Popular sizing these days?

R

Remyrw

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Jun 17, 2010
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Has anyone noticed a distinct size preference in buyers lately? Seems like most of the mid sized knives, 4.5-8" bladed, have been moving faster than other stuff on average.
I hadn't thought about it until earlier this evening, but I've now got two otherwise nice knives that are on the small side that have not moved, while a larger one for quite a bit more money sold before I even got to post it here. That got me thinking about what has been selling in general and it seems to me that the smaller stuff is more hit or miss for us newer names without a following and well established rep, while the larger knives have a larger number of potential buyers overall.

Anyone else noticed this or done any significant analysis? I had been seriously considering doing a lot more of my 3-4" blade EDC/skinner style knives because I can make them more quickly and with fewer problems along the way, but in terms of selling them that's kind of silly if they aren't what the market's after right now.
 
I personally like the larger size becuase it allows a full sized handle and a blade that is not dwarfed by said handle. just my opinion, though.
 
*nod*
There's definitely something to that, balance of the design with a full grip dictates a decent sized blade. I tend to make even my smaller knives offer a full length grip and find ways to balance the design, but there's a certain appeal to a blade equal to or slightly longer than the handle.
 
I think that it is all too easy to overwhelm the blade with the handle, and give a imbalanced look, but, then again, you are talking to the person who EDCed a ZT 0200 for 9 months straight, so take my opinion about smaller knives with a grain of salt. a big one.
 
lol. I do admit to being more of a small knife guy. Until I started making them the largest regular knife I owned was an SRK, or maybe one of my larger throwers, depending on how you judge it. I just don't do much that requires a large knife that isn't better done with an axe or hatchet. I guess if I spent more time hiking and trail camping I'd be more inclined toward a large knife that can double up a bit, but my camping tends to be either more time in one spot or zero impact.
I carry fairly small folders too, large for me is a medium CS Voyager.

It's odd, because I really like the look of many larger knives, but the appeal is purely aesthetic. I have a fair bit of 3/16 I haven't been using, it might be time to try some slightly longer blades. I worked out some of the issues heat treating longer stuff in my forge, so as long as it's not more than about 1.45" tall I can do up to a 7" blade I think. Anything bigger and I'm probably not getting the heat even enough to be comfortable with it.
 
I'm a two-knife guy when it comes to camping and woods-romping. I prefer a 3-4" fixed blade for probably 80% of my chores, and a 8-10" fixed for chopping, digging and fighting bears ;). However I suspect that 5-7" blades (factory or handmade) have always been more popular overall, because it's just simpler and easier, and certainly less expensive, to pick one good knife in that range, and they do almost everything pretty well. Not fantastic, but pretty decent.

On a not-entirely-unrelated note, a knifemaker friend of mine told me a few months ago that he started making mini's on a lark, basically for fun and to use up little scraps he didn't want to throw out. He says they're the first things he sells out on at shows and now he's making lots of them. I suspect that has a lot to do with the economy.
 
Disclaimer: I make knives to amuse myself and they're too crappy to consider selling them, but... Like everyone, I have an opinion.

I went to the 2011 Annual Fall Knife Show in Janesville, WI today and judging from what was on sale there I would say you are accurate in your observation. BIG, and tacti-cool seem to be the headliners.

IMHO there is are fewer reasons to carry a fixed blade knife than ever before. The percentage of people who hunt is decreasing (I just made that up but "feel" it is accurate) and everything is "easy open". A small folder will take care of most day-to-day cutting needs of most people. I think the "market" consists of a lot of frustrated men, young and old, who think that if carrying a knife is a good idea, then carrying a ginormous knife is better. Make it military/tactical (whatever the heck tactical means in this context) and it will appeal to the masculine taste even more. John Q. Public can buy a knife for $200 that fills his hand and makes him feel like he can defeat the Al Qaeda all by himself, or he can spend $200 on a knife that is really what will serve his needs but is much, much smaller. Which one will he buy?

I don't like what I'm saying, but it's what I think I see.

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
You're right on the general numbers of people hunting, though to some extent that's regional. On the other hand, we've had an increase in people who have served overseas, particularly combat, compared to previous decades. If you think about it, prior to 9/11 the last significant group of combat vets were Vietnam vets. Since then it was generally small conflicts with very limited numbers of troops. Since then troop numbers have gone up, the number of reserves and NG units called up, and the number who have actually served in a combat zone has gone WAY up. Many of these people might not have cared in the past but now see the value in a good knife and their experience was generally with the usual military models which average fairly large.

It might also be that the focus is on the larger knives when it comes to hand made versus factory. They might see a smaller knife as more a general purpose tool and less "special" compared to the larger ones, so when it comes time to shop for that size they just go to the store and buy something.

I do think it's interesting that my larger knife purchasers are running about 2/3 serving military or at least veterans. Maybe more, I don't actively poll. My smaller ones tend to go to hunters or folks looking for a general purpose edc style knife.

For the mass market though, you're very right, the tacti-cool trend is alive and well in knives just like it is guns.
 
I think guys that prefer really big knives are trying to compensate for something they might feel they lack. Like a dog, fer instance. A guy without a dog probably needs a big knife.
 
tryppyr said:
I think guys that prefer really big knives are trying to compensate for something they might feel they lack.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a chainsaw. They're a pain to lug around and make my tent stink like gasoline :D
 
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