest people are fully capable of handling the bggest knives ( Ghurka soldiers only weigh like 130).
 
tribalmagnum05 said:
Good Lord!!! Were most of you on this thread fed steroid injected beef steaks in the womb?!?! :eek:;) The largest person in my family, even going back 100 years was my father who is 5'9" on a good day and 160# soaking wet. Hell my mother is 4'11, and her mother is 4'7". Jeebus People!!!!!
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I'm 5'9" and I like to say I'm "historically sized." :D Slight frame, 140 lbs. and wiry muscle.
 
I'm 5'9 and 230 lbs (though I've probably lost a few since my last weigh in, at least I hope). I'm actually in surprisingly good physical shape my Dr. said, since I can still run easily and move around with no problem, I just need to shed some pounds to get rid of my high blood pressure which I'm doing. Anyway I've always loved bigger knives. Currently my favorite knives in my collection are my 18" WWII and 16.5" Chiruwa Ang Khola kukris from HI and I just ordered a CS SK5 Trailmaster the other day (possibly my last knife of the year :(). My EDC blade though is a regular Tinker model SAK.
 
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