Does this knife make me look fat?

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
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Sitting back this labor day weekend, the start of another year (I'm a prof so school year is my 'fiscal year') I can't help but remark on the paradigm shift in WS&S this past year.

It is a fad, I know, or a cycle. I've only been on these forums for a year and a half now and I can't help but notice how broadley we moved from thick to thin knives as a consensus group this summer compared to the previous one.

I recall 9+ page threads of 'How are you guys breaking your mora's' from last summer with all the enticing defenses coming from the thick crowd. Back then it seemed that 3/16" was thin and 1/4" was "it". Jerry Busse was pumping out knives that were almost 0.3" thick - now it seems his Skinny Ash (3/16") and slim active duty models are getting lots of attention.

I see a bunch of new knifemakers promoting the merits of 1/8" in long knives and have come to my own realization of the utility of this thickness as the new 'all-rounder'. Koyote comes to mind here as someone foraging new territories in the long 1/8" knife. Fiddleback, has been here a longer time than me but has always to my knowledge been a staunch promoter of thin and laser sharp.

We have many more defenders of thin and moderate length than we did last year. Bearthedog and JeffH are highly active members who seem to actively promote this size. We see a shift to more and more posts contrasting machete's as choppers compared to Kukris and the venerable RD-9/dogfathers. Maybe its because we can't get RD-9's so easily anymore (waiting for Ontario to step up its production..). I don't see a battle mistress post hear every week like I used to.

Even our co-moderators are a bit biased now. K Estela definately seems to like thin. Brian likes sharp and convex.

Anyhow - this is just my Andy Rooney'ish commentary. I'm not trying to start a thin vs thick war, but rather just pointing out the how much we've changed in one year's time. I'm sure it will be different again next year.

What hasn't change - we all still love tool steels....
 
AMEN! as far as i'm concerned, the more choice the better. One cannot have too many blades!
 
I see it too. Busse knives seem to have all but fell off in the WSS. It use to be you would see em all over the place.
 
That's a pretty good summary kgd. I think it's cyclic though...there will always be those that use thinner blades, because they are more efficient at the majority of cutting tasks, but choppers can be as thin as machete or a 5/8" khukri. Big, thick knives offer that initial appeal to those that step into the world of knives...heck, they still appeal to me:D However, as you get out and start to use different knives, grinds and steels, many veterans tend to give the nod to a quality thin blade that just plain performs, even at chopping. Additionally, as you get out more, hiking/backpacking/camping/hunting, thin just carries better and is lighter. I guess at the end of the day (or hike), I'm an equal-opportunist...I like'em thick, thin, wide, short, long, big, little, convex, flat, scandi...

ROCK6
 
Blade thickness for men is sort of like skirt length for women (or, err, pantsuit length). The trick is to have blades ranging from very thin slicers to heavy elongated choppers that can compete with axes. Then you can just grab the appropriate part of your collection and jump right into any faddish discussion that comes up. If you follow trends for a few years you will ultimately cover the whole range anyway.

At one extreme, I've got a 1/16" nessie, and, at the other, several khuks that push 1/2". My current favorites are 3/32" Nessies and 1/8" bushies. Thin is in. :D
 
carry both! better yet a trio! or a quadruplet!

i'm a big fan of not limiting myself to one blade style in the woods.
 
You're right, kgd! This is the current trend. But I'm with ROCK6 and the other guys...I like 'em thin and thick! One of my favorite fixed-blade "users" is an older Mike Wise small, thin drop-point with a 3 7/8" blade and maple handles. It can't be much over 1/16" in most places, except right at the handle! On the other hand, I recently placed on order with Beck's Cutlery for a Randall Model 14CDT. I like Model 14's and find them to be good, heavy-duty field knives and pretty good choppers. Will I give up my M. Wise little guy, or my custom-handled F1? No, not by a long shot! There's room for both!:thumbup::D

Ron
 
Those model 14s are sweet blades. I keep lookin for one to pop up somewhere for sale, but im always too late.
 
This knife I just posted a while ago in the Custom & Handmade forum is quite the capable knife, and just under 3/16 spine.....

It's all in the Heat Treat

timr-1.jpg
 
JW, you can order one through Beck's Cutlery and you only have to wait about 6 months, instead of 5 years to get it. They are a Randall dealer, and have continuous orders with them. Their prices are quite reasonable for Randalls as well! I highly recommend them! You can reach them through www.beckscutlery.com. They are good folks!

Ron
 
Whoa freakin sweet!:D Thanks for the link man! I will definatly go through them.:thumbup:
 
KGD,
I think there are some real users here that, by example, are proving what works. Sometimes the industry seems to scare people into buying a certain knife with all the survival marketing behind it. Real people that get out and use tools will always have my respect and a valid opinion on what works. I think most of us feel the same. I would much rather hear that a knife is sharp and comfortable than heavy duty and powerful. Hammers and prybars are supposed to be heavy duty. My opinion only!

I have lots of respect for my friends Bryan Breeden and Christof (Koyote) becouse they are real users that know a lot about the outdoors and have the balls to go against the grain with thinner than 1/4-inch thick knives and get all of our attention. Interesting to see where we will be in the cutlery scene a year from now.

Good post "K".

-RB
 
I will add my "well said" as well, Ruben! Thinner is better. And it's edge geometry that makes this work. One of the reasons I like the Randall Model 14 CDT for a "big knife" is that it still has excellent edge geometry that allows it to slice...and it is quite comfortable for me, with my smallish hands, to use That said, I never feel "underknifed" with my Wise knife or my F1 or my Breeden Pathfinder...or even my Farmer or Case Trapper!

Ron
 
I think for me, it's been a matter of learning from experience that a sharp knife is simply the best kind to have, and that nothing beats a thin knife for sharpness. My most-used knife right now is my $14 Cold Steel Finn Bear, with a blade thickness of 2.5mm. It doesn't hold an edge nearly as good as most of my other knives, but when it's sharp, it's sharp and it cuts like nobody's business due to the thinner blade. Same with the A.G. Russell Woodswalker.

Bigger, thicker blades have their uses, sure; I don't know what I'd do without my old-style Ranger RD7 for heavy woods work. But for everyday use... Well, the custom I'm having Bryan Breeden make for me is going to be 1/8" thick with a 4.5" blade. It's going to rock.
 
Wise men every since Fred Flintstone have simply picked the right tool for the job. They all have their place to a point, or to someone. That said, I lean toward the thinner stuff for one simple reason, I don't like to carry extra weight. I carry a Hatchet, that is a given, that weight will be there so everything else may have to compensate. A 4 OZ Mora is all the weight that I need to carry for a knife because I am not going to chop, baton or pry with my knife. For that reason, I can also feel just fine with a SAK as the only knife.

Now if I am in a truck or boat and camping or hunting/fishing I am not concerned with a little extra weight. In this case My big JK super duty or the Kabar Heavy Bowie might well be with me. Even then though, blades 1/8 or slimmer are my go to cutters. If I have a dislike for any knife, it's a short wide blade. I just don't have a use for them.
 
theirs a place for thick and thin.it is not one or the other.their are framing hammers,sledge hammers and jack hammers.
 
Cool thread. Thin is good. A thin grind is even better. Use your knife for its intended purpose and never have a complaint.

Though. Lately I've been making a few in ... 5/32" steel! Yikes!!
 
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