Fixed Blade Knife Useless?

I like thick blade knives and I have got a couple. But I am 48 this year and have never ever used one for anything... So it gets me wondering... Considering that I have a hatchet that I take with me when we go camping, an axe that I am not afraid to use, and plenty of choice of lighter better-cutting knives both fixed and folders - I would not say thick blades are particularly useful for me!
 
I'm a vocal proponent for thin knives, but I still think the BK-2 has a purpose. It really is a very good choice for specialty uses like in a BOB for situations where heavy prying or hasty batoning might be necessary, as well as functions like chopping, digging, etc. BUT still needing a compact (not lightweight) form. The factory edge bevel tends to be horribly obtuse and probably perpetuates the perception of thick knives not cutting well but it compensates for this by having a very broad blade. This causes the region behind the edge to actually not be all that thick. If you were to make a small knife by cutting it out of the lower 1" or so of the blade profile that knife would be considered acceptably thin at the spine by most folks, including myself.

That being said, for most circumstances I advocate thinner and lighter knives.
 
I own a Campanion, and said why I find it useless. In a choice of tools to use doing various chores in the field or camp, I own a broad enough selection that the Campanion has fallen to the bottom of the list. For daily chores and processing food stuffs, a thin paring knife or 3.5" folder is plenty. For processing wood for a fire, constructing shelter, clearing trails, a short folding saw does well. If it has a 12" blade, it can cut 24" cordwood, just like any chain saw can. It will be lighter than an axe and more portable.

Because we now have the technology to make saws inexpensively, the axe has fallen out, too. It's becoming useless. That certainly doesn't mean it can't be used - it certainly does mean that someone with a motorized vehicle and a bicycle will make a choice, too. One will become useless. Or maybe, Used Less. A lot.

Taking a strict grammatical interpretation is the same as the possible intent of saying a big knife is useless - it's meant to convey a sense of it being wrong - and so is the other party. I mentioned that in the other thread, too. Locker room measuring contest, the internet's #1 game show.

So, is a 14" khukri a better squirrel skinner because it's big, or would you rather take the hide off a buffalo with a 2" Case folder? There is no absolute tiered scale that ensures a bigger knife is absolutely the better choice all the time - except in threads like this. If anything, sticking to one end of the size range and making that work for a lot of other tasks might be an example of skills beyond the normal capacity of the tool. Like taking off lug nuts with a tomahawk. It's a lousy wrench for sure.

Choose what you want, but that choice doesn't mean it's arbitrarily superior in ranking. It's might be your preference despite what it should be used for.
 
It's your money, who cares what anyone else thinks. I don't buy my knives to make others happy, I buy for myself. If dude X wants a pen knife with a mummified bear penis handle, go hard, I could care less. I'll buy/use what works for me in my environment. If I'm wrong or change my mind, I'll get something else.
 
upnorth said:
It's your money, who cares what anyone else thinks. I don't buy my knives to make others happy, I buy for myself. If dude X wants a pen knife with a mummified bear penis handle, go hard, I could care less. I'll buy/use what works for me in my environment. If I'm wrong or change my mind, I'll get something else.
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I'm literally in tears laughing from reading that
 
As many others have mentioned by now, my first thought was that he was probably referring to the thickness, not the fact that it was a fixed blade. I used to have a real thing for thick knives, but I've lost the love after seeing how thin knives cut. I have no use for a knife that thick because I don't use my knives for things that would break them any more than I would use a hammer to cut things. But if you like the thick stock, then rock on.
 
It seems as if some are virtually taking offense to some of these statements.

I do not think that claiming something is useless is brash, arrogant, or insulting. It is simply a statement of fact for that individual. I think it is similar to someone stating that (insert color here) is a worthless color for handle material. It's fine to disagree but probably not worth arguing and certainly not something a guy or gal should take offense to....in my opinion.
 
Simple really: Thick blades, most people either love them, or they hate them. Not much in between. I think most of the hatin comes from people unable to sharpen them or sharpen them as easily as a thin bladed knife. I have even heard people say fixed blade knives are useless. So take what they said with a grain of salt. I have lots of 1/4" thick knives. I will have more too. They are my go-to blades for HD use.
 
Big, heavy, fixed-blade knives aren't useless. They're cool. I think everybody should own at least one so they understand how Crocodile Dundee felt when he uttered his famous words, "That's not a knife. THIS is a knife". :D
 
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I don't have a big thick knife, but I'd like to just for fun. I like that short BK; might be my next knife. Fixed blades are cool. I don't generally carry one except an Izula, but I still like them.

Most of my camping is in State Parks, and I can easily get away with just a SAK. I don't have a need for a big knife, but I bring a Buck 119 along just for fun. I just like having it, even though it only gets used for yard work at home.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Where in the woods in Ohio is it illegal to carry a fixed-blade knife. I need to know.
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I guess I got a little off track. Nowhere in the woods is it illegal. I guess what I meant by "neck of the woods" was people aren't used to carrying a fixed blade daily so they don't when they go hunting, camping, or backpacking either. I have friends in other states who edc a fixed blade and don't understand why I don't as well.
 
killgar said:
Off topic- I'm curious as to why fixed-blades are not considered safe? It seems to me that a folder with a bad lock, or the simple act of closing a folder, would put young, inexperienced hands at far more risk than a solid fixed-blade.

I also recall seeing an official Boy Scout catalog maybe 20 years ago, and there was definitely a little fixed-blade being sold by the BSA with the official BSA logo set into the handle.

I'm not giving you a hard time Phillipsted, and I understand if you're not the one setting the policy, I'm just curious as to the reasoning of the policy.
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I got my Eagle Scout in 1990 and started in about 1986. I don't think there were any official BSA fixed blades for sale in 1986 and I know there were none by 1990. We were not allowed a fixed blade at any function or camp out in our entire area and I remember specifically being told by our guide that we could not have them at Philmont either. However, I saw a group on the trail at Philmont that had some Air Force survival knives and was told that the leaders were in the military so they had "different rules." I wasn't an adult at the time so I can't say why the official or unofficail "ban."
 
unit said:
It seems as if some are virtually taking offense to some of these statements.

I do not think that claiming something is useless is brash, arrogant, or insulting. It is simply a statement of fact for that individual. I think it is similar to someone stating that (insert color here) is a worthless color for handle material. It's fine to disagree but probably not worth arguing and certainly not something a guy or gal should take offense to....in my opinion.
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One of my coworkers once told me that stag handles on a knife was "f.... retarded" no I am not making that up. It was his reality.
 
Although the BK2 isn't quite my interest in the length/thickness department, there's certainly nothin' wrong with beefy fixed blades. Sure, they won't slice as well as an Opinel but you can throw anything at one and not even think about "will this hurt my precious blade" because the answer is always "no, it will shear or pry on through and ask for more".
 
I like to collect old knives and I can only say that people have carried and used long knives, short knives, fixed knives and folding knives, thick bladed knives, as well as thin bladed knives, for centuries. It comes down to environment, available materials and techniques, and to having the right/best tool for the job. What was popular varies widely from location to location and culture to culture. A 3-1/2" folder might do-it-all, until you are confronted by a coconut; and while you can process game with it, it is certainly safer and more sanitary to work with a fixed bladed knife. A folding saw can process wood, but it would certainly not my first choice to hack a trail through brush; for that I would go with a machete, or even a bolo/golok/kukri depending on how heavy the brush is. We only need to look back on the industrial meat processing plants prior to automation to see just how many and varied the knives were.

Everyone has their own style of camping, and while "survival" is usually a vague term used to sell to the uninitiated, there are certainly issues there which can be considered as well. At one point western military doctrine relied heavily on using facines as basic building blocks for field engineering, and they usually issued billhooks or similar large heavy knives for that type of work. In today's zero impact, modern backpacking, there is little need for a knife at all. You usually pack in a self-contained stove, lighting and fuel, your shelter and bedding is prefabricated, your food comes in packaging designed to open without tools. When I carry knives in the wood, it is mostly for fun, to see what the various types of knives can be made to do. But you do not "need" a knife and all knives are certainly used-less than they used to be. But, it can also be argued that you do not "need" anything in life other than perhaps air, food, water, and some basic shelter. But having knives, and countless other things certainly adds spice to life. We do alot of things that are unnecessary and that is what makes things fun.

Enjoy your knives.

n2s
 
I agree with kilgar. A properly ground blade wether it is 1/8 or1/4 in will do the job well. i use a a2 in wheel on my belt sander and hollow
grind to about 1/4 in. of the top, usualy a blade between 4 and 6 in. It will do anything you want it too. Leroyk
 
upnorth said:
It's your money, who cares what anyone else thinks. I don't buy my knives to make others happy, I buy for myself. If dude X wants a pen knife with a mummified bear penis handle, go hard, I could care less. I'll buy/use what works for me in my environment. If I'm wrong or change my mind, I'll get something else.
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Mummified bear penis handles are MURDER! I'm calling Peta.
 
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