Stout small fixed blades.

You should check out the knives of fellow forumite Sean Kendrick. He has a model R.K. that he can make with a blade of less than 3" with a 4" handle and the blade can be 1/4" thick if you want. His prices are very reasonable as well. Check out the Sentinel 2 in this thread. He can also make a knife with this blade profile that's blade is under 3" long x 1/4" thick with a 4" handle.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=197993
 
Thanks for the mention, but I would have to pass on this one. My dance card is just a little full and that small of a knife with that thick of stock just makes no sense to me at all. The edge geometry would be all out of wack. It would not cut worth a darn.
 
Originally posted by R.W.Clark
Thanks for the mention, but I would have to pass on this one. My dance card is just a little full and that small of a knife with that thick of stock just makes no sense to me at all. The edge geometry would be all out of wack. It would not cut worth a darn.
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It's possible. I've got a Barry Dawson neck knife that has a 2" blade and a 3" handle. Its made out of 1/4" 440C and is very sharp. Right now his niece Lynn is making a custom neck knife for me with a blade that's only 1 1/2" long and a 2 1/2" handle. I told her I wanted 3/16" stock and she said that wouldn't be a problem.

I like small knives made out of thick stock because they weigh nicely in the hand. I don't know what kind of edge geometry Barry uses, but it works very well.
 
Good advice from many people. If you find one that you just love, and it's too big (and not too expensive), break out the file or belt sander, and take it down yourself. What the heck?

I had a fixed blade that I thought should have a finger choil, and could just see myself choking up on it, and slicing my ring finger off. So I got a dremel bit from Home Depot and did it myself. Didn't turn out too bad, and had a lot of fun to boot!
 
jggonzalez, you misunderstood my statement. There is more to cutting than just a sharp edge. I could take a square bar and put a slicing sharp edge on it, but that does not mean that it is a good cutter.

When considering the cutting performance of a knife you must consider how wide the blade is (edge to spine) vs how thick it is. This gives you your edge geometry. Too steep an angle and the edge will be brittle because there is not enough material to support the carbides. Too obtuse an angle and you will be encountering more resistance than is needed due to the blade having to push the material a greater distance outward to allow the blade to enter.

This is the fine line that most makers walk. Getting geometry that will make a strong knife vs getting the best cutting performance. With the high performance steels today, we can make the blades thinner (better geometry) without comprimising strength.

In my mind at least a blade is a tool for cutting a given material. I would no more ask my knife to pry than I would ask my grinder to drill holes. When I need to cut I have the optimum tool for the job and when I need to pry I have the small titanium pry bar that is always a part of my EDC gear.

If you like a heavier knife, you can get the same effect and still have a prime cutting tool. It is easy to add extra weight under the handle slabs, although I have never had a customer request such a custom mod.
 
Originally posted by R.W.Clark
jggonzalez, you misunderstood my statement. There is more to cutting than just a sharp edge. I could take a square bar and put a slicing sharp edge on it, but that does not mean that it is a good cutter.

When considering the cutting performance of a knife you must consider how wide the blade is (edge to spine) vs how thick it is. This gives you your edge geometry. Too steep an angle and the edge will be brittle because there is not enough material to support the carbides. Too obtuse an angle and you will be encountering more resistance than is needed due to the blade having to push the material a greater distance outward to allow the blade to enter.

This is the fine line that most makers walk. Getting geometry that will make a strong knife vs getting the best cutting performance. With the high performance steels today, we can make the blades thinner (better geometry) without comprimising strength.

In my mind at least a blade is a tool for cutting a given material. I would no more ask my knife to pry than I would ask my grinder to drill holes. When I need to cut I have the optimum tool for the job and when I need to pry I have the small titanium pry bar that is always a part of my EDC gear.

If you like a heavier knife, you can get the same effect and still have a prime cutting tool. It is easy to add extra weight under the handle slabs, although I have never had a customer request such a custom mod.
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Hi R.W.,

Oh, I see what you mean. I guess that does make sense, but I've never noticed a problem with my EDC. Mine has a hollow grind, so maybe that helps since I rarely have to sink the blade into anything. I have a desk job, so my knife chores are limited to opening packages, cutting string, etc. Frankly, I could get a $5 folder and it would do the job just as well, but I like the looks and feel of custom knives. The only time I use a cutting blade aggressively is when I go camping and then my heavy knife is only 3/16" thick, so I agree with you there.
 
The way that I would get blade strength and high cutting ability is to get a wider blade, reduce the thickness somewhat, and use a tough alloy. I would go for about a 1.25" wide blade with a full width bevel that was about .15" thick maximum. I would have it made from multiply quenched 5160 or 1084 alloy. I probably would not go for differential hardening since I don't want it to take a bend easily. I would have a straight back or slightly drop pointed blade. I want the maximum belly on the blade and a rather wide tip for strength. I would want something of a distal taper, but not full.
 
How about the Busse Basic 3? Not a precise slicer but may meet most of your other criteria. Look/ask around on the exchange section since it's no longer available new from dealers.
 
Just so it doesn't seem rude that I'm not responding, I just wanna point out that this thread is more than a year old.
 
Originally posted by R.W.Clark
... I have the small titanium pry bar that is always a part of my EDC gear.
Click to expand...

Mr. R.W.Clark, if you don't mind me asking, what are the dimensions of this pry bar and can you tell us where you got it? Thanks!
 
I'm gonna go the opposite route from most of these guys and tell you to check out the Timberline Mini Pit Bull (Greg Lightfoot design).

Okay, it may not be a match for every one of your specs, but it is "stout" and "little." It is thick for its length, although I don't know if it's as thick as you specified. The blade is right at 3", the grip is comfortable and I would call it a 3 1/2 finger grip. You can get 4 fingers around it if your hand is not a huge mitt.

The steel is AUS-6 (if I recall correctly). The handle is contoured with an index finger choil and there is texturing for the thumb at the base of the blade spine. Black handle scales (forgot what material they are) are held on with stainless torx screws.

The knife comes with a good, very secure (no knife rattling inside) plastic neck sheath that has a belt clip attachment. It is unobtrusive and light, but feels very sturdy in the hand.

It's hard to beat since it costs under $30. I got myself two.

---Jeffrey
 
I have to give another vote to the Fällkniven WM1. I'm not sure what sheath options are available now, but it's a great neck knife and strong as an ox for it's size. You couldn't go wrong with it and you should be able to get one pretty cheap (I'd guess around $60 - I haven't shopped for one in quite some time). At least give them a look! If you don't like the sheath it comes with, there are plenty of good kydex and concealex sheath makers out there that are priced right!
 
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