Blades-wide or narrow, long or short.....?

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NirreBosse

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Jan 7, 2003
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Blades - wide or narrow, long or short, thick or thin, stainless or carbon, pattern of point, that is the questions?

I have always had a feeling that I want knifes with rather wide blades and not to long blades. A typical perfect blade would be a 7 cm long 1.5 cm wide 2.5 mm thick droppointblade. I dont want it to be to long as that in my mindworld puts a lot of stress (as in leverage) to the pivot pin. I want it to be wide so it can take a whole life of sharpening and the thickness so it doesnt break with use. Id like the point to be droppoint so it doesnt easily break if a little abused. I want stainless for hygien and maintainenceneglect,good steel for edgeholding. I think that the handle should be strong and maintainencefree.
Examles of the knifetype is my fallkniven U2, my gerber folding sportsman 1 or my Sak soldier. They dont match exaktly but has the right style in a whole.

BUT

My most used and loved knifes is a medium Case cv stockman, case scout jr, puma prospector or queen #9. The things I like is the natural materials in the handle, patina, rather narrow clipblades that make them good cutters. simple steels that make them easy to sharpen etc

The first category is about what is good in the world of my mind and the other category is about what feels good to actually carry.

Knifeusing for me is nowadays a lot more about the secound category.

Any thoughts about this?

Bosse
 
NirreBosse said:
Blades - wide or narrow, long or short, thick or thin, stainless or carbon, pattern of point, that is the questions?

...

My most used and loved knifes is a medium Case cv stockman, case scout jr, puma prospector or queen #9. The things I like is the natural materials in the handle, patina, rather narrow clipblades that make them good cutters. simple steels that make them easy to sharpen etc

The first category is about what is good in the world of my mind and the other category is about what feels good to actually carry.
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For me, a long, narrow blade (for instance, both blades on my Old Timer 33OT, Case trapper and peanut, and the main blade on my Old Timer 34OT stockman) feel good to carry and are great cutters. I find I can do more detailed cutting work with a narrow blade vs. the "stubbier" drop-point blade on something like my Gerber LST 6009.

This revelation was a big part of my turning away from the world of Spydercos. Some days I even find the blades on my Opinel and soddie jr. too wide for my tastes.

At the same time, I love the slender turkish clip blade on this Case medium stockman and the long, thin blade on their mini trapper.*







* At present I don't own either of these models, but I have in the past (a thief stole my stockman :mad: and an imbecile - ok, me - traded off the mini trapper. :o
 
My only comment is about hygiene. Folding knives shouldn't be used for cutting food. Food can get caught up in the mechanism and that is very unhygienic.
 
Knife Outlet said:
My only comment is about hygiene. Folding knives shouldn't be used for cutting food. Food can get caught up in the mechanism and that is very unhygienic.
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all of mine get used for that, all of them from my old pre ww2 camillus 2 bladed jack to my case mini stockman, they get grungy then i clean them. usually a simple wipe down of the blades, maybe some hot water and soap, works wonders
sorry dont see the logic in not using them for it.
food prep with a slippie:thumbup: besides the best knives in my house are the ones in my pocket:)
cheers
ivan
 
Knife Outlet said:
My only comment is about hygiene. Folding knives shouldn't be used for cutting food. Food can get caught up in the mechanism and that is very unhygienic.
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This is sorta off this threads topic IMO, but,
Sorry gents as I continue off the topic in that direction.

That only applies if the knife is not cleaned.

All of mine are used for food,

IF anything gets in the mechanism, it is flushed out with hot soapy water, rinsed in steaming hot water(dries itself faster) air or blow dried, and re-oiled lightly.

But with a little care, food never enters the mech. The mech. is in the handle; I don't get anything on the handle, the same as with any fixed blade.

YMMV. :):cool:

OK, now to the question..
I'd not thought about this before.. so a lot of thought here, and I warn you I am probably gonna ramble on a bit. :o

I like medium width it seems for longer blades, say over 1.5" long. But, narrow for shorter ones.

I never really use the big blade on my peanut except for light careful cutting, because it is so thin and narrow for its length; So much leverage with that length, I am scarred of twisting it a hair and bending it.. But the small pen blade is perfect in length for its width/thickness, it doesn't have so much leverage that I feel I could flex it.

What I like the most is like in my moose, trappers, and like what most stockmen etc have. High enough to be stable/stiff up to a full 4" handle/blade length, but not too wide to get into small spaces. I love the Look of the high wide blade in my GEC 23 beavertail, but in use it is too high for a lot of delicate tasks. For thickness, the standard seems to be around 1/8" or 3/32" and it is a good medium, in these widths/lengths, strong but thin.

I like two blades, a clip point for that super pointy point and curve for slicing, and a drop point/spey/pen type for strength of the tip, usually sharpened a little thicker.

carbon or stainless a mute point for me anymore... sometimes i like the look of patina on a certain knife, sometimes not. I don't get any differece for maintaining either... wash, keep dry and oil lightly.

As you say it, the two categories; what is good in the world of my mind and the other category is about what feels good...

For me, if it doesn't feel good to carry, then it doesn't fit into the other category of being practical.. Form follows function, and feeling good ie emotionally is a practical function. :)

Hmm.

G.
 
Nirrebosse, you may want to look into a Canoe. I have a Buck Canoe, and it is my favorite EDC out of all I own, and I own Stockmans, Peanuts, Saks, sodbusters, and Opinels. Now I can't speak for the other Canoes (although I'm assuming they are all pretty much the same), but the Buck's Canoe blades are VERY practical for every day use. The main blade is nice and wide, with a very nice taper. The wide profile allows me to get an incredible edge to it. The smaller pen blade is big enough to handle most tasks, but small enough to do detailed work and to use when areounf non-knife folks. Actually, eithe rknife will do around non-knife folk, as neither is too scary looking. Although the main blade is a spear point, it has a decent tip. It's pointy enough to pick around with, but sturdy enough that it won't break on you if you abuse it a little bit. Also, while I normally like thin blades, the Buck blades are a little thicker, providing a heavy duty feel to them. You feel safe and secure using them, knowing they can take a beating. Plus, Buck's stainless steel 420HC is an AWESOME user steel. Holds a keener edge and keeps it longer then Case's CV. This might be a pattern you want to look into. Buck makes them, but so do Case, Robeson, and a bunch of other knife brands.
 
Why not try a Sodbuster or Sodbuster jr? I have a German Eye Brand jr. in yellow that keeps a sharp edge a very long time, and the grind is thin so you can use the edge and sharpen it all the way up to the spine without heavy rebeveling, like you would need to do with a Canoe. If you like black wood, they have that, too. The sodbuster is inexpensive and thin in the pocket, but robust enough for heavy-duty work. I bet you could get a German knife cheaper than a US made knife.
 
Lately, I like short, stubby blades on my folders. Most of my cutting tasks don't require a long blade, and if they do, I go to a fixed blade. My very favorite knife lately is this little sleeveboard, with a master blade just a whisker over 2":
buck507-1.jpg

She is an absolute dream to use- a real pleasure in the hand. I put a ferocious convex edge on both blades, and it slices like a demon! :thumbup:
 
On a main blade my favorites currently are my Queen Cattleknife's thin spear blade, S&M crimson bone Baby Sunfish's thin ATS-34 spear blade and my Case Canoe's thin spear blade. My next favorite or most useful is my GEC #73's moderately thin drop point blade and it also has my favorite secondary blade! On a secondary blade I alway prefer the spay over the sheepsfoot and if it's a little longer that is a plus!
 
It depends on the knife. Two of my favorite knives are my Laguiole and my KHnutbuster. One has a long slender blade, while the other is relatively wide and stubby. Long or short, fat or thin, it's all good. The only criteria is that it has to be good looking.
 
I find a use for most all kinds of blades as long as they fit into the traditional category. As a sidenote, I am perplexed by otherwise quality knives, whose blades stand up in their beds in such a manner that, as soon as they are sharpened minimally, the point is exposed above the groove they are supposed to be lying in. Now they can't be carried in the pocket without damaging the pants or otherwise snagging on something, including the hands. They must be carried in a sheath at this point. This problem is nothing new, of course, but I think that it should be taken into consideration in knife design. However (and I am sticking my neck out here) I am guessing that most of the knives being collected and discussed here never really see any use to speak of, and the makers and sellers know that very well.
 
I love a nice, narrow, flat ground blade. Hollow-ground blades are wonderful for slicing, but often times, they bunch up in cardboard. Even better if it's a long blade of carbon steel, like the slimline trapper or an Opinel.
 
Tongueriver. Use a file on the kick and a dremmel if nesisarry to work a little on the handle to expose the nailnick, or use a grindingwheel to lower the point grinding it down a little. Everything is alowed on a user to make it usable.

Knife outlet. Im not wery frightend or even worried about the dirt in a normally cleaned slipjoint. A long history of use of tools as a slipjoint in spartan conditions shows its not very harmful. That said I most often use the slipjoints for eating outside. That is rather often, I,m kind of an oldtimer that way. Hunting fishing and camping brings me outside rather frekvently.

To those giving me tips about new knifes I will say Im curious on several knifes but I very seldom by a new one. I see only a handfull of new knifes in my future and they will be bought when I realy know what I want.

To continue my own topic I am a little surprised that the knifes I like is so different from the knifes I belived was the most usefull ones.
This has most to do with how I think they are to work with. A narrower clipblade has proowed its usability in my userareas for me. They are good for fishing and smallgame and normal EDC. I love the way a sharp clippoint point performs for me. Together with a sheepfoot its so very useful and full of oldtimey apperense. Sure a droppoint works equally good or even better sometimes but I cind of like them less. I tend to stick to one type of point at the time as the different bladetypes require a little different work with the hand to perform at its best. For just EDC in work and town this is no major issue though.

Bosse
 
I tend to use the point of my knife, X-Acto-like, almost as much as the edge, so I favor blade patterns with fine tips set low on the handle center line for good axial point control without too much wrist bending.

So far, my wharncliffe swaybacks and wharncliffe Norfolk are ideal - particularly the latter; its small curved clip blade is perfect when I need some belly for slicing - and my needle-pointed Coats toothpick is right up there. Much as I like the aesthetics of some of the broad-bladed patterns, their extra bulk and relatively blunt points aren't as useful to me on a day to day basis.
 
I love 'em all; from the long slim blade on a toothpick to the short wide spearpoint on a canoe, and everything in between! I think this diversity in blade styles for the different patterns is why I'm hooked on traditionals:D
 
its a great topic mr bosse! why do think it is that our taste leads us to the wider blades? you think they maybe give the feeling of being sturdier? that strong look they have maybe is visually appealing? but in reality what we use a pocket knife for are precision cutting and perforating tasks that are better served by more narrow blades and with better points?
 
Jigged Bone said:
its a great topic mr bosse! why do think it is that our taste leads us to the wider blades? you think they maybe give the feeling of being sturdier? that strong look they have maybe is visually appealing? but in reality what we use a pocket knife for are precision cutting and perforating tasks that are better served by more narrow blades and with better points?
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Mr Jigged Bone. That was a question hitting the bullseye. Just read the question as a statement instead and its 100% what I mean.

Im kind of partial to sturdy things. Grown up in a small farm where the older worktecnics ( lot of bodywork), not many macines besides the gray fergusson tractor. This environment showed me that things should be strong. Wether its about showels, axes, clothes or knifes. In foldingknifes this has ment that Ive been thinking that a knife should bee construkted as I deskribed type 1 in my first post. Reality has showed me though that a traditional american pattern as the stockman or trapper is werry well suited for this kind of work, They are in fact for me superiour in important areas. Mabye because they actually was patterns developed for farming, cattle and woodslife.
Bear in mind I never would work at that farm without a moraknife for the heawy cutting.
By the way I now own the farm, and the same gray fergusson is still the peak if tecnic together with the shainsaw so Im still kind of a relic from the middle of last century when I work there. My grandfather, now 96 years old still recognises the tools used by me.

Bosse
 
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