Blade To Handle Ratio.......

C

clockman

Joined
Jan 14, 2009
Messages
3,176
I just got a Volt. The blade to handle ratio is by far the best on any

production knife I have. I have a couple of RJs customs and the ratio on

those knives is also excellent.

Any ideas on why the blade to handle ratio on some knives is so "off ".......
 
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i dont mind at all, actually i really like the para. it is good if you have a 3" carry law and you have larger hands, the blade - handle ratio on the para is not 1:1 but i still like it.
 
Whether or not a blade-to-handle ratio is "off" is highly subjective.
I also like the Para very much, partly because it has a full-sized handle that allows a lot of comfort in different grips and a blade that is the right length to be very maneuverable for me.
 
When it comes to blade-handle ratio as long as the longer handle provides me with superior ergonomics I'm fine. However if the longer handle does not I'll pass on the knife.
 
I think it's important to distinguish between what 'looks right' (visual balance or symmetry) and what truly WORKS. The first time I looked at a picture of the Para, I had the same reaction as you. It just didn't look right or symmetrical, or balanced. But once I finally held it in my hand, it soon became obvious what's important. Contrary to how it looks, it just FEELS completely right in the hand. It's all about ergonomics and pure functionality with this knife. There's plently of cutting edge there for the vast majority of jobs, and the handle will comfortably accomodate almost any hand, large or small. And it's fairly lightweight for it's size. I generally don't like to use folding knives with handles shorter than about 3-1/2" to 4" or so (regardless of blade length), because it becomes more difficult to fully control the knife if I can't wrap all of my fingers around it.
 
I find that a handle on the large side tends to be pretty beneficial when it comes to ergonomics and controllability. Especially when you're talking short bladed folders, I hate it when the handle barely fills half my hand, it may look nice, but sucks to work with IMO
 
i do really like the idea of smaller blades with full sized handles...i do like the para alot because of this, and right now i have a CQC-14 in my pocket, which has the "worst" blade to handle ratio ive seen, but the ergos on it are awesome!
 
I love a knives with a ratio close to 1:1. The Benchmade Skirmish is a great example. A small handle means the knife is smaller when closed and will take up up less space. The Skirmish is same size as many other knives when it's closed but MUCH bigger when it's open. The same goes for Benchmade 710 it has the same size blade a a Military but a smaller handle which is more pocket friendly. I would love a Military with a slightly bigger blade that better matched it's roomy handle
 
I feel the handle should be sized to fit the hand, and not some arbitrary handle to blade ratio.
 
Its not "off" its better for other people.

For me I love big handle and small blade for mu folders so I edc paramilitary and cqc 14 from emerson.

Try them out, they are awesome!
 
Leverage.

Think about it this way. For ripping through tough materials, like cutting cardboard or rope, or for carving/whittling, using a relatively large handle to leverage a short blade through the material is going to be much less fatiguing (what's the blade-to-handle ratio for a box cutter?). As the blade gets longer, these jobs are going to get more fatiguing because the longer blade is using it's leverage against you. Longer blades are nice for slicing tasks (cutting veggies, filleting fish, carving roasts) and, in the case of very large, heavy fixed blades (like machetes), for heavy chopping. But for an all-around, multi-purpose hard worker, I'd rather have the fingerpoint control and leverage of a relatively short, very sharp blade.
 
To me, the handle in a folder should be big enough to just cover the blade when locked. Any more than that is just taking space in my pockets. If a job benefits from a large handle, chances are it will also benefit from a larger blade. If it requires a large handle, then a fixed knife is the right tool for that job.
 
As soon as I saw the title of this thread I, also, immediately thought of the Skirmish/Mini Skirmish. I just got a Mini Skirmish this week and I am absolutely amazed by the blade to handle ratio. Now I'm not one that only buys knives with the best ratios or anything but it's pretty cool to have so much blade in such a small handle. I was comparing some of the knives I carry after noticing this and found they had these measurments:

Blade length ////// handle length

Benchmade 635: 3.3" 4.25"

Bradley Alias 1: 3.25" 4.65"

Sage 2: 2.5" 4.25"

Buck TNT: 2.9" 4.2"

As you can see the BM 635 has the longest blade and the second longest handle. Just some info I had here that I thought you guys may have wanted to see.

On a side note the Para is one of my top 5 favorite folders ever made!
 
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