Too damned big...

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mycough

mycough

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I have been told to pick out a folding knife for Christmas, looking at flippers. Shirogorov, thorburn, begg, SteenKamp, Van Heerdon, all the usual suspects...
On problem I am running across is the blades are huge, and subsequently the knIves are humongous! Are all these makers catering to collectors?
I want something I can carry more or less on a daily basis, and 3.75" up to 4.25" and 7.5 oz is beyond my comfort level.
I guess I want to know why these makers feel the need to make such large knives?

Thanks for reading this, Russ
 
They make what people want, be it collectors or users. I see no reason why you cannot carry such a knife, I prefer 3.25" blades but larger is no problem if I really like the knife.
 
There are some big blades that carry smaller and lighter than you'd expect. I carry the ZT 0454 and Southard Tolk more than my other big folders because they're both light and don't seem to hog pocket space.
 
mycough said:
I have been told to pick out a folding knife for Christmas, looking at flippers. Shirogorov, thorburn, begg, SteenKamp, Van Heerdon, all the usual suspects...
On problem I am running across is the blades are huge, and subsequently the knIves are humongous! Are all these makers catering to collectors?
I want something I can carry more or less on a daily basis, and 3.75" up to 4.25" and 7.5 oz is beyond my comfort level.
I guess I want to know why these makers feel the need to make such large knives?

Thanks for reading this, Russ
Click to expand...

Same here, but for my case it's more troublesome. It really rankles me when it's not easy to find a nice knife that has a blade length of approximately 2.5" up to 3". Most of the common ones always start at around 3.2"

Every time I see a blade with a length of 3.5" or above I always wonder if their intended customers are supposed to be avid campers or trekkers.
 
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Small Sebenza, mini Pretorian, 0450, mini-Griptilian, mini Bodega, among others.

All of these are smaller versions of larger knives. They are out there. Makers have options for a reason, not everyone likes what you or I do.
 
Plenty of good options out there:

Shirogorov neon
Hoback ultra
Thorburb l19 or 28
 
I agree about the large blades, though I think there are still plenty of options below 3.5. I like to be at the 3.25 inch on folding knives I plan to carry regularly.
 
Zt0450's, freeman button lock flipper, and zt0452cf. I know the 0452 is a long blade, but i found it to carry much more comfortable then alot of knives i have owned due to its narrow and thinness.
 
3.5 to 3.6 is my sweet spot. If I am asking for a 1000$ plus knife it is going to be EXACTLY what I want. This will be only the second knife, "other than work knives for the kitchen," and I want it to count. I will keep looking, for me, a 3.75" or larger knife does not make sense.
I may end up with a thorburn/ van heerden/ tashi A2 A6, not too fancy, my favorite folder steel, and it looks pretty cool. Some of the other thorburns look nicer but n690, length, and recurves combine for a thumbs down for me.

Thanks Guys, any thoughts in my size range will be welcomed.
Russ
 
mycough said:
3.5 to 3.6 is my sweet spot. If I am asking for a 1000$ plus knife it is going to be EXACTLY what I want. This will be only the second knife, "other than work knives for the kitchen," and I want it to count. I will keep looking, for me, a 3.75" or larger knife does not make sense.
I may end up with a thorburn/ van heerden/ tashi A2 A6, not too fancy, my favorite folder steel, and it looks pretty cool. Some of the other thorburns look nicer but n690, length, and recurves combine for a thumbs down for me.

Thanks Guys, any thoughts in my size range will be welcomed.
Russ
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If you're going to be that picky, just have something custom made for yourself. I've never consider a tenth of an inch in my buying decisions:D
 
mycough said:
I have been told to pick out a folding knife for Christmas, looking at flippers. Shirogorov, thorburn, begg, SteenKamp, Van Heerdon, all the usual suspects...
On problem I am running across is the blades are huge, and subsequently the knIves are humongous! Are all these makers catering to collectors?
I want something I can carry more or less on a daily basis, and 3.75" up to 4.25" and 7.5 oz is beyond my comfort level.
I guess I want to know why these makers feel the need to make such large knives?

Thanks for reading this, Russ
Click to expand...

Seems like you want some more high end offerings but the spyderco domino and Spyderco mantra seem to fit into your size requirements.

Edit: nevermind. I see that a tenth of an inch is a deal killer and you're looking for pretty much 3.5" blade and not much more. Good luck, there are many flippers at about 3.5".
 
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The size of blade you want is well catered for as every manufacture has plenty of takes on them. A large Sebenza or Spyderco Military is about as big as I want to go with a folder. Shed loads done smaller even the two mentioned have smaller done. You need to look a bit harder me thinks, as the market is flooded with what you are looking for.

The knife market is looking for angles to sell more products. The very big folder, giant folder, is in fashion at present with plenty being offered. They are finding some traction and selling. Is this a fad or something really useful? I'm a bit old fashioned and not convinced by it at all.
There are those that have bought into the very big folder and will enthusiastically tell you how great they are. Its true manufacturing tolerances and new materials have helped to get over some real issues big folders have. Some locks are pretty vault like. However, as I think a folder is a "half" broken fixed blade and I don't trust any locking mechanism. The bigger the blade the more forces can be applied, so if it was to fail it will fail with force. That alone is why I'm happy to give these a miss. When going large I'll put my trust in a fixed blade.

Your call.
 
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Etna said:
Same here, but for my case it's more troublesome. It really rankles me when it's not easy to find a nice knife that has a blade length of approximately 2.5" up to 3". Most of the common ones always start at around 3.2"

Every time I see a blade with a length of 3.5" or above I always wonder if their intended customers are supposed to be avid campers or trekkers.
Click to expand...

I never understood what blades far under 3.5" were supposed to be for... Below these lengths the handle becomes insufficiently long for a full grip, and so you lose any cutting power you might have gained from the extra leverage of bringing the point closer to your hand. Since most pockets are deep enough for 5" folders, and such knives can still be around 5 ounces, I fail to see the point of going way under 3.5"...

2.5-3" is too big for key chain carry, and too small to be much good at anything... Compared to a break away sliding knife, with a full load of blades, they have extremely poor precision or cutting ability, and are much heavier... The smaller blade width to keep them "proportioned" often means they have poor geometry and cutting ability, which is worsened by the lack of grip length...

Furthermore, folding knives under 3.5" are plethora in all categories of price... The claim these are hard to find is basically crying with your belly full if I have ever seen it... Amazing...

Gaston
 
Gaston444 said:
I never understood what blades far under 3.5" were supposed to be for... Below these lengths the handle becomes insufficiently long for a full grip, and so you lose any cutting power you might have gained from the extra leverage of bringing the point closer to your hand. Since most pockets are deep enough for 5" folders, and such knives can still be around 5 ounces, I fail to see the point of going way under 3.5"...

2.5-3" is too big for key chain carry, and too small to be much good at anything... Compared to a break away sliding knife, with a full load of blades, they have extremely poor precision or cutting ability, and are much heavier... The smaller blade width to keep them "proportioned" often means they have poor geometry and cutting ability, which is worsened by the lack of grip length...

Furthermore, folding knives under 3.5" are plethora in all categories of price... The claim these are hard to find is basically crying with your belly full if I have ever seen it... Amazing...

Gaston
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In don't follow this at all. I can do just about anything and maybe more with my Vic Solder than I can do with my big tactical-style knives with much longer handles and thicker blades. I wear an XL glove and I'm 6'2".
 
Have some of you guys even read the OP? He is specifically looking for a high-end flipper.

Looking for a flipper, suggestions?

Sebenza

:rolleyes:
 
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