Blade thickness?

[beretta40ss]

Being so new to knives I never had any idea that blade thickness mattered. What should I look for when it comes to blade thickness. Starting at what thickness is good? What thickness is bad? I'm thinking about getting a BM 710, does that have good blade thickness? Also, this comes in M2 or 154CM, which is better and why?

Thanks

 

[powells85]

Blade thickness all depends on what the knife will be used for. The thin knife on a swiss army knife makes it a great cutter/slicer like it's designed to be. Now take something like a Strider that is about as thick as they come and realize it's used for combat type things and used to pry with. Makes sense right?

M2 is supposed to hold an edge longer, but 154cm is considered stainless and don't think for a second that it is your "typical" stainless that barely holds and edge. Any more questions just feel free to ask

 

[djolney]

What powells85 said plus one thing: the M2 blade will be coated, which means you will need to do a neater job of sharpenning it. The 154CM blade will probably have a satin finish, which will still look good after beginners sharpenning.

David

 

[sting7777]

i've noticed you asking a lot of questions about the 710. Considering how long its been around - doing a search is probably your best bet to get a leg up on the ins and outs.

 

[Jeff Clark]

Unless you have a specific requirement for a thick blade it is a liability. When you cut something you have to force the blade to pass through it. If the material is thick and stiff or sticky you will expend a lot of effort wedging or dragging a thick blade through the material. If you are working on the surface of an object, a thick blade (unless it is ground only on one side like a chisel) will make it harder to take thin controlled slices. For a general use folding knife I consider 1/8" to be thick and 1/10" or 3/32" to be a good "user". I do most of my real work with a long-bladed swiss army knife with a blade that is 5/64" thick.

If you are looking for a self defense knife or expect to hammer your blade to split wood you might want 1/8" thick. If you expect to pry with your blade, do not get stainless steel and go for 3/16" thick. M2 is not stainless and I would pick it over 154CM for toughness and edge holding. It will be a challenge to sharpen M2. It is not all that easy to sharpen 154CM. Sharpen these blades often and don't let them get dull.

The way that the blade is ground may have more effect on how it works and how hard it is to sharpen than how thick the blade is. A blade that tapers continuously from the spine to the edge will form a wedge that has a narrower angle than a blade that is flat on the sides and tapers to the edge within only half of the blade width (a saber grind). The saber grind will be harder to sharpen and harder to wedge through thick material. If the blade has a half-width bevel that has concave surfaces (hollow grind) it will be easier to sharpen (since it is thin in the vicinity of the edge), but it can still be hard to wedge it through stiff material. A hollow grind will be great on compliant materials like meat or rope. A saber grind will be strong, but the least efficient for most types of cutting.

 

[the possum]

I pretty much have to agree with what Jeff said.
I just think even more emphasis should be put on the part about grinds and edge geometry. The thickness at the edge will make FAR more difference to cutting ability than thickness at the spine.

Pick the knife for your uses. If you want to slice hard salami and cheese, with maybe some apples or cantaloupe on the side, then a thin blade will go through these stiffer materials with less effort. If you're just opening a plastic wrapper and slicing meat, you'll never notice the difference in spine thickness, since these materials will "flow" around the blade better. Just the slightest microscopic difference in edge sharpness will make much more of a difference than spine thickness in these cases. You'll be better off with the thicker blade if you require stiffness, or lots of strength while bending.