To Choil or Not

[Cobalt]

Just wondering what most like on small knives vs large knives. I have never cared for large Choils on small knives since there is no real need and it takes away from very little cutting edge in the first place. However, on large knives I have always like choils to aid in choking up on the blade which changes the balance of a large blade. I am doing a poll on this as well.

 

[jbob24]

I like choils on all my knives, regardless of length. I also like them on my folders as well. It's as much about aesthetics as it is about function for me

 

[Cobalt]

These are the knives that sparked this thread for me. Obviously very large Gossman knives, one with and one without. I agree with the aesthetics on the choil, I do like them, but without the choil it appears to have a very sword like look in this case. I do like the shaped choils on some folding knives as well, but I am not sure that on such small knives if it is worth it. I frankly almost never pick or not pick a knife because of the choil.

 

[9blades]

I like choils for the same resons as you and on some small knives to!

 

[Styg]

Depends on the knife, shape of the handle and blade shape/length. I like the choil on my Manix 2 but would agree that on a knife that size they are often unnecessary.

 

[nopyo]

On fixed blades, I don't mind small choils for sharpening. In my opinion, finger sized choils are more useful in folders because it provides an alternative grip as well as a safety mechanism during unlocking and lock failure.

 

[FCM415]

Either, but I do find choils to be useful and utilize them when available.

 

[PatrickKnight]

I find them useful on knives such as the RMD or larger but I really wish my little ESEE 3 didnt have the choil on it.

 

[bigghoss]

Small knives-no way. Large knives-I don't mind them, but I don't think they're necessary either. I carry a small knife for small work and a large knife for large work so features that make large knives better for small work are moot.

 

[Ken44]

I like them on all large fixed blades, some medium fixed blades, but do not like them at all on a smaller fixed.
I don't mind a very small sharpening notch on small fixed blades.

I generally don't like them on any folder, but there are some folders that I don't mind them on.

 

[evilgreg]

I don't like them on fixed blades or large folders, but you're missing the option I'd check, "Only on very small folders".

I recently decided to buy a Chicago-legal folder with a blade under 2.5". There are lots of knives that small, but they usually have handles so tiny that they're annoying to actually use. I settled on getting a little Spyderco with a choil. It's still a tiny knife, but if I grip up on the choil I can get four fingers on it comfortably:

 

[MunroClansman]

I always prefer to have something that physically prevents my finger from encountering the sharpened edge. With that in mind, I find that coils give me much more usability than guards.

 

[dogstar]

I don't like them on fixed blades or large folders, but you're missing the option I'd check, "Only on very small folders".

I recently decided to buy a Chicago-legal folder with a blade under 2.5". There are lots of knives that small, but they usually have handles so tiny that they're annoying to actually use. I settled on getting a little Spyderco with a choil. It's still a tiny knife, but if I grip up on the choil I can get four fingers on it comfortably:

This, to get a good grip on small folders, is the only reason I can see for having a choil.

Cobalt's photo:

In the above photo, the choil turns a 14 inch knife to a 13.3 inch knife if you choke up. How much difference does that make? A choil, to me, is an extension of the handle, and an uncomfortable one at that.

 

[NG VI]

I'm not particularly experienced with choiled knives, but to me the best use of a choil seems to be that with the right handle shape, it lets you choke way up on the blade so you can make very detailed slices.

Not something that's particularly useful on a giant brush-clearing chunk of steel, or something that is useful with every shape of grip.

 

[goodeyesniper]

It's entirely dependent on the design of the knife IMO. they can be great on certain large or small knives, or they cash be awful. I think they are usually a waste to have a large choil on a small knife, but the knives like the Spyderco Native are amazing with them.

I think Strider's use of choils is generally awful, though.

 

[gooeytek]

Sharpening choils, yes, I prefer them.
Finger choils, on knives that I would use to do more controlled work with. I have quite a few folders (mostly Spydercos) that have this feature and allows me to choke up on my grip. That said, even some larger knives like the RMD benefit from the same feature.

 

[TotalDbag]

I don't really like them, because I see them as a waste of cutting edge space.

 

[1SHOT1KILL]

I like them on my fixed blades, tolerate them on my medium sized folders (XM 24) and loathe them when they leave me with little cutting surface on what would normally be a big blade (SMF Tanto)

 

[Cobalt]

This, to get a good grip on small folders, is the only reason I can see for having a choil.

Cobalt's photo:

In the above photo, the choil turns a 14 inch knife to a 13.3 inch knife if you choke up. How much difference does that make? A choil, to me, is an extension of the handle, and an uncomfortable one at that.

You make a good point. so you don't think a choil helps you in choking up on the edge for fine work? I don't think there is a wrong answer here, I just find it interesting how many differences in opinion there. Would a choil in this case disway you from getting a large knife as that one

 

[Goosey]

I generally don't like choils unless it's on a folder that has a small handle and the reduction in cutting edge is necessary to get a better grip, for example the Dragonfly 2.