blade-handle ratio

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
Messages
8,968
I've been sorta wanting a Paramilitary ever since it first appeared, because of the positive opinion of the knife's performace. However, as well as the para may perform, it just looks wrong. Not the 'spyderholes are ugly' kind of wrong (doesn't work on a lot of profiles, imo, but I've owned about a dozen spyders over the years, which I thought all looked ok) more the 'why is there a steel splinter on the end of that full sized handle?' I'm guessing the compression lock aids in jacking up the ratio, as there is a lot of handle in front of the pivot.

Are there some knives which just scream NO when you see them open or look at the oal & blade length numbers? My 806D2 has a not so great ratio as well, but it does give me a striking point on the butt, plus the blade is long enough that I feel it is viable for defense work. It also seems that putting the pivot below the centerline of the handle seems to help, a lot of Elishewitz designs have awesome ratios, imo, and they seem to all have that pivot placement (or maybe it's lock position tweaking)
 
Ask for a passaround in the Passaround forum, try it out for a week, and make your determination. Only cost would be shipping.
 
It is really a matter of personal preference. I think the handle of the Para is actually still too short. But in any case, if you want to limit the blade length for practical or legal reasons to a certain length, you could decrease the handle length to keep it "looking right" or you can sacrifice the looks and keep the handle to the length that still fits a full sized grip.

The question is really, do you want to look at it or use it? Would you want a boxcutter with a handle that is scaled to have the "right proportions" with the blade? The traditional Mora also has an oversized handle...so do many professional working knives (carving knives, small paring knives, carpet knives, leather knives...)
 
hardheart said:
Are there some knives which just scream NO when you see them open or look at the oal & blade length numbers?
Click to expand...

Yeah, but usually it's because the blade looks too long for the handle, not the other way around. I don't have one, but the Para looks fine to me.
 
My feeling is that the whole issue of "efficient" blade/handle ratio is way overblown. The only part of your anatomy that contacts the "knife" is the handle. Unless it feels good in your hand and allows effective control over the blade, any great blade/handle ratio is a waste.

As to the Paramillie, yes it does not have great blade/handle ratio, however, keep in mind that it is designed for use with gloves as well as the bare hand. IMHO, the Paramiilie is an excellently designed knife. I would not hesitate a bit in picking one up. I love mine. Good luck. ;)
 
Blades with a high handle/blade ratio on average are better looking than those that aren't. But some of the most comfortable folders, especially the short bladed knives, have a uneven ratio. It is much easier to have a long folder with a high ratio, because you don't need extra handle space, it's automatically there already.
So, what am I saying? Don't let ergos or looks get in the way of buying a knife. Somehow when you handles these so-called ugly knives, they have a strange way of looking much better when you hold them in your hand, and you realize how comfortable they really are. Go to a blade show and handle as many of the unusual Spydercos as you can, and you'll start to appreciate these.
 
I handled the Paramilitary this past weekend after hearing alot of good things about it, but the blade seemed so small compared to the handle. The blade was also very narrow and it just didnt feel right to me. I ended up picking up a Delica because it felt good. I see how having a large handle will allow you to grip the knife better and have more control but to me having a proportional handle to the blade which will give you a better feel for the knife. If i wanted a large handled knife to use with gloves i would get one with a bigger blade also...thats how i see it.
 
I don't like "wasted" handle space, like the Spyderco Yojimbo. I don't like the blade to be ferther away than necessary.

But I don't need to have a long blade. If most knives were not designed with the idea that the blade has to be as big as possible, we might get more unique and usefull knives.

One of my favorites right now is the Dodo. The blade is under 2", but I just like using this knife more.
 
I bought my para specifically because of the handle to blade ratio. I think it looks great, personally....before I was even that interested in Spyderco, the para was the one I wanted. Looks wise, it's my favorite Spyderco, along with another knife with a longer handle, the centofante vg10 and another choil based knife, the s30v native. But the para is above those also, looks wise.

But a lot of folks' hands don't fit well on normal 3 inch folders. My pinky just barely fits on the end of my d2 minigrip and m16/11k, which otherwise have excellent ergonomics. I prefer 3 inch blades on my EDCs so I don't scare my colleagues too much. In any case, the para was one of few ~3 inch folders that fit my hand well. Also, you can choke up using the choil for precision work, but I find that I can fit my entire hand on the handle (no choil) and use that for chopping very securely and get more leverage.

The para is my favorite EDC right now for any price, period-despite it's unfortunate QC issues...
 
Artfully Martial said:
The para is my favorite EDC right now for any price, period-despite it's unfortunate QC issues...
Click to expand...
I have to call you on this. Besides your own complaint on this issue; 2, maybe 3, people on your "off center" thread have stated their Paramilitary is off center by a miniscule amount when closed. A 1 millimeter difference does not automatically incorporate a "quality control" issue with a production knife when all other aspects of your "damaged" knife are fine. By your own account, you even carried the knife for several days before noticing how "broken" it really is! :rolleyes:

Have you contacted Spyderco yet to determine it isn't a design issue? Or will you just automatically assume it's QC because of the small minority in your "off center" thread?
 
It's above a hundred dollars, it aint perfect, my sub 40 dollar knives are. Period.

It's not that three people that posted had the exact same problem, it's that there were only four para owners that posted. One out of the four did not have this problem.

Let us not forget the vertical blade play, either.

I'm over it, I just have much higher standards of my knives than most people here. The knife is flawed, I'm not attacking anyone, it's just an object, no reason for folks to get offended about it.

It's not perfect. It's just not perfect. It should be perfect. It's not.

Now let's move on.
 
I was going to argue about some dumb stuff, but it's not worth it. Go ahead and settle for low standards people, I don't care.
 
I just don't like wasted handle space, either. I used a med Voyager for 3 years as my working knife. Oil, saltwater, diesel, mineral oil, a little of my own blood, whatever, I never worried about grip retention. I've used so many hammers, wrenches, drivers, etc. in my life that I just accept the design of the tool and adapt to the design. I love flipping my balis, spinning my karambit, and opening all my other folders in the funkiest ways I can manage. A handle is never too small for me, as long as it contains the blade when closed.
But I really hate the idea of carrying too much handle in my pocket for not enough blade in hand. A 3" blade is plenty enough for lots of tasks, but it's not enough if I could get another 1/2" in the handle. I carry my wallet in my rt front pocket, along with the folder of the day. A bigger handle is just a bit more of a hassle when I need to get some cash or my ID, so I need to justify it with a bit more blade.
Plus, I have never had an issue with any size folder. Never have I been questioned by a civilian, police officer, or nco/officer on post for the size of my knives. After a decade+ with no problems, I just don't want to have 'legal limits' messing with the aesthetics on my knives.
 
Well, let's just agree that knives like the para are more specialized. It suits me almost perfectly, but I can definitely see why it's not for everyone. It's not the one size fits all like the minigrip/griptilian or maybe the delica/endura that pretty much everyone can agree on.
 
Just another opinion, but, Handles are for holdin', blades are for cuttin', looks are for showcase queens.

Would a scalpel perform better with a larger blade or a smaller handle?

Does a 14" machete need a 14" handle? Efficienty is in doing the job, performing the task safely and comfortably.

I have to hold 3" handle like a teacup. Purchase is more imporant than appearance to me. I don't "ooh" and "aah" over my knife's looks after I cut something.

16 oz hammers and 13oz hammers usually have similar sized handles.

I can appreciate those that put appearance before anything, or their "sense of balance" requires "proper ratios", but tractors don't have to look like Ferrari's and Ferrari's are lousy at 4 wheelin'.

Just my opinion, like all of you, I have one, don't flame me for it. ;)

sal
 
Great reply Sal.

I love using my Dodo. It has a great blade to handle ratio for doing hard work.
 
I hate, detest, and loath oversized handles on pocket knives. This is not a matter of looks. For me appearance is secondary. The problem is obvious. With a folding knife the handle size is the size that you have to fit in your pocket or somewhere on your person. A bulky handle is a bulky knife. A handle that is more than 1-inch longer than the blade is a badly designed handle (unless we are talking about multiblade knives). If you have a knife with a 4-inch blade it gets awfully clumsy to carry if the handle is 5.5-inches long. I want that handle to be 5-inches long and optimized to fit in my pocket. For a knife like the Paramilitary having a 3-3/32 inch blade I would like a 4.20-inch handle, not a 4.75-inch handle.

I really don't find any using advantage to a handle over 4.25 inch long. Oh, yeah the long handles do look stupid too.
 
It's not that hard to "get."

The handles fit some folks' hands better. It's really that simple.

It fits my hand better. So I bought it. And I like it.

It fits fine in most of my jeans, and rides acceptably high on the others. People here are carrying around full sized Militaries, Skirmishes and Cuda MAXes EDC, the para is nothing...

It just seems pointless to me. Clearly, I'm not the only one that feels that this is a good way to do the handle, and those of us that agree, buy the knife, and those who disagree don't. We should all be happy right? After all, we bigger hand folks only have 1/15th the knives (of roughly this blade size) comfortably available to us as you guys do.

I don't see how people can disagree on what feels right to me or us. You offer your opinion, sure, but you go on to say it's flat out badly designed--I mean to say that you can only dictate what feels or looks good to you, but it seems that, by implication, you say that the knives are badly designed (i.e. are too big, aren't ergonomic, etc--you don't really specify) for me too, and I'm telling you they're not.

And I still think the para is the best looking knife Spyderco makes.

Carried mine all day today, fits perfectly.
 
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