Choil opinions

No choil on small blades for me. I'd take an extra half inch of handle on my RC4. I can understand them on 6+inch blades though.
Looking forward to seeing some new ESEE blades sans choil. Maybe the new RYP HEFT?
 
Agree with Beef... on smaller knifes I'd rather have the extra blade length...
 
I would prefer no choil on the smaller knives. But b/c the choil's there, for me, it's a tad small on the -3 and -4 whereas the (choil) on the -6 is just right.

If the choil on the -6 was on the -3/-4, I wouldn't complain.
 
I really like knives with a choil and without, just depends on my mood. Both styles have something. I really like the bravo knives with no choil, and the ESEE with a choil.
 
I like a full sized choil on larger knives, and no choil on small ones, but I don't REALLY mind full sized choils on knives the size of the RC-3.


What I absolutely despise is useless elf choils, that are way larger than they need to be for sharpening, but way too small to use for a finger. The choil on the RC-3 is a usable size, and while I'd probably like the knife better with no choil, the one on the RC-3 doesn't bother me enough to keep me from carrying it. In fact it ends up strapped to my pack fairly regularly. Can't say the same for many other fixed blades I own, which have those elf choils.
 
I love the choils on most of my knives. Enough so, that I grind one on some of the blades that don't have them.

However; anything 3" or under I prefer without; opting instead for a larger handle.

Now; I know that if one becomes skilled with either configuration it really doesn't matter, meaning no one is "better" per se.

But for me, holding the blade itself, by the bare metal, gives me that extra tactile feel that I really prefer and actually enjoy.

I made a living as a woodworker for nearly 7 years and did the same thing with many knife like tools; grab them by the bare metal with thumb and forefinger.

On larger blades, the choil gets my hand closer to the center of the blade which kind of tames the knife and gets it to respond to more subtle movements.

CHOIL :thumbup:
 
I didn't like the choil when I first looked at it but when I picked it (my 4) up it was very comfortable and after trying it, I love it.To me,if you don't like the choil, it comes down to either put up with it or use/get another blade.
 
I dislike choils on almost any knife.

On a larger knife (5-6" and up) it just gets in the way while batoning; I'd rather have that extra length used as cutting edge. In addition to that, I'm not going to be doing much fine work with a knife that size anyway, so I don't really need a choil for extra control. I prep game with a skinning knife, not my ESEE-6.

And I've never understood a choil on a smaller knife - why not just construct the knife in such a way that the cutting edge comes RIGHT down to the handle already? Think of a typical puukko knife, that's good design if you ask me. However, I'm not a knife maker, just a user, so maybe there's something I'm missing... but really, what's the point of putting a big ricasso or choil on a knife, when you can get the same effect by extending the blade down to the handle? It's much better use of the knives overall length, I think... keep it small and to the point.
 
Moving Target said:
Personally, I like the choil...but I would trade it away in a heartbeat for another 1/2-1 inch of handle.

The RC3 grip is just a little too short for my hand to be really comfortable for all applications...
Click to expand...

Exactly the way I feel. I like the choil, but only because the handle is a liiiittle bit to short in some cases.
 
I might use the choil on my 4 if it were a little bigger, but as it is, my index finger is too wide
 
I personally don't like choils on anything. I think the only time they're useful is when you have a knife with an inch or so of unsharpened blade in front of the guard. Other than that, I think they just sacrifice potential cutting edge. With that said, I don't hate them enough to keep me from buying some knives that do have them, such as our ESEE's. The pro's of the ESEE knives outweigh the con of having a choil.
 
No choil on any blade for me wasted space, because I just won't use them. If I need a small knife to do small knife tasks then that is what I use. A big knife will never be a small knife, so I only use them for big chores. What KDB said
 
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