Does a 5" blade buy you much more?

psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
Messages
3,164
I have a Fallkniven F-1. I love it but I feel a little under "knifed." So naturally I have been looking at some new knives, particularly the S-1 and some Barkies. Then I asked myself, how much more knife would a 5" give me over the 3.8" F-1.

I could see getting a 6"-7"-8" for a solo but a 5"?
 
My personal opinion on this one it NO. In fact I have been on a big down sizing campaign lately and am going backpacking this weekend with just a SAK Farmer, Opi saw, and a Wetterling Hunters 15" axe.

Some will say I'm way under knifed. Your decision to carry a 4" blade is a sound one IMO especially if you're pairing it with other gear. I.E. saw, axe, ect......
 
A 5-inch blade buys you inconvenience, not practicality. The mid-sized knives are rather "jack of all trades, master of none" type. Under 4" is much better for any work requiring precision. And for work that requires size, length and weight, 6" and up is much better than 5" can hope to be.
 
Let me ask you this: you feel under-knifed, but what are some situations in which you couldn't accomplish a task because you were missing 1.2 inches of blade? Has that ever happened at all? Does it happen a lot?

You probably know if you actually need the extra length or not.

Honestly if you have a little axe with you, you probably don't need anything more than a couple of inches long! I suspect a 2" blade and an axe would be a pretty handy combo, personally.
 
I think 4 or less is about right. Really, you can do anything a bigger knife can do with a little one, it'll just take you more time.

A big knife can also probably do about anything a little knife can do, it'll just be more difficult (& maybe take more time too).

I definitely wouldn't think I was under-knifed with an F1.
 
I have no problem with a 5" blade being clumsy in any way. When I got my 7" Bark River Rogue bowie, I put it to work in the kitchen, and was surprised how many fine tasks it worked well at -- slicing tomatoes and onions, mincing parsley. AND cutting up melons.

But needs in the field differ, and there are circumstances when a nice 4" blade carries well, out of the way, inconspicuous, and still does what you need. I agree with the others that the right tools aren't hard to find: axe, saw, SAK are all good to have along anyway, and relieve you of the need for a bigger knife.

Each of us differ in hand size, knife skills, and actual needs in the field, going different places and doing different things, which makes it hard to say if 5" isn't perfect for you. I know it wouldn't feel outsized to me -- but I lean towards 4" anyway.

To quote myself :) -- The smallest knife that can do the job is the biggest knife that's appropriate for it.
 
My NWA forum knife is 5", and is my absolute most used knife. But I also routinely carry a 3-4" blade. They all seem to handle about the same to me. Getting up into 6 and 7" blades is where I notice the "big knife" difference.
 
tknife said:
My NWA forum knife is 5", and is my absolute most used knife. But I also routinely carry a 3-4" blade. They all seem to handle about the same to me. Getting up into 6 and 7" blades is where I notice the "big knife" difference.
Click to expand...

Thanks t, That was what I was getting at. I am not saying 5" is bad but where is that line when the task capacity changes.
 
i rarely carry a knife over 4 in.. if i need to chop at all, i use either my GB mini-hatchet or wildlife hatchet...

when i ordered my NWA knife i had nick make me a 4 in. version... that works just fine for me....
 
Hi all,
Since you ask I will tell you that my 5" blade are the ones I use every day.
I have been making some smaller knives and but for me 5" is just awesome.
I can fuzz sticks up,make trap triggers, Make Snap Cuts that a 4" knife blade
would have trouble with. I was showing my wife just yesterday,
while we were out cutting trees just how much easyer lopping off branches and having just 1 to 2 inches works way better. I was loping off
branches on a ceder tree and my wife asked if her knife that I made for
her could do that and I said it could but with a 3" blade it is a lot harder
than I proceded to show her and she could see the difference.
Getting peanut butter out of the botom of the average jar is easyer with a 5' blade than a 4" I do not get pj on the handle of my 5" bladed knives.

Whether I am carrying my 5" pathfinder, 5" PSKK, or my 5"
Spooky Spear point I am never under knifed and defenetly not
over knifed it is just right for me. Not to short and not to long just right.
What works for one might not work for another. These are things
YOU have to decide.
Try a 5" bladed knife and you will see the difference.

Take care all

Bryan
 
My NWA knife is the only 5 inch knife I own right now. I have mostly 4 inch knives with an axe and a Tusker by Gossman to round out the mix for chopping duties.
 
mtnfolk mike said:
i rarely carry a knife over 4 in.. if i need to chop at all, i use either my GB mini-hatchet or wildlife hatchet...

when i ordered my NWA knife i had nick make me a 4 in. version... that works just fine for me....
Click to expand...

WHAT IF you all headed out and all you had was your 3.5 or 4 or 5" knife on you? You did not have a saw or an axe or a chopper. Just your trusty knife and for whatever reason you had to make due with just it alone. Would the smaller blade still be ok?
 
Its funny, when I switched from my 6" buck 119 to my 4" RC-4 it didn't even feel like there was a difference. I think part of this has to do with the width and belly of the rat being so much wider than the 119. Actually the rat is heavier than the longer 119. Last week when I took my RAT out to the field for field work, my co-worker asked me 'Why do you always insist bringing those "big" knives with you. Evidently, he thought my 4" knife was just as, if not even bigger, then my buck.

I find that a 4" knife suits me quite well for my needs. In all fairness though, my rat has never seen the inside of a peanut butter jar :)
 
For me a 5" blade seems about perfect as an all-rounder. I'm quite sure I could get by with a 4" or even a 6" but if you have the option of going with the one you find just right then why take anything different ?
 
I think the 5" blade is the point between not being too small or too big. It's a compromise for someone looking for a fixed blade to cover various duties. Alot would depend on spine thickness and blade width. The experienced knife user can do whatever is needed with this size range.
Scott
 
If the knife is all you have, then id say that a 5'' would prove more useful, for battoning and such, but if you are outfitted with the F1 and a big knife or axe, you would be more well-rounded but have more to carry.
 
Yes a 5" blade is a compromise at both ends and I've gone back and forth. For me, I've found a 5-5.5" blade just about the right size to carry comfortably without being too cumbersome when on duty or out in the field/outdoors...and I'm not carrying another fixed blade or larger chopper (machete/axe). I can do the small knife jobs and it will "chop" better than a 4" blade, but isn't as difficult to carry and work with as larger bladed knife. There are pro's and con's to this that we could debate for weeks...the bottom line is finding something that meets your requirements and a knife/sheath system that you can comfortably carry and move around with. Either with a backpack or combat load out, anything over ~5" gets in the way of the gear and affects my mobility. 5 inches just gives me a good feeling:D (that didn't come out right!) I will carry a shorter 3-4" blade if I really need to go light or if I have a larger knife in the pack, but there's just so many good choices for a mid-sized knifes:D:

Mid-Size.jpg


ROCK6
 
ROCK6 said:
Yes a 5" blade is a compromise at both ends and I've gone back and forth. For me, I've found a 5-5.5" blade just about the right size to carry comfortably without being too cumbersome when on duty or out in the field/outdoors...and I'm not carrying another fixed blade or larger chopper (machete/axe). I can do the small knife jobs and it will "chop" better than a 4" blade, but isn't as difficult to carry and work with as larger bladed knife. There are pro's and con's to this that we could debate for weeks...the bottom line is finding something that meets your requirements and a knife/sheath system that you can comfortably carry and move around with. Either with a backpack or combat load out, anything over ~5" gets in the way of the gear and affects my mobility. 5 inches just gives me a good feeling:D (that didn't come out right!) I will carry a shorter 3-4" blade if I really need to go light or if I have a larger knife in the pack, but there's just so many good choices for a mid-sized knifes:D:

Mid-Size.jpg


ROCK6
Click to expand...

I have to ask it....which of those if you had to pick one ?:D
 
pitdog said:
I have to ask it....which of those if you had to pick one ?:D
Click to expand...

Tough question but the second to last on the bottom row on the right...the Mad Dog PATAK is carried daily when in uniform and has been with me for almost 10 years, 2 major deployments, a handful of minor deployments and several countries. I just received the Ratmandu and sheath (from Okuden), so that will get a work out, but the top three favorites are the Fehrman, Mission MPK10 and the NWA...the Bark River Bravo-1 is a little over 4", but is beefy enough to play with the 5 inchers, so I may include that as well:D

ROCK6
 
A 5" knife buys you 1.2" more than a 3.8" knife. Okay, I really don't have a good answer. For me, there is more than length of blade to a utility/camp knife. I only have 2 5" knives, both busses. A sar5 and a bactacle. I think that the bactacle is a great knife for what I need, especially paired with a caping knife. Although, I've got a Landi field knife on the way, and it has the potential to become my new favorite.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=552482
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top