Does a 3 finger knife have a place in your life?

Yes ! Here is another one. I carry it mainly because it's so nice. But it cuts whatever I need to cut on a daily basis. The cue here is "what are your daily cutting needs ?", of course. Very nice Muela necker. The blade may be smallish but the natural antler handle allows a full adult hand grip :
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Smaller knives can have a place in EDC. It's just a matter of what fits for what you're doing and what you're wearing. Given the size difference and an interest in polite discretion, I find myself going small on fixed blades.

They might not be the best choice for cutting up a week's worth of cardboard. They are fine for opening packages, random cutting and trimming needs, etc.
 
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I own a few but typically avoid 3 finger handled knives and is actually something i specifically look for when contemplating a purchase. While smaller knives have their place there are enough models offering adequate handle real estate so if i cant get 4 fingers on ill usually pass.
 
I use them all the time and never feel ill prepared. I do grab a larger knife when I know I'm going to want it and do have larger knives I like to carry but for my routine tasks, these knives fit in quite well.

I'm commissioning a bunch of new equipment and have been breaking down pretty hefty boxes with a Buck 501 in S30V quite regularly and it does just fine.

Buck 501
Chambriard Compact
Spyderco Dragonfly
Spyderco Chaparral
Case Mini Copper Lock
Buck Spitfire

And more.

I don't like going any smaller but yeah, I get a ton of bang out of this class of knives.
 
My Spartan Enyo and Spyderco Ladybugs are pretty much 3 finger knives.
I love how easy they are to carry around and the blades cut great.
The only thing is, for me, a lanyard is more or less required to give my pinky finger something to hold on to.
Using a knife with just my first three fingers holding it is awkward, but with a lanyard to fill the space and aid in control of the blade,
I'm good to go.
 
IMG_0230.JPG IMG_0231.JPG I like small fixed blades, I prefer getting 4 fingers around it so it fills the hand, making it more maneuverable in different grips. The only 3 finger ones I like are ones where the handle is designed well enough to be comfortable and not awkward. The LTWK Patriot and a small one from Jk Knives are good examples. And maybe the Fallkniven WM1.
 
@ the risk of sounding like an old song... (It Ain't The Meat, It's The Motion...by Maria Muldaur)
I don't feel it's the actual size of the "three finger knife" that's the issue.
I feel it's the blade geometry that's more critical to its overall function.

I had a no-name, 2" drop point that my dad gave me. He got it as some promotional item from a trade show of some kind he had been to.
I carried & used that handy little knife for years.
Being made of soft steel, it required a lot of sharpening.
Sadly, I ground too much of the blade away for it to be of any use anymore.

Over the years, I've tried to replace it - but - nothing has worked.
That little knife was just super handy & it was easy to carry since it was so diminutive.
 
Try a WM-1 it feels so good in the hand and a quite useful a light weight little blade. I haven't tried a Candiru yet but it looks promising as well. I tend to butt the end of it into my palm and put my pointing finger along the top of the blade for more control when cutting certain things.
 
Yeah, it's true that 3-finger knives aren't as satisfying to hold, but for most of my cutting tasks, it's MORE than I need; my little Vic Manager (2-finger) is all I need.

The only cutting I do that needs a 4-finger hold is in cooking and occasionally in the woods.

That said, I do carry a larger folder a lot, just for fun.
 
I've carried lil fixed blades (from 5.5" to 6" oal) for decades. Very handy horseback and larger knives not only get in the way sometimes but can be downright dangerous. I'm not alone in this thought because I sell many, many more of these knives than I do larger blades, I mean like 20 -30 to one, if not more.

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My own last two personal EDCs:

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The top one is what I carry right now. Its huge, 6.5" oal with a 2.5" blade. This is the largest knife I've personally carried for a very long time. As a rancher besides being a knife maker I use a knife daily and often. I can not recall a time where I wished I had a larger knife. Now if I had an elk down thats a different deal but thats hunting not EDCing. I have skinned out quite a few pigs and one cow with my little guys so it can be done. Just handy and with the right sheath pretty darn safe horseback too:

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I sell a lot of knives to other folks in this lifestyle too. I was at one roping a while back and counted 36 of my knives on folks I didn't know. All were what would be called 3 finger knives.
 
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