Knife Ergos . . . What Matters Most to You?

bld522

bld522

Joined
Feb 3, 2004
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Besides factors such as visual appeal, intended purpose, alloy, fit and finish, etc., which knife ergos mean the most to you? By ergos I mean “design factors . . . intended to maximize productivity by minimizing operator fatigue and discomfort”.

Most important to me is handle comfort. Obviously, different knives require different handle lengths, girths, shapes, materials, etc. But if I pick up a knife and it doesn’t feel comfortable in my hand before I start using it, I’ll put it down and not pick it up again.

Second is balance. Different knives require different balance points based on their size and intended purpose. For example, I expect a big chopper to be blade heavy, but not an EDC.

Third is weight. I love the feel and heft of a big knife. But not if I have to carry it around day in and day out.

Which knife ergos are most important to you and why are they important?

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full, secure grip. If you're going to put a choil on it, do so in the right spot, and fatty ricassos and wasted space between useable grip and useable blade (Like the RAT 1 for example) need to get lost.
 
I like a little weight on it. I like a choil or a guard. I hate if a handle is too big, the spyderco military is just about far as I'll go handle length. Balance? I'm not sure really. It's never been and issue for me before, or may just be that every knife I'ves owned or fondled has had a good balance?
 
Opinel#6 said:
I hate if a handle is too big, the spyderco military is just about far as I'll go handle length.
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For me it's just the opposite. I hate when a handle is too short. I feel like I have better control if the handle extends slightly beyond the width of my palm when I hold the knife in a hammer grip. For me, the minimum comfortable handle length is about 4.25". And I have medium-sized hands.

Opinel#6 said:
Balance? I'm not sure really. It's never been and issue for me before, or may just be that every knife I've owned or fondled has had a good balance?
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I can't say that. I've actually experienced EDCs that were so blade heavy that if you held the knife parallel to the floor and relaxed your grip, the knife would start to fall out of your hand blade first. That's OK for a chopper. But for an EDC it's just plain scary . . . or at least it is for me.

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I like a knife that feels like an extension of my natural hand and it's range of movement. I suppose everyone does and that's why we have such a diverse number of favorite knives.

My favorite knives in hand:

Benchmades: 710, 940 my favorites

Spyderco: Military and Endura 4 G-10

Hinderer: XM-18, XM-24 (feel best hands down)

Zero Tolerance 0301

Izula, RC-3 MIL, RC-4, Junglas

Cold Steel Large Voyagers
 
Good feel in the hand with a comfortable grip. The handle must be big enough to fit my hand and not too small.
 
cziv said:
I like a knife that feels like an extension of my natural hand and it's range of movement. I suppose everyone does and that's why we have such a diverse number of favorite knives.

My favorite knives in hand:

Benchmades: 710, 940 my favorites

Spyderco: Military and Endura 4 G-10

Hinderer: XM-18, XM-24 (feel best hands down)

Zero Tolerance 0301

Izula, RC-3 MIL, RC-4, Junglas

Cold Steel Large Voyagers
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Interesting. Your list contains two of my least favorite knives in hand . . . the RC/ESEE-3 and RC/ESEE-4. They're great knives. But their 4" handles aren't quite long enough to be comfortable for me.

Two of my favorite knives in hand are the Swamp Rat HRLM and RMD. I guess Jerry has a wider palm than Jeff does. ;)

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PayetteRucker said:
full, secure grip. If you're going to put a choil on it, do so in the right spot, and fatty ricassos and wasted space between useable grip and useable blade (Like the RAT 1 for example) need to get lost.
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Agreed on all counts. Also, choils need to get lost on bigger knives. They do little for 3"+ blades. Go ahead and put them on smaller knives like the Dragonfly, but what good does a choil do on a Military?
 
I have medium size hands and yet I prefer longer handles. I don't mind a thin handle as long as it is long enough for my hand. Finger guards is a big plus for me. However I am not a big fan of finger choils.
 
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Great feedback, guys. Ergos are a REALLY big deal in my decision regarding which knives I buy. I purchase a lot of knives online and occasionally I have to resell or trade some of them because the ergos just aren't right. I don't care who the manufacturer is or how well the blade is constructed, if the ergos don't work, it's a deal-breaker for me.

How about you? On your list of requirements concerning what to buy, what to keep and what to get rid of, where do ergos stack up for you?

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axtalan0 said:
Besides the obvious factors already mentioned, spine jimping is very important for me.
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Forgot to mention that. I hate a smooth spine of a user/EDC knife. On gentlemen/restaurant knives I perfer a smooth spine and smooth features all together.
 
Anything that feels comfortable and secure is, of course, important.

I must be able to get my finger near the edge-main reason why I don't carry a Spyderco Delica any more, and why I've been unable to warm up to many knives.

Light weight is good but not critical.

Finger choil is very important, especially on large knives.

Clipped carry must be good-easy to access, secure.

Deployment and unlocking must be simple.
 
Opinel#6 said:
Forgot to mention that. I hate a smooth spine of a user/EDC knife. On gentlemen/restaurant knives I perfer a smooth spine and smooth features all together.
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What if your fingers get butter or grease on them at the restaurant? You'll need that jimping to save on self inflicting! :)
 
cziv said:
What if your fingers get butter or grease on them at the restaurant? You'll need that jimping to save on self inflicting! :)
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No way, I never use my knives for food. Instead of dressing up, (I'm usually dressed moderatley well, polo/cargos.) I like to 'wear' a nice knife out. Or carry one of my nicer knives. My gentlemen knives I call them. :)
 
For me it is handle comfort and versatility is different grip positions.Some knife handles are meant to be held only one way. I like a handle shape hat allows many different hand positions.
 
I want a knife handle that is as comfortable when taking a big, pressure-filled cut versus just light cutting tasks. Too many knives I have are only comfortable either way, I like it when there's a balance of the two.
 
I like a lightweight folder for pocket carry EDC. The handle needs to offer good traction and be comfortable in use. Handles are better long than short. Blades need to be pointy for fine work, with some belly near the tip for working flat to a surface. I like rounded spines, but prefer jimping for better control while cutting.

A little ricasso is okay if it offers safety when closing the blade. I like a knife that will hit your index finger with a ricasso rather than the edge when closing it. Ricasso also offers ease when sharpening. I have not learned to use finger choils yet, but recently bought my first knives with this feature and am willing to learn.
 
Favorite ergos in a folding is the military and for a fixed would be the srk, although sometimes it seems a little too thin.
 
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