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Blade thickness
- Thread starter excranium
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2007
- Messages
- 21,359
Slicing ability. Thicker blades can slice well, but thinner ones excel.
You match the tool to the intended use, that's all.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 2,845
Well, from a performance standpoint, there's a trade off - thicker blades will be more durable, but thinner blades will cut better (all things being equal - geometry, heat treat, grind, etc.). Plus, there's the weight issue. A thicker knife will be heavier, and balance will change depending on thickness. (There are other ways to affect the balance - tapering or drilling the handle, which I don't think Busse does, or varying the handle material and thickness. G10 is denser than micarta.)
From an INFI standpoint, the starting steel thickness has the largest effect on the final knife thickness, but the finish also affects it somewhat. INFI has surface dimples that must be ground off to get a pleasing surface. For a given starting thickness, coated blades will be the thickest. Often, the INFI dimples will show up if you remove the coating. Double-cut (similar to bead blasting) is somewhat thinner, and satin blades will be the thinnest.
Personally, I like my smaller blades to be thinner. You don't have a long blade to apply lots of leverage, so you don't need the extra material for strength. You also don't usually chop with a 3" blade, so you don't need the extra mass for chopping performance. However, others think differently, and Busse has produced such things as the Heavy Duty, with a monstrously thick blade.
From an INFI standpoint, the starting steel thickness has the largest effect on the final knife thickness, but the finish also affects it somewhat. INFI has surface dimples that must be ground off to get a pleasing surface. For a given starting thickness, coated blades will be the thickest. Often, the INFI dimples will show up if you remove the coating. Double-cut (similar to bead blasting) is somewhat thinner, and satin blades will be the thinnest.
Personally, I like my smaller blades to be thinner. You don't have a long blade to apply lots of leverage, so you don't need the extra material for strength. You also don't usually chop with a 3" blade, so you don't need the extra mass for chopping performance. However, others think differently, and Busse has produced such things as the Heavy Duty, with a monstrously thick blade.
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2007
- Messages
- 4,472
Excranium...you never got back to me about where you're at. I assume you've had a chance to handle a GW?
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2007
- Messages
- 4,472
Ah, well, Shigawire4sure is in Broward and I'm in Miami, along with GentleBen. Maybe when we get together for a little meet (and some scotch) you can meet with us. Broward would probably be a good middle ground.