queation about knives

R

ricky43

Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
17
i've been looking at some of the swamp rat and scrap yard knives to buy. but i was wondering why most of the knives i was interested in, didnt have a complete blade. almost all of them had a semi circle cut out at the base of the cutting edge, right above the handle. it is my understanding that this is for a finger when doing more delicate cutting. what is this called, and does it have any negative side effects on the knife's abilities or limitations? thanks alot ahead of time
 
It's called a choil, or finger choil. The only drawbacks I'm aware of are reduced amount of cutting edge and when cutting near the base, sometimes the material being cut can slip into the choil and force you to re-position the knife.
 
that's it! CHOIL! i couldn't think of the word, i kept thinking chile for some reason, haha. should having a choil on a knife be looked at negatively, since whatever your cutting could slip into there? i know its not a big deal, but i'm lookin for a knife for everyday use, which can also hold up in an emergency/survival situation, i know this would at most only be a pain in the butt, but idk. this isnt anything worth changin my mind about right?

p.s. thanks for the quick response
 
It depends. The Strider SnG has a choil, it does limit the edge length, but offers a better choked up grip for finely detailed cutting. Like trimming your fingernails, which is more difficult with a four inch blade compared to a three.
Or dressing out a deer.

The problem only comes up when making deep cuts, or when cutting something like a box, when the blade slips in too deeply and you discover choils aren't very good on corrugated cardboard. I take it as an example of my finesse using the knife when that happens.

Lots of knives have some sort of choil - the edge just doesn't disappear into the handle. The actual size and your familarity using the knife will show whether you want one. It's a tradeoff.

I really wonder why they show up on fixed blades over 6".
 
Hey GUys..

Personally I look for knives that have finger choils, as I really like them, and find them very useful..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
I like choils also.....but not as much as proper spelling, capitalization, and grammer usage.....:rolleyes: :jerkit: ;)
 
It is something knifemakers do to strengthen the blade it is called "cutting the corner".
 
psycho78 said:
I understood.

oh, and it's GRAMMAR Larry ;) :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I guess it takes a SPECIAL kind of mind to understand some of this ****!:D

Oh, and thanks for the lesson, I stand corrected, sir.:thumbup:

PS when did communication become a matter of merely being eventually understood rather than being simply understood??
 
Larry S. said:
pointwelltakenbutwhyisitsoeasilyandreadilyaccepted???:confused: :confused:
Click to expand...
Because it's not that critical. Especially on the internet; and on a forum where there are people posting in their second language. Or people who were not as fortunate in terms of educational opportunities. There are also some highly skilled individuals posting here that can't spell worth a darn. There is one big name in knife circles whose posts can be hard to understand; yet is considered a go-to guy on a particular technical issue.

I hope I didn't make too many errors in this post.
 
I think this forum is about communication, not exact spelling nor stellar grammar usage. As long as a post communicates it's intended thoughts and/or questions, it should be accepted.

Besides, the American english language is near impossible. Ask anyone from another country!
 
Right. As long as I can get the message, it's ok.

iT's PpLZ ho0 TalK Li3K DiS TahT RilLy gIt 2 m3 OMGLOLZ11!1!

Internet shorthanders = :barf:
 
i was thinkin about buying the swamp rat m6. its pretty expensive. and over 6 inches, which is why i was wondering about the choil
 
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