Ideal size slippy

J

jpvjr

Joined
Feb 19, 2007
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340
I met a guy I went to grade school with here. He's now a 1SG in the Marines. His guys bought a goat, & the I butchered it. He had his Camillus sheath knife, I had my peanut. Yes they all laughed at me, til they saw what could be done with it. My peanut will do 99% of what I ask of it, but a 3-3.5" is more practical, probably ideal.
What thinkest thou?
 
This one will be great...
I agree.As long as I have a SAK(big or small) and sharpening stone i will be fine no matter is it butchering turkey,filleting three pound walleye,carving a spoon or felling six inches thick tree(no goats or donkeys yet).
Btw hows your arm?
 
I agree, In my early years of hunting I did all the wet work with a Gerber LST. Wasn't too bad if you were careful when deboning. Learned quick style that grinding the blade into the bone took the edge off...not a lot, but noticeable. I'm positive a Peanut would do the job, but I know I'll have a crampy hand when its over.
RescueRiley said:
i think a blade as long as your pinky or even your thumb will get most things done.
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hunterfisher808 said:
Gerber LST
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Still have a couple of those I was issued from the gov't back in the day. Keep 'em in a rucksack or two for emergency use. They were pretty good knives in their time and served me well. :thumbup:
 
I agree a peanut will get the job done in impressive fashion if someone knows what they are doing. I prefer a little bigger knife tho, at least 3 1/2.
 
I guess it depends on what it is being used for. Lately, I have been using a Vic classic, and to be honest with you, it has been serving me quite well. It has been handling EVERYTHING I've needed done. Granted, I am not on the battlefield, but for the everyday things I encounter, with a little ingenuity, the Classic has done it all. To parlay that into a more traditional pattern, a Peanut or pen knife would do it for me. I have carried both, but at different times of my life. Right now, as I get older and more practical, I've come to realize a small piece of steel is all you need, as long as it's sharp.
 
I often carry knives in the 4 to 4 1/4 inch range but can get along fine with something that is 3 1/2 inches closed. Easier to carry and just more practical to boot.
Still I like to carry the bigger ones sometimes.:confused:
Jim
 
Though I like carrying a peanut, and others in the 3.5-4" region, there is something about the 3-1/4" size that is just magical for me. That region is like a Peanut on steriods--big enough to get serious work done, but small enough to hideout comfortably in my pants pocket. It's a nice blend of good characteristics.
 
A sub 3" peanut and 3" GEC barlow work fine for me but it really depends on the pattern. In general, I choose knives in the 3 5/8" to 3 7/8" size with 3 3/4" being ideal for my hand.
 
I generally don't gravitate toward too many of the smaller knives but lately I've found that I really like the few I have around 3 3/8".

Very easy to carry, light and still plenty of blade for most any task imho. (Single and double blade patterns.)
 
Over the past few years, my two friends Chet and Don, have been coaching me on knapping, and it's amazing what can be done with a little sharp tool. I've got a little obsidian blade I made with a 1 1/2 inch blade and a wood handle fixed on with artificial sinew. It's about the size of a Buck Hartsook. I made a deerskin pocket sheath for it, and it's cut some things well.

I've also been using the heck out of my sak classic for most of my light pocket knife cutting. Mail, twine, breaking down boxes after a trip to Sam's Club. Just as an exersise in maximum minimalisim.

For most cutting, you don't really need much blade, the handle size is the more limiting factor; what can you hold onto with your hand size? There's where it get's personal.

On the 4th, we had a BBQ for the family, and I had a couple of large fillets of salmon that I'd marrinated, and before putting them on the Weber, I cut them up to smaller pieces for easier handling with tongs. I did the cutting with my little obsidian knife, and it went right through the raw fish. Then I cut up the marrinated sirloin into peices because some wanted medium, others well done. It went right through the raw beef like a...for lack of a better phrase...a sharp knife.

It's a ballance of needs and wants. What do you need, and how much do you want to carry around. My own view of this has changed greatly over the course of my life. These days I want the smallest lightest tool that will still let me do the job if I'm careful.

When I was a kid, the standard deer knife was Little Finn. About a fingers worth of blade. The Icemans flint knife was about a 2 inch blade. He must have skinned that bearskin cloak he was wearing with it, and whatever game he killed. He was well dressed for the cold with some nice hide/fur clothing. If he had not been shot in the back with that arrow he would have been okay.

I can get by with a pen kinfe size blade if I have to.
 
jackknife said:
For most cutting, you don't really need much blade, the handle size is the more limiting factor; what can you hold onto with your hand size? There's where it get's personal.
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I agree with this. I recently picked up a benchmade 210tk Snody, its a necker type fixed blade. The blade is just a hair over 2",which is shorter than many slippies but the handle is very comfortable. I know it can tackle huge jobs with less fatigue due to the handle being pretty ergonomic. That said, I have never blooded it as I always end up carrying something larger in the field lol guess subconsciously I'm not confident with the "Less is more" theory...ok ok I'm a coward:D or I just like carrying my extra large trappers:thumbup:
 
I just got a barlow at 3 1/2", which is the shortest I say I'd ever go. It does make for a comfortable carry, though 3 3/4" is my ideal size.
 
The only time I carry a little larger knife is when I go camping these days and even then I have a smaller knife with me. I really like a 3 5/8 inch knife with 2 blades one being a turkish clip and the other blade a pen or carpenters. I can get just about any of the jobs done with a set up like that. Peanuts also work great and I have carried a Vic. cadet II that is a good little knife. Most of the time you just don't need a real big knife. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
I've found that my ideal blade is about 2 3/4", or whatever the length on the Sodbuster Jr. is. Perhaps it's the length and size of the blade, the shape, or perhaps the solid "snap", but this length works wonders for me. I usually prefer anywhere between 2 3/4 to 3 1/4, regardless of the knife. But, then, I do experiment with all types of blade sizes and styles :)
 
hunterfisher808 said:
...I just like carrying my extra large trappers:thumbup:
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Hi Mike...

I agree on the Trappers. Those are the only slippies I have currently. Both sizes work fine for me, although I gravitate toward the larger size. The spey blade is really good for working around my dogs; no sharp points in case of unexpected moves.

I really like the 2 new G10 Case Trappers that I got at Blade, but my others (amber bone and dark red bone) are all CV.
 
3 1/4 is about the smallest I would go. Anything else and my hand cramps up and i get annoyed. I prefer the 3 3/4 - 4 1/4 size myself. You know, medium/large stockman. Trapper. Some canoes. Copper heads. Etc.
 
I use to prefer a 4" stockman but now that I'm older I prefer the 3 5/8" size knives now. Your peanut story doesn't surprise me in the least.
 
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