Field/survival knife...5/32 vs 3/16

deltablade

deltablade

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Is there any practical difference in a 5/32 vs 3/16 thick 1095 5" blade for use as a hunting/camp/survival knife?
I would appreciate your analysis/opinions
 
Depending on the grind and edge, and all other things being equal, the thinner blade 'should' cut a little easier. Whether it would be noticeable or not is another question. It would also be a little lighter. Whether it would be noticeable or not is another question. The thinner blade 'might' not be as strong. Whether it would b... well, you get the idea.

Practical difference? No, probably not...
 
I decided to go with O1 in 5/32. much lighter than 3/16, and should be plenty tough
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the 5/32 is on bottom, 3/16 on top. both excellent feel in hand. by Lucas Bullington at Lucas Forge

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Either should be fine. Traditional knives used by mountain men (and practically everybody else) back in the day were thinner, probably around 1/8" or less, and they worked just fine. Those are beautiful blades, BTW.
 
Very nice! The only things thicker does better in a small knife is when batoning wood apart or strength for prying. But using a small knife for either is dubious anyway.
 
Nice job, good style and presentation. Those are the kind of knives that work for a living, and look good doing it.
 
Alberta Ed said:
Either should be fine. Traditional knives used by mountain men (and practically everybody else) back in the day were thinner, probably around 1/8" or less, and they worked just fine. Those are beautiful blades, BTW.
Click to expand...
This maybe a little off topic, but I actually prefer 1/8" because of its weight and how I use it. It's plenty strong for my use, yet light enough to be carry over even longer distance.
 
deltablade said:
Is there any practical difference in a 5/32 vs 3/16 thick 1095 5" blade for use as a hunting/camp/survival knife?
I would appreciate your analysis/opinions
Click to expand...
Not much practical difference , IMO .

Thinner make for better slicing . Thicker is stronger for prying and other hard use abuse for "survival " .
 
Suggestion: Whichever you get pair it with your normal EDC.

That way you'll have a knife with you when afield and you left the new one home for whatever reason. (gets in the way when you sit, "its too nice" to use, "too heavy", "I forgot it", or a myriad of other reasons folks leave the fixed blade home.)

The "best" knife when afield is the one(s) you have with you. A two blade slipjoint with a 1.75 inch master blade is a lot better and mich more useful than the whatever "bushcraft" knife you have sitting at home.

Check out 'Vinnie's Day Off' on You Tube. He uses a small two blade slipjoint pen knife to build a shelter. You don't need a special knife to survive out in the sticks and boonies.

In answer to your question: I doubt you'll notice a difference between the two thicknesses in normal use. The thinner blade may slice a little better, but whether enough to notice is another matter.
Also consider that not so long ago, the average blade stock on a fixed blade was 1/8 inch 1095. Folks got along just fine for generations with a blade that "thick".

My Western L66 (has a 1095 blade), and Mora's (whatever carbon steel they use) have 1/8 inch thick blades ... the Mora might be a hair less.
I've never been "under knifed" with either of them.

Let us know which you decided to go with. :)
 
I picked the 5/32. Both felt great in hand. The 5/32 is noticeably lighter, and with the flat grind has a slightly thinner cutting edge. The 3/16 felt like it was up for anything aand also felt great in hand. If I had another 20 years of hard road ahead, I would have picked the 3/16. Yet at 70, I picked slicer and lighter. I did check my Kabars which are 1/8, and a WWII Pal, used by its former owner in the war, and afterwards as his elk skinning knife, and it is a touch under 1/8, so I concluded that 5/32 will be plenty strong for my purposes at this point.
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the bottom knife is 5/32 and now mine!! The top knife is still available.
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It seems that 5/32 is the optimal choice due to weight and toughness considerations. Glad you passed on the 3/16.
 
There's not a huge difference between the two. Thinner blades aren't necessarily weaker, a reasonably thinner blade can flex a little and absorb impact. May even do better due to slightly reduced resistance in cutting.

Good looking piece, I think. I bet it'll be a joy to use.
 
I like your choice and it's a nice knife!

A lot of folks here really get hung up on steel types. I do on occasion and it's hard not to at times. But the reality is that is makes little difference if your knife holds an edge long enough to complete your normal tasks.
 
Those are beautiful, I'm sure the one you chose will give you many years of satisfaction.
 
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