How do you like your knife? (Light vs Heavy)

For EDC, I like my knives to be small (~3") and light. The Kershaw Skyline and Buck Vantage Pro are ideal. For hard-use, I like some weight and size to them like my ZT0300 or Benchmade 710-D2. And as someone already mentioned, having a balanced knife is always a plus.
 
honestly, it really depends on what i intend to use the knife for.

a small hunting knife has no need to be over 4oz. a big thumping chopper would be useless at that weight.

personally, i really don't mind lugging a little extra weight around.
 
Found a long time ago that 3.5-4.0 oz is the best weight for me.
Most things over that won't fit in the Benchmade soft sheath I
EDC so where's the advantage?
 
I'll take an order of heavy please!

One pound may be too much, but 8 or 9 ounces is no problem.
 
Shape is very important as well as the feel of the knife with my hand in my pocket. I dont like knives that are very rough or have sharp edges that scrap my hand when I grab my bandana or whatever else is in my pocket. Weight is not huge for me, but I tend to avoid really heavy knives as they tend to be fat and bulky.
 
I like the 4-6 ounce range but I'm not that picky about weight. After all, I'm already 250 pounds and wear a gunbelt everyday whether I carry a handgun or not. If I felt the need to bitch about an ounce or two I'd be over-reacting before I even finished my man tantrum. Footprint is more important to me since I carry in my right hip pocket. Being a righty, I have get into that pocket for cash with my EDC in there. I don't mind having to scrunch my hand a little but I owned some knives in the past that drew blood because of sharp thumb studs and jimping. I can do without that ;)

I'm also not partial to tip up or tip down.

I can honestly say that I find myself surprised more often than not, by the knives I tend to gravitate to for EDC each day. There seems to be an intangible element about some knives that make me go back to for EDC more than other knives. Something I can't always put my finger on even. The knives I really like can often be polar opposites. A good example is that the past 4 months I've carried either a Sage 2 or a Gayle Bradley 95% of the time. All other knives were d ay or two for some "strange". I can look at a knife I never used or even held before and think it may be a good candidate for my EDC but the fact is, I can be wrong a lot. It's not until I handle the knife, carry it, that I "know". And never has it been weight that made me avoid a knife. Most often it's footprint and/or design. Or maybe that secret, intangible ingredient too . . .
 
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Some people (no names mentioned) really get caught up with weight issues, 'If it ain't light, it ain't right'. To this I say, go have a leak and you will loose the equivalent of your pocket knife's weight. :D

I am not too picky about weight, as I have knives that are both light and heavy. For a light weight, I will offer up the Spyderco Military and for a heavier knife, the Spyderco Gayle Bradley is a good example. Of the two, I prefer the handle heavy GB, as it seems to give me more blade control and a feeling of security in hand that I don't get with a lighter knife. Each to their own, of course.
 
vonhizzle said:
I was just watching some knife reviews on youtube by nutnfancy and he was talking about the weight not being above 4oz being his rule. Granted, he said that there were many knives over 4oz he likes but what do you guys think? Is it preferable to you to keep knife weight down or would you rather have the heft and solidity heavy knives bring?

Is balance more important to you than weight? Just wondering what other people think, I tend to favor heavy knives with the balance centered on my index finger. Also keep in mind I would think a small knife that is heavy for its size (but still light overall) is a heavy knife.
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Are you posting this in more than one forum simply because you want more answers or are you trolling?

Is your question to do with the actual weight of a knife, or its solidity of build? I refer to your confusing statement above (underlined). I don't follow how a knife can be "small" & "light overall" and still be considered "heavy". Heavy for it's size maybe but if it's no heavier than a larger knife, your question is about something other than weight - please clarify.
 
I'm not a fan of heavy knives. I can appreciate the aesthetics behind the mass. They give the impression of durability. But this is a false impression. Weight and durability are different things. In reality, the only assumption one can make of a heavy knife is that it is heavy.
 
I like a knife to be just heavy enough for it to perform the tasks it's designed for without performance suffering in any way. I hate knives that are too light for their intended purpose, as well as ones that are unnecessarily bulky for what they're supposed to do. Economy of material is what I look for. ;)

Oh, and when a knife must have mass I prefer it to be BEHIND the cutting edge, not to the sides. Broad thin blade blades both chop and slice MUCH better than thick and narrow ones. :p
 
I find nutnfancy and his (admittedly) arbitrary weigh limits to be something of a joke. No offense, it's just that weight has never been a factor for me in terms o fknivds seleciton.

For me, size and shape dictate how and when I like to carry my knives. Never weight. For work, I'll carry my cyclone (something like 6-7 oz. knife) without a care. Sure, it won't 'melt into my pocket' and I won't 'forget it's even there', but I'll be using the knife all the time. I could care less about one or two ounces!

That said, I prefer knives like the Leek or a SAK for EDC lately, since they're smaller and/or slimmer than the Cyclone that I'm used to carrying. They're both fairly hefty knives for their size, I guess
 
antonio_luiz said:
Are you posting this in more than one forum simply because you want more answers or are you trolling?

Is your question to do with the actual weight of a knife, or its solidity of build? I refer to your confusing statement above (underlined). I don't follow how a knife can be "small" & "light overall" and still be considered "heavy". Heavy for it's size maybe but if it's no heavier than a larger knife, your question is about something other than weight - please clarify.
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How is it trolling to post on two forums? I am a member of both so I ask both :rolleyes: By light overall I meant light in relation to larger knives but still heavy for its size.

Basically I was wondering why he was categorizing light weight as good when I see nothing wrong with some weight to a knife.
 
to be honest when i buy a knife (folder) i dont really consider weight, because its pretty rare to find a knife thats the size i like (~3") thats going to be too high for me. i mean if its something outrageous for the size ill reconsider but that doesnt usually happen.
 
Heavier in the hand just feels good usually, but I have issues as well when carrying a heavier blade in slacks, so I have to go lighter when working. In jeans, though, its' bigger usually. (My wife thinks i might be compensating for other things... :( )
 
If it goes in the pocket, then light. If I'm putting it in a belt pouch or sheath, there's no limit.

However, shape and clip position are also important factors, in addition to how "loose" the pocket is.
 
I prefer mine to be beefy and robust, to a point. I like to be able to beat on them, but don't want to feel like I'm carrying a boat anchor with me.
 
I like a little heft, but I don't like feeling there's a boat anchor in my pocket.

The Carbon Fiber Native and Caly 3 are about the perfect weight for me.
 
I prefer a light knife, but not too light. There should be a balance between weight on one hand and shape of blade and handle on the other hand. I did have a Buck 279 for a while, which was one of the heaviest folders I've ever owned, but the balance was good. When using it, I didn't think if it as a heavy knife.
 
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