Little design details that make a big difference to you

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DangerZone98

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Dec 7, 2019
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What we mean by this are the subtle design features that would probably be invisible to the uninterested eye or hand. Can be for fixed blades or folders. Here’s a few of mine:

- A subtle bump that lets me know by feel where the handle ends and sharp metally cutty thingy begins, e.g. Mora Kansbol. A small guard like the SRK’s is also fine.
- No jimping, or at least non-aggressive jimping. Never really needed it.
- No serrations.
- Thumb ramps on plastic/kydex sheaths. This isn’t applied as often as I’d like.
- Small sharpening choil. It’s nice to have a sharp even edge.
- Small ricasso. I like having the option of using the base of the blade rather than a ricasso that spans half of Alaska. Also, if the blade breaks for any reason, every bit of cutting edge helps.
- Fat grippy handle that doesn’t make me feel like I’m holding a pencil.
- Generally, I prefer a sturdier tip over a needle-like tip.
- Center of gravity about where my pointer finger naturally grips. For choppers, of course I don’t mind forward heavy knives.
- Full tang is always nice.
- It’s nice to have a lanyard hole.

Just a few of mine! What about yours? Feel free to post pictures or name knives you’re referring to.
 
Since I'm not much of a fixed blade user (town boy over here), I'll stick to specifically folding-knife qualities.

The deployment "snap". It's unfortunate that bare metal slabs make for the best clacky noises when the blade locks in place, because that leads to the next one.

Grippy scales. Doesn't have to be huge, knobbly texture, either. Emerson does a very good job of this.

Wide pocket clips. Can you tell I'm a "forms follows function" kind of person? Making the clip wider makes for better retention without needing to have a huge, thick piece of metal.

Pocket clip screws that stay in place! One of my constant frustrations with Cold Steel is their pocket clip screws, which walk themselves out with regular carry.

A well-recessed point. Some knives have the point sitting perilously close to the front of the slab, even when they're folded. One very well respected knife is known in enthusiast communities for "biting" it's owners because you can in fact get your finger or the side of your hand into that gap and get snagged by the tip when you reach into your pocket. I think it's a scar of pride for some of the members of that community....?

Chamfers on slab surfaces. You don't get "extra grip" by leaving sharp corners on everything. It's being CNC cut already, add the three seconds of cycle time to knock off those corners (especially on the spine side), and charge accordingly.

Okay, maybe that last one isn't specifically for folders. But it's still annoying.

I'll take my soap box with me when I leave.
 
Interesting thread !

DangerZone98 said:
What we mean by this are the subtle design features that would probably be invisible to the uninterested eye or hand. Can be for fixed blades or folders. Here’s a few of mine:

- A subtle bump that lets me know by feel where the handle ends and sharp metally cutty thingy begins, e.g. Mora Kansbol. A small guard like the SRK’s is also fine.
- No jimping, or at least non-aggressive jimping. Never really needed it.
- No serrations.
- Thumb ramps on plastic/kydex sheaths. This isn’t applied as often as I’d like.
- Small sharpening choil. It’s nice to have a sharp even edge.
- Small ricasso. I like having the option of using the base of the blade rather than a ricasso that spans half of Alaska. Also, if the blade breaks for any reason, every bit of cutting edge helps.
- Fat grippy handle that doesn’t make me feel like I’m holding a pencil.
- Generally, I prefer a sturdier tip over a needle-like tip.
- Center of gravity about where my pointer finger naturally grips. For choppers, of course I don’t mind forward heavy knives.
- Full tang is always nice.
- It’s nice to have a lanyard hole.

Just a few of mine! What about yours? Feel free to post pictures or name knives you’re referring to.
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I agree with almost of your criteria, except I don't mind jimping, and I do like choils / larger ricasso's because they help cutting away from me, edge towards my arm (not sure how to explain this better, but it's the strongest controlled cutting action for me).

And would like to add a couple for my fixed blades:

- zero recurve please
- no coating if at all possible
- min. blade length 4"
- non-stainless steel knives need a Kydex sheath, leather is nice for stainless
- steel with > 3% chrome

A good sheath is as important as the knife for me, so here are my additional leather sheath criteria (Kydex I usually customize accordingly):

- sewn belt loop
- vertical carry, knife should ride higher up, i.e. butt should be noticeably above belt line, but still balanced tip down.
- leather edge guards (not sure what the right terminology is)
- a rivet in the sheath tip is a plus (so the knife doesn't cut through the seam)

:)

Roland.
 
ferider said:
Interesting thread !



I agree with almost of your criteria, except I don't mind jimping, and I do like choils / larger ricasso's because they help cutting away from me, edge towards my arm (not sure how to explain this better, but it's the strongest controlled cutting action for me).

And would like to add a couple for my fixed blades:

- zero recurve please
- no coating if at all possible
- min. blade length 4"
- non-stainless steel knives need a Kydex sheath, leather is nice for stainless
- steel with > 3% chrome

A good sheath is as important as the knife for me, so here are my additional leather sheath criteria (Kydex I usually customize accordingly):

- sewn belt loop
- vertical carry, knife should ride higher up, i.e. butt should be noticeably above belt line, but still balanced tip down.
- leather edge guards (not sure what the right terminology is)
- a rivet in the sheath tip is a plus (so the knife doesn't cut through the seam)

:)

Roland.
Click to expand...
Thanks! The purpose really is to highlight those little things which we subconsciously appreciate but not talk about much.

I believe the leather edge guards are called welts? Yeah, they protect the stitching. I agree with having a good leather sheath.
 
I prefer no sharpening choils, on anything, or half-stops on slippies. Sharpening choils add no function to me and add the inconvenience of hanging up on material when cutting near the handle. I feel like half-stops add a jerky opening and closing experience vs a consistent pressure. That was one of my favorite things about queen knives.

I like handles with some flat to the side so they don't rotate in hand. Most have this, some don't though.

I love a nicely rounded spine. Just feels great.
 
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mostly I appreciate the fine details being left for me to fine tune. As long as the price reflects that. I’ll do a better more careful job than the production line worker will. Things like sharpening choils jimping rough corners. I can handle.

The little detail I appreciate on a pocket knife is sunken joints.

The biggest deal breaker for me is a recurve blade.
 
On traditional knives, slip joints, I really like having an end cap. I have never been a fan of “Bare End” knive patterns. I have had a few and I am always concerned that if I drop the knife that I would break the handle covers.
 
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Thumb ramps don't necessarily need jimping, but they shouldn't be squared off, or they are uncomfortable to put any pressure on with the thumb, so crowned/radiused/rounded or your term of choice. Spine also as I don't really scrape with my knife, or if I do, I have a knife specifically for it (my necker, which does not have a radiused spine).

I don't like handles with sharp corners. I definitely don't like pointy ridges between grooves, like on the Manix, for example. Some people really like these, and seem to feel they are needed for grip security, but I just can't get behind that argument. Even if removing those ridges reduced the grip by some small amount, it increases the handle's versatility and comfort by tenfold as much, in my opinion.

Not a choil guy at all, as has been mentioned, they always end up snagging in my uses. I thought about trying the "one serration instead of a choil method", but even that never felt necessary to me, as I am more likely to eventually grind down the kick by a fraction of a mm if I need to, and preserve a cleaner non-recurved look.

I am more likely to prefer a handle that is a little taller looking from the side and and thinner looking from the top. Less liable to twisting in the hand.

I like a pointy fine tip, a robust tip, or an in between tip, depending on the application. For a general EDC knife in my own uses, something a little finer than in between is the right choice.
 
DangerZone98 said:
- Thumb ramps on plastic/kydex sheaths. This isn’t applied as often as I’d like.
Click to expand...

I also agree with this. I have experimented a bit, and I am finding that lately I like to put a minimalist ramp on as it accommodates both those who want something to push off of (and they also help for one handed re-sheathing if the sheath is on the tighter side), but because they are minimal it also accommodates those who like to carry horizontally and not have the thumb rump dig into their waist when they bend and twist. Here are two different examples, one more minimalist than the other.

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I carry multiple knives for a lot of reasons. I'm not real picky with every knife but I will always have at least one knife on me that has at least a half-serrated blade. I absolutely detest thumbholes, thumbstuds, or anything sticking off of the blade - which is why I prefer autos, lockbacks, and slip joints.
And I only like full tanged or full skeletonized tanged fixed blades that aren't too skeletonized so that they look weak. I also prefer some non-aggressive jimping on my fixed blade, but it wouldn't always be a deal breaker. I can add some jimping if I really liked the knife.

Edited to add lockbacks and slip joints.
 
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000Robert said:
I carry multiple knives for a lot of reasons. I'm not real picky with every knife but I will always have at least one knife on me that has at least a half-serrated blade. I absolutely detest thumbholes, thumbstuds, or anything sticking off of the blade - which is why I prefer autos, lockbacks, and slip joints.
And I only like full tanged or full skeletonized tanged fixed blades that aren't too skeletonized so that they look weak. I also prefer some non-aggressive jimping on my fixed blade, but it wouldn't always be a deal breaker. I can add some jimping if I really liked the knife.

Edited to add lockbacks and slip joints.
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While I don't hate the other opening methods like you, I am in love with the clean look of an auto when it's open. I also really like that when sharpening, no thumbstuds to fight around. I've been adding a lot more to my repertoire lately and don't regret it a bit... once I get past the little bit of sticker shock it takes to get a nicer auto.

I've been finding my auto fact to be a really useful knife, and downright gorgeous, but it will unseat a few bills for your wallet for sure.

gGsy2Grl.jpg
 
bikerector said:
While I don't hate the other opening methods like you, I am in love with the clean look of an auto when it's open. I also really like that when sharpening, no thumbstuds to fight around. I've been adding a lot more to my repertoire lately and don't regret it a bit... once I get past the little bit of sticker shock it takes to get a nicer auto.

I've been finding my auto fact to be a really useful knife, and downright gorgeous, but it will unseat a few bills for your wallet for sure.

gGsy2Grl.jpg
Click to expand...

Well, I said detest because I don't like to use the word, hate. Hate is a very insidious emotion. And many people tend to become what they claimed to hate.
That is a nice looking knife.
 
storyofmyknife said:
I love having good blade to handle ratio. You get more blade without it looking more aggressive which is nice in some settings.
Click to expand...

Yes! I really should have mentioned this, at least with regard to folders. In fact, the design I posted in the other thread was actually inspired by a Spyderco knife I modded for precisely this purpose.

Here is that knife, a Resilience, now with a leafy spearpoint blade, and 3 13/16" blade to 4 7/8" handle. Someone mentioned not liking so little clearance between tip and edge of the handle scales, but it's never been a problem for me. I can push my finger against the butt of the closed knife, and touch the tip but it doesn't pierce, and even if I slide my finger across it my skin remains intact.

I've been itching for the s35VN resilience to come out so I can make another one and move this one along.

IMG_3853.JPG
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IMG_3850.JPG
IMG_3848.JPG
 
Along with the blade to handle ratio I like being able to get right up next to the cutting edge with my grip for maximum cutting leverage, but safely so as not to slip up on the blade. Again the Resilience design is perfect for this.

And since we're on folders, I like opening holes better than thumbstuds, flippers, waves, or nail nicks, and I think I would like them better than autos as well, but the Canadian legislation against them has prevented me from testing that hypothesis.
 
If you woke me up in the middle of the night and shined a MagLite in my face and asked me, I'd say a big, robust, perhaps even over-built knife. When I look at a knife, I always think, "What if I were thrown out of a helicopter over the Mojave Desert . . . .?" I don't know why. No one has ever thrown me out of a helicopter, and I have never been to the Mojave Desert. But I like those Bravo knives by Bark River because they are very rugged, and yet they cut like a delicate, girly knife. As long as they come with a well-designed sheath that retains the knife, not a chintzy pouch sheath. (You hear that, Bark River?) Little details? I'm fascinated by any detail on a knife. I could stare at the canvas pattern in a black canvas Micarta handle. The tapered tip of a Bravo 1. The sharp edges on the spine of an L.T. Wright. This isn't answering your question, is it?
 
Mister Coffee said:
If you woke me up in the middle of the night and shined a MagLite in my face and asked me, I'd say a big, robust, perhaps even over-built knife. When I look at a knife, I always think, "What if I were thrown out of a helicopter over the Mojave Desert . . . .?" I don't know why. No one has ever thrown me out of a helicopter, and I have never been to the Mojave Desert. But I like those Bravo knives by Bark River because they are very rugged, and yet they cut like a delicate, girly knife. As long as they come with a well-designed sheath that retains the knife, not a chintzy pouch sheath. (You hear that, Bark River?) Little details? I'm fascinated by any detail on a knife. I could stare at the canvas pattern in a black canvas Micarta handle. The tapered tip of a Bravo 1. The sharp edges on the spine of an L.T. Wright. This isn't answering your question, is it?
Click to expand...

Whether it does or not, it was a super entertaining read!
 
Decorative screws are a nice touch, recessed of course.

A good sharpening choil, as mentioned above, that doesn’t interfere with the plunge grind.

A folding knife that makes maximum use of available real estate for blade length when closed.
 
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