- Joined
- Aug 26, 2016
- Messages
- 1,019
Bacon,
9" blade is about an inch too long to allow one to move it as fast as they can when they have no knife in their hand at all. It's got to do with pivot points and fulcrum distances needed in establishing the right amount, or at least NOT exceeding the right amount, of torque needed by a man's hand and arm to move an object they're holding within it, almost as fast as they can move their bare hand.
If you hold a ruler in your hand, grasp it as you would a knife, and measure the distance that your hand covers the ruler, then you'll know what the best length of FULL TANG knife is for you, with tapered tang, that distance shortens, contrary to popular (mis)belief.
On average, that grasping distance is about 3 & 3/4", mine is a tad over 4". The way the maths works if you want to have a knife that is an EXTENSION of your arm, ie, the center of mass of the knife REMAINS in the clasp of your hand and doesn't extend PAST or beyond your hand, is that the maximum length of blade of a solidly built FULL TANG FLAT GROUND knife (say 1/4" stock or near that) should NOT exceed TWICE the measured clasping distance beyond the hand. If the knife is a full convex grind, then that distance decreases a little, and if hollow ground, it increases a smidgen. So if you have a grasping distance on the handle of let's say 3.75", then with a FULL TANG, you don't want to exceed a blade length of 7.5". With a tapered tang in the same hand, that distance is less because the COMass of a TTang knife extends further up the front of a knife of equivalent length. So the position of the COM of a tapered tang that is the same total length of the right sized full tang knife places more mass or weight BEYOND your hand, which then means that you have a "non-releasing slingshot" effect going on with the tip of the knife when you move the knife in your hand. The extra mass outside your grasp means it will take MORE effort/strength to pull up such a knife and change its direction than it would a full tang of the same length. Sure, the balance or pivot point of a tapered tang is often closer to the ricasso than an equivalent full tang, but that's only good if you intend on using the knife as a THROWER. A fighter is not a throwing knife. Sorry to all those who have been telling others that a tapered tang gives you better balance whilst implying that such balance is what one should seek in a fighter. Nothing could be further from the truth, the balance, or COM of a fighter is needed IN THE HAND, not on the edge of it nor on the outside of it. This is why so many makers produce seemingly long handles with respect to the blades lengths even with relatively short knives, because the longer handle helps in keeping the COM of the knife IN YOUR GRASP. It pulls the pivot point of the knife further BACK, not forward like a TTAng does. IOW, it gives the knife "MORE BRAKES" in your hand.
That's why I would NEVER go for a Tapered tang fighter... it defeats the purpose of the knife. Even when you're just holding a TTang in your hand you can feel the missing mass from within your hand... like a part of the knife is missing. That's your instinct talking to you... feel your instinct, it's there for a purpose.
So for big hands, I'd suggest a 7.5-8" blade length in full tang (ie, total length of 4.5" + 8"= 12.5"), for average sized hands, 7-7.25inch, and small blokes with small hands, 7-6.5". But if you have hands like Adam Vigil, then you can go up to a 9"" blade length. I know because I've approximated his grasping distance from all the pics he posts, and its a solid hand, not a slim fingered hand, he has a distance of at least 4.5", so a hand like that can go 8.5-9" in full tang, and the knife would still work like an extension of the hand, not like a protrusion, the balance would be in check and where it belongs.
As for the best mass produced fighter; if you're a big bloke, I can't see how you could go past and Attack 14 with single finger grip. Get one of those in your hand, and you'll fast know what I mean; they're not a small knife and they're heavy, solidly built. If you're a smaller bloke, you should go NO more than a 7.5" full tang or 6.5-7" tapered-tang or reduced tang. I would then consider a SFGrip Model 1-7 or 1-6.5. That would fit a smaller hand like a glove, the holder could move almost as if it weren't even there.
As for custom knives, work out your blade length, pick the blade material, blade profile and your knifemaker... and go for your life.
