Knife stock and thickness?

I too am on the thin to win side. It has been some years since I've even used 1/8" stock. But then most of my blades are on this side of 3 inches. Not uncommon to use .080 to .100 for a good many of my knives. My leather roundknives I use .040.
 
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I’ve said many times that in my opinion 3/32” or around .09” is a perfect thickness for knives anywhere from 1.5” to 5” or even 6” blades. It is thin enough to pass through materials with ease but stout enough to be quite strong.

But: I love them all.
 
I think there is a lot more to it than thick vs. thin. It depends on the use, most of my diving knives are relatively thick and I like a thick knife for camping. But, I never carry just one knife. On a regular day I have 4 knives, starting with a SAK, a Sebenza, a Hinderer XM-24 and a Cold Steel Master Tanto. When DIving I go big, but I may be done with diving now. So for me there is a time and a place for many blade thicknesses. I have a Rockstead Kon fixed blade with a 13/64 " (.20 approx.) thick blade and I have yet to see a knife that cuts better than it does. YMMV.
 
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knarfeng said:
every what knife?
Fixed blade? Folder?
Usage? .... EDC? Chopper? Survival? Whittling? Cardboard slicing? Filleting fish?
What blade steel? Sometimes you want to use a steel with high abrasion resistance, but it's somewhat brittle and you need to make it thicker.

Way too many factors to say "THIS is the only reasonable thickness for a blade."
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Well a folder in my opinion makes sense to be thin. Talking outdoor knives, ofcourse kitchen knives and filleting knives need to be thin. Steel wise, CPM cru-wear has enough abrasion resistance but can still be ran pretty thin, has good edge stability. Alot of steels that have a good balance of stability and edge retention, so one can not worry about steel being brittle.
 
Something to think about is the fact that the Green River 4215 was considered one of the best knives you could have for a really long time, starting in the mid 1830's. Carried by mountain men, cowboys, pretty much everyone, etc. these are about .090" or 3/32" which is fairly thin.

Im not against thick blade stock but I do question the super thick, low saber grinds that many overbuilt tactical folding knives use.

Soon, I will put some new pants on it!

 
Weiss said:
I generally prefer thicker blades with robust tips since they'll succeed without breaking at things I sometimes use knives for, which includes all kinds of unanticipated you-shouldn't-use-a-knife-for-that nonsense, but for which the knife is likely the only useful tool in my pocket.

Yes, I cut things with them, too, including food prep, but I have also pried and chopped and dug and scraped with them, too, so I appreciate the reliability as well as the ability to cut.

Among my favorite such knives: Cold Steel's 4-Max and SR1 Lite Tanto.





But for wee tiny slicers, I really like Cold Steel's Holdout III.

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I use the 4 max for 1 person camping food prep. And it isn't an issue.

It also chops really well having the longer handle and blade heavy. I am just terrified it will close on me.
 
This is why I got me a 1x30 grinder and thinned out my pm2. My loving wife ordered my two endelas engraved with Bible verses so those are sentimental, or I would 100% take them to the grinder. The endelas should've had .090 stock like the delica.

Thin knives are great. Medium knives are ok. Thick knives make me want to grind, or just use a hachet.
 
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