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This post turned out to be too long for one post, so I posted it in two posts. The conclusion and photo follows in a separate post.
Two years ago, after reading a lot on this site, I got interested in small fixed blades for daily use. I picked out some that were relatively inexpensive. I know that “inexpensive” means different things to different people, but the range for these knives, with one exception, is 20s to 60 or 70 dollars. “Small” means different things to different people, also.
To begin with, I had a Buck 102 that had been around for some years. I hadn’t used it much, because when I got it I thought the handle was too narrow. That thought changed as I explored other small knives. My starting standard for “small” was that they needed to be shorter than the 102, which is about 8 inches overall, and sports a 4 inch blade.
All measurements are approximate. Length measured by a tape measure, thickness by my cheap plastic caliper, and weight by a kitchen scale. Here are the knives I purchased.
BUCK 113
Length: 7 inches
Weight: 4 5/8 ounces
Steel: 420HC
Blade: 3 inches, .130 thick, sharpening choil almost large enough for a finger if you are careful
Grind: High, hollow
Handle: Walnut, 4 fingers
Sheath: Black leather, open, no safety strap
The first alternative I acquired was a Buck 113. . It came sharp. This knife also has a nice looking brass bolster and a walnut handle. I think it is one of the most attractive knives Buck makes. Billed as a skinner, the high hollow grind is very full bellied. It came very sharp. The sheath has so safety strap, so those of you who live an active stye such as horseback riding, off-road riding, where you can be upended might want to consider that. Made in USA.
After using it, I found that a skinner-stye blade can also be used for a lot of other purposes. It does a great job of peeling a cucumber (though a potato peeler is the best tool for that). It does a great job of separating the membrane from a rack of ribs before cooking. But it’s heavy enough to feel it on your belt when carried. And it’s a little large if you want something that just disappears when you are not using it, like a small pocket knife. I decided to look further for an EDC.
SCHRADE OLD TIMER SMALL FINGER
Length: 6 5/8 in.
Weight: 3 1/8 oz,
Steel: Listed variously in different sites, either 400 series or 7Cr17 or 7Cr17Mov.
Blade: 2 5/8 in. .125 thick, drop point with very large choil,
Grind: High hollow
Handle: Brown sawcut Delrin. 3-4 fingers
Sheath: Brown Leather belt sheath. Leather is stained dark, shiny and has an odd feel. Open, no safety strap
The second one I acquired was one of the more inexpensive ones. Note, this is the Small Finger, not the Sharp Finger, which is a completely different knife. It came reasonably sharp, but not as sharp as the Buck. Currently produced in China, but it used to be made here. The Delrin handle is attractive and provides a comfortable grip. The very large choil on the blade means you can get a full four-finger grip. But I had some trouble with the choil. It would at times catch on draw cuts. I would prefer that the choil were smaller. Maybe if you have fat fingers you would fill the choil and it would not catch as it did for me. Due to the large choil, the actual cutting edge was a little short for some tasks.
ENZO NECKER 70
Length: 6 1/16 in.
Weight: 2 1/4 oz.
Steel: 12/C27
Blade: 2 5/8 in. .130 thick, drop point
Grind: Full flat (Scandi also available)
Handle: Micarta (birch, olive wood, or no handle at all available). 3 finger grip.
Sheath: Leather, open, no safety strap (Kydex also available)
This knife was almost ideal for me. It carried easily, was handy in garden tasks, It was sturdy, it sliced pretty well, though not as well as the hollow ground knives. The sheath looks and feels like good quality, with burnished edges. The Micarta handle is wide and has a nice feel (never had Micarta before). Very easy to deploy and to return to its sheath. Despite its name I used it only as a belt knife not a neck knife. The only drawback for me is that the cutting edge is a little short for some tasks. There is also a Brisa/Enzo 80 called the Bobcat or Bobtail that is just a little larger and may be my ideal size. Made in Finland
MORA ELDRIS
Length: 5 1/2 in.
Weight: 2 1/4 oz.
Steel: 12C27
Blade: Clip point. 2 1/16 in. .090 in. thick
Grind: Scandi combo
Handle: Rubber and Plastic, 4 fingers (almost)
Sheath: Plastic, leather carry strap ordered separately. No safety strap, but clicks securely in place.
This is the smallest knife I considered. But many are enthusiastic about it, so I decided to give it a try. The supplied plastic sheath has no means of attachment, but I ordered a separate belt loop to fit. The knife clicks solidly in place, deploys and sheaths quickly and easily. It can be carried in the pocket, but it is kind of thick for that purpose. Some use it for a neck knife, but that’s not for me. It seemed a little less sharp out of the box, but did well cutting plant stems, such as old tomato plants. This was the best of these knives at whittling wood, very controllable due to the thick handle and short blade. I even managed to start a spoon bowl with the full-bellied blade, and I’m no whittler. The blade was too short for some of my usual cutting tasks. Made in Sweden.
RUSSELL WOODSWALKER
Length: 6 in.
Weight: 1 3/8 oz.
Steel: AUS-8
Blade: Drop point. 2 3/8 in. .070 thick.
Grind: Full flat
Handle: Dark wood, “Rucarta” 4 fingers (almost)
Sheath: Natural leather pocket slip, very well stitched (Kydex available)
This knife is inexpensive, slender and thin and light. Some have called it a paring knife, which is no insult in my mind. It came reasonably sharp. The handle gives a pretty good grip, but he blade feels a little short in relation to the handle. The knife fits tightly and deeply in the pocket slip, so there is no danger of it coming loose, even though there is no retention system. There is a trick to deploying the knife one-handed. You learn to catch the corner of the sheath on the inside corner of your pocket, and pull up at an angle so that a the sheath stays in your pocket. Once learned, it is easy, and it works for either the front or back pocket of my jeans, but it probably would’t work for dress slacks. Putting the knife away is a two-handed affair. I needed to take the sheath out of my pocket with one hand and insert the knife with the other hand. The knife “disappears” while walking, but can be quite noticable while sitting, at least with my relatively tight jeans. Blade was a little short for some of my cutting tasks. Made in Japan.
HORSEWRIGHT
Length: 6 1/8 in.
Weight: 2 3/4 oz.
Steel: AEB-L
Blade: Drop point. 2 5/8 in. .140 in. thick
Grind: Hollow
Handle: Bubinga wood (many others available) 3 fingers
Sheath: Natural leather horizontal (several others available). No retention strap, but one is not needed, due to the design of the sheath. Sheath holds the knife at a slight angle from horizontal to make deployment and sheathing easy.
This knife is the “ringer” of the group. It is by no means inexpensive. But I had to find out what you get when you spend more. It came pretty sharp. It feels heavy in the hand, and the finish is very smooth. The blade is polished to a nice satin finish. It has a brass bolster (you know by now I like those). The bolster and wood handles are pinned with “mosaic” multi piece pins that are beautiful, and there is a blue spacer between the bolster and the wood handles. The knife fits tightly in the sheath, with a district “thunk” as it is inserted. The supplied leather thong is very functional in deploying the knife, due to the tight fit and deep seating in the sheath. One-handed deployment and sheathing is easy. The sheath is heavy leather, very precisely stitched. The edges are burnished to a shine. While small, this knife shines with quality an engenders pride of ownership. The blade is a little short for some of my uses, and I probably should have ordered one of Horsewright’s slightly larger models. Made in USA.
COMING BACK TO The BUCK 102, the reference standard
Length: 8 in.
Weight: 2 5/8 oz.
Steel: 420HC
Blade: Clip, 4 in., .130 thick
Grind: Hollow
Handle: Black phenolic with aluminum pommel. 4 fingers, but slender
Sheath: Black leather with safety strap
This knife is a long-standing popular favorite for fish and small game. It came very sharp. Might be the nicest choice among this group for fish cleaning. Does a good job on larger food prep, such as melon. Before I started this comparison, I thought the handle was too small for my fairly large hands. But I have since learned to change my grip. I had earlier used what might be called the “full fist” grip commonly used for large knives, where the entire palm contacts the grip firmly at all times. Instead, with these smaller knives, a “finger grip” works, where the fingers and thumb do a lot of the work of controlling the knife. I’ve gotten used to that , and it now feels quite natural.
Two years ago, after reading a lot on this site, I got interested in small fixed blades for daily use. I picked out some that were relatively inexpensive. I know that “inexpensive” means different things to different people, but the range for these knives, with one exception, is 20s to 60 or 70 dollars. “Small” means different things to different people, also.
To begin with, I had a Buck 102 that had been around for some years. I hadn’t used it much, because when I got it I thought the handle was too narrow. That thought changed as I explored other small knives. My starting standard for “small” was that they needed to be shorter than the 102, which is about 8 inches overall, and sports a 4 inch blade.
All measurements are approximate. Length measured by a tape measure, thickness by my cheap plastic caliper, and weight by a kitchen scale. Here are the knives I purchased.
BUCK 113
Length: 7 inches
Weight: 4 5/8 ounces
Steel: 420HC
Blade: 3 inches, .130 thick, sharpening choil almost large enough for a finger if you are careful
Grind: High, hollow
Handle: Walnut, 4 fingers
Sheath: Black leather, open, no safety strap
The first alternative I acquired was a Buck 113. . It came sharp. This knife also has a nice looking brass bolster and a walnut handle. I think it is one of the most attractive knives Buck makes. Billed as a skinner, the high hollow grind is very full bellied. It came very sharp. The sheath has so safety strap, so those of you who live an active stye such as horseback riding, off-road riding, where you can be upended might want to consider that. Made in USA.
After using it, I found that a skinner-stye blade can also be used for a lot of other purposes. It does a great job of peeling a cucumber (though a potato peeler is the best tool for that). It does a great job of separating the membrane from a rack of ribs before cooking. But it’s heavy enough to feel it on your belt when carried. And it’s a little large if you want something that just disappears when you are not using it, like a small pocket knife. I decided to look further for an EDC.
SCHRADE OLD TIMER SMALL FINGER
Length: 6 5/8 in.
Weight: 3 1/8 oz,
Steel: Listed variously in different sites, either 400 series or 7Cr17 or 7Cr17Mov.
Blade: 2 5/8 in. .125 thick, drop point with very large choil,
Grind: High hollow
Handle: Brown sawcut Delrin. 3-4 fingers
Sheath: Brown Leather belt sheath. Leather is stained dark, shiny and has an odd feel. Open, no safety strap
The second one I acquired was one of the more inexpensive ones. Note, this is the Small Finger, not the Sharp Finger, which is a completely different knife. It came reasonably sharp, but not as sharp as the Buck. Currently produced in China, but it used to be made here. The Delrin handle is attractive and provides a comfortable grip. The very large choil on the blade means you can get a full four-finger grip. But I had some trouble with the choil. It would at times catch on draw cuts. I would prefer that the choil were smaller. Maybe if you have fat fingers you would fill the choil and it would not catch as it did for me. Due to the large choil, the actual cutting edge was a little short for some tasks.
ENZO NECKER 70
Length: 6 1/16 in.
Weight: 2 1/4 oz.
Steel: 12/C27
Blade: 2 5/8 in. .130 thick, drop point
Grind: Full flat (Scandi also available)
Handle: Micarta (birch, olive wood, or no handle at all available). 3 finger grip.
Sheath: Leather, open, no safety strap (Kydex also available)
This knife was almost ideal for me. It carried easily, was handy in garden tasks, It was sturdy, it sliced pretty well, though not as well as the hollow ground knives. The sheath looks and feels like good quality, with burnished edges. The Micarta handle is wide and has a nice feel (never had Micarta before). Very easy to deploy and to return to its sheath. Despite its name I used it only as a belt knife not a neck knife. The only drawback for me is that the cutting edge is a little short for some tasks. There is also a Brisa/Enzo 80 called the Bobcat or Bobtail that is just a little larger and may be my ideal size. Made in Finland
MORA ELDRIS
Length: 5 1/2 in.
Weight: 2 1/4 oz.
Steel: 12C27
Blade: Clip point. 2 1/16 in. .090 in. thick
Grind: Scandi combo
Handle: Rubber and Plastic, 4 fingers (almost)
Sheath: Plastic, leather carry strap ordered separately. No safety strap, but clicks securely in place.
This is the smallest knife I considered. But many are enthusiastic about it, so I decided to give it a try. The supplied plastic sheath has no means of attachment, but I ordered a separate belt loop to fit. The knife clicks solidly in place, deploys and sheaths quickly and easily. It can be carried in the pocket, but it is kind of thick for that purpose. Some use it for a neck knife, but that’s not for me. It seemed a little less sharp out of the box, but did well cutting plant stems, such as old tomato plants. This was the best of these knives at whittling wood, very controllable due to the thick handle and short blade. I even managed to start a spoon bowl with the full-bellied blade, and I’m no whittler. The blade was too short for some of my usual cutting tasks. Made in Sweden.
RUSSELL WOODSWALKER
Length: 6 in.
Weight: 1 3/8 oz.
Steel: AUS-8
Blade: Drop point. 2 3/8 in. .070 thick.
Grind: Full flat
Handle: Dark wood, “Rucarta” 4 fingers (almost)
Sheath: Natural leather pocket slip, very well stitched (Kydex available)
This knife is inexpensive, slender and thin and light. Some have called it a paring knife, which is no insult in my mind. It came reasonably sharp. The handle gives a pretty good grip, but he blade feels a little short in relation to the handle. The knife fits tightly and deeply in the pocket slip, so there is no danger of it coming loose, even though there is no retention system. There is a trick to deploying the knife one-handed. You learn to catch the corner of the sheath on the inside corner of your pocket, and pull up at an angle so that a the sheath stays in your pocket. Once learned, it is easy, and it works for either the front or back pocket of my jeans, but it probably would’t work for dress slacks. Putting the knife away is a two-handed affair. I needed to take the sheath out of my pocket with one hand and insert the knife with the other hand. The knife “disappears” while walking, but can be quite noticable while sitting, at least with my relatively tight jeans. Blade was a little short for some of my cutting tasks. Made in Japan.
HORSEWRIGHT
Length: 6 1/8 in.
Weight: 2 3/4 oz.
Steel: AEB-L
Blade: Drop point. 2 5/8 in. .140 in. thick
Grind: Hollow
Handle: Bubinga wood (many others available) 3 fingers
Sheath: Natural leather horizontal (several others available). No retention strap, but one is not needed, due to the design of the sheath. Sheath holds the knife at a slight angle from horizontal to make deployment and sheathing easy.
This knife is the “ringer” of the group. It is by no means inexpensive. But I had to find out what you get when you spend more. It came pretty sharp. It feels heavy in the hand, and the finish is very smooth. The blade is polished to a nice satin finish. It has a brass bolster (you know by now I like those). The bolster and wood handles are pinned with “mosaic” multi piece pins that are beautiful, and there is a blue spacer between the bolster and the wood handles. The knife fits tightly in the sheath, with a district “thunk” as it is inserted. The supplied leather thong is very functional in deploying the knife, due to the tight fit and deep seating in the sheath. One-handed deployment and sheathing is easy. The sheath is heavy leather, very precisely stitched. The edges are burnished to a shine. While small, this knife shines with quality an engenders pride of ownership. The blade is a little short for some of my uses, and I probably should have ordered one of Horsewright’s slightly larger models. Made in USA.
COMING BACK TO The BUCK 102, the reference standard
Length: 8 in.
Weight: 2 5/8 oz.
Steel: 420HC
Blade: Clip, 4 in., .130 thick
Grind: Hollow
Handle: Black phenolic with aluminum pommel. 4 fingers, but slender
Sheath: Black leather with safety strap
This knife is a long-standing popular favorite for fish and small game. It came very sharp. Might be the nicest choice among this group for fish cleaning. Does a good job on larger food prep, such as melon. Before I started this comparison, I thought the handle was too small for my fairly large hands. But I have since learned to change my grip. I had earlier used what might be called the “full fist” grip commonly used for large knives, where the entire palm contacts the grip firmly at all times. Instead, with these smaller knives, a “finger grip” works, where the fingers and thumb do a lot of the work of controlling the knife. I’ve gotten used to that , and it now feels quite natural.
