Folding knives that are thick behind the edge..........

L

lonestar1979

Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
2,585
I do not understand the purpose of folders that are way too thick behind the edge,and have to be fully reground to actually slice well and be easy to sharpen.Are these left thick to cut the cost?I got a ganzo knife ,decent steel,decent carbon fiber handle,but way too thick behind edge to actually slice like Im used to.Ps. I am getting Spyderco Endura in Zdp 189....no more cheap bs.
 
It is a silly fad to be honest. There has developed for some reason a misconception that a thinner knife blade will just break. I think it has to do with how most people use their knives to pry more than to cut.
 
I have found that most--not all but the vast majority--are indeed too beefy behind the edge. This is especially true of "tactical" and "hard use" folders. Maybe they leave them thick so they appear tougher or more resistant to chipping or failing? I do know that many perceive thicker stock to somehow be "better." Of course that is not always the case. If the knife has a great heat treat, sensible geometry and is not made from pot steel, in can outperform its superthick counterpart. Even in the "toughness" category.

I agree that it seems to be a fad. Everywhere you look: "tactical", "hard-use", "used by Special Forces", and "battlefield ready", to name a few have seeped into the lexicon. People sometimes think that in order to fit with a certain category, the knife has to be a prybar. It doesn't.

Good news is that a lot of these knives can have their cutting abilities improved dramatically by simply reprofiling the edge angle to something lower. As noted by the OP, sometimes more drastic intervention is required like a re-grind.
 
Lapedog said:
It is a silly fad to be honest. There has developed for some reason a misconception that a thinner knife blade will just break. I think it has to do with how most people use their knives to pry more than to cut.
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Locutus D'Borg said:
The over-sized hard use knife craze. This too shall pass.
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There have always been some thicker, tougher folders out there...yes, even back in the days of no locks.
There are more of them now, but so what? There are more knives in general, so that means there are more knives to buy no matter what you like. :)

Like locks? No locks? Stainless? Carbon steel? Carbon fiber? Bone, stag, G-10, FRN, wood, Delrin, titanium, or exotic materials I cannot even pronounce?
Well, you're in luck, they have it all!
And you can get a blade so thin it'll be mistaken for foil at the next barbeque, or one so thick that you can substitute it for a brick in the corner of your house. ;)
It's all out there...and it ain't going away.
 
James w said:
my problem is that i like all kinds of knives my earlier post was me trying to convince myself ;) bladeforum sucks ;)
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If I ever win a billion dollars, Bladeforums will help me redistribute the wealth in record time. :thumbup:
 
ha that will be my new excuse.. honey im not buying a knife im investing in uhhhhhh exotic wood andddd uhh steal yes and when i make enough money through these investments ill buy you something ;)
 
James w said:
ha that will be my new excuse.. honey im not buying a knife im investing in uhhhhhh exotic wood andddd uhh steal yes and when i make enough money through these investments ill buy you something ;)
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Diversifying your portfolio. :D
 
I think OP is talking about the thickness behind the edge, but not the blade stock thickness.

Even though we have more choices these days regarding design, steel, etc., I have to agree with OP that most of modern folders are too thick behind the edge. I have measured several folders I have (Some Spyderco, Boker, and CRK knives) and found that the edge thickness is over 0.02” for most. Few pleasing exceptions were Boker Exskelibur I (0.011”) and Spyderco Spydiechef (0.015”).

If you look at traditionals, they are much thinner behind the edge (e.g. Opinel #8 at 0.006”) and slice much better than modern folders having thick edges. It would be fantastic if we get more choices for modern folders with thin edges. With that said, I am glad to be seeing that recent Spyderco Taichung blades, Boker blades, and other Chinese made blades seem to have thinner edges more consistently. Hope this spreads wider.



Miso


P.S. I should say that many custom and some midtech knives have thinner edges, too.
 
Blades are specifically made in a range of thicknesses so some people in bladeforums can make and keep a thread going by complaining about knives they never will buy anyway...
 
I feel like the trend towards overly thick knives is slowly dieing out. The throngs of new knife lovers brought into the hobby by that "hard use military tactical death-knife" type deal are now realizing a knife need only be well built to achieve the durability they desire. Strider folders definately helped shape this market but knives like the zt 0452 are maybe a glimpse of what is to come. Still we are lucky there are so many types of knives today.
 
To answer the question "are they left thick to cut the cost?" The answer is definitely not. At least this applies to mass producers such as ZT who has build their brand around being overbuilt.

Material costs money. Thicker blades cost more money than thinner blades due to the extra material. If manufacturers know that they can get away with thinner material, they'll do it every time rather than spend money on thick material only to grind it away. Those who sell thick blades sell them because they want to sell thick blades.
 
The knives I talk about are both from thick stock and thick behind the edge,which I personally find useless.They do not cut as well and are harder to sharpen.I have to give credit to Cold Steel,as they grind most of their folders thin behind the edge,so they cut well and are easy to sharpen.I think some manufacturers leave extra material as it costs more to take it off.For hard use Ill use an axe ,prybar,or large fixed blade.Folders I use just for cutting.Some grinds on modern tactical folders are just a joke,so they look more tactical but do not perform better and are harder to sharpen.This new knife Ill have to regrind completely on belt sander....and even then the outcome is unknown because of heat treat,etc.My cold steel code4 clip point cuts like crazy straight out of factory ,is very easy t sharpen as its thin behind the edge,and still strong enough for whatever task I may throw at it.Most other knives I have to do full regrind on,when theyre brand new.Buck high hollow grinds are also very good,easy to sharpen and cut well out of factory.I have completely reground spyderco delica ffg,and endura4,now they cut like lazers!Traditional old world European knives with thin stock are most useful for edc.
 
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