Sharpening choils are a psyop.

[Maximumbob54]

I tried the sharpened choil on a knife and I'm still very neither here nor there on it. I don't love or hate it. What I do hate is when a blade has that triangle of steel at the start of the edge that sometimes is overly long. I hate that as must as a choil that looks like a cookie bite out of the blade. I do kind of like where Ericasedc uses a Dremel wheel to make a tiny little choil only as much is needed to be useful.

 

[SharpBits]

Do people actually use pinch grips?

I do. Especially when using a big knife to open a package. Much better control of the tip and useful to not scare certain people.

 

[SharpBits]

You lose the spot with the most leverage. Makes it much harder to cut a cane pole or tree limb. I think when your cutting something that really takes a lot of muscle it’s easier to control the knife when the handle is jammed against what you’re cutting.

Cutting on the blade closest to the handle reduces the leverage, but increases the control. The shorter the lever, the lesser the leverage.

 

[SharpBits]

An aside: It seems like many people need knives with "bad" blade to handle ratios. If most of your cuts are near the base of the blade, a full handle and shorter blade are a better fit for your needs. On a work knife, aesthetics should take a backseat to function.

 

[KnightAspirant]

I never considered this a choil.

View attachment 3158405

Always understood choil to mean a cutout at the base of the blade (roughly between edge and ricasso) that serves as a sharpening relief and/or a place to put a finger past the handle. The pic above shows what I think is more accurately called an index finger groove.

standby for my next thread "finger choils are a psyop". I have a lot to say here.

 

[Blues]

standby for my next thread "finger choils are a psyop". I have a lot to say here.

I thought it was going to be a quiet day...but there's no rest for the weary.

 

[KnightAspirant]

Here's about as much of a gap as I like on this camp knife I forged from some old parts. I hammered the guard upturned slightly to guide material into the cut zone better. The "choil" is more of an artifact of forging with limited material here though, rather than a plan.

 

[KnightAspirant]

View attachment 3158621View attachment 3158622View attachment 3158623
Here's about as much of a gap as I like on this camp knife I forged from some old parts. I hammered the guard upturned slightly to guide material into the cut zone better. The "choil" is more of an artifact of forging with limited material here though, rather than a plan.

I have a section of zero grind right above the guard for finer stuff.

 

[oldmanwilly]

View attachment 3157934

Fun fact: that picture depicts the Dreyfus Affair (1896) where French Military leadership humiliated a decorated artillery officer before discharging and imprisoning him under false charges for treason. Thankfully, Dreyfus was later pardoned and restored to his post in time to serve in WWI.

No such leniency for calm

Speaking of psyops, "modified wharncliffes" have entered the chat.

I do kinda like this Hogue.

View attachment 3157939

I would rather they describe that as a "modified wharncliffe" than a "reverse tanto"

 

[David Mary]

Pseudo wharncliffe, perhaps.

 

[jbmonkey]

Fun fact: that picture depicts the Dreyfus Affair (1896) where French Military leadership humiliated a decorated artillery officer before discharging and imprisoning him under false charges for treason. Thankfully, Dreyfus was later pardoned and restored to his post in time to serve in WWI.

No such leniency for calm




I would rather they describe that as a "modified wharncliffe" than a "reverse tanto"

yep I knew what it was.....was fitting is why it got posted.

 

[scorpnsnake]

Well, there's one in every crowd. I like sharpening choils. A sharpening choil makes the blade easier to sharpen, and you know exactly which parts of the blade are sharp.

I've never had a problem opening bagged material or anything similar. When opening bags, I don't stick the entire blade in, so material doesn't get caught in the notch. It just is not a problem to me.

I think you're on to something here. Only reason to stick the entire blade in for a slice is if that's the only section of blade that's still sharp. People that don't sharpen often. Therefore, the choil serves no regular useful purpose and impedes access to the last bit of blade that cuts.

 

[David Mary]

Cutting carboard is much more efficient when I can start the cut at the heel of the blade.

 

[David Mary]

Cutting on the blade closest to the handle reduces the leverage, but increases the control. The shorter the lever, the lesser the leverage.

The closer you can get your hand to the cutting edge, the greater the leverage, control and thus precision of your cuts.

Perhaps I worded it incorrectly. One can apply more force by cutting with the part of the blade closer to the handle (unless one has a robotic arm and wrist perhaps?). If leverage is not the correct word, then optimal biomechanics for application of force into a cut. The real world impact of holding the knife closer to the handle remains, my use of the incorrect physics term notwithstanding.

 

[KnightAspirant]

I think you're on to something here. Only reason to stick the entire blade in for a slice is if that's the only section of blade that's still sharp. People that don't sharpen often. Therefore, the choil serves no regular useful purpose and impedes access to the last bit of blade that cuts.

this requires a level of babying your cuts that i just dont have time for. i have a 3 inch blade here. if im opening up several bales of soil or whatever, that require long cuts, like 3 feet of continuous cut, im just sticking that baby in and letting it run, not minimizing my movement within a 3 inch window the whole length. its babying it. small cuts are fine though. I dont mind the pinch grip if there is a risk of getting caught up in the choil area but the shorter the blade with a choil, the more annoying it is

 

[scorpnsnake]

this requires a level of babying your cuts that i just dont have time for. i have a 3 inch blade here. if im opening up several bales of soil or whatever, that require long cuts, like 3 feet of continuous cut, im just sticking that baby in and letting it run, not minimizing my movement within a 3 inch window the whole length. its babying it. small cuts are fine though. I dont mind the pinch grip if there is a risk of getting caught up in the choil area but the shorter the blade with a choil, the more annoying it is

I agree, and was just trying to make sense of why someone would choose the heal. Just thoughts for banter. My method is to keep the blade sharp. Plus I'm used to trying to keep the cutting depth at a minimum out of habit, so I don't bury the blade in the target packages content.

 

[shinyedges]

Nothing wrong with practicing your stab and slash on some soil bags

 

[Danke42]

I give you, the bags of soil knife

 

[KnightAspirant]

I agree, and was just trying to make sense of why someone would choose the heal. Just thoughts for banter. My method is to keep the blade sharp. Plus I'm used to trying to keep the cutting depth at a minimum out of habit, so I don't bury the blade in the target packages content.

facts. also, my blades shave.

 

[Arathol]

Perhaps I worded it incorrectly. One can apply more force by cutting with the part of the blade closer to the handle (unless one has a robotic arm and wrist perhaps?). If leverage is not the correct word, then optimal biomechanics for application of force into a cut. The real world impact of holding the knife closer to the handle remains, my use of the incorrect physics term notwithstanding.

This would be why the better real world outdoor type knives look like this

Its so much easier to do things like feathersticks for fire making, wood carving, etc. The culmination of centuries of evolution, blades used by people who lived in a harsh environment and used them every day.
Proper placement of a "finger choil" LOL