Blade thickness opinions

MajorD

MajorD

Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
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After reading the thread regarding steel types I am also wondering what everybody feels about blade thickness. I don't mean the obvious that 1/8" is a better slicer :D but what performance advantages do you see in the particular various thicknesses? For example 1/8" or 5/32" for bushcraft duties and why? What are your favorite thicknesses for general use?
 
For food prep in the kitchen, I love to use my 1/8" Hiking Buddy. With the Osage handle and the tapered tang, it's like an extension of my hand. I like my 5/32" HB as a steak knife and for bushcraft/outdoor activities. It has a tapered tang as well, but the slightly thicker steel and micarta handle make it feel like a tank in my hand (in a good way).

I recently picked up a Hunter in 3/16" with a SFT tang. I wasn't sure if I would like it without a tapered tang, but I love it. Not exactly a slicer in the kitchen, but I know I can field dress anything I'm likely to hunt in the near future and it gives me that feeling like I could build a house with just the knife (or at least a serious debris shelter). I don't know what it is about Andy's knives, but they all make me feel like I could tackle anything with any one of them.

If you make me pick one, I would say 1/8" steel for all around goodness in the kitchen and the woods, but I'm very happy with my thicker Fiddlebacks as well.
 
well

the performance advantage of a 1/8" knife is its a better slicer than the thicker knives and lighter weight if that is a concern

for me i would have 2 knives a thin slicer & a thick one for chopping & batoning

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or maybe on the smaller knives i like them to be thin for fine tasks such as slicing,dicing, carving notches & carry a heavy bruiser camp knife for the brute force strength work


i know mistwalker like to use his knives in the kitchen & out in the field and he prefers the 5/32" for the ability to handle kitchen duties & the more robust blade in the field

myself like to have the best in the kitchen & the best outdoors so that makes for 2 knives
 
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I tend to prefer 5/32 for an all around thickness myself but I started to really question why I do. After receiving my 1/8" Arete I briefly doubted my choice due to the blade thickness. (Preferring 5/32). I have never damaged or had a single issue with my any of Fiddlebacks. Admittedly I haven't put my 1/8" knives through the hard paces (I'm not meaning kitchen uses) I do with my 5/32" models so I have no real basis for my logic other than feel or instincts. I'm a bigger guy and do like a beefier feeling knife but again that is feel compared to performance. I really need to work this Arete and get some hard use personal experience about 1/8" field performance.
 
For anything except battoning and chopping (not much point with a 4" knife imho) 1/8" is better. 5/32" with a high or full convex still slices very well and battons better. 3/16" is probably not needed, but gives a warm and fussy feeling :D (makes the Camp chop and batton very well though)

My pair: 1/8" Ladyfinger in S35VN and 3/16" Camp in O1
 
So far, 5/32" SFT is my configuration of choice, as I have to limit the number of knives I acquire at this point in time. While I certainly see the value in "purposed" knives, and that tapered HB of Vance's looks like it would slice like a laser, I have opted for 5/32 as an all-around solution, since Bushcraft/Camping/Hiking are my main intended uses for my FF knives, and I can always fall back on my "vanilla" knives if I need a slicer tool in the kitchen. I too have no real data or experience with 1/8" as a basis, but the 5/32" just "feels" about right if I'm going to push a knife doing camp chores and the like.

That being said … like many others here, I plan to start using my FF knives in the kitchen more often, as it gives me the chance to enjoy them far more frequently.

~ Edge
 
I think grind cannot be forgotten. If you have a scandi 1/8" next to a full convex 1/8". The convex will slice better.

I also think any more than 1/8" is too much. If you need a thick assed knife - get an axe or other cutting tool.

But that is my opinion.

TF
 
I do not own any fiddlebacks yet but as far as blade thickness in general, I prefer thinner blades. Now I do not baton or chop with a knife, always have a hawk with me in the woods, but I do use a knife on a daily basis and have never damaged a blade.
 
The thickness I prefer depends entirely on intended purpose of the knife, or the outing, on that day. For edc and general utility, I learned through the tapered convex Bushboot that I am fine with the tapered, high-grind 1/8 for edc and general utility use at home and in town, and likely even on day hikes in the warmer months to come...some day...I hope...man I hope all this snow and ice isn't permanent :) I edc a Raptor that is full height grind 1/8 with a thinly tapered tang. But I do tend to gravitate to the 5/32 for woods bumming just because I am more comfortable with it psychologically. Probably because of the lateral stresses I tend to put on blades making tinder from pine knots and twisting to pry apart walnuts and stuff, and I have used a lot of Andy's 5/32 for these things. In all fairness, I have not really put the convex 1/8 through a lot of what I have put the 5/32 through. If survival in a harsh winter environment comes into play, then I want something more substantial. That's the reason the 3/16 Sneaky Pete really appealed to me. It's partly a psychological thing with mass inspired confidence, and partly my beliefs on reasonable expectations of a knife. As a general rule, there is a way to do anything with a thinner knife (if it is solidly built with a sturdy handle) that can be done with a thicker knife, it's just more time consuming some times.
 
Talfuchre said:
I think grind cannot be forgotten. If you have a scandi 1/8" next to a full convex 1/8". The convex will slice better.

I also think any more than 1/8" is too much. If you need a thick assed knife - get an axe or other cutting tool.

But that is my opinion.

TF
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My life has been one long exercise in the fact that "shi...err stuff happens", but I don't want that to deter me from taking my daughter on long outings in urban environments where me may walk four or five miles from our vehicle. I think trying to hump an ax through metropolitan Grand Rapids from the zoo across the river into town and on into the university area for the coffee shops and bakeries may actually be problematic :) . For the last five years I have carried a DPx HEST tucked into my pocket for these outings. because it is small and at 3/16" thick, it's tough. Recently I have replaced that HEST with one of Andy's 3/16 Sneaky Petes. At some point I hope to get a 3/16 Raptor for this particular application, because the SP is a bit big for pocket carry in an urban area, but it sure works fine for me in the rural area where I spend most of my time.
 
I have a 1/8" HB that I love, it's a small knife that I use for anything except battoning / chopping. I'm looking at a Bushfinger now, which I'd probably prefer in a 5/32" thickness, just so it could be used a bit harder, I'm just a bit hesitant about really pushing the 1/8" (just a mental block on my part, I'm sure Andy's knives could take it). I have knives from other makers that are 3/16" and coated, and they're real workhorses that could withstand pretty much anything, but I shy away from using them as often because I find them slightly too thick for my taste.

Don't know how much of an answer this is for you, but that's my experience so far.
 
It's interesting reading all the replies. There are a lot of great opinions but the philosophies all appear to be similar. It seems to be more mental than physical when pushing an 1/8" blade to the performance limits. I look forward to using this Arete in 1/8" and matching the performance to my 5/32 blades.
 
I really think that mistwalker hit it on the head with the mental part. I have used a ditchbank bush axe and a machete for 15 years to cut more trees down all the way up to 24" in diameter than I care to remember. The ditchbank blade we used were 1/8" blades and the machete of choice for myself was much thinner than that. Not once I have seen one of the bush axes broke or damaged and I can only recall 1 broke machete. The stuff we put these through I dont know how I could ever harm a 1/8" blade on a knife personally.

I would love to see some nice spear point and sheep foot blades in the 3.5" range right at .100" personally. Think it would make a great all around/everyday knife and be plenty strong to take care of business that a knife needs to be doing for me.
 
DaxE said:
I would love to see some nice spear point and sheep foot blades in the 3.5" range right at .100" personally. Think it would make a great all around/everyday knife and be plenty strong to take care of business that a knife needs to be doing for me.
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Now, I have given Andy's 1/8 O-1 in scandi grinds some pretty serious workouts, never hesitated to work them hard, and never had any issues with it at all.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/834134-New-Scandi-from-Fiddleback-Forge

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/899708-Fiddleback-Forge-Hiking-Buddy


The Raptor I edc these days has a Wharncliffe-ish / sheepsfoot-ish type blade that is 3.5 inches long. It is 1/8, or 0.125” with a full height grind, and thinly tapered tang. Very light-weight on the belt and slices even soft cheeses like Havarti easily, and very handy to have around, so I don't foresee a need for a thinner one for me personally, but I suspect there will eventually be a 3/32 / 0.090 version offered in the future. Now that Christmas has come and passed, and we have had a heat wave where temps have hit the mid to upper 30s the last couple of days, and most of the ice has melted off the trees, I will be getting out and working it more in the woods. I suppose I have been more hesitant with the convex 1/8 due to the more mass removed by the grind, and background assumptions regarding reasonable use with thinner blades. I have been waiting on the right full sized bushcrafting knife in a blade profile I am more comfortable with in bushcraft tasks...like a Kephart, or maybe a Terrasaur or KE Bushie (yes I like pointy) with a less-than-full-height convex grind in 1/8 to put through a long term work out in the bush. However, looking at all of the common thoughts in this thread, I think it is just time for me to give the 1/8 convex a good, long term, work out in the woods in various tasks....so the Raptor will just have to do. The upside of that is that with it being full height, and having a thinly tapered tang, anything it can handle, a convex 1/8 saber grind with a SFTtang will easily handle.










I do have one Fiddleback in 3/32 thickness, it's an ED Karda, and it is a perfect team mate for my Camp Knife. It is also a hybrid blade profile being somewhat of a cross between a below-center sear point, and a Wharncliffe-ish type blade, but the blade length on it is about 2.5 inches.

 
I think Andy's 1/8" stock is awesome. I've batoned through quite a bit of modesto ash (no knots) with my Terrasaur and it holds up really well. I honestly think, unless you're really going to abuse your blade, 1/8" can handle just about anything. 5/32" is pretty awesome! That stock you can beat the living day lights out of. 5/32" is really an ideal stock for anything. 3/16" well that's just the 50 cal of his stock. A little on the heavy side, it will kick the you know what out of anything around camp.
 
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Joe Duder said:
I think Andy's 1/8" stock is awesome. I've batoned through quite a bit of modesto ash (no knots) with my Terrasaur and it holds up really well. I honestly think, unless your really going to abuse your blade, 1/8" can handle just about anything. 5/32" is pretty awesome! That stock you can beat the living day lights out of. 5/32" is really an ideal stock for anything. 3/16" well that's just the 50 cal of his stock. A little on the heavy side, it will kick the you know what out of anything around camp.
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The reason I was holding out for a Kephart or similar is for the more blade length in batonning and truncating, but I have done quite a bit of batonning and truncating with a 1/8 scandi Hiking Buddy, so I should be able to manage fine with the Raptor. Part of it is that I have just become spoiled to Andy's tapered and SFT tangs lately and so the full tang of my Kephart sort of throws me off when I use it now. So, obviously part of it is just me grasping for a viable excuse to get another Kephart :D
 
Your bushraptor is a dream fiddleback for me. Love the scales, grind and taper. If you ever tire of it......lol
 
mistwalker said:
The reason I was holding out for a Kephart or similar is for the more blade length in batonning and truncating, but I have done quite a bit of batonning and truncating with a 1/8 scandi Hiking Buddy, so I should be able to manage fine with the Raptor. Part of it is that I have just become spoiled to Andy's tapered and SFT tangs lately and so the full tang of my Kephart sort of throws me off when I use it now. So, obviously part of it is just me grasping for a viable excuse to get another Kephart :D
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I know what you mean with the full tang throwing you off. It's a completely different feel as well as balance. I used to be a 5/32" full tang guy, but I think I'm more of 1/8" tapered tang guy now. That'll probably change next week though; they're all so nice, it's hard to choose.
 
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I was tortured trying to figure out if I should spec 1/8 or 5/32".

I dabble in making knives and I'm working with 5/32" now.

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(5/32" 1084)

Honestly it feels a bit thick for the wharncliffe I'm making, but on the Kephart that I'm getting from Andy I'm going with the thicker stock.

It's 100% a mind thing. I've made knives (well, more like 1 knife) with 1/8" 1095 and I believe it to be perfectly solid, even for batoning. Still, the trade off i slicy-ness is just negligible enough in a full height grind to make it worth the added peace of mind.

If you're reading this Andy, what is your opinion on batoning with 1/8" 4" models from a warranty standpoint?
 
Mist, I gotta say it again - that Raptor is absolutely amazing …

~ Edge
 
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