Blade length: need vs. want

Truth be told, my EDC knives spend more time in my pocket than being used in hand, so carry comfort is pretty important to me. If it's a hassle to carry, it'll probably just stay at home in a drawer. The only knife I truly carry every day is my little Victorinox Rambler and it could do anything I'd reasonably ask of a pocket knife: open mail/packages, cut some thread/string, slice some newsprint, etc.

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I could get by with just the Rambler but I prefer a larger blade such as the one on my Vic Pioneer or a similarly sized traditional folder. I also carry and use a modern locking one-hander, but only because I like knives. I don't really need it, but I like it. :o

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-Brett
 
I can get by with a 2 inch blade but there's few of them that are true one hand openers. Longer blades just are more convenient for me, handle and all.
 
I rarely need a large blade, but I do sometimes need a large handle. Those usually come attached to large blades, so I almost always have a large folder somewhere close by.
 
I have a small "Case" folder (2" Blade). Fixed blade is a "Frost - Coon Hunter (3" Blade). Mostly used for opening packages, food prep etc.
 
For my daily knife I've settled on a Victorinox Pioneer. The blade length is just long enough to cut an apple or other various foods. The Awl gets used probably more than the knife for opening boxes and other various tasks. If I'm being host though I could probably get by with a 2" blade with my daily uses for a knife not that the Pioneer is much longer than that. For a fixed blade I've settled on a Mora Classic #1. At a little shy of 4" it's been all I've needed though in that case I'm not sure I'd be willing to go much smaller.

I'd like to think my choices are rather close to realistic needs but who knows.
 
I'm now an office grunt with way too much screen time. I seldom "need" more than a peanut would provide. But prefer something between 3-4". I guess I spend way too much time allowing "what if" scenarios to bounce around in my head. So I've keep a main blade (usually a mid-sized ZT), a Leatherman Squirt Ps4 on keychain, a small flashlight and small pry tool in another pocket....and sometimes drop a fixed blade in back pocket, and/or a traditional Barlow or Stockman, just because I like them. That's just on me, not considering all the knives I've got scattered on my desk, bedside table, car, bike saddlebag, etc.

So I think it's pretty safe to say that my "want's" waaaay outweigh any real "needs" in the knife arena. But I'm having fun with my own insanity. ;)
 
I think about this all the time. I love 3.5" blades. And am starting to Iove big knives.

The large sebenza is a fan favorite as its halfway in between a big old leaf bladed Spyderco and that of a thin and narrow trapper blade. Three of my favorite knives/brands with blade widths at each end of the spectrum and in the middle!

I carry a RR Half whittler most of the time. Its 2.25" main blade is perfect for edc for me.

But for around the house stuff, yard work, hiking I do prefer a bigger blade, better purchase and all that jazz! If it were open knife carry in NJ and NYC I'd have the sebenza on me 24x7 though. Since it's not, the half whittler is great and I just toss it in my pocket subconsciously no matter what.

PS Delica's will mess with you edc rotation badly. It has so much blade yet is thin, narrow, light and disappears in your pocket.

Whenever I have one, my other knives somehow get put away and I always end up carrying it no matter what. It logically fills almost all needs in my head.
 
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I like a 3-3.5 inch blade as a good compromise for all cutting chores. The handle needs to be 4 inches or more to be comfortable to me for extended use. While I used to carry 3.75- 4 inch blades in folders. I feel the smaller knives are sufficient for me and attract less attention in public. Heavy knives are more inconvenient than longer relatively light knives for me.
 
I am sure I don't need anything over three inches, but I want it (that's what she said). Seriously though, I prefer folders that are 3.5-4" long. I have bought bigger ones than that, but I find that I generally wont carry them, and the only one I still have is the SOG Spec-Elite 2 (5"). 4" is the sweet spot for me, big, but not too big.
 


My current favorite users, I've been trying to get away from buying knives with excessively wide blades as well. This is the current sweet spot for me.
 
I've been EDCing a large Sebenza recently.
While its a great knife, and I love it to bits, it's just a bit too large. So I've bought a small insiglo to give that a try.
I find I don't need much more than 3".
That's not to say I don't enjoy whipping out my CS Spartan now and again though....
 
Blade length is totally dependant on where I am at.

When I am just out and about carryING a blade for defensive purposes I prefer a long blade in the 5 to 6 inch range. I want that length and I think, in this situation, I need it. A longer blade will perform best if I ever need to draw it in an emergency. Enough said on that.

At work I carry a stockman with about a 3 inch blade s it's biggest one. I also have a fixed blade on me with a 3 inch blade. I "want" to carry a larger fixed blade but I believe it would be frowned upon. I think the need for a 3 inch blade is pretty obvious though. I run a maintenance department and need to cut all varieties of things, large and small, soft and tough. Most of my cutting could be handled by a utility knife with the replaceable razor blades but a slightly longer blade does alot better. When stripping large diameter wire like, 500MCM, I can strip 3 or 4 of them for the other guys 2. More edge area means my knife can slide along the material further and cut more efficiently. Also, when cutting through insulation for pipes and things, the slightly longer blade means less passes and quicker cuts.

When I the woods I like a 5 to 6 inch blade. I think my need and want come together here very nice. It is small enough to carry easily but large enough to process any wood or do any chores I require from my knife.
 
I prefer 3.5-3.75 inch blades. For me that is the sweet spot for getting a good purchase on the handle and having enough blade to take care of any cutting need I can see coming up. I also prefer a choil so some of the cutting length of the blade is lost to that but it gives me the ability to choke up and do more precise work. I just find that a 3.5-3.75" blade can so everything a 2" but not vice versa

ETA: my edc is a Victorinox Tinker and an XM-18 3.5" model
 
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For me I want the knife to be as least intrusive as possible. Thin as possible..most blade I can get for its size.. I use mine as a pocket knife not to show off how big it is. I do love big knives like I love trucks with a little lift under them. Are they the most economical or do they give you the bang for the buck... Not so much. Cool..? Yes.
I'll try to stay on the more conservative side. A small Sebenza works for me. All I need.
Just what works for me...


This shows I can get just as much blade with out having to carry to much knife.
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My EDC
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I've settled on 2.5" to 3" as the sweet spot for daily use. I would say that 2.75" is actually the "ideal" for me, but I'm reluctant to admit that I've put so much analysis into the issue as to be able to measure the tipping point between "enough" and "too much" in quarter-inch increments! :o
 
i work mostly in an office, and I know I could get away with honestly, a tiny little swiss army knife. the hardest thing I cut on a daily basis is probably nothing, occasionally an apple or open an envelope. however, it is fun to whip out a 3" bench made to cut some birthday cake. Plus, I've always carried a one hand open knife somewhere on me since I was little. The need for a decent sized blade and handle once in a blue moon outweighs the real need for utility every day.

But in that same vane, I EDC some form of handgun all the time and I've never had to shoot anything besides a paper target at the range. I've heard guns/knives as tools described as a parachute. on the off chance you do need it, but don't have it, you'll probably never need it again
 
I've thought about this topic often, and you're right, I really don't need anything more than a 3in. blade. I was reminded of this fact recently when we took a family vacation to FL a month or so ago, so I packed my Lanny's Clip slip joint in my luggage to use for the duration. You know what? It did everything I needed, cutting fruit for my kids, fishing line when I was bass fishing, opening a few boxes, etc. Using and carrying it made me think how "over-knifed" I usually am, and how silly it is to spend so much time looking at other knives and debating what's what. I have big hands, and this is enough for me:

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I may want something larger, but I don't need it. Sobering, but true.
 
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