Our ever shrinking hobby?

I have had some really dinky 2" to 3" folders over the years that were cool but didn't quite fit in my fingers let alone my hand ~ I like larger models with 3 3/4" blade min and they have to be Lefty ~ I have a few fixed blades they are all in the 8" range that's pretty comfortable for me to be wielding around ~ No Machetes but I have a cool Sickle that's rather Sharp 🩸
 
When I got into this hobby I was in my late teens. Magazines like Tactical Knives and SOF was where I was getting my information. In my mind a fixed blade needed at least a 5" blade, 6"-7" was better. A Buck 110 or 112 was folder to have. A few years later and 1-hand opening knives with pocket clips became the norm. A few years more and the Tactical folder craze hit. At that point in my life I was in the Army and rotating through various Spyderco, & Benchmade folders. Now in my 50s I work a desk job in a hospital and carry either a Civivi Baby Banter, or Spyderco Chaparral LW - and most times they're still pocket jewelry.

9/11 and the GWOT saw a low of service members carrying knives, the industry catering to their needs with stout, overbuilt folders carried over into the civilian side. Now with a downturn we are seeing people choose smaller knives that are more suited to their needs. Just my opinion.
 
I'm my immediate area I see mostly kershaws, and on rare occasion a Spyderco (clips are obvious) and benchmade, but mostly kershaw, because if you have 25 bucks in your pocket you can head over to (sporting goods chain) and pick one up.
No one fixed blade carries here, despite being completely legal. During hunting season in Alaska, the airports there are flooded with big guns and knives, all stowed under the plain obviously, but it's as common as air there, so it really depends on location
 
Big blades for life.
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Boattale said:
Is 3/16 too thick for your taste?
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I should probably explain myself a bit better.

I love all knives of all shapes and sizes.

What I would like to see are more offerings of folders and fixed blades that are ground thinner.

When I have ten gallons of mangos to peel and slice, or 100 pan fish to clean, or 50 pounds of meat to cut up, I tend to grab thin blades.

Don't get me wrong...I use choppers as well, but much much less on day to day stuff.
 
not2sharp said:
Knife collecting continues to grow. More and more people are drawn to internet sites like Bladeforums or follow broadcast shows like Forged in Fire, or any number of other survival shows. Yet, the hobby is shriking - our knives are arguably getting smaller. Most of our members tend to favor folders and with the advent of low impact hiking and light weight backpacking those large wood processing tools are falling out of favor. Hatchets, axes, bill hooks, machetes and large knives of all sorts are becoming increasing rare afield. We are no longer clearing trails, building shelters, or even feeding modest camp fires. It is getting to the point that carrying anything like that within a state or national park might get you called out as a terrorist.

What have you experienced in your neck of the woods?

N2s
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I feel the hobby is expanding but maybe the average size of blades are shrinking. I believe mainly due to legality of blade size. More people want knives that they can legally have on them and easier to carry, so more makers are shrinking their blade sizes to accommodate. It's great to see more and more people get into knives and related gear, it keeps the makers on their toes as they constantly have to innovate and create something new that fits the demands of the people.
 
luethge said:
https://imgur.com/a/DZ0qQWK

I don’t pay attention to anything anymore - I like what I like. Dirty Carbon steel fixed blades will never fail to make me smile
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I couldn't agree more.

If someone wants to go out under the moon and stars armed with a robust folder, more power to 'em. Who am I to question their methods and skillset(s)?

For me, it'll always be a large, robust, thick stock, carbon steel fixie...until I'm too old and frail to handle one...



 
For outdoors, especially overnighters, the colder it is, the bigger the knife I want. Last year I bought the largest machete I could find and a 8,25 inch camp knife. No regrets.
 
All of my hobbies ebb and flow, sometimes. However, knives are quite something different.
I need a knife every day of my life, as I cook, open boxes and need a sharp tool very often.

For my daily use, my knife usage has become more sophisticated:
I now prefer knives that cut, instead of crudely separate things, so a thinner bladestock is highly appreciated.

Today's EDC is the 0,063" thin HSS steel Thanks' that Crag built me, and a Delica. Both will be used.

Tuesday.jpg

Another hobby is watches, and those are also getting more sophisticated over time:

Two years ago, the import of a watch that is only available in Japan would not have crossed my mind.
Well, today I am, rocking a 500$ titanium Casio dress watch which I know is ridiculous, but so very satisfying...

TuesdayK.jpg

Regarding outdoor use, I also have more variety:

Here's a Kailash Plain Jane Bowie, a very versatile beast of a knife, an I like to carry it quite often.

Also the BK14, of which I have six, is one of my favourite small knives...

original_de26c352-633f-42e8-b662-9df632edb114_IMG_20220827_154504.jpg

If I know there's brambles on the trails, I'll take Bikerector's Bushete, a more specialized tool, but with the AEBL steel and the great ergos just amazing:

IMG_20221125_144638.jpg

And if I look at the upcoming weekend, I know that i do need something more brutish, as my father in law has a fallen cherry tree in his garden that needs to be delimbed.
So I take the Ontario SP53 Bolo, as I know this is a "hatchet" job :)


IMG_20230724_131257.jpg

So to sum up, for me, the hobby isn't "shrinking" but a wonderful addition to my life :)
 
I own big fixed blades for doing stuff in the woods, though these days I don't have much desire to go camping.

I always carry a folder or two no matter where I am. But I don't like small dainty folders. I like larger folders, just because they fit my hands better. These days any folder with less than a 3.5" blade is almost always a deal killer. The only recent exception has been my Demko AD20.5, but it has a reasonably sized handle, even though it's only a 3" blade. My Hinderer Project X and My Chaves 229 Redencion both have large and (IMO) very ergonomic handles, as well as excellent blade shapes. They both fit my hand very well, and both have become favorites of mine.
 
City folk here. Largest daily blade I've carried for about a year or two is a RAT 3. It fits in waist band super nice and thin and hides in shirt well. If not that I have an Izula in a scout carry sheath.

Im in the trades and so 99% of that is folders like some Kershaw or Gerber or utility knives like what Milwaukee does.

Once, a few years ago, I saw a guy with a Buck 119 on his belt in the supply house.
 
As most of you know, I prefer fixed blades. I have found that my carry-knife blade-length preference has been shrinking over time. It started out in the 6-7 inch range, reduced to 5 or 5.5 inches, and is now around 4 inches.

That is NOT to say that I don't like big blades. Here is a sample:

Big Knives.jpg

And there are yet more. ;)
 
BD_01 said:
I don’t own a big chopper though. Silky, hatchet, & folder usually covers all the bases for me, but even that will plus up or down depending on what I’m trying to accomplish (& the mileage/elevation it entails).
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And the nature of the terrain. In the woods and swamps of the central Gulf Coast I didn't carriy a hatchet or saw, just a machete or sizable chopper and either a Swiss Army Tinker or Gerber Multi-Plier.
 
Just in general I have found myself gravitating towards smaller knives. My sweet spot seems to be between 2.5”-2.75” blades any more. I have a couple of knives with 2.75” long blades and they do pretty much anything I need.
 
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