Choils - Fine Control or Better Leverage?

Insipid Moniker

Insipid Moniker

Joined
Feb 28, 2011
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The oft repeated wisdom about finger choils is that they give you better control for fine cutting with a knife. I've honestly never found this to be the case, as I usually go to more of a pinch grip and simply grasp the blade itself when I need precise tip control. I do, however, find choils useful when I'm choking up to get better leverage for push cuts into tough media like wood.

That said, I'm no bushcrafter or any kind of expert, so I'm curious about your experiences. Do you really use your choils for fine cutting/carving tasks, or are you like me and they're a handy thing that puts your hand next to the cutting edge for superior leverage?
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Yeah, that too. It all too often seems they get slapped on as an afterthought rather than worked into the initial design.
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Thanks for understanding. I just don't think they offer much real benefit, besides blisters on your index finger if you actually did any volume of work.
 
dogstar said:
Thanks for understanding. I just don't think they offer much real benefit, besides blisters on your index finger if you actually did any volume of work.
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I've had some that hit me that way and others that work really well. The best for me are those that complement thumb placement on the spine of the knife so I don't have to put a deathgrip on the handle to apply pressure.
 
I'm fairly undecided on the benefits of a choil. I find that it gives me better control/stability with tasks that I find myself using it in.

But in the end, companies that have good choils, I'd rather get more cutting surface and use a smallec blade for a task that requires the use of a choil
 
I don't use them, and I'd rather they not be there in exchange for more cutting edge.
 
I think that on both fixed blades and folders, a choil/finger groove right below the base of the blade is very useful for powering through thick materials like wood and heavy plastic. If it is a thin blade, this matters less. However, if you're talking a beefy folder or thick fixed blade, there is going to be a lot more drag, and you will need more torque to fight it. Unless, ya know, you want to stubbornly try to force a knife through without being able to apply pressure directly behind the cut.

I do think that if there is no guard, or the guard is well done, that a choil is not necessary.
 
RemyKaze said:
I think that on both fixed blades and folders, a choil/finger groove right below the base of the blade is very useful for powering through thick materials like wood and heavy plastic. If it is a thin blade, this matters less. However, if you're talking a beefy folder or thick fixed blade, there is going to be a lot more drag, and you will need more torque to fight it. Unless, ya know, you want to stubbornly try to force a knife through without being able to apply pressure directly behind the cut.

I do think that if there is no guard, or the guard is well done, that a choil is not necessary.
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Well said. A 2.5" thin blade with a choil seems needless, but on a beefy knife meant for hard pushes it sure comes in handy.
 
I find choils increase the flexibility of use with fixed blades. It really depends how the knife is designed. Quite honestly, I don't use fixed blade knives very often unless I am out in the woods and only if the folder does not seem up to the job. I generally don't care for them on flolders.
 
Smokinape said:
What detail work is everyone doing?
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Mine is generally pretty banal, cutting a piece of paper to size, trimming fat from meat or starting a cut on the peel of an orange. None of which are really facilitated by a choil. That said, I'm not one for carving spoons or bowls, so I don't know if they're helpful with those tasks.
 
As I understand it, small choils are meant to allow sharpening of the entire cutting edge. Large choils on fairly large knives (more so if also thick) makes tasks such as sharpening wood pegs/stakes/cooking spits/etc. much easier, especially when accompanied by jimping on the spine above them. Many, however, are "just there" and not well thought out.
 
Also on some smaller knives the choil is there to serve as part of the handle. Would anyone buy a DragonflyII if it didn't have one?
 
The Manix 2 has a great choil on it. Very comfortable. Great jimping. I love it.

Nah. I've never really needed it.
 
One might grasp the knife at the choil and spine to do careful sharpening on a bench stone. I have done this with Blackjack classics (fixed blade) and I suppose I would do it with a Randall. You'll note that they are about finger width.
 
A well executed choil adds a lot to a knife, but I agree with the OP. Not ass much for detail work as for harder push cutting. Though cutting tasks can vary so much it's hard to say concretely.

RetiredGuns said:
Well said. A 2.5" thin blade with a choil seems needless, but on a beefy knife meant for hard pushes it sure comes in handy.
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IMO a thin, 2.5" blade is a perfect candidate for hard pushing. And I think many wood Carvers would agree.

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I find it useful for my Esee4, the blade is too large to hold in a comfortable pinch grip or pencil grip so I have to use the choil for fine carving and putting the weight further forward for hard pushes.
 
No choils for me(small sharpening choils being the exception). I loved my ESEE 4 since the day I got it, but the choil just seemed to be a nuisance for me. Finally decided to fix it...

IMG_20140620_135819_663_zps23dugxe_edit_1404586529763_zpsiwp5rgmr.jpg
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