skeletonised liners, carbon fiber scales. why do you want a featherweight knife?

sogflash

sogflash

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I have the impression that quite a few people dislike knives that have some weight on it. why is that? I love the feeling of a heavy knife. it feels solid and sturdy. not that a heavy knife necessarily is stronger than a light knife.
 
sogflash said:
I have the impression that quite a few people dislike knives that have some weight on it. why is that? I love the feeling of a heavy knife. it feels solid and sturdy. not that a heavy knife necessarily is stronger than a light knife.
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I think you may have answered your own question.

If two knives are of similar strength and sturdiness, yet one knife is 30% lighter, why would anyone choose the heavier knife?

Some material choices could be aesthetic as well: carbon fiber has a pleasing appearance, and some people might not love the feeling of a heavy knife.
 
Not everyone likes the same thing. People have different needs from a pocket knife, those that work in a professional environment really cannot pull out a Smatchet when the time comes to slice an apple in half. Others do not want a brick in their pocket, but rather something light that performs 99% of their cutting tasks with efficiency. In this circumstance, what you would percieve as strength is of little importance.

On the other hand, if you were to read threads where the topics involve smaller, lighter knives, you can very clearly and simply pick put the specific reasons given by the posters themselves.
 
I think most people that carry knives every day prefer a lighter knife. Lighter is always better when you are carrying other gear. How many soldiers want to carry more weight unnecessarily??
This is one reason the ZT300 gets traded a lot. Great knife but it's like carrying a can of soup around in your pocket. Then there is knives like the Spyderco Para 2 or Strider SNG that can do the same tasks, just as strong and weighs 1/4 the weight.
 
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I often wondered the same thing, why such a lightweight knife? Then I started to read some posts about these and many good reasons were given for a lightweight knife. It didn't change my mind, because I have always had/carried a heavy knife, beginning with a Buck 110 back in the early 70's.

As Rev said, not everyone likes the same thing, and for that I'm grateful!
 
I don't particularly mind if the masses want a heavier or lighter knife, but I've often wondered the same thing. The amount of weight difference is minuscule when compared to the weight of a person, and I like some of my heavier knives over my lighter ones (the G10 Dragonfly is a good example). I still love my H1 Dragonfly, and it's cool that it weighs next to nothing, but I'll carry one or the other depending on my mood.

I understand that there are folks who carry a lot of stuff (or special applications like backpacking, cycling, etc. that require a minimalistic approach), but a few ounces have never bothered me and honestly it does seem to be affecting a large portion of manufacturers in the folding knife industry.
 
I try to cut down weight wherever I can. Each gram counts when you need to carry all your gear through rough terrain.
I don't know the formula, but if you carry a pistol on your thigh, as opposed to on your hip, you burn a LOT more energy when walking over long distances; and, you consequently tire prematurely. Same goes for boots for instance. So, if I can, I'll get the lightest possible gear, which usually coincides with quality (and expense).

As it pertains to knives, I like them light and regarding folders, I don't want to feel that weight on me; but it also has to do with the balance of the knife.
Some knives are unnecessarily heavy while others are just right (to me). I like the weight of my zero grind convex Para 2 and use that weight (85g) as a reference when buying other folders. Any folder over 150g does not see much use in my rotation. Having said that, I wouldn't want my knife to be too light either.
 
Hmm. Well, I don't care about weight per sei, but I've been carrying my folders inside my waistband lately. I carried a ZT 0200 the other day this way and was a little uncomfortable. I carry a 2010 recon 1 most of the time which is about the same size, but slimmer and it carries a bit easier. If my pockets weren't full with other stuff, I wouldn't care.

As far as carbon fiber goes, I just love it for the look and feel, not the lightness.
 
I like my knives for the overall package and specific uses, weight doesn't matter to me.

For my EDC knife I love my serrated Leek, but if I'm hunting I never go to the deer woods without my Buck 110. I've tried to replace the Buck every year for a long time and at the end of every hunting season that prospect goes into the knife drawer and the Buck stays my favorite. I like knives based on what the task is, when it's cold and I have gloves on the Buck always lets me know where it's at in my hand and fits my hand great and is my favorite do all shape for field dressing, capping, and butchering. For opening packages, cutting rope or reaching down and cutting a crappie jig out of a fish's mouth it's the Leek all the way.
 
Cynic2701 said:
If two knives are of similar strength and sturdiness, yet one knife is 30% lighter, why would anyone choose the heavier knife?
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If the light weight comes from skeletonized liners, I don't like it.
Those extra hole make for extra lint/dirt/dust trapping areas. Remind me of the "speed holes" Homer put in his car, but not in a good way.
If they have to make it lighter, use titanium...it's the bacon of the knife world.:)
 
All I gotta say in regards to this... Have you ever tried to manipulate a balisong made completely out of 3/16" thick 1084? I have and though it can be done, it's not fun. The next balisong I make is getting handles out of .300" bi-directional carbon fiber.
 
Because most people are super villains with extremely brittle bones which shatter at the slightest exertion or small amount of rough contact with the world around them.

Oh, wait, that's Mr. Glass from Unbreakable. :o

I'm with you regarding enjoying the feel of a hefty knife, OP. A couple of extra ounces weight to carry around is a mystifying concern for a healthy adult.
 
sogflash said:
I have the impression that quite a few people dislike knives that have some weight on it. why is that? I love the feeling of a heavy knife. it feels solid and sturdy. not that a heavy knife necessarily is stronger than a light knife.
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I agree with you. I like a heavy knife, and I don't understand the titanium craze to be honest. Sure, it is stronger than steel FOR THE SAME WEIGHT, but for the same VOLUME, steel is stronger.

It is also a bit ironic you are posting this, as the SOG flash is one of the most lightweight folders there is!
 
I guess one handed transfer to an alternate grip for delicate tasks is the only advantage to a superlight knife.
 
Well there's reasons for and against including the "macho" argument. Let's flip it around. Why would you want to carry a heavy knife when you can do the same thing with a lighter one? I bet if you used a light weight knife for a year and then went back to your heavy knives, they'd feel like bricks and you wouldn't like them anymore.
 
spyderco gayle bradley has skeletonized liners and carbon fiber. i dare you to call it a featherweight
 
Shotgun said:
I bet if you used a light weight knife for a year and then went back to your heavy knives, they'd feel like bricks and you wouldn't like them anymore.
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I've carried heavy and light alot.
"Heavy" doesn't bother me. I weigh a measly 170 pounds, and 8 ounces of knife still doesn't seem to weigh me (or my pockets) down.:)
 
I'm indifferent about skeletonising, but carbon fiber is more rigid than G-10 and in the Spyderco Military it's actually noticeable. Of course that's only on a knife without steel liners, once you put those in you go back to there being almost no difference, and there aren't too many knives with partial liners these days.
 
stabman said:
I've carried heavy and light alot.
"Heavy" doesn't bother me. I weigh a measly 170 pounds, and 8 ounces of knife still doesn't seem to weigh me (or my pockets) down.:)
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I myself am a big, strong, adult male. Last time I measured my lean body weight it was 168. I can easily carry extra weight but my question still remains: Why would you knowingly carry a heavier knife when a lighter one will perform equally well? I won't even get into the fact that sometimes lighter knives will actually perform better.:eek:
 
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