Does a "survival" knife really need to be thicker than 5/32

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MAkives

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Ive handled quite a few knives in my time and ive often liked them but some knives dont have good slicing capability because of the grind and thickness and ive been wondering why 3/16 thick knives i mean they work like the becker knives but ive handled 5/32 knives and they seem jist as tough and durable but are much slicier by that i mean the edge geometry seems better i mean ive sent my cold steel bushman to hell and back and its still ticking
 
Just depends on your style. Are you hard on stuff?or more methodical? Do you like to bludgeon materials with raw power? Or pick them apart with calculated cutting?

I go back and forth:P
 
Two years ago they had to be 1/4" at a minimum... I think that is still true for most Tops knives...
 
'Survival' is more than just slicing.

You don't want a blade your life depends on to bend or break when batoning thick wood, digging, or when the need to apply lateral stress such as removing a stuck blade or prying.

It's all a trade-off, finding the 'right' balance between axe and razor.
 
MAkives said:
Ive handled quite a few knives in my time and ive often liked them but some knives dont have good slicing capability because of the grind and thickness and ive been wondering why 3/16 thick knives i mean they work like the becker knives but ive handled 5/32 knives and they seem jist as tough and durable but are much slicier by that i mean the edge geometry seems better i mean ive sent my cold steel bushman to hell and back and its still ticking
Click to expand...

what 5/32" knife are you looking at if any?
 
A thin blade can do a lot.
[video=youtube;krZJUj70r1c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krZJUj70r1c[/video]

Some people like their knives to double as pry bars or to stand up to crazy amounts of abuse. Dunno... My survival has never rested on how good my knife is at prying. Even batoning is largely a voluntary activity. You can usually build a nice fire without batoning anything.
 
Moras are typically thinner than 1/8" and they are very tough.
 
TravisH said:
'Survival' is more than just slicing.

You don't want a blade your life depends on to bend or break when batoning thick wood, digging, or when the need to apply lateral stress such as removing a stuck blade or prying.

It's all a trade-off, finding the 'right' balance between axe and razor.
Click to expand...
My life would never depend on the digging and prying capabilities of a knife.

That destroys any sharp edge .

How would wild game and food be processed after the edge was destroyed to dig a cat hole?
Digging and prying limits the uses of the knife..

If my knife was incredibility dull and I couldn't sharpen it to cut anything with then digging and prying it is.
I
 
It also depends on how wide the blade is and what kind of grind. Like you said, it works for the Beckers; however my TOPS Street Scalpal was a POS with such a thick steel on such a narrow blade.

I have an Ontario SP10 that is a thick blade but because it is a very wide blade with a high grind it is pretty decent (still no tomatoe slicer though).
 
Quite true:

Opinel is known for being an incredible cutter/slicer. The number 8 is 0.066" thick blade thickness with a half inch wide blade, flat ground. The included angle of this knife is a small 7.6 degrees.

A large camp knife made of 1/4" thick stock flat ground with a 1.8-1.9" wide blade has the exact same geometry as the opinel and both have better geometry by a wide margin than a Mora which is also a known cutter.
 
Les stroud used a buck 119 for a while, that's not that thick either...
 
goldie said:
Les stroud used a buck 119 for a while, that's not that thick either...
Click to expand...

Actually 3/16" thick saber grind for a blade that is only 1 inch wide is pretty darn thick. It works because of the deep hollow grind given to the last half inch.
 
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