How thick should it be?

[os_tempore]

I have a wonderful opportunity to get a knife, but the maker has 0.093" stock for now. I'd prefer to not wait a long time, but I also have reservations about a thin blade.

All my knives have different functions, but the they must all be able to hold their own in a survival situation. To me, that means a steel that can hold an edge, won't rust, and is tough (which equals thick). About 0.18" seems to be the minimum thickness of my blades for EDC, trekking, camping, fishing, etc. Half of that seems more like a kitchen knife.

Am I off base? Got pics or real world exp to counter my hesitation?


Edit: Steel is MagnaCut from someone who knows what they're doing. Blade is 4-5" long and around 1.5-2" tall. Design is still up in the air.

 

[beeinak]

Thickness of one steel does not equate to all others. If you mention the steel and the style/size of knife you want you will likely get better answers or opinions. Tough does not mean thick imho. Totally depends on the steel, and more important on the heat treatment.

 

[os_tempore]

Thickness of one steel does not equate to all others. If you mention the steel and the style/size of knife you want you will likely get better answers or opinions. Tough does not mean thick imho. Totally depends on the steel, and more important on the heat treatment.

Good point. I'll edit.

 

[HexY3co]

I'm sure you meant .093" for me that's a little thin, I prefer .14-.18 for pretty much any edc and .25-.30 for big choppers.

 

[os_tempore]

Nope! I generally like a 15 to 20lb EDC blade. Really lets me know I didn't forget it at home.

Ha! Yes, .093". Im in the same boat. I don't want to 'feel' like I have to baby the knife. But again, I don't have real world exp with thin blades.

 

[tltt]

Some Nordic knives can be that thin. Puukko and Leuku get close sometimes, so it's not unheard of.

 

[kafolarbear]

There's little you can do with a 0.18" thick blade that you can't do with a 0.09" thick blade, if you use your knife purely as a knife the thinner blade will be so much better to slice with, like a seriously notable difference compared to a blade twice its thickness. A tough steel like magnacut should be able to easily handle a 0.09' grind. I have a magnacut knife ~0.09" thick that performs beautifully in everything from wood carving to food prep. If you however plan to use your knife as a prybar, chopper, or to baton with it and use it as an overall general utility tool rather than a pure slicing tool, then sure you'd want to go with the 0.18" thick blade. That being said, with a steel like magnacut, for any purely cutting tasks (unless you plan to cut super abrasive material) the thinner knife will perform better.

 

[Dr Rez]

Thickness of one steel does not equate to all others. If you mention the steel and the style/size of knife you want you will likely get better answers or opinions. Tough does not mean thick imho. Totally depends on the steel, and more important on the heat treatment.

Thickness certainly does equate to toughness. The thicker the stock as well as the thicker the grind most certainly contribute massively to how much lateral stress or impact stress steel/edge can take. I would implore you to read a bit on KnifeSteelNerds website about this. If he is in this thread and sees this Im sure Larrin could point you in the direction of the specific article. I will look for it.

 

[beeinak]

Thickness certainly does equate to toughness. The thicker the stock as well as the thicker the grind most certainly contribute massively to how much lateral stress or impact stress steel/edge can take. I would implore you to read a bit on KnifeSteelNerds website about this. If he is in this thread and sees this Im sure Larrin could point you in the direction of the specific article. I will look for it.

You know steels are not the same, then my comment must not have been clear. Just because one steel is thick does not mean another type of steel cannot be tougher at a thinner stock. That is a big aspect of the super steels. Not everything needs to be a crowbar is my point.

 

[pholder]

I have a wonderful opportunity to get a knife, but the maker has 0.093" stock for now. I'd prefer to not wait a long time, but I also have reservations about a thin blade.

All my knives have different functions, but the they must all be able to hold their own in a survival situation. To me, that means a steel that can hold an edge, won't rust, and is tough (which equals thick). About 0.18" seems to be the minimum thickness of my blades for EDC, trekking, camping, fishing, etc. Half of that seems more like a kitchen knife.

Am I off base? Got pics or real world exp to counter my hesitation?


Edit: Steel is MagnaCut from someone who knows what they're doing. Blade is 4-5" long and around 1.5-2" tall. Design is still up in the air.

I by no means am a survivalist, however, I do believe that a sharp mind is more important than a sharp knife In a survival situation.A thin knife while used for its intended purpose should help you survive, don’t focus too much on thickness, even thicker blades fail.

 

[Dr Rez]

Just because one steel is thick does not mean another type of steel cannot be tougher at a thinner stock. That is a big aspect of the super steels.

Of course...but that isnt what you initially said.

My point was all else being equal thicker stock is inherently tougher.

 

[Drop bear]

Nope! I generally like a 15 to 20lb EDC blade. Really lets me know I didn't forget it at home.

Ha! Yes, .093". Im in the same boat. I don't want to 'feel' like I have to baby the knife. But again, I don't have real world exp with thin blades.

Go get a cheap thin blade knife like a kransbol or old hickory or something and see if you can break it.

 

[MrStabby7]

Thats not too thin for me. I like a good slicy blade. I think the benchmade bugout is about the same thickness. I would go for it especially if its in magnacut. You can always sell it if you decide you don't like it.

 

[beeinak]

Of course...but that isnt what you initially said.

My point was all else being equal thicker stock is inherently tougher.

I said thickness of one steel does not equate to another. That was not clear.

Steels are not all equal. Tougher steel does not need to be as thick to be as tough as a lesser tough steel. That should be clearer now.

To the OP- I will be getting a similar thickness Magnacut knife soon with a 4” blade and it will be my first in that steel and I trust the maker.

 

[Dr Rez]

Steels are not all equal. Tougher steel does not need to be as thick to be as tough as a lesser tough steel. That should be clearer now.

Haha yes, we are in agreement. My apologies as I thought you were saying something totally different.

 

[os_tempore]

I by no means am a survivalist, however, I do believe that a sharp mind is more important than a sharp knife In a survival situation.A thin knife while used for its intended purpose should help you survive, don’t focus too much on thickness, even thicker blades fail.

That is true to a point. But accidents happen, survival situations are unpredictable, and a shortage of food can dull even the sharpest mind.

For instance, cleaning a salmon on the river edge, small slip, quick dip, and your blade just met several rocks at a bad angle with your meathook holding on for dear life. Now your forward 2/3rd edge is chewed up and 1" of metal tip is 1ft deep into the river bed where your knife left it.

 

[os_tempore]

I said thickness of one steel does not equate to another. That was not clear.

Steels are not all equal. Tougher steel does not need to be as thick to be as tough as a lesser tough steel. That should be clearer now.

To the OP- I will be getting a similar thickness Magnacut knife soon with a 4” blade and it will be my first in that steel and I trust the maker.

Im guessing were talking about the same guy.

 

[beeinak]

Im guessing were talking about the same guy.

I admit that I always have multiple blades with me. I spend quite a bit of time in the woods alone in all seasons, so I carry what I trust. I do have a thin .100 AEB-L 3” drop point edc knife that would do well for most scenarios of cutting and I will have it clipped to my bibs snowmachining to my remote cabin next week (in addition to a CPK SDFK in my pack and Endura’s in each front pocket). Oh….AND a Silky Big Boy, hatchet, and chainsaw in my rear bag! No such thing as too many cutting tools.

If your knife is coming from the person making mine, I feel confident it will serve you well. If you truly think it is too thin, let the maker know, and see about getting a thicker one. Best of luck with your knife and adventures.

 

[Deino]

I don't know about the MagnaCut, the maker nor the finished product. So I can't comment much. My personal experience is also limited.

Anyhow, a thinner might not be as good of a pry bar and won't chop as hard as thicker stock. Nevertheless, I believe that thinner blade has advantages usually overlooked:
Thinner blade has easier time slicing through things.
They can be resharpened easier, less material to remove, more "ready" than a dull thick blade in "survival scenario" by always having "working" edge or "usable" blade. (learnt this with the issued "battle ready" utility bayonet that is way too dull)

 

[RousingRabbles]

Am I off base?

IMO I’d say yes and no. In general, blade thickness is extremely overemphasized in the knife community, and is likely more important to armchair Rambo’s who will never use the knife than it is a practical consideration. A stock thickness of ~0.15 is all you’d ever need for any survival experience assuming it won’t be used primarily for chopping and prying, and that it’s well made, with a reasonably tough steel.

However, O.093 is on the thin side for a fixed blade, and would probably be great for slicing tasks and processing fish and small game, but too thin for batoning or chopping of any sort.

It’s up to you if you’d be comfortable with more of a “bird and trout” knife, but if you’d ideally like a slightly more robust blade then it’s probably worth the wait. Otherwise you’ll just be underwhelmed with what you get and wish you had.