Question on why outdoor knives are so thick

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
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So let me preface this by saying I'm asking out of ignorance. I've never owned a really thin knife other than cheapo paring knives.

What I want to know though is why you don't see a lot more thin knives for outdoor use. I'm talking about small knives in the 2 1/2 inch to 4 inch category. Are knives that are 1/16 inch thick too weak/flimsy to make it as an outdoors knife or is it that there just isn't a market for it? Everyone wanting really tough knives. I see a lot of companion type knives that are made specifically to go with a larger knife that are 3/16 inch thick. Wouldn't it make more sense to have a super thin slicer with your Busse Battle Mistress? I'm thinking a small thin EDC would be great in the wilderness teamed up with another more substantial cutter like a machete or hatchet. If you WERE to make one that thin would you have to make it softer than a normal knife so it won't snap?:confused: Say machete type hardness.
 
I made a couple "camping" knives at 1/8" and I think they are plenty thick assuming you are just going to use them as knives and not to chop firewood or as a pry bar. though they both are 1075/1080, tempered at 400F, so they are not rock hard but hard enough to hold a decent edge. I actually just sent one on a camping trip with a friend so he could "test it out", hopefully he'll abuse it a bit and it'll come back in one piece.

I wouldn't go thinner than 1/8" for a utility knife though, save that stuff for the kitchen or for your folders. but a lot of the older "trade knives" were pretty thin iirc, I believe some were thinner than 1/8" so its not out of the question given a more conservative (softer) heat treatment.
 
there are quite a few production knives on the market in the 3/32" range (Mora blades come to immediate mind)
SAK folders are also pretty thin.
that said, I prefer a little meat in the spine of my outdoor knives for the overall in hand feel. (1/8-3/16")
 
Depends, I think that an "authentic" Nesmuck shouldn't be thicker than 3/32. That seems in keeping with Mr. Sears original intent. After all you have a hatchet for heavier uses, right?

On the other hand, that means that a Nesmuck is not a general use knife, but that seems in keeping with the initial description to me.

Folks who do survival training in deep winter (e.g. Magnusson) certainly need a heavier blade, but that's not what all of us require.
 
I make some small skinners from 3/32" stock, and alot of small 3-4" hunters from 1/8" stock, larger hunters from 5/32" stock. The only knives that I have used more than 5/32" stock on are Bowies and large camp knives, they are mostly 3/16". I like blades on the thin side for hunters, but I use a knife to cut with, not as a hammer or hachet, pry bar.
Just my 2 cents, Dale
 
Blades in the 1/16" thick range flex quite a bit under even moderate pressure, which is fine for kitchen use, light duty and some specialized uses. For heavy-duty cutting that much flex amounts to a loss of control in the tip area, which is annoying and can be a severe handicap for precise work. It does not generally inspire confidence in the hand of the user, either.
 
Well if you think about it, the majority of use that a knife of that size sees is for food and game prep so wouldn't you want a kitchen like thinness? Whenever I use my SAK Farmer to cut food or even cardboard I use the tip because the blade is thinnest there and it performs better. Less than 1/16th thick even. I just don't get why guys like bladeforum members, who carry multiple knives, don't have a super slicer for food and light tasks. Now if you're going for that one knife thing, I myself would choose at the least 1/8th. Probably opt for 3/16, so I get that. I just don't get why there isn't a market for a 1/4 inch thick 8 inch bowie with a 1/16th thick, or there abouts, 3 inch piggy backed utility. All of the piggy backs I've seen are relatively big and thick.

I should point out that I'm a minimalist and am looking for my perfect knife setup. I'm not...brace for it...a knife collector. :D Shocking I know. If it's not a user, I don't own it. My ideal setup would be an edc in 3 inch category but as thin as I can get away with. Then I just add the appropriate "processor" to the mix. Winter woods, EDC and hatchet. Summer woods, EDC and machete. Yard work, EDC and pruning saw. Kitchen, EDC and chefs knife. I like my life to be as simple as possible. I enjoy simplicity as much as some enjoy all there toys. Nothing wrong with toys, just not me. Wow that was a tangent hehe.
 
For the real outdoor knife I would prefer the blade that will allow me to stick it in the tree and use as a step without hesitation. I would prefer the blade with wich I can pry something. I would prefer the blade that would not break under ANY surcumstances, because my life may depend on it. It also must be easy sharpenable on any boulder.
Thant's what I call the real outdoor knife (talking only about blade thickness).
 
I have seen a move to 1/4" and some even greater in the manufactured knives. I personaly think this is a little overkill. Yes it wouldmake a great chopper with a 8"+ blade. Some of these have a shorter blade around 5". WOW, thatis just too thick to be effective in cutting. I try to use nothing over 3/16" at the most for blades 6" and shorter. I think 3/16" would do anything you would want a knife to do, even with a 9" blade. You could hang from it and not bend it.

Paul
 
Dmitry shows us why there are alot of designs and alot of different steels and thicknesses. Pick one that meets your needs, I had a chopper evaluated and they wanted to baton dry wood, which it did very well but it failed the potato peeling. Back to the drawing board, it was 3/16 A2.
 
Justin King said:
No, but I watched him take his shirt off, pee on it, and then put it back on :barf: !!!
What'd he do with the knife ? :eek:
Click to expand...

Usually if Bear has any chopping to do he'll grab a good sized rock and use it as a hammer on the spine of the knife. For this type of abuse thicker is better.
 
Shotgun, I think your approach is perfectly reasonable. Lots of people use mora's, SAK's and similar "light-duty" knives and are very happy with them. As you said, take another tool for heavy-duty work.

I don't see any point in a softer small blade, unless you just like sharpening a lot. Why worry about it breaking or bending, if you break a little 3-4" blade you're probably using it wrong.

Personally I'm a small knife/big knife guy, although I must say I really like my folding saws. But big choppers are just plain fun! :D
 
I think the camp knife is made a little on the heavy side cause most folks carry a folder for the lighter tasks.
I'm not the woodsy type but if I was stuck out in the boonies I'd darn sure want a big fixed blade that could handle what ever I needed it to do! :D
 
A blade with a thick spine also has more mass to facilitate chopping. With the widely varying styles of grinds that you commonly see I would not necessarily condemn a thick blade as having poor geometry, a fairly wide blade with a full flat grind can afford a 1/4" spine and still have good geometry. If the bevels are only ground half the width of the blade that changes things a bit.
 
A machete is about 1/8" thick and is used quite ruggedly for chopping. I havent broke a machete before, no matter how hard I've used one. Use that same 1/8" steel on a 4-5" knife and it is quite stiff and strong I think. I think the 3/16" and 1/4" stock is more suited for camp knives and bowies, but that's just my opinion.
 
If the knife is used to hack out LOTS of brush and limbs, split wood, and pry things then a 1/4" blade is justified. For me I feel that a 1/8" thick blade is fine for a 2" - 4" blade. A blade thicker than needed just gets in the way and is needless weight to carry around.

I suspect that there is an element of macho image carrying a giant cleaver on your belt.

- Paul
 
My most used custom knives are my buSTR folder, fiddleback nessmuk and Koyote Leukko. All of them are less than 1/8" thick and I've not had a problem thinking that they would not do what I need them to. Granted that they are not the best chopper, but if I do not have an axe with me then I can make other tools to help with larger matter separation. I like big choppers too but the thin guys work best for me. I can't get behind anything thicker than ~ 1/8 inch for a small blade any more, and rarely have a use for a knife 1/4" or more.
 
lonepine said:
I suspect that there is an element of macho image carrying a giant cleaver on your belt.

- Paul
Click to expand...

I don't think so... Some people just like larger knives, like myself, and I'm not a macho/showoff type person either. I'm also fascinated with the history behind large knives like the Hudson Bay Camp Knives and bowie knives. I get much enjoyment and fullfillment out of using a piece of history....Same reason why I like to smoke a clay pipe...I love the history behind it.
 
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