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

To be honest, I can't feel any noticeable weight difference when a knife is clipped on my pocket. I like bigger knives with a little heft mainly because they fit my hand the best. I like small and light knives for when I go to a restaurant or some kind of special occasion. But for casual carry and work knives I like them on the hefty side (4oz-8oz).

Sometimes lighter, thinner knives slice a little better, but I can usually make do with thicker blades pretty well. All is good either way, they both cut and that's what matters.
 
I don't generally care how heavy a knife is. The first folder I bought for myself was a Kershaw Cyclone. I still love that knife and carry it now and again, all 6 or 7 ounces of it. When in need, it makes a great boat anchor, paper weight, or mallet for tent pegs. On the other hand I did find it pretty nifty when I first took my Bradley Alias in hand and noticed that it weighed pretty much bugger all, even though it was (for me) on the bigger side. Not a selling point for me, but I found it kind of interesting.

I chuckle every now and again when a video reviewer digs out a scale... "Oh no! 4.073oz, that's too darn heavy for my 4 ounce limit EDC emergency tactical role! :eek: Looks like I'll have to sell this knife. :(".

I also find it pretty funny when people post their 'EDC Set up' where they're carrying a million and a half keys and gadgets on a big honkin' keychain that probably weighs eight friggin' pounds, twenty bucks in small change, a miniature pry-bar, but then make sure to get a carbon fibre titanium skeletonized lightweight knife because they "can't deal with all that extra weight".

I don't prefer my knives to be heavy or light...weight never really factors into my decision to buy a knife.
 
I'm in scrubs all day, and a big hefty knife hitting a client in the head as it swings around won't keep me in this profession for long. I like heft in clipped folders/choppers/fb's occasionally but day to day I keep to thin and light- slipjoints, thin folders like spyderco centofante 4.... They allow me enough length to be useful, while being unobtrusive.

Clipped to my jeans bumming around the house- no problem. Carrying a Rukus or other large knife. However I prefer a 3/32" blade above all other sizes for pretty much any knife, and light blade/heavy handle just doesn't make sense aesthetically or in hand.
 
after reading your inputs I'll reply to what I remember.

someone mentioned balisongs, my only reply to that is that I don't have any so I don't know.

why would I chose a heavier knife over an equally strong light weight knife? I like the sturdy feeling, I like to feel it in my pocket.

I'm not planning a trip to the north pole, so I don't care about cutting down the weight of everything. I just can't understand how a bit of extra weight can bother someone. I can accept that some people think like that, it doesn't bother me. if you like a featherweight knife, good for you.

listening to nutnfancy on youtube saying that a knife is over his super tactical weight limit is weird to me. I think it was the video with the benchmade 950 rift he had drilled holes in the liners.
 
I usually find that I carry smaller lighter knives simply because I don't like having a lot of weight in my pockets. Unlike some guys i leave my keychain with the bare minimum on it and I try to carry the least amount of items needed. I love larger knives for the weight and feel in hand but I find that they rarely get pocket time. I usually just go with the delica 4 or kershaw skyline. The biggest I edc is the full size griptilian and even that bothers me a little. Especially when there's something else in my pocket that I need to get to.
 
I place a higher priority on profile in the pocket than on weight. That said, it would drive me nuts to have a huge heavy folder in there. The main reasoning is that I don't have the need to do anything crazy with my blade during the day. Usually I'm just slicing open a package, trimming a thread on my slacks or something else like that. Because I work in an office, walk around campus all day and live a typical urban lifestyle, I just don't feel that any of my folders need to be huge and beefy, because it is ridiculously unlikely that I'll need it.

So for folders, I can't understand the "Beefy strongest folder you can buy" mentality (other than just liking it, I'm totally cool with that). For my Fixed blades though I totally understand why you'd want a tough one. Their design lends themselves to being tougher already, and their use cases are much more likely to be extreme. Because of that my camp knives are a BK9 and BK2.

Anyway, when it comes down to it, I'll take a lighter knife any day all else being equal. I mean, why not?
 
I carry light weight and no liners! Spyderco Endura 3 or Pacific Salt in black. This is my EDC over an Endura 4 for both light weight and the greatly reduced metal signature makes it easy to defeat casual security at public places. (no it's not illegal to carry but they will stop you if the wand detects a big metal knife and not let you in with it.). I often just take the knife out of my pocket and hang it around my gold neck chain then it can't be seen and they seldom run a wand across your chest. Then I just take it out and put it back in my pocket once I'm in. I'm just sick and tired of getting searched when going to a high school football game, or the state fair or six flags or whatever. If I want to carry a pocket knife it's none of their damn business and I actually think these searches are unconstitutional without a warrant. Anyway sorry for the rant but that's the reason for light weight for me. I do like heavy folders for certain situations mainly because they are much stronger but not in a casual EDC environment.
 
i have noticed that it tends to fatuige you carrying a leatherman, sak, flashlight, and a 6oz folder...... i try to buy knives under 5 oz but will break that rule of thumb if i really enjoy the knife. in the summer i follow my brother at his golf tournments and 18 holes with all of that gear will due a number on your legs as compaird to the days where i go very light on my edc. (sak and pen light). i do carry alot of full size gear because i feel i need it. ( leatherman wave, surefire backup,3 inch + edc and a sak) but i can tottlay under stand not wanting a 5 or 6 oz folder if your job or tasks require you to be on your feet alot. the days where im bumming at home are when i break out the zt0301 and the benchmade auto persideo and other knives like that
 
Because it spends 99% of the time in my pocket, or tucked in my waistband... And performs just as well... I like a heavy feel in hand, but I already have enough crap in my pockets.
 
When I'm on campus, I find myself reaching for a slimmer, light pocket knife. Skyline, Caly 3, UKPK, etc. However, at work, my work pants have a tool pocket and I just toss a "heavy duty" bulky folder into there and I carry it just fine. Just depends on the situation for me.
 
sogflash said:
why would I chose a heavier knife over an equally strong light weight knife? I like the sturdy feeling, I like to feel it in my pocket.

I'm not planning a trip to the north pole, so I don't care about cutting down the weight of everything. I just can't understand how a bit of extra weight can bother someone. I can accept that some people think like that, it doesn't bother me. if you like a featherweight knife, good for you.

listening to nutnfancy on youtube saying that a knife is over his super tactical weight limit is weird to me. I think it was the video with the benchmade 950 rift he had drilled holes in the liners.
Click to expand...

I'm not necessarily advocating that everything needs to be lighter, and/or everything needs to be skeletonized. I recently did a review of a Spyderco PPT; it weighs 5.3 oz and has a 2.687" cutting edge. Why would I carry it instead of a Spydero Military that is 1.1 oz lighter, and has a 3.687" cutting edge and a thicker blade stock?

I provide a couple of other examples about knives compared to a PPT and their weights and blade lengths here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/920585-Spyderco-PPT

Feel free to disagree--I completely understand that some people like the "feel" of a heavier knife, or don't find an ounce to be a significant difference. I think that percentage comparisons provide a better picture: The PPT is ~77% heavier than the Caly 3, and 74% heavier than a 3.5. But that heaviness doesn't always translate to improved capabilities.
 
Shotgun said:
Why would you knowingly carry a heavier knife when a lighter one will perform equally well?
Click to expand...

I prefer the design? As far as I'm concerned, weight in a folder is a complete non issue, to me EVERY other aspect of folder selection is more important.
 
It depends on the pants I'm wearing. I hate a heavy knife clipped in dress pants with vertical pocket openings.
Jeans or something - heavier is just fine.
 
I tend to carry unclipped and it's more comfortable to have a lighter weight, low profile blade like a D4 or Skyline riding in the RFP of my chinos.
 
I carry my PM2 or BM 690. Neither is a small knife, IMO. I'm not concerned about the "reasonable" weight of a folder since I always have a loaded 30-oz Glock on my hip. I do use a pocket-clip on my folder, and realize that it makes that pocket difficult to reach into for anything else.
Sonny
 
I carry a William Henry B-15 to which I have added a pocket clip. The knife weighs 55gm. I clip it horizontally to the placket of my shirt at sternum level. This makes the knife accessible when seated. A heavier knife would not ride well in this position.
 
I'm wondering now about age of the person vs heavy/light. Like I said in my first post, I carried a Buck 110 from 1972 up into the mid 80's. Never had a problem with the weight of it. A lot of the older knives tend to be heavier because of the materials they are built from as we didn't have no new-fangled titanium back then! So when the mid 80's rolled around and pocket clip knives came to light I was used to carrying heavier knives and I continued to do so. Stainless steel Spyderco's were great for that. For a while though it was sorta hard to find a heavier knife because lightweight was cool and lightweight was in. But where there is a will..........

The past decade has brought back a larger selection of heavier folders, while continuing to offer lightweights. I simply got accustomed to carrying a heavier knife, and when younger, to hearing old timers talk about the solid feel and quality of the heavier folders they would carry and show me. So I figure that this is a big part of why I like a heavier folder. Maybe some of the older guy's can relate to that? Older...not old, btw. I'm 56, but I'm NOT old!
 
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