Losing my mind with everyone thinking they need thick blades for everything

Comes about from differing viewpoints on knife use. Some look at a knife and think "What can this knife do?". Others look at the knife and think "What can I do with this knife?". Generally the more experienced users fall into the second group.
 
I have snapped thin blades such as a Shrade Old Timer without doing anything abusive, like trying to cut through the sternum of a deer while 'accidently' twisting at the same time. I thought it was too pointy, brittle and thin before I did it. I don't have to worry about my ESEE-4 snapping like a shard of glass doing a common task. Having said that, I do wish it was the same thickness as a 3. I just reprofiled the edge to a convex grind , stropped it and it doesn't slice paper worth a crap. Too thick. In fact I can get my Trail Master copy sharper much faster.
 
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Squashfan said:
My favorite was the guy who said the Benchmade 710 had a fragile tip. I have a Centofante 4 and love it.

EDIT: Come over to the traditional side. We have thin blades.
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You beat me to it I was going to try to convert him. Oh well great minds think alike.
 
I agree David with what your saying in regards to thin slicing/cutting better. But I too have jumped head first for the THICK pry bar knives because they I thought they were cool---cause they actually are cool, to me anyways.

When it comes to day to day EDC I tend to lean towards thinner knives due to their cutting ability. But in the end anything knife related combined with marketing and I'm like a chicken in the barnyard---anything shiny catches my attention :D

Paul
 
If you/people/I were to buy 1 knife then I would say you are absolutely correct.

Why do I buy? I can.

Tank knife blade is .35" thick. I don't know what the small Sebenza 21 is but I think a little thinner.

 
I've saw you post it before Blue---I love it, totally amazing :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Paul
 
paulhilborn said:
...But in the end anything knife related combined with marketing and I'm like a chicken in the barnyard---anything shiny catches my attention :D

Paul
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This made me laugh so hard Paul. LOL. I know what you mean though. I too have a couple of thick ones just because I can... And I like em.
 
???? Maybe some people think they need a thick blade and maybe some people just want one for the cool factor !!! If collecting knives is your thing then i could understand..I own many different sizes, shapes, and colors...some better then others but thats what keeps thing interesting....
 
Why thick blades? Two words..."Survival knives". We're all preparing for that moment and the moment arrives (sort of) and darn... I don't have my survival knife with me; just have this old SAK.
 
I can actually agree with you. I recently bought several small fixed blade knives, most of them are advertised as/or make perfect neckers, and I was amazed at the 3 mm stock, even 4 mm, for such small knives (blades under 3"). Some cleverly use a hollow grind which combines best of both worlds, but honestly, 2 mm and a flat grind with a keen bevel is all you need on a necker. I see little use for a 5 1/2" overall pry-bar. But that's just me. To each his own.
 
Give me something like a Kabar BK-16 or BK-17 (or something similar), and I can do just about anything needing done with a knife short of chopping. I never dreamed of chopping with a knife until I started reading the knife forums. I thought that was what machetes and similar blades, or gawd forbid a hatchet or axe were for?

It's all about fun and of course selling knives. When is the last time you chopped through inch diameter rope? But you know, I have to have a knife that can do it.
 
Thick/thin, heavy or light, what does it matter if the knife will rarely or never be used? The guys who make the most intense use knives evey day tend to favor simple and inexpensive solutions, like disposable blade utility knives or common machetes, ocassionally some of them will buy a better quality carry knife from Walmart, Home Depot, or some other big box store. These big and thick knives are intended for the sportsman and collector, for people who rarely need to use a knife, who have little concern about the quality of the work they do with the knife and who do so leisurely with plenty of time for sharpening and maintenance. If every collector had to process 6 sides of beef a day, then build and furnish a log cabin during the week and stock it with a cord of wood; our cutting tools would be very different, our heavy knives would be replaced by proper axes, saws and wedges, and we would have a roll full of thin sharp knives.

n2s
 
Different people like different things. I think thick knives are cool but edc a Sebenza.
 
22-rimfire said:
Give me something like a Kabar BK-16 or BK-17 (or something similar), and I can do just about anything needing done with a knife short of chopping. I never dreamed of chopping with a knife until I started reading the knife forums. I thought that was what machetes and similar blades, or gawd forbid a hatchet or axe were for?

It's all about fun and of course selling knives. When is the last time you chopped through inch diameter rope? But you
know, I have to have a knife that can do it.
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Thats me some reason I,ve always had a axe/hatchet when I went camping, Now I know better "Batoning is the way to go".
I have however cut rope 1 ,2 and even 3inch diameter, but that was as a deckhand on a towboat plus just as often as not we use a axe or I,m almost Afraid to admit A Hacksaw to cut the 2inch and bigger,
 
Bluesummers said:
If you/people/I were to buy 1 knife then I would say you are absolutely correct.

Why do I buy? I can.

Tank knife blade is .35" thick. I don't know what the small Sebenza 21 is but I think a little thinner.

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Really like that tankknives folder. They, unfortunately, do not take on requests, and I've been looking for someone to make a similarly thick knife at anywhere close to the price point they sell for, but that seems to be quite tricky. According to one knife maker, 350$, which is what TankKnives sold one of their thick framelocks for, is just the cost of materials.
 
Chopping hanging 2" diameter rope and a pine 2x4 are part of the knife competitions. I believe its 2" rope. It does take a sharp knife to do it.

You can do all that needs done with a knife that has 2mm or 3mm thick bar steel. The rest is just for fun unless you have a special use situation such as working on a ship or barge where you might actually have to cut thick rope. And... no, a serrated knife isn't enough.
 
People want what they want, that's all. Overbuilt knives are fun, but as you play with thin blades, you realize they'll do everything you normally need. It is nice to have that added insurance an overbuilt blade offers, but it's mostly mental IMHO. People buy 1/4" thick blades for the same reason they buy jacked up 4x4s to drive around town. Snow, ice, light trail time? A Subaru Outback/Forester would work SO much better and be cheaper and more efficient, not to mention lasting much, much longer, but that's not what they want. If we all only used what worked best and was most efficient, 95% of us would drive station wagons, our EDC would be a small multi-tool, and our woods blade would be a Mora Clipper:) Geez, I think I'm already headed that way! I better go rub a khukuri under my arm pit to up my testosterone level:D

ETA: If I start listening to the Indigo Girls someone needs to take me out with my Junglas...
 
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