Smaller knives do most of my work

Sometimes I only carry a ladybug hawkbill or a manbug. Sometimes I pair it up with a "larger knife" such as Chaparral, Dice, Native5, Mnandi
 
I like bigger knives that are still slim like the GEC 21 Sodbuster. To me it is the best of both worlds; a long blade in a lightweight package.

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I'm definitely a fan of smaller knives. The chaparral is about the biggest I go nowadays. If I'm going to be outside or hiking or something where I might want something larger, I'll do that of course.
 
97% of the time I use a Kershaw Leek. Obviously a small, thin blade but I use it for everything except processing firewood, which I leave to an Esee4.
Based on the size and handling of the Esee4 I'm not sure if I'll ever get something larger, I'd rather find a nice hatchet/axe.
 
DocT said:
Is that an old Remington UMC I see in the photos? Those were nice little knives back in their day. I wonder how many of them little boys like me lost while playing in the yard or the woods? That one looks pretty nice. I don't remember who made them for Remington.
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Yes, Doc, it's a Remington UMC. They were made by Camillus with very nice 1095 carbon blades. I've been carrying this one for a while now, as I love the peanut size knives. Small enough to get lost in a pocket and forget about until I need it, but still gets the job done. The carbon blade gets wicked sharp, and keeps it for a good while even when breaking down boxes. I love the old fashioned feel and look of the knife, and even wen encountering fish slime, the jigged delrin handle scales are a good grip.

You can still find them on the great bay for a song and a dime.
 
DocT said:
What do you guys think? Are most of you served well with a smaller knife? Nothing against a large knife, as I have a few, but the question is, do you have the same experiences I have when you think of what you really need?
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I work in an office and truth be told, I could get by easily with nothing more than my Leatherman Micra and a pair of ordinary office shears. I don't carry knives because I NEED them. I carry knives because I LIKE them. And I don't carry big knives (what I refer to as "pocket bricks") at all. 4 ounces is about my carry limit.
 
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About a month ago I started carrying more than just my Delica ZDP189 ~~~ I had a piggy/back Custom Sheath made for my ESEE 3 and then I had to piggy/back my Delica ZDP 189 on top of it and wal-a my two knives were set to go 24/7 ~ 365 days a year with no problems what-so-ever.!***
 
Life is too short to carry a small blade. :D Kidding aside, I never leave the house without my Leatherman Squirt on my keys (or when wearing a suit, classic SAK in alox), and right now I have a Ka-bar Mini Dozier folder on me along with my Millie. The mini Dozier is my current favourite small blade, it's great for various household tasks and weighs next to nothing.
 
For all of my daily tasks, a small knife (3" or under) is fine. I only need/use a larger knife if I am working in the yard or something similar.
 
I carry always, but around 3.5" closed. 99.9% of the time, I don't need to have one at all. It just depends on your lifestyle. I'm glad I do not need to carry a big knife.
 
bld522 said:
Haha. And here I thought life's too short to carry an UGLY blade. Well I learn something new every day. ;) :D
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I kinda like the ugly ones. ;) Of course, your ideal aesthetics and mine are pretty different, though there's certainly some overlap.
 
I would recommend a Cold Steel Tuff Lite or Mini Tuff Lite if you like that box cutter. I have the Mini. It is a razor blade on steroids. It is an amazing cutter.
 
I certainly agree that a small knife can do most of the jobs I get involved in. I've been carrying either a Case Peanut or a Spyderco Dragonfly for about a year and either of them can work fine for most tasks.

But I always carry a larger knife. Why? Because I have fairly large hands, I'm old, arthritic and clumsy and I can grip and manipulate a knife better if it has 4" or more of handle area. In order to get that 4"+, I use knives with blades between 3.5" and 4". The little Dragonfly is the smallest knife I'm able to manipulate well (due to the choil design) so my beloved little Peanut has been carried less and less recently.
 
I've been leaning towards this avenue of thought as well lately, mostly because there are a number nicely designed folders with +/- 3 in. blade lengths. I started picking up traditionals and have found them really satisfying. Now I've started eyeing some smaller modern designs, like the TSF Beast and the LionSteel TRE. I still prefer to carry something with a 3.5-4 in. blade as a main EDC but will be working more small knives into the rotation as they are generally pretty capable.
 
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