knives got smaller as you got older?

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
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This is addressed to my fellow forumites who have the displeasure of being over 50.

Did you notice as you got past the 50 year mark,(we're not even going to talk about over 60) that your choice of knives got smaller. Like going from large lockblades to smaller traditionals like you or your dad had when you were a kid?

When I was "younger" in the '60's I could not fathom why the old guys liked those little pocket knives. Now I'm interested in "gents folders", and I have mixed feelings about it.
 
I am 60 and although I still carry lockblades, I find that they are getting smaller and smaller. I carry a mini SOCOM instead of a full sized one and more and more often I find that my SAK one Hander is being left in my jacket rather than my front pocket. Not certain why.
 
I should be down in the basement on the Bowflex, but I blew my back out sweeping the kitchen floor. 53 isn't as much fun as I thought it'd be.
I still carry a fullsized folder in a belt pouch, but most of the time if I need to cut anything nowdays it's the SAK in the pocket that does it.
Looking at switching to a lighter and easier to operate folder for the belt. I'll probably still keep carrying a "big" knife, it's a habit and one of those "just in case" things. :)
Maybe it's just realizing that most of our elderly cutting chores are really much smaller than we used to think they were?
Denis
 
I'm technically too young to comment on this, but I think part of it is getting over the ego or machismo of needing a big knife. I think most of us don't need anything beyond a small light duty folder most of the time.

I've been carrying a 3.5" Spyderco Spyker recently, but honestly I typically use 0.5" or less of the tip for my cutting tasks.

I've also been looking at just getting a small folder for my cutting tasks, something like the Fallkniven U2, or one of the small Al Mar's.
 
I'm 22 and my favorite EDC knives are a SAK Super Tinker and a Kershaw Leek. I am planning on buying a Kershaw Chive very soon (the black and gold one if possible).

So I hope my taste doesn't get smaller as I get older. I won't be able to cut anything!
 
Hair said:
I'm 22 and my favorite EDC knives are a SAK Super Tinker and a Kershaw Leek. I am planning on buying a Kershaw Chive very soon (the black and gold one if possible).

So I hope my taste doesn't get smaller as I get older. I won't be able to cut anything!
Click to expand...


Sure ya will, son. When ya take your dentures out at night just touch em up with a small pocket stone!!!:D
 
I am not 50 yet, but I find that when I am not at home, generally a small knife (2 3/4" blade) does everything I need.

There are often exceptions however. At home I prefer a 4" blade, since I often use the knife that is on me in the kitchen. I also find that since most folks know that I am a knife knut, they look to me for a sharp blade. When food needs to be cut, a 2 3/4" blade just is not long enough. For example, last week we had our Thanksgiving party at work and my collegues asked me to carve the turkey. Two people brought in chef's knives, which I promply checked for sharpness, they couldn't have cut hot butter! Instead I used my Camillus Dominator, which worked well, but still I wanted a larger knife.

I am now considering an Al Mar Eagle; 4" blade and very thin and light weight.

Other than in the kitchen, I agree, a small blade is usually enough, provided it is sharp.

Richard
 
I am 59, but my favorite EDC is the large Swamp Rat Rat Trap, which I am never without. I still hold to the idea that the larger blade will do everything a smaller one will do, plus some things it won't. For instance, at the Greek Samdwich shop that my daughter and I frequent, the burgers are the old fashioned kind, big and thick. She always has me cut hers into quarters, and anything smaller that the RatTrap would make a huge mess. (I love living where I can pull the Rat Trap out in a restaurant with a large LEO clientelle
and no one looks twice.)
 
I'm 50 and I have long ago traded in my "tighty whities" for "baggy boxers" and I also tend to carry lighter smaller knives. I think the reason is that I'm not the "irresistable force" that I used to be. Years ago I would use my working knife for any purpose that came up - scraping, chopping a small branch or sappling down, cutting wire, etc. Now I have more specialized tools for that sort of thing and I'll deploy one of them rather than immediately attack with whatever I have on hand.

One of the joys of youth is being master of your universe where nothing can withstand your assault, but one of the joys of mellowing into middle age is having more stuff and appreciating and knowing how to use it.
 
knives got smaller as you got older?

Among other things... :(

Seriously, I am 33 and have been into knives less than 10 years. I used to EDC a Buck 110, Leatherman PST, or Spyderco Endura. That was back in my Army days.

Today I work in newspaper production and I carry a Victorinox Compact, Buck Mini-Taclite, and a Superknife Edge.
 
Interesting thought:) I'm 55 and have been on the "collecting" side for only 2 or 3 years. For the most part, my daily EDC blades have been 3 inches or smaller. Since I started on Spyderco, I've been probably been more on "light" than size. That way I can carry more:D You do have a very good point, though. I'm becoming more discriminating in what I'm buying as of late, and the tendency has been towards the smaller blades. I'm looking more at the utilitarian side than anything and that just happens to fall into that 3 inches or less category:) I do like having the larger blades around - weekends, mostly but again, that depends on what I do. I did acquire a Spydie Rescue 93 mm a short while ago, but that was destined for my Maxpedition. Future acquisitions in blades larger than 3 in.? Only ones that currently interests me is an Al Mar Sere 2K and maybe......a Spydie Military. But again, it's only an interest:) Now in saying that, for what my new pool cue is going to cost me when it shows up, I could easily have both:D

- gord
 
it had to be black, fast, strong and macho looking. In my mid-30s my front pocket always seems to have an EKA 88 in it. I think it pushes the Ka-bar Dozier toward the back of my shelf when I'm not looking so I have to carry it. Light weight, comfy hand-filling grip, thin blade for cutting (not prying), not too scary looking with wood handles and silver/not black blade. 2.75" seems to be plenty for my EDC needs. I've been looking at picking up a 4" blade for EDC...a toothpick (1920s tactical;) )

Frank
 
Five years ago I was into Benchmade's 3" plus sharpened pry bars :barf: . Now I am into sub 3" Spyderco, sharper, smaller and lighter. But I will never give up one hander and pocket clip.
 
When I was in my 20s, I carried a SAK for EDC, and a larger sheath knife for camping, hunting, fishing.

Now that I'm over 50, I carry a SAK for EDC, and a larger sheath knife for camping, hunting, fishing. ( I just got a Swamp Rat Camp Tramp and Battle Rat - excellent knives!).

Depending on where and how I'm spending the day, I may carry a 3-4" folder clipped under my belt.

Smaller blades over 50? Not noticably!:D
 
I'm not quite 50 yet, but still ...:D

I always preferred short blades, all my life, even on camping trips. Mind you, on camping trips I started carrying a small axe when I was 20 or so, so I didn't ever have a need for a large knife. When I got my first decent folder well over 20 years ago it was a Buck 112 and not the 110, because I didn't like the size of the 110. Most of the folders I used over the years are 3'' or just below 3''. I really, really like that size.

My fixed blades were also always pretty short, usually just over 3''. I was never interested in "tactical" blades and all the rest of it, and if someone were to give me a large tactical blade I'd sell it straightaway.

Today I find nothing much has changed over the years. I'm becoming more interested in fixed blades once again, so I just ordered a *really* short 2'' fixed blade from a custom maker.

Hans
 
I'm not fifty, but I'm much closer than I care to admit. My EDC has gotten smaller. It makes no sense to tote a big tactical whopper that I cannot toake out for fear of making someone nervous. This is especially true for me since I work at a university. The funny thing is that I currently own no pocket knife that has over a 3 1/4" blade. Those knives look plenty big to me nowadays!
 
As a teenager, the first "serious" knife that I ever bought was a 5-1/4'' folding hunter. Now I'm forty years old, and the last knife I purchased, just last week, was..............a folding hunter. I like folders from 4-1/4'' to 5-1/4'' length. Never thought about age making a difference, I just likes what I likes, and probably always will like the jumbo slipjoints.
 
I'm not (50). Hell no, I'm almost (62)! I used to think that any problem could be fixed with a big knife. Now, I know that what's required is a small knife, and a big gun, for the serious problems.

I grew up (20) miles out of NY City, on the NJ side, and never went anywhere without my Kabar or 1917 bayonet on my belt. That's when I was between 6 and 12 years old, and nobody batted an eye.

Now I always have a small SAK in my pocket and a totally stainless Spyderco Delica II clipped onto my pocket. The Delica II is heavy, but no matter what it gets on it (paint, resin, glue, etc.), I can throw it in a can of solvent to clean it. In my opinion, one-handed opening is absolutely essential, and I take advantage of it a dozen times a day.

Mikey
 
I'm 53, I've carried a SAK and a stockman most of my life since the mid 60's, I carried a Buck 112 and a SAK for about 10 years in my late 20's-early 30's, when the 112 was stolen I went back to SAK/Schrade stockman, last Friday I bought a small Boker whittler and have been carrying it this last few days along with my Vic Huntsman, I guess I will be rotating the Boker with my Schrade 34OT, and compliment with either a Vic Huntsman or a Vic Farmer.

Luis
 
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