Knife stock and thickness?

L

Laima Forge

Joined
Oct 23, 2025
Messages
8
Hello everyone! A while ago it was in trend for every knife to be thick ''atleast'' 3/16. I also got on that train, but then after using knives more and more, my knife choice and design has gotten slimer.
Thinner knives cut better and for me perform better too.
What do you say?
What works best for you and what are your prefrences? If you like them thicker, why and what advantages do they give for you?
Let me know!

Have a good day!
 
Thin Wins....

Me personally thickness (Maybe) for an increased wedging effect, but still not needed on battoning.

More so I'll use thickness for a little extra weight, for a Chopper. A chopper needs a certain weight.

1/8" is otherwise plenty thick for most heavy use knives. 5/32" is beastly. I use tough steels.
Geometry cuts. Geometry is by far the most important aspect in a knife. Thin Wins.

Yes, I'll make over 3/16" but not as often.

Buy what You like.
 
Last edited:
I would agree, and I was guilty as well. It wasn’t until I bought a few custom fixed blades that were ~ 1/8” thick or so that I realized the stock thickness and bevel height can really make or break cutting performance. I’ve since seen several production folders that I like the look of, but that seem too thick to efficiently cut.
 
I prefer thin full flat ground blades for cutting performance. Thinner blades cut better, and a knife that’s thinner behind the edge is easier to sharpen and keep sharp.

Choppers need to be thicker just for the weight. Thin choppers still chop but it seems like they fatigue you faster. You have to put more ass into every chop so they wear you out.
 
M.FREEZE said:
I would agree, and I was guilty as well. It wasn’t until I bought a few custom fixed blades that were ~ 1/8” thick or so that I realized the stock thickness and bevel height can really make or break cutting performance. I’ve since seen several production folders that I like the look of, but that seem too thick to efficiently cut.
Click to expand...
Thats actually almoust identical to my way of finding out that thinner is better. Except it was a 1/8, 13 dps scandi grind, and even that cut better than the brk bravo that has a blade of 3/16 (even thicker than that) and a fat convex. Back then i thought, if this scandi cuts better than anything before, then how dandy would a thinner grind be. :D
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Thin Wins....

Me personally thickness (Maybe) for an increased wedging effect, but still not needed on battoning.

More so I'll use thickness for a little extra weight, for a Chopper. A chopper needs a certain weight.

1/8" is otherwise plenty thick for most heavy use knives. 5/32" is beastly. I use tough steels.
Geometry cuts. Geometry is by far the most important aspect in a knife. Thin Wins.

Yes, I'll make over 3/16" but not as often.

Buy what You like.
Click to expand...
I have never really tried a real dedicated chopper. I was thinking of making one. But i like the small knife/axe/saw combo alot. Maybe i will commit sometime in the future and for the experience/pratice (also diversity) make one.
 
Seedy Lot said:
For almost all my uses I would take 1/16 over 3/16, always. 1/8 is about max thickness for me and that is going to be a knife I am going to be rough with.
Click to expand...
The thinnest i have tried is a mora classic that is a bit more than 1/16. Loved that it was nimble, cut great, but would cut even better if it was a thin convex.
 
Seedy Lot said:
Most of my knives have been around 0.080-0.090 thick. They have been very popular and have changed many people's minds about how thick a knife needs to be.
Click to expand...
And what i ''found'' out a while back is that i dont need to batton large logs with a knife like it was shown to me on youtube 8 years ago. Chaning a mind set allows you to have better performance sometimes.
 
Laima Forge said:
Hello everyone! A while ago it was in trend for every knife to be thick ''atleast'' 3/16. I also got on that train, but then after using knives more and more, my knife choice and design has gotten slimer.
Thinner knives cut better and for me perform better too.
What do you say?
What works best for you and what are your prefrences? If you like them thicker, why and what advantages do they give for you?
Let me know!

Have a good day!
Click to expand...

For EDC I like thicker knives with strong locks as I don't know what I may need to do. Cold Steel/Demko type blades. I keep a thin Victorinox on my key chain for peeling apples and other light tasks. If I need to cut up a lot of cardboard boxes, I use a utility razor blade and just buy new blades when needed. The new Demko razor shark is nice for this, although a bit pricey.

I sort of never understood the thin, crazy edge retention steels. Hard to sharpen, very chippy and very fragile... why not just use a utility knife? It's way cheaper and you don't have to worry about hitting staples and ruining the blade.
 
katguy said:
For EDC I like thicker knives with strong locks as I don't know what I may need to do. Cold Steel/Demko type blades. I keep a thin Victorinox on my key chain for peeling apples and other light tasks. If I need to cut up a lot of cardboard boxes, I use a utility razor blade and just buy new blades when needed. The new Demko razor shark is nice for this, although a bit pricey.

I sort of never understood the thin, crazy edge retention steels. Hard to sharpen, very chippy and very fragile... why not just use a utility knife? It's way cheaper and you don't have to worry about hitting staples and ruining the blade.
Click to expand...
Whats in your mind and opinion crazy edge retention steels?
 
In the pursuit of indestructibility, people are blinded when looking for the purpose of a knife.

The most offending ones are the under 5 inches blade but thicker than 3/16. Not good enough for chopping, not good enough for cutting without significant compromises. Sharpened prybar is not a compliment.
 
David Mary said:
One can make a 1/16" thick knife that won't cut anything, or a 1/4" thick knife that slices very well. So I say #allknivesmatter
Click to expand...

Geez, would ya' please pick a side? 😁

You're right though. I have thin knives that don't slice all that well (my Kershaw Blur) and thick knives that slice remarkably well (Cold Steel Bush Ranger) due to some sort of geometric witchcraft. I've discovered that I like knives that cut, so although I generally prefer thinner blades, I'm willing to try out specific designs with thicker stock and hope to be pleasantly surprised. Everything has its place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top