How much smaller?

J

jackknife

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Oct 2, 2004
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I'm at a cross roads again.

How small does one go in a pocket knife and still get good service? For example, look at the stockman. Many of you have the Old Timer 8OT and its a great knife, but a bit heavy for anything less than jeans or work overalls. Yet if we go down to the small stockman called the middleman, its noticable smaller, a bit lighter, and more pocketable in a pair of dockers or other buisness casual pants. Same with the Buck 301 stockman and the 303 stockman.

Does the weight of an once, a single little once, make a difference to you all? I was weighting some of my knives, trying to figure out if its size or weight that makes a difference. In my case, I love my old war horse of a pocket knife the Wenger SI. But in some pants, or this being summer, some shorts in lieghtweight material, its a bit heavy. Yet the little Victorinox cadet 2 I have and like is way better in the pocket, even if its a bit less than an once in difference. On the little scale I have, the Wenger is a hair over 3 onces, and the cadet is like a hair over 2 onces. Not alot of real difference, but its there. And the number 8 Opinel, in spite of being more bulky in physical dimensions, is easier on the pocket of lightweight shorts than the slimmer Wenger.

How many of you have a slightly smaller knife you go to in the summer?

Something a little lighter, a little smaller.

I wonder if thats how the smaller versions of so many knives came to be. Tiny toothpicks, mini-trappers, butterbeans from full size canoe's. Small stockmen going down as small as 2 7/8 inches like the little Boker and Old Timer ones. ?
 
I've never noticed a significant difference until we start getting into the 5 or 6 oz knives.

3.25" is about as small as I'm willing to go in terms of length. That gives a blade just under 3" or so. Any shorter, and I think functionality begins to suffer - especially with food prep.

My EDC this year has been a 3 7/8" stockman, and I've comfortably carried it in jeans, shorts, "dockers" and suit pants.

I carry an all steel Colt Commander every day in all different modes of dress, so I may not be the best one to notice or worry about an extra ounce. :)
 
Funny thing, I just ordered a Hen&Rooster 3" Canoe just for this purpose.I don't have this pattern but I thought it would be slim and useful for a lighter pocket.

I also turn to a CASE Mini Copperlock for this reason too.
 
For me it is size. I carry my EDC in my left front pocket, I just reach down and there it is. The Stockman, Trappers and the evil Tacticals tend to stick out when I sit and wear spots on the pockets. The Peanut doesn't ride out this way and seems to be easier on the dress pants for work. On weekends all bets are off and the big guys are back in my pockets. Still, I am getting attached to my little stag peanut. Steven
 
I have a Queen Utility (single blade slimline trapper) in D2 in my pocket at the moment which was a gift from a close buddy on the forum. Though it's a 4" knife, it weighs in at a mere 1.75 oz with a vorpal edge as put on by Tom Krein before it was sent to me.

Pretty hard to beat for a knife you'd hardly know was in your pocket. :thumbup:
 
I think its not the weight as much as the size that matters, but that could be cause I wear my wranglers all year, even during the summer. I guess I'm lucky that I dont have to wear slacks... so far.

I usually carry small knives and big knives together, they get along quite well.

Peter
 
I carry my Case Texas Jack in everything from Jeans, to shorts, to Suit pants. Even in the suit pants you can't tell it's there. I wouldn't want to go any bigger than that though.
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This is an interesting question, one which has had me testing out different knives to this very day. Function over comfort. My most functional knife is my SAK Super Tinker, hands down, but at three layers, it is just too darn wide. Lately I've been carrying my Wenger SI, which I stopped carrying years ago. I love this knife, and it feels good in my pocket, but to be honest, the main blade is a bit big for my tastes. Although I am going to stick with it for the time being, it just seems like over kill most of the time. I have a Case CV Medium Stockman, and that is small enough to be comfortable in alot of what I wear, except for dress pants, in which case it prints on my pocket. I love my Bone Stag Peanut, and it is tiny, but all in all my favorite.... or, better yet, my most COMFORTABLE pocketknife is my Vic Cadet. Yes it is only an ounce lighter then my Wenger SI, as Jackknife pointed out, but it is alot slimmer. My Peanut, while a definite favorite, prints on my pockets as well, since the stag handles bulge out slightly on the sides, giving it a rounded look and feel, and not allowing it to ride flat against my leg. For me it's width. If it's too wide, it will press too much against the outside of the pocket, and thus press against my leg, creating the feel of a bulge. It is uncomfortable. I love SAKs, for their utility as well as durability, and the Cadet suites me best for it's slimness. There are thinner SAKs (Alox Bantom), but if it's TOO thin, I feel awkward holding it for any heavy cutting. The Cadet is THISCLOSE to being too thin, but still on this side of comfort. Good thread here, Jackknife. It addresses a dilemna I've had for a long time. I want a knife that's going to take care of business, but I'm not going to carry it if it's uncomfortable, but a comfortable knife might be too slim or small, but if it's not thin I won;t carry it....... oy vey!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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I agree about the size/weight thing. For me it's the size and not so much the weight. I worry when I can't feel the knife in my pocket. I'm always nervous that it slipped out while I was driving or sitting in my favorite easy chair.

I carry a medium trapper with nice sambar stag handles. It's 3-1/2" long. I always have a "sense" of it in my pocket without it being heavy or in the way.

This is the only knife I have carried for a while now. Maybe it's time for something different ........................ or maybe not!

Keep Care,

Pappy
 

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3 1/2" is good. While a smaller knife can't be beat for convenience, I just don't find them very useful for extended use. I can't get a proper grip on a small knife, and as a result my hand cramps up very quickly.
 
If I want something small for dress I pick the small 2 inch easy opener or my Copperlock.



Pappy, what kind of trapper is that? I didn't see any stamps.
 
Jacknife,

I'm very much in the same boat. I love my Vic soldier and would carry it all of the time if it weren't for the length. It usually gets more pocket time, because it doesn't feel as heavy as my stockman. I found a pretty interesting compromise. The SOSAK website has some modified Alox SAKs with pocket clips on them. I'm considering getting one for when I want a larger knife and I'm in something other than jeans or khakis. Thought it may be an interesting solution for you. I often carry a clip knife inside the waistband of my pants if I want a big blade, but I'm in slacks. I put the link below for you to check it out. I think I'm going to find an a clip online and install it myself. Let me know what you think.
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For me it all seems to come down to length. I find around 3 1/4 is what i prefer.
 
I had the tiny easy opener one day and I had to help my brother in law set up a gazebo. That little knife cut open the strapping, box and all the inside packaging with zero effort, just like the big boys.

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I want that SAK with the pocket clip, where can I get it?
I thought about drilling and tapping one myself but I was afraid I'd mess it up.

I found it, thanks.
 
I have found a 3 1/4" medium stockman just the right size and weight.
The main clip is about 2 1/4", which gives me plenty of blade.

I tried the small stockman 2 3/4 but they are just to small.

And a 3 1/2 dogleg is heavier than the medium stockman, which is noticable to me in my office pants.
 
Now that school is out and I am done teaching for the summer, my dress clothes can hibernate in the closet for awhile. This means I can dress in more casual (and substantial) clothes that will comfortably support different knives than my trusty work edc peanut.

The Wenger SI mostly is fine for me in the pockets of jeans, khakis, and heavy shorts. I try to buy pants with deep watch pockets, which makes it even better since I usually have other stuff in my pockets too. As an alternative, I also don't mind having something bigger in a belt pouch when dressed casually, like my Vic Spirit multitool or SAK Outrider.
 
ElCuchillo said:
It addresses a dilemna I've had for a long time. I want a knife that's going to take care of business, but I'm not going to carry it if it's uncomfortable, but a comfortable knife might be too slim or small, but if it's not thin I won;t carry it....... oy vey!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ah yes, the age old dilemma of knife size; function vs bulk.

What has been surprising to me, and actually made me start this thread, is how such a small difference in size can make such a big difference in carrying comfort.

When I broke out this little scale I have, I was surprised at how little difference there was in the actual weight of two knives that had such different feels. Sometimes it was less than a full once. Now an once is not alot of weight, certainly not what I think would be enough to feel different in a pocket. But I guess when you add the tiny bit of difference in bulk, more factors come into play. When I look at the Buck cadet side by side with the stockman, or the Vic cadet side by side with the Wenger SI, there is not a big difference in closed length, or blade length, but the biggest difference is in thickness. Now I do have an alox bantam, and its fine for dress pants and a wedding or such, but I can't get a good hold on the knife for moderate work, and I'm not even a big guy. So it's too far in the direction of thin. It's a light duty snack knife.

Maybe we as knife knuts just have to have a wardrobe of pocket knives for different seasons and dress modes. Decissions, decissions!

Times like this I still feel envy of sorts for all those old guys like Peter's dad and my dad, who made it through life with a single little two blade pocket knife.
 
jackknife said:
Times like this I still feel envy of sorts for all those old guys like Peter's dad and my dad, who made it through life with a single little two blade pocket knife.
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My dad actually never really carried a knife, only a tree layer vic about one day a week, now my granddad on the other hand... ;)
But nevertheless, this question we are discussing here, is something I think over when I sit on the porch and either have a coffee and a cigarette in the morning, or a drink and a pipe in the evening, AND maybe whittle a little. You can get a lot of thinking done while you sit there, and bystanders would think you are wasting time...:rolleyes: they dont know how important the work is you are doing. Important decisions were made this way...sorry for my ramblings:D

Peter
 
I EDC an Al Mar Eagle Talon- 5" closed and about 4oz. It isn't uncomfortable. As long as the knife isn't very thick, like, say, my Vic Explorer, it is easily carried in my right front pocket.
 
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