Smaller knives do most of my work

95% of my personal day-to-day cutting is handled by a small Sebenza sized knife. A knife that size actually works better for me by giving me more control over the cuts since the smaller blade gets me closer to the cut. The problem with small knives for me is that my hands are old, stiff, much less tactile than they used to be... So the knife needs to be easy to open/close and still small enough to be useful. The best I've ever found is my Emerson mini-CQC7a. I give it a 10 /10 for my needs. My small Sebenza is a 9.8 only because it's a bit harder to open/close than the Emerson.

Like others have said, I'll carry a different size folder or FB for specific tasks. Going to work, I have my small Sebenza in my pocket and a Dozier Arkansas Traveler on my belt. The AT gets a lot of use in the warehouse. Around the house & yard, I'll stick a Para 2, mini-Commander, or mini-CQC 15 in my waist band. I still have the small Maple burl Sebenza with me, but the larger folder may get a good bit of the heavier use.
 
Assuming a particular knife is legal, I generally choose based on my hand size and obviously it fitting comfortably inside my pocket. Many people are very fond of the peanut sized traditional knives as well as the smaller to medium sized Vic SAKs. I am not a huge fan of clips in general.

If you look at the overall closed lengths of most of the traditional knives (slip joints) made, they tend to be under 4" and lean toward the 3.5" length often. The larger trapper pattern tends to be on the upper end of the preferred size. I prefer something at the upper limits or just a bit bigger closed, but it would appear that sales suggest that the smaller closed length size is the more popular.

On the other side of the spectrum, I am am absolutely not comfortable with a 1 or 2" blade length but I could survive with the 2" for most things that I cut on a regular basis. One inch.... no. The Peanut pattern size is about as small as I go.
 
Wardo46 said:
Very interesting post, Mikel. How much is the fine if you are caught with a knife? Can you also be charged with a criminal offense for carrying a knife without adequate justification or is it just a fine?
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As long as the knife you are carrying is a legal item (meaning not an automatic folder, folder with blade longer than 100mm, double edged fixed blade shorter than 100mm) it is just considered as an administrative offense (not sure which is the equivalent in US laws, but it just means a fine), and as soon as you pay the fine, since the item is legal to own, you have the right to get it back. According to the scale of offenses, this one is considered as very serious, and the fine can go anywhere between 300€ to 30.000€.

I once was searched (weapons and drugs random car search) while coming back home from a BBQ while carrying a Leatherman PST and a Spyderco Delica Wave. They didn't say a word about the Leatherman, but they did take the Delica. I was charged 300€. After a few months and three fruitless attempts to explain where I was comming from, I payed (before getting any worse). I asked about my knife and somehow they had no idea where it was, so I started an administrative procedure to request the Administration to pay for the item. I was suspecting that someone could be using my knife at the time (usually none tries to retrieve their knives, since most are disposable pieces of junk, boxcutters and such). Finallly, and totally by chance, it showed up where it was supposed to be. Perfectly stored in an envelope with a date/time stamp. They just misplaced the item...

Since they didn't say a word about the Leatherman, I went ahead and bought a Leatherman Charge TTI. It is just another multitool... but has two blades accesible with the tool closed. It is heavy, it is uncomfortable to use... but whenever I have to go to Govt. buildings for work, I carry it. So far none has said anything about it.

Mikel
 
That brings up another point. Whether illegal or not, many people, even cops, look on a larger blade with fear or suspicion. Smaller knives are usually, but not always, ignored.
Yes, longer blades have their uses. Some things need a larger knife to cut. But, if I am honest about it, I have to admit that the smaller knives (under 3") do what I need doing most of the time.
 
I never carry anything less than about 3.5" and often larger. Once you're used to always having one on you, you feel kinda naked with less. You can do small knife stuff with a big knife, the reverse is not true.
 
philwar said:
I never carry anything less than about 3.5" and often larger. Once you're used to always having one on you, you feel kinda naked with less. You can do small knife stuff with a big knife, the reverse is not true.
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Are you talking about specific tasks in certain settings, or just for general EDC tasks when you state the above? Just curious what sort of situations you're talking about?
 
I'm a big guy and small knives just don't do it for me! My large griptilians are as small as I can use comfortably! My 3 most EDC knives are an Adamas and Contego and my cold steel medium Espada! I also carry a gerber mark2 dagger and a Becker bk2 in my manbag
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I carry a 2 1/2" all the time. I find this size knife fits my hand well, the blade is long enough for most surburban and city jobs, and I am very comfortable with the small spring backs. I use a 6" fixed blade when landscaping and a Spyderco Mini Machete. But, I don't "carry" either. The 2 1/2" fits perfectly in the pockets of jeans or slacks. I keep it shaving sharp but usually mess the blade up opening boxes and getting that tape adhesive on it.
 
I seem to fumble with anything smaller than a delica. I love the size of the dragonfly, especially love the wire pocket clip, but it seems to be harder (for me) to open one handed than a knife with a ~4" or larger handle. Other than that, I agree that most of the things I do with a larger knife could be accomplished with a dragonfly sized knife; just doesn't work as well in my hands. Plus, I just like having a larger blade on me
 
philwar said:
I never carry anything less than about 3.5" and often larger. Once you're used to always having one on you, you feel kinda naked with less. You can do small knife stuff with a big knife, the reverse is not true.
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This is how I feel about folders. I've got smaller ones, but they see very little pocket time because I just don't feel like I've got enough knife on me with much less than 3.5" of blade.
 
flipe8 said:
Are you talking about specific tasks in certain settings, or just for general EDC tasks when you state the above? Just curious what sort of situations you're talking about?
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I'm curious to his reply. My position is just the opposite of his, with a few (very few) exceptions.
 
I kind of have the same laws in my country. Won't you happen lo live in Spain by any stretch of the imagination??
Here I carry big and unfriendly looking blades, but I limit myself to using the LM Wave in public places or even sometimes the Vic Cybertool because of the sheeple here. They see you cutting something and many show uncomfortable expressions or just make ugly comments about carrying a knife.

Stupid mindset that most people have adopted here...
 
Times change, yes there are people who are less comfortable with knives, but I've found its my reaction to them that makes the difference. A cheerful "Glad I was prepared" or even a simple "don't have good fingernails" can take the tone down and lighten the mood. For a long time I EDCd a SOG pentagon elite2 which was fun. Its a monster, and sounds like a whip crack when it opens, and makes a fantastic spreading knife for sandwiches, but eventually it becomes too much. And it was obvious that I was not cutting enough watermelons to justify the large blade. Consider me a convert, all my knives for the past few years have been getting smaller and smaller. Biggest one in the collection now is a Buck 119, but its special since it was a gift.

As an aside, I really don't like the word sheeple. I find its a thought ending cliche. Yes not everyone likes knives, or has had good experiences with them. That's not their fault. Most of the "Knife" people I've met in public are dangerous, and yeah, make people nervous. a bad experience counters 10 good ones, so instead of having an us vs. them attitude, maybe a little common ground would bring people to your side of the situation.
 
ThePeacent said:
....Won't you happen lo live in Spain by any stretch of the imagination??...
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Yes sir I do. The LOCATION field on my profile states so... Bilbao to be precise.

ThePeacent said:
....They see you cutting something and many show uncomfortable expressions or just make ugly comments about carrying a knife...
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I feel your pain. However, it is just a matter of time that people arround you get used to you carrying a knife everywere... This reaction you are talking about comes from people who is now aware of your habbits. Here in my office none raises an eyebrow about it and quite often they ask me to cut something or to borrow a knife. There is a Wenger Ranger living in one of my drawers for this very same reason. Some other cooworkers have small kitchen knives for peeling and dicing fruits and such. They are no less dangerous than my folders anyway.
 
*wrong thread...

I will say I do love carrying a smaller blade alongside my go2 3.5" (give or take) folder though for misc. uses. The little guys do come on handy at times...

Usually a lady leg (bottle opener) knife
And almost always the SAK classic on my key chain...
 
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About 3.5" blade minimum, as others have said, in pocket. There is just no reason for me to edc a smaller blade. I also find that with foodstuffs, a smaller blade puts my fingers all up in the food and is generally messier, but with some extra blade, everything is clean and the blade can just be wiped off.

I also carry a 5" fixed blade strapped to the man bag. Where I live, it's illegal to have a fixed blade concealed (stupid CA).
 
flipe8 said:
Are you talking about specific tasks in certain settings, or just for general EDC tasks when you state the above? Just curious what sort of situations you're talking about?
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Whatever. It might be a tiny splinter in my skin, a piece of carpet, or anything in between. I recently helped someone landscape his garden. He had about two hundred bags of soil delivered. Opening those is simply not practical with a small knife. Sometimes it's even more important that you have 5" handle than a 4" blade, because you need the grip.
 
philwar said:
Whatever. It might be a tiny splinter in my skin, a piece of carpet, or anything in between. I recently helped someone landscape his garden. He had about two hundred bags of soil delivered. Opening those is simply not practical with a small knife. Sometimes it's even more important that you have 5" handle than a 4" blade, because you need the grip.
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Gotcha. It might easier to accomplish some tasks with a larger knife, but I wouldn't say a smaller knife couldn't do them. I know I've cut open more bags of peat moss at work than I could honestly even put a number to with everything from a Dragonfly to an Umnumzaan and both handled the job without issue. I get the idea of preferring a larger knife, though.
 
Carry a Fallkniven juni every day (2.8"blade) along with large folder with a blade size ranging from 3-4.3". The falky is quite useful and handles most of my daily tasks, but every so often something requiring a larger blade arises. Most people find the juni to be cute & beautiful.
 
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