how important is it that a knife fits your hand?

H

holdanedge

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Sep 16, 2002
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hello, i hope ya'll don't think i am bonkers!
as you all know i have been looking at knives in the 3.25" to 4" range. i actually prefer knives around 2.5! the thing is the smaller knives i have to handle like a surgical scalpel(giant hands). the larger knives i can grip like a baseball bat, per se. i have never slipped up on a smaller knife. well heres the real important point. over 2.5" is illeagle in my city! the sate does not have any limit. although i have been told that larger blades routinly get confiscated "for suspicious activity" i really do not want to loose something like a large sebenza! can a umfaan or similar little guy cut more than envelopes? like boxes and rope? would all of you feal comfortable with a edc that you more or less handled with two fingers and a thumb? i have carried the same 2.75" for about 25 years! it is close enough that no leo's ever noticed that it was bigger(yes, many have seen it). on the other hand, a 3.5"-4" tacticle folder is a different story.
so, should i stick with my search for the big one or go for the little guy and be done?
the funny thing is i came here a week ago looking for 1 edc. it has now turned into an entire project. well, besides being flamed so much i am having a good time learning about knives.



thank you,
holdanedge.
 
I carry a SOG pentagon II. I'm 6'4" and my knife is 5". If a cop ever found this knife in pocket he would definitly conficate it (I wouldn't blame him) It's a great knife: great edge, handle and lock, but it was only $75. So if I ever lost my knife I would just get a new one. I say, get what feels comfortable to you, but if it is of questionable size, don't spend too much, so it can easily be replaced.
 
Hey holdanedge...

Sorry for the flames..:)

As for this being a "project",, LMAO.. Hang On,, its about to turn into an addiction...You'll find that your price limit on knives will Drastically go through the roof...

Keep away from ("for suspicious activity") and you won't have a problem... If you find yourself in bad situations, and being checked by the law allthe time,, it doesn't matter what size the knife is, your gonna get nabbed with it...

As to size and fitting in your hand..

Yes,, nvery important...
If you have big hands,, your gonna love the Becker line..:)

ttyle

Eric...
 
thank you for the replies!
i have a lead foot :) so i get pulled over a lot. they like to search you sometimes here. the 2.5" law is usually not inforced. but if the cop is a jerk, you loose a $500 sebenza! it has never happened to me. but, then my edc has always been a swiss army. not exactly menacing looking. really, i like little cutesy knives! are they of any use(like the umfaan)? if you have to hold it in a awakward manner due to large hand size would you still buy an umfaan?
i certainly will stay under 4". i already bought a couple of (larger)knives in the last week , but don't really like them. i honestly don't know what to get. i like the little ones from a social (and saftey) standpoint, but they feal strange when i hold them. i honestly hope i never have to use it as a weapon(don't plan too). i just want to cut boxes, rope etc. my 2.78" swiss army has cut anything and everything in the last 25 years! strangely the little swiss army fits me better than any small locker i have tried.
i just want to get one really (expensive) nice knife i carry everyday.
and, certainly do not want to ever risk getting it confiscated. i figure right around 3" is probably the safest bet as far as le is concerned around here. its just a shame that it seems to be about a 4.5"-5" handle it takes to fill my hand!




thank you,
holdanedge.
 
Yes an Umfaan will cut boxes and rope. If the rope is thick, you may have to work at it a bit.

I have a couple of slipjoints that have handles that a short enough that only three of my fingers will fit. It doesn't bother me. You get used to the short handle after a while and you don't even think about it when using the knife.

By the way, I don't think that CRK makes the Umfaan any more. I can't seem to find it on their web site. It looks like the Mnandi has taken it's place.

Edited to add something.
 
The blade on a small sebenza is 3" and it cuts well. With some shape handles, even if your hand is bigger, you can find a comfortable, solid position with one or two fingers off the handle.
 
It sounds like you're in the market for something like a Spyderco Kiwi. Great grip, VG-10 steel, one-hand opening, lockback, friendly looking aesthetics, and a 2 3/8" blade.

spc75p.jpg
 
Have a look at the Spyderco line... quite a few that could work for you...

C41 Native,C11 Delica,C71 Salsa,C28 Dragonfly,C29 Cricket,C08 Harpy/Merlin
 
ok, crk is my favorite. so i'll either get a umfaan(with a moon graphic) or a small sebenza. honestly i have to hold those with three fingers but i have never slipped. i already got some larger knives, so i am covered. but, for my carry i would like a smaller one.

it is so funny how everyone has a different opinion! no matter what question i ask 10 different people will feal 10 different ways! thats not a bad thing mind,you.
i guess ultimatly i have to get what i am comfortable with. i do like large handles to fit my hands. large blades on the other hand i don't find really sociably acceptable in my cicrles. plus when i look at a 3.5"+ knife in my hands it just doesnt seem "right" to me. that is just my own fealings. everyone else should get what they like too.
i hope y'all don't think i am a sissy because i don't like huge blades! now i am sure i really opened myself up for a trashing :)

i was also wondering is there anything else similar in size shape and materials to the crk line from other manufacturers. i don't care if they are expensive. it is just hard to find the crk knives around here. that is crk NOT crkt :)



thank you,
holdanedge.
 
VERY IMPORTANT!!! I love the Busse knives, but they are huge in my hands. For example, The Badger Attack is a very nice blade but my small hands get lost on that big handle. I wish Jerry would specially design some knives for people with smaller hands. The Badger Attack I would like to see the handle shortened about 1 1/2 to 2 inches and also slim it up as well so its not as fat. Although, The Satin Jack is a bit better in size for me but I like and want all of the Busse knives to fit my hand. I would LOVE for Jerry to help out us guys that are verically challenged :D ;)
 
I love Spyderco's recent attempts to design full-sized handles for smaller blades. You really need to take a look at their Salsa! It combines a 2.4" blade with the kind of grip you would be lucky to find on a 4" blade. Even those with large hands seem to find it comfortable. The finger indents plus the thumb ramp provide a thoroughly secure grip.

salsa.jpg


Mine is the titanium model that I had anodized blue by Bandit. The Salsa doesn't look like a small knife, but it does meet the legal requirements for federal buildings and other places where 2-1/2" is the limit. And it is a very practical knife.

--Bob Q
 
To me, it's really important a handle fits my hand well. One of Spyderco's leitmotifs these days is "little big knives" -- knives with short blades, but beefy handles and wide blades, so it handles and feels like a much bigger knife. I'd look at them closely, good suggestions above on models to look at.

Joe
 
Good advice from everyone on the Spydercos. You may also wish to consider the Spyderco Gunting. It has a small blade and a big handle. The knife was specifically designed to be legal in most areas.
 
thank you for the replies everyone.
the only thing i do not like about spyderco is that there blades are very "stout" and i prefer studs to holes. i'll still look at some, though. does anyone know where to get the titainium salsa in chicago? that sounds like a great deal! do all of them say "salsa" on the hanndle? most titainium knifes with good blades cost $$$$(like the sebenza). any other companies make (production) knives with titainium handles? also saw megasports has knives of alsaka, super cub. are those good? hmm. i also like the bm770. only 154cm and that one is real small. actually, the knife i really really want is the bm720, but i am afraid it is too big. i never carried a big blade and still don't really feal comfortable with them. if i had enough money i would buy all the knifes. i cought the kife bug now!





thank you,
holdanedge.
 
hmm. i just noticed the salsa's handle is 3.5". for my whole hand to fit on a handle(four fingers) i need it to be at least 4.4". but, it makes a big difference if the handle is "meaty" instead of skinny.
i guess i will be dealing with 3 fingers on the handle. a knife that is over 8" blade and handle (or any where near that), is too big to be sociable around here. i wish there was something that looks like the small sebenza or umfaan that is readily available. is there?





thank you,
holdanedge.
 
After trying out some small knives, I found a Kershaw lockblade thats blade length is 2.0" and 4.5" overall. Now I always carry the little Kershaw out of a couple hundred of my pocketknives. My friend Bruce who's a knife collector as well has large hands and I showed it to him and he loved it, unlike others that always felt awkward to him because of a minute handle the kershaw wasn't. I took a couple of pics (#3,4) www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291777669
 
Handle fitting for my hand is a very good bonus, and I actually stick with Spyderco because they usually fit my hand pretty well (I've had CRKTs that fit my hands well too).
You can probably find a whole bunch of knives from Spyderco that's small, non-tactical looking, and great cutters, and most of all, ergonomic ;)
 
Originally posted by holdanedge
hmm. i just noticed the salsa's handle is 3.5". for my whole hand to fit on a handle(four fingers) i need it to be at least 4.4". but, it makes a big difference if the handle is "meaty" instead of skinny.
Click to expand...

I know this will sound strange, but the grip on an open Salsa is actually longer than the handle by about an inch. :D

The grip is set up so you can either use a three-finger grip on the handle or get a full four-finger grip by using the indented blade choil for your index finger. I find both grips secure, so I use both depending on whether I want leverage or fine control.

--Bob Q
 
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