There does seem to be some magic in a 9" knife

[Windwhistler]

Some time ago in one thread or another several of you were extolling the great flight characteristics of a knife 9" or so in length. At the time I was throwing longer heavier knives that were slower to fly and easier to study in their flights. But in the last 3 months I have been throwing about 4 types of 9 and 10 inch knives. I am convinced they seem to fly straighter, further and stick harder than their larger brothers. Do others still find this to be true?

 

[halzucati]

Some time ago in one thread or another several of you were extolling the great flight characteristics of a knife 9" or so in length. At the time I was throwing longer heavier knives that were slower to fly and easier to study in their flights. But in the last 3 months I have been throwing about 4 types of 9 and 10 inch knives. I am convinced they seem to fly straighter, further and stick harder than their larger brothers. Do others still find this to be true?

Just by virtue of mass + acceleration, the force of a sticking knife and how deep it penetrates is something that will vary. A heavier knife thrown lighter will have less overall force, and a lighter knife thrown harder will have more than each thrown opposite.
Also, each may be comparable if you do just that, at least in terms of force. As for "flying straight", you would likely be able to throw a lighter knife with a flatter trajectory... but I'd be surprised if it showed up under 10'.

I think section width and blade width have a lot to do with how well something "flies". Air resistance can factor in as well, so if the knife is broad, thin and whatever size, its more I likely to catch the air and deflect to some degree. Thicker knives with narrower blade widths will catch less air and fly straighter.

Also, how perfectly you throw the knife matters. Throw it on profile and it glides. Throw it against the profile and it paddles. True for any knife.

So my take is use a thicker knife, of 10" or longer for the best possible experience. But your mileage may vary.

- Hal Zucati