Size Matters

udtjim

udtjim

Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
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Let say you are goung out on a two- three week outing if your favorite spot to do some training and get in a little wood crafting and trapping. My blade length what knife would you want with you to handle all the jobs that may come up? I much prefer a five inch blade for real general purpose work. I find that for me the longer blade does better at food prep and such jobs. Anyone agree?
 
I agree. My Lobo by Jk or the new one he just finished. Or my woodsman by Fiddleback.
 
If only taking 1 knife, my 7.5" First Strike or SOD. They can do everything, split wood, cut food, and make fuzz sticks.

If 2, Id take a 5" probably my Breeden and a 9" that has yet to be decided b/c I got a couple new knives coming in for testing.
 
I like over four too.....anywhere between 4.5 and 5" is ideal. Gotta be a roomy, full grip as well. Some of those Barkies don't give me much room to vary my grip.

- regards
 
My scrapper 5 is my perfect mid sized blade, that and my outcast are my go-to blades because I know they will do all things needed and do them well.
 
I really like large blades and think they can do a lot more for the big chores, although less ideal for small tasks. However, I agree that a small blade, 4-5" is probably a better choice...I've found a belt-knife that size is something I can comfortably where 24/7, not something I can do very well with a large khukri stapped on the waste or over the shoulder.

ROCK6
 
3"-4" for me. Plus my hatchet.:)

Being limited to an under 4" sharpened edge by law :(, Small knives are what I have dirt time with.
 
The more I use my BATAC the more I like it. It may not be designed for wood crafting but it does better than I thought it would. Pair it with a good folding saw and my cutting needs would be satisfied.
 
At the moment I'd still be happy using my tweaked Boker. Utility is what it is good at. Whilst it wouldn't do great against a dedicated kitchen knife it is thin and I have it set up to have a good amount of cutting power for food prep. Essentially, full hight grind and optimized for flow make it pretty good. Rubber and stain resistance make it a delight for food prep and it doesn't fear the bucket.

npii7bst8qhcda.jpg

That said, it is short at 4” with 3.5” cutting and over 2/3 weeks that's a lot of food prep so I'd also have something longer and lighter just for that. Most likely is I'd leave my Victorinox filleting living in a bowl of disinfectant in camp.

vc_40616_sol_a02.jpg


The above is my preferred solution but as the question centers around a single knife I'll go out on a limb and say I'd probably grab an Enzo camper. At 3.6 mm thick I think I could tweak better kitchen performance from it than I could a Fallkniven that I would naturally be attracted to. 5” long would be all the length I need and I'm quite happy to have the edge retention of D2 over the strength of alternatives. And the slower to corrode aspect caps it. Yeah, a useful synthetic handled version of one of these would be my pick if I had to factor in a lot of food prep on top, although I would want to tweak the blade flow of that too.

D2EnZoCamper1.jpg


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I've come to favor a 4" knife for general utility. For me, longer knives feel a bit cumbersome to use for ordinary tasks (although I like them aesthetically).

My 4" SDS Nessmuk is great for food prep with its pronounced belly and broad blade. It is also pointy enough for fine work and thick enough at the spine for kindling prep. The full flat grind is easy to keep sharp too.
 
Taco
where did you get that Enzo camper? that has a very nice look. I tried looking for one on line but cant find any plce that has then, even the blade blanks
 
I have a BK-7 and a BK-9, I can't see me doing much food prep or wood working with them, Good knives for keeping in the Jeep. I usually have a five inch Santuko in my camping stuff, my favorite knife for food prep. I also use a couple thin knives the Stomper made for me for camp cooking.

For only one, The Bog Dog would be it.
 
Same here Jim. I like the 5" range for most stuff. and then a bigger knife for the food prep. It just works better for me that way. I have tried different lengths and what I use now is what I have found that works the way I like.

Bryan
 
jb101 said:
Taco
where did you get that Enzo camper? that has a very nice look. I tried looking for one on line but cant find any plce that has then, even the blade blanks
Click to expand...

That Enzo isn't mine amigo. I have been plotting up on a blank though from here.
 
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