Strong little knives?

Rat,
Thanks for sharing a pic of the contents of your bathroom cupboard. Do you find those work well? Do they assist in reading posts?;)





STR said:
I've got to disagree about where to draw the line to call a knife small vs medium. They didn't call the Buck/Strider 881 the Medium Buck Strider. They named it the Mini Buck Strider. Its a small knife to me as is any folder with a 7" or less overall length open. I'd call it Med in a slightly different place than some of you guys I guess but I can see where some guys with smaller hands than mine might be inclined to say otherwise.

According to my ruler my Dodo is 156mm and my Mini Buck Strider is 174mm. That isn't much difference. The Calypso Jr. is between those two sizes OAL and most people consider that a small knife also. I do agree Buck found a way of sticking a little more blade in a small handle but overall length is what I was looking at and not just the blade length. Even still most advertisements for the Strider PT say "small frame lock folder" and its basically the same size as the Mini Buck Strider. One is 6 and 3/4" overall length and one is 6 and 7/8" overall length and one has a 2 and 3/4" blade and one has a 2 and 7/8" blade. If the blade is under 3" I'd say its in the small knife category.

STR
Click to expand...

STR,
I hear what you're saying, and I guess what factors make a knife small or medium really is a subjective matter. However, the original poster did use "(-2.5"blade or so)" as a size specification/referrence. You and I both know that the handles on Spyderco's "little big knives" tend to run rather large in order to facilitate an ergonomic and secure grip, and as such, citing an open length comparison of the Dodo and the mini Buck/Strider doesn't really hold water.

With regards to what you said about the use of the term "mini", the BM "mini" Skirmish has a blade length of 3.43". The EKI "mini" Commander has a blade length of 3.40". Would you consider those "small" knives/blades?
 
As to my thoughts: A 2.5" blade length or so includes the Buck Strider Mini with a blade length of 2 and 7/8" and the PT with a blade of 2 and 3/4". I thought they were close enough to qualify in the "or so" part of the original authors statments anyway since its still under 3" blade length. I didn't mention the Mini Skirmish for two reasons. One was the OAL and two the original poster excluded it in his statements in the very first post. I know guys that call the Mini Skirmish a small knife though and others that consider it medium or even large.

Flip8 said the knife didn't have to be exactly 2.5" so when I read that it includes anything with a 3" blade length or less and in my own mind I automatically thought 7" over alll open length or less also. Both of which the Mini Buck Strider and/or the PT fall under. As to whether these are large or small. I guess that depends on the end line user carrying it and is up to Flip8 to decide.

STR
 
And I got add the Mnandi!! It is a great little knife!! It is a tough little knife.
 
Sorry I missed your other question about the Mini Skirmish and Emerson 3Guardsman.

I guess it depends on who is looking at it and how they are looking at it. I have a Mini Skirmish here as well as several of the others that have been mentioned (see pic). All but two of them have the same thing in common. The handle length and size. They all carry about the same in the pocket or on the pocket and to me that counts as much as anything as to whether its small, medium or large in size. A smallish blade like the Dodo in a handle that is for all practical purposes exactly the same length and thickness as the Mini Skirmish puts it in the same league as the Mini Skirmish for pocket carry IMO. Actually when you consider the grip area the Dodo is sporting a bigger handle. The Mini Skirmish measures long but the two points on the end only add length but do nothing to add to the grip area.

I think most of these fall under the smaller knife category due to handle size to be honest with you. Nothing has been said about weight though and the Poliwog stands out in this crowd when it comes to heft. It carries bigger than these longer knives including the Mini Skirmish just due to that factor alone. I realize it says the Poliwog weighs 3.25 ounces in the literature on it, and that the Skirmish weighs 3.92 ounces. Truthfully someone is mistaken here because its obvious to me holding both that the Poliwog clearly outweighs the Skirmish. I had my wife sit with her eyes closed just now before editing this and placed both in her hands and she immediately picked the Poliwog as heavier without question also so that is another perspective.

The question as to whether a knife is small, medium or large has several factors to consider in my mind. Overall length, blade length, and the weight of the knife as well as thickness which all comes together as a whole so the end line user can form an opinion. Sometimes it also has to do with how it sits on the pocket and how deep depending on the clip configuration as to if its a big knife in the pocket or a small one. For example, a knife that sticks out because of the clip mounting with a 'top heavy' feel to it in the pocket may be small but if it pokes you in the side when you sit in your car is it wearing big or is it wearing small to you there?

I have examples here of both big knives in the hand, big knives in/on the pocket, and big knives to the eyes as well as small knives to the eyes, hands or pocket. I think you have to put all of these factors together as a whole to make up your own mind where the knife fits and in what category.

For the knives in the pic we have:

Top to bottom:

Spyderco Salsa
Spyderco Poliwog
Spyderco Dodo
Buck/Strider Mini 881
Al Mar Mini Sere 2000
BenchMade Mini Skirmish


STR
 
STR,
Thank you for explaining your reasoning. I must say, it does indeed make sense. I hadn't really given much thought to the pocket carry issue, and thinking about it, that is an important factor to be taken into consideration when selecting a knife. Thank you for the pic, too.

3G
 
No problem. Thanks.

When shopping for a knife my main concern is most always how is it going to carry? Many times I warn an employee showing me a folder that I'm going to stick the knife on my pocket when he/she hands it to me besides just open and close it and look at it so I can see how it fits and if I like the way it slides on and off my pocket and how it rides there. When you stop to think about it with a folder, 95% of the time or more your folder is closed and sitting right there on or in your pocket where you carry it until you need it so the size it is when folded is priority, and the main factor to look at as to whether it is small medium or large, well, at least to me it is.

STR
 
Pocket carry- another reason I've been taking a close look at your low-rider clip mods. I must say, they look very nice and seem very functional. I may be on the market, if you are still performing this mod.

Regards,
3G
 
Oh yeah. I have some here I've got to get to and shipped out by Mon.

Been pretty steady since day one on low riders.

STR
 
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