Knive handle sizing

Captain Spaulding

Captain Spaulding

Joined
Apr 4, 2009
Messages
1,140
I am starting my first knife this weekend and it will be a gift. Any ideas on properly sizing a handle for someone without having exact dimesions of the grip? Are there handle shapes that are more universally comfortable?

If all else fails I suppose chloraform is the answer.
 
That's kind of a tough one to get specific on. There are so many different styles... and the human hand is very adaptable.

Is it a 300# man or a 100# woman? Do you know what size gloves they wear? Do they already have a knife they like that might give you an idea?

Unless you have really huge or really tiny hands, just make it comfy for you. Maybe make it a little oversize and tell the recipient you'll trim it down if they want. It's much easier to big things smaller, than it is to make small things bigger. :D And as you said, there's always chloroform.
 
Good points, I may go look at his mountain bike handles on the QT,

I would ballpark him at around 140 or so and medium work gloves.
 
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4.5 to 5" is comfortable to most of my customers.
 
My general rule is 4 1/4" of grip with my fist tight. Grab a ruler in your fist and have a look. I rarely get anybody saying it is too small.
 
Looks like I will be splitting the difference at 4.25".

Hopefully, when the wife gets off work today I can get a template done and possibly cut the form out.

A 19 month old terrorist is keeping me from doing anything but playing with dollies and watching Madagascar. :)
 
Play with more dollies, etc. Play house. Make stuff in the kitchen. Read her stories. Watch less boob tube! I look forward to seeing what you work up for a handle(s).
 
Farmer Phil said:
Play with more dollies, etc. Play house. Make stuff in the kitchen. Read her stories. Watch less boob tube! I look forward to seeing what you work up for a handle(s).
Click to expand...

Heck yeah! :thumbup:

I agree with the others that 4 1/2 - 5" is about standard for handle length. When I grab a steel rule, as Bruce Bump suggested, my hand (which measures 3 1/2" across, just below my knuckles) fits pretty well within the 4 1/2" mark in common knife-using "grips".

Then again, the preferred shape and thickness of a handle can vary so much between users and specific knife designs, that trying to describe it makes my head spin.

For instance, my REAL, ORIGINAL Becker Necker with a thing on the end of the handle that opens all sorts of Bottles has a handle that's just a hair over 3 1/4" long, but it's comfortable and balanced because the blade is only 3 1/2". I believe this is a good example of a "three finger" knife.
 
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