max length of blade before it looks idiotic

Charlie Mike said:
Its also a matter of legality. No blade length laws (outside of autos/balis) per state law here. Fixed blades cannot be concealed. Because I always wear a jacket or cut that falls a few inches below my belt line, the knife will always be visible.
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Anything with a 4" and under blade can be concealed here. Outside of that must be open. Don't usually see open carried large knives. But I've trained in martial arts myself. Always found a 3in blade will defend against most out there. To each their own though. It's cool to see someone carry a 6+ inch blade.
 
Charlie Mike said:
Its also a matter of legality. No blade length laws (outside of autos/balis) per state law here. Fixed blades cannot be concealed. Because I always wear a jacket or cut that falls a few inches below my belt line, the knife will always be visible.
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It really is a great way to carrying fixed blades and skirt around the concealed weapons issues.

Thread legal: Here in Chicago you get funny looks for any length, but I would say 4" is about as long as you can get before you start drawing serious attention.
 
yakantosh said:
It really is a great way to carrying fixed blades and skirt around the concealed weapons issues.

Thread legal: Here in Chicago you get funny looks for any length, but I would say 4" is about as long as you can get before you start drawing serious attention.
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Lol Speaking of Chicago, I have a ex that lives there. What a crazy woman. haha. But I wouldn't go to Chicago just because they aren't ccw friendly.
 
These are my current fixed carry rotation:

 
Dfunk1210 said:
Yea I don't think the OP called anyone out. Sounds like a genuine question he was asking. He was just asking if anyone thought there was a length where a person would start took look ridiculous. That said, i dont think there is a particular length alone that would be ridiculous. Though there would be some cases where I might think inappropriate. And some other cases where the type of knife combined with the person carrying it look particularly dumb. One instance i could think of was at the mall where I saw an otherwise harmless guy carrying two fixed blades on his belt, one on each side. What i found funny was that they weren't parallel to his leg but had the handles angled away from him so that they were in a "v" from his body on both sides. And i mean in such a way so that he could draw to kill or something. I couldnt identify the blades and they did not look particularly impressive in any way. I thought he looked like a complete tool
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Except for the odd handle arrangement, you might have been referring to me. :D

I carry paired Kabar 125Xs every day, 1 at 4 and the other at 8. That's for public carry, off the farm. Around the farm it's a BK9 and either a Kabar 1217, an Ontario machete, or a BK20, depending on what I'm doing at the time.

Has absolutely nothing to do with self defense or compensation issues. If you need to suddenly cut something with your left hand, and your only fixed blade is on the right, you are screwed, or vice versa, re: L/R carry.

In 1965, my grandfather's shirt sleeve got caught in a combine drive chain. He pulled his right hip carry Kabar 1232 and cut his sleeve off before his arm was dragged into the gears.

He looked at me and said "That's why you carry a fixed blade - you can't get a folder out and opened fast enough."

When I asked him "What if it had been you're other arm?"

He looked at me a little funny, turned of the equipment and said "Let's go."

We went to town and he bought a Western L46-5 as the Western Auto store was out of 1232s. When 1232s were back in stock, he got a second one and gave me the Western.

He said "If you're smart enough to come up with that question, you're old enough to have a fixed blade."

I was 10 years old and that started me down the road of fixed blade (and other knife) accumulation. 52 years later, I am just now reaching 3k+ fixed blades of different types.

Old Texas farmer's proverb - It is better to carry paired fixed blades and not need them than it is to have no fixed blades and need one.
 
If I need to cut something with your left hand, and your only fixed blade is on the right, I crossdraw.
 
Lapedog said:
If I need to cut something with your left hand, and your only fixed blade is on the right, I crossdraw.
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If you need to cut something with my left hand, just ask and I'll do it for you. :D

Seriously though, you may be a contortionist and able to reach way around to the other side of your body for a cross draw.

As a short fat bald guy with short arms, if my only knife (a situation that NEVER happens) is at 3 or 9, there is no way on Gods green earth that I would ever be able to reach around and get the RSC knife, and vice versa for a LSC. And when I'm working, I tend to shove the knives back out of the "belly zone" to 4/5 or 8/7. I prefer not to have the handles sticking into my fat gut. It hurts. :D
 
Proper way to carry a large knife without looking like an idiot.


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I started keeping my wallet in my front pocket and it actually helped my back. Empty back pockets now.
 


Its important to carry something small and non-threatening for the small jobs. Not everything calls for a bowie.
 
Before reading all the responses, what blade length is chosen depends on the environment, your preferences, and what you are likely to do with it. I am sometimes uncomfortable with the Endura if that gives you any indication of what blade length I am personally comfortable with. With traditionals like pictured above, I tend to lean toward the larger sizes in the 3.75-4.25" closed. But I have been trying to try out some smaller ones lately.
 
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