EDC preferred size

B

BeyondTheBox

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Apr 13, 2016
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As I buy and try new knives I'm quickly coming to find that I clearly have preferred size ranges for my EDC knives.

Main folder, right at 3.5" seems the sweet spot. They usually come wide enough and thick enough to be more functional than the smaller backup blade.

Backup folder, about 2.5 inches, give or take half an inch. Want it to fit in my fifth pocket.

Fixed, no greater than 4.25 inches. I don't wish to scare the sheeple out and about.

You?
 
BeyondTheBox said:
As I buy and try new knives I'm quickly coming to find that I clearly have preferred size ranges for my EDC knives.

Main folder, right at 3.5" seems the sweet spot. They usually come wide enough and thick enough to be more functional than the smaller backup blade.

Backup folder, about 2.5 inches, give or take half an inch. Want it to fit in my fifth pocket.

Fixed, no greater than 4.25 inches. I don't wish to scare the sheeple out and about.

You?
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Love the trapper, but too big for dress pants, which I often have to wear. Carried small knives for years, but my sweet spot is also about 3 and 1/2 inches: either a medium stockman or a mini trapper. Carry the stockman more (in my pocket now).
 
3”-3.5” is a great range, but I’m not married to it. Current favorite is probably the Kizer Gemini, but I’m also eyeballing a Real Steel Megalodon. Quite different in size.
 
I find my 3.25 inch Shamwari is actually the perfect sized knife for edc. I would like to see more 3.25 inch knives. It is abit bigger than my 3 inch Sebenza and not quite as large as my 3.5 inch Inkosi which is abit too big

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Any of these make a great edc though. The Feist in particular virtually disappears when its in pocket. Somehow they got a very comfortable 4 finger grip on the handle.

Of course when your 3.5 inch knife is this thin and light it also makes an excellent edc you don’t feel till you need it. This knife, especially my newer cf version, weighs less than the data used to show a picture of it.
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I like an average sized knife 3.5” blade for a modern folder. For a traditional the 3.5-4.25 is my favorite with the 4” range being my most preferred.
 
Lapedog said:
I find my 3.25 inch Shamwari is actually the perfect sized knife for edc. I would like to see more 3.25 inch knives. It is abit bigger than my 3 inch Sebenza and not quite as large as my 3.5 inch Inkosi which is abit too big

OrYlvv5.jpg

Vrw1ETh.jpg

eGmtjQm.jpg


Any of these make a great edc though. The Feist in particular virtually disappears when its in pocket. Somehow they got a very comfortable 4 finger grip on the handle.

Of course when your 3.5 inch knife is this thin and light it also makes an excellent edc you don’t feel till you need it. This knife, especially my newer cf version, weighs less than the data used to show a picture of it.
U3iwmnf.jpg
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Love those top 3 pictured. Classic design, elegant but perfectly functional. Very nice!
 
BeyondTheBox said:
Love those top 3 pictured. Classic design, elegant but perfectly functional. Very nice!
Click to expand...

Thank you. Are you talking about the small 21, Gareth Bull shamwari and Inkosi?

Chris Reeve is actually a South African originally. Alot of South African folding knives have some similarities in their look kind of like alot of Russian folders have that long thin sabrelike profile we see on the ZT452.

If you look at the work of Gareth Bull, Chris Reeve. Trevor Burger and Bester knives you will see some striking similarities.

French maker Sacha Thiel actually has a knife called the civillian that looks almost identical to the Boker Exskelibur.
 
My EDC knife blade lengths are about 3 1/4" to 3 3/4". I been loving my Opinel No. 8 knives. For fixed blades, I have some EDC knives with blade lengths from 4" to 5".
 
I prefer 3 - 3 1/4 inch blades (folders). Anything above 3 1/2 typically stays in the drawer.
 
During the warm half of the year I wear those lightweight, synthetic “expedition” type hiking pants you see sold by EMS and REI. I’m limited by them to lighter EDC knives and 3” seems to be the large/heavy end of what my light pants will handle comfortably. I’m looking forward to the upcoming fall turnover time when I go back to heavier pants and can carry larger and heavier EDC knives.
 
I look at a knifes closed length before I look at blade length.
For traditional's 2 5/8 to 2 7/8 blade length.
For a modern about 3 7/8 to 4 3/8 closed maximum or a blade about 2 7/8 to 3 1/4.
Anything larger are camp knives and not carried daily.
 
For folders I prefer either a 4 inch blade or a 3 inch blade. I kind of see a 3.5 as a compromise size. It lacks the control of the smaller blade and lacks the reach and cutting ability of the larger blade. For this reason I usually carry two knives and that gives me all the functionality I need. A Spyderco Military and Native5 together has become a favorite combo. I do grab a 3.5 inch folder sometimes when I am only going to carry one knife.

Fixed blades are mostly used for outdoorsy stuff for me and I prefer a minimum of 4 inches with about 5 to 5.5 being ideal.
 
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3.5 to 4 inch Folder. No backup. I need one knife I like on me, I don't see the need for a smaller folder with me. If I use my small folder 95% of the time I might as well leave the larger at home and vice versa. My one folder does all the cutting I need. I don't carry anything in multiples/with backups.
 
bearfacedkiller said:
For folders I prefer either a 4 inch blade or a 3 inch blade. I kind of see a 3.5 as a compromise size. It lacks the control of the smaller blade and lacks the reach and cutting ability of the larger blade. For this reason I usually carry two knives and that gives me all the functionality I need. A Spyderco Military and Native5 together has become a favorite combo. I do grab a 3.5 inch folder sometimes when I am only going to carry one knife.

Fixed blades are mostly used for outdoorsy stuff for me and I prefer a minimum of 4 inches with about 5 to 5.5 being ideal.
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I currently like a fixed on me at all times, but understand those who don't. Part of me does it just to get the looks the sheeple give me, in attempt to bring back the visibly identifiable concept of what I consider a man to be, as well as letting them see that inanimate objects don't harm anyone by themselves. This day in age I feel it never more important that we exercise our rights before they are taken by those who think they shouldn't be such anymore. The other part of me does it for practicality, when I'm down on the range and pull or drop an arrow way off, placing it into the wooden target frame or similar, and alike situations where a folder isn't quite sufficient.

So for all that I like and only need a fixed blade to be about 4 inches, just thicker spined than a folder and full tanged, thus helping to curb any potential offense taken or intimidation felt by the sheeple. Baby steps and all...

As for outdoor activities, yes, over 4" is the ticket. I prefer 4.3" minimum, and upwards of 7", with about 5.5-6" being the sweet spot.
 
BeyondTheBox said:
I currently like a fixed on me at all times, but understand those who don't. Part of me does it just to get the looks the sheeple give me, in attempt to bring back the visibly identifiable concept of what I consider a man to be, as well as letting them see that inanimate objects don't harm anyone by themselves. This day in age I feel it never more important that we exercise our rights before they are taken by those who think they shouldn't be such anymore. The other part of me does it for practicality, when I'm down on the range and pull or drop an arrow way off, placing it into the wooden target frame or similar, and alike situations where a folder isn't quite sufficient.

So for all that I like and only need a fixed blade to be about 4 inches, just thicker spined than a folder and full tanged, thus helping to curb any potential offense taken or intimidation felt by the sheeple. Baby steps and all...

As for outdoor activities, yes, over 4" is the ticket. I prefer 4.3" minimum, and upwards of 7", with about 5.5-6" being the sweet spot.
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A fixed blade is definitely a good thing. For outdoors I’m happy with 4” if it’s combined with a saw and/or axe. Otherwise, yeah, 5-6” is good.
 
3.5”+ for work.
I’ve tried 2, 2.5 and 3”
3” is ok but I feel safer using 3.5” or larger.

3-3.5” for casual edc.
I mostly carry 3” blades but I will be carrying a 940-1 (3.5”) for both casual and dress for the foreseeable future.
 
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for me, I like one about 3.5 inches but It's not about length. It's how well that knife carries in the pocket depending on what pants I'm wearing.

I will carry a knife or not carry a knife that day because of how tall the blade is not how long the blade is. For example some spyderco's thumbholes make the knife very tall and in certain pants I might carry a different knife. The next day I might carry that same Spyderco because the pockets in the different pair of pants might be larger or whatever.
 
I doubt there are 2nd Amendment rights applicable to knives. Some may believe so since they view it as an individual right to self defense. I don't carry any knife for show. I prefer that nobody even know I have a knife on my person.

My preferred size is 3.0-3.25" in blade length for EDC and the corresponding closed size on folders for the pocket. I have looked at many folding knives that appealed to me in the 3.5" or more length, but I know I won't carry them, so I don't buy them. I have some, but they don't get used or used often.

Added: To be honest about it, I have been leaning toward smaller than 3" blade length traditional folders for the last year or so and have been buying some to fit this. I always favored ~3" traditional knives like the GEC #42 or Northwoods Madison Barlow and mostly two blade models. This size is beginning to get a bit heavy in the pocket and I question my need for such when I know I can get by nicely with something like the Vic Small Tinker or the like. A good example is a Case Peanut which is sub 3" closed and it handles most of my cutting needs day to day. I suspect as I get older, the regular carry knives may shrink.

I have tried to carry a fixed blade as an EDC. My favorite carry approach for a small fixed blade is cross draw. I still buy knives that fit this use, but again I'm not there yet except when I'm in the "woods". Other than a short hike, my preferred size in the woods is 5" to 6" fixed blades. Sometimes I carry smaller ones, but I favor the utility of the larger woods blade for tasks that I might not even consciously think about before I hit the woods.
 
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