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With 3/16" and over wider blades with higher grinds still cut well for me, narrower blades tend to bind and split things when being too thick.

I have a 3/16" Hunter on the way to try out and I think it should be fine. I have a Bark River Bravo with a high convex sabre grind that is 0.215" thick, but still cuts well because of a relatively wide blade and zero convex grind.
 
plue said:
I think a 1/8" is plenty for a smaller knife that doesn't see extremely hard use (chopping, battoning). I'd say 5/32 is great for a larger knife that's used more roughly, since all my experience with knives >3/16" shows that they start slowly losing slicing/cutting ability with more width. Maybe I just haven't used one of Andy's thicker knives yet...
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I agree, and 1/8" will itself take some pretty hard use as far as batonning, truncating, and even chopping goes. It's when I start getting into lateral stresses that the thicker blades become more important to me. This is something that I don't do a lot of anymore except in testing and evaluation of knives designed for combat and survival. However working in the middle of nowhere a lot, it is something I plan for as a contingency. I have a few small over-built knives that I carry for these contingency plans now, and keep in a pack or camera bag while I am out, because in doing test and eval of combat knives if one isn't at least risking finding the point of failure then one isn't testing very well in my opinion. So, every time I hit the woods for work I have the test knife(s)/tool(s), my current favorite FF, and one fall back rough-use knife that is usually one of my Fletchers. Andy doesn't do a lot of 3/16, I think because in smaller and narrower blades (even with a full-height grind) it is never going to cut as well as 5/32 or 1/8. The Camp Knife I have is 3/16 and I love it. On that wide of a blade it does very well and bites very deep in chopping. The knife is balanced so well that it is even a pleasure carving and whittling with. That knife has been put through the wringer by me and has been tossed into the fray at a couple of Becker gatherings and always comes back smiling. From what my partner Andrew said, last Becker gathering, once it made its way to his hands, Ethan just walked away and disappeared with it for a while :)


NoFair said:
With 3/16" and over wider blades with higher grinds still cut well for me, narrower blades tend to bind and split things when being too thick.

I have a 3/16" Hunter on the way to try out and I think it should be fine. I have a Bark River Bravo with a high convex sabre grind that is 0.215" thick, but still cuts well because of a relatively wide blade and zero convex grind.
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I love the 3/16 on wider blades with full-height grinds. With uncoated blades like Andy's it has great slicing ability and good bite while chopping. One of my dream knives is a Fiddleback Hunter with a 3/16 blade, full-height grind, and tapered tang. Andy's Hunter design could easily be tweaked into one of the best SERE knives to hit the market in my opinion. Enjoy your Hunter man, I'm sure I would :)
 
Homemade chili tonight.

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I thought you might be expediateing patina! :)

My Woodchuck would NOT oxidize at all.... then last week I made turkey chili and when cutting the chipotles -- BAM. I may have found the fastest patina maker!
 
willic said:
I thought you might be expediateing patina! :)

My Woodchuck would NOT oxidize at all.... then last week I made turkey chili and when cutting the chipotles -- BAM. I may have found the fastest patina maker!
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Peppers are great for a patina, so are garlic and shallots.
 
I like the different colors you get from garlic and different onions …
 
I cut open a pomegranate and my knife blade changed color completely, totally unexpected, but I love the results.
 
You all are probably tired of my Woodsman by now, but it's Chicken Nugget Night!

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