Please Recommend Blade Length

O

overanalyzer

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Nov 4, 2012
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Money is tight but I still would like to have a reliable fixed blade to take with me into the woods. At this point, I would like to buy one quality piece that can be my one and only. From your experience, what blade length is the best compromise? Small enough to belt carry and perform basic cutting tasks but large enough to perform heavy duty tasks such as batoning and light chopping. If blade thickness and weight are involved in the decision I would like to hear your thoughts on that as well. Thanks for the help guys.
 
A blade between 5 and 6.5 inches or so should do what you stated. I wouldn't want anything over 3/16" thickness.
I recommend the ESEE 6.
 
Bark River Grasso Bolo 2
Overall Length: 14.675in/37.27cm
Blade Length: 9.25in/23.49cm
Blade Steel: 5160
Steel Thickness: .217in/5.5mm
Weight: 20 oz
GB2-Black_Canvas-1024x768.jpg

http://www.barkriverknives.com/index//?s=bolo
 
BK9.......Chop down a tree or clean a bluegill, it is a jack of all trades. and it is, in my opinion, very light and carryable for what it is.
 
+1 on the esee knives. I have a 5 and they are tough, strong knives for a reasonable price. I would go for the 5 or the 6, it will be just right for what you need.
 
Id lean towards a esee 3 or 4 length myself. But if i wanted bigger i wouldnt want anything over about a 6 or 7" blade. Unless you want to do only chopping stuff?

Big thick blade imho perform poorly on most cutting tasks. Ymmv and I expect that.
 
Dan57 your recommendation for 5 to 6.5 inch falls in line with the recommendation of 4 to 6 inch generally accepted among the survival "experts". And if forced, I think these experts would trend more toward the high end of the range, say 5 to 6 inch. ESEE 6 is right there. While the BK9 has excellent capabilities as well as good cutting performance, a 9 inch blade will hang down the leg pretty far in sheath. My concern is it may be annoying when casually hiking and I will be tempted to leave it at home as a result. Thoughts on all this? Thanks.
 
6 inch blade is a jack of all trades, master of none, if that's what you're looking for. There are lots of inexpensive but serviceable knives, axes and saws, so money should not be a problem if you decide on a multi-blade system, which I much prefer to a single blade.
 
I guess I am looking for a jack of all trades, master of none. Down the line, I will probably choose some other blade lengths to complement, but I would like this first one to be something I can just grab and go and feel prepared. Does anybody have pictures of the esee 6 mounted on their belts? Do you feel it is just too much blade in that carry method?
 
If this will be your only cutting tool I would recommend something like the BK2. If you have a hatchet or something like that, you can ditch the chopping requirement and I would say a BK16 or similar. This is budget minded, both of those can be had well under $100.
 
Honestly, these days I'd recommend a Svord (made in NZ) or a Condor (made in USA) bush knife of some variety, 4" - 5" length. These two are about 4.5" each, under $50, good carbon steel, solid knives. These are users boiled down to the essential: simple knives for using.

Svord economy hunter (steel: 15n20)
DP-500x.gif



Condor Kephart (steel: 1075)
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A 4" in length, 1/8 - 3/32" thick blade is the ideal size jack of all trades knife IMO. Also a gently swept edge profile without too much "belly" & a straight spine (no thumb ramp). I have other preferences as well but I believe these are necessary for a mostly complete do-all knife.
 
Like mentioned above, if you have a hatchet, you really don't need a fixed blade above 4". It may not be quite as sexy as carrying a large blade but unless you are heading into the wilderness, something like an Esee 3 or 4 is really all you need.
 
4-5.5 inches for GP use, pair it with a machete/chopper/axe/t-hawk/hatchet and you are set.
The Ratmandu comes to mind instantly. I also hold onto a SOG Seal Pup I got back in high school for a fishing/boat knife.
 
I would bet that you already own an adequate folder that would be just fine for smaller woods tasks. If that is the case, then why not just let your fixed blade cover the other end of the spectrum? The largest and heaviest I will wear on my person is 6" x 3/16" blade with an adequate handle (many fixed blade handles are just too short.)
 
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