Weight of a pocket knife?

[bobusx]

At work, weight is not a big factor for me. I often carry multiple knives on duty to have something to fiddle around with/loan out. Off duty I usually wear basketball shorts or sweats, so weight is a big factor. I prefer my knives to weigh 3 oz or less when off duty. UK knife law limits what I can carry, so it is usually a 2.5 oz UKPK chosen fron one of the below, with a second in my neck sheath as backup.

 

[Moosez45]

I usually carry 2-3 knives with me. My never leave the bedroom kit includes, a Vic Sak Farmer, Fenix PD20, and a ZT0561. Once I hit the living room, I grab a wallet, keys, Bic and cell phone.

I wear Propper pants and shorts, but I do change my clothing depending on my situation. Say, if I go fishing, and I'm wearing my ultra light shorts, I swap out the heavy blades for a Spyderco Paramilitary.

If I have to dress up, I go with a Case Stockman. And this just applies to my folders. I usually follow similar rules when it applies to my fixed blades.

As for weight, my wilderness belt, and clothing usually negates me noticing weight.

Moose

 

[Cody777]

Thank you all for your input! I was just wondering how people view weight as a factor of a knife. It's all about personal preference and what you wear. I mostly care about how the knife cuts since that's it's main purpose . I wanted to post something that hasn't really been posted often and I was glad the turn out. That was my first post since joining bladeforums and I definitley will be posting again for opinions.

 

[ridnovir]

Here is my 2c

For folders I like the knife that does not exceed in weight its blade length number. For example for 2" folder the weight should not be more than 2oz for 3" folder not more than 3oz etc.

 

[Ares1307]

I dont mind my knife having some weight to it. I care more about how thick it is in the pocket, as long as its comfortable I dont care how much it weighs. I EDCed light knives like the Speed Bump, Mini Bone Collector, Griptilian 550HG.. but Ive also EDCed heavier knives like the ZT 350 and ZT 200. I like the feel of a heavier knife, it makes the knife feel more solid and much tougher.

 

[pbcg]

For me weight is a complete non-issue. I don't feel how a couple of ounces one way or the other makes any difference.

Bulk and comfort are another thing. As long as it fits comfortably in my pocket the weight really doesn't matter much.

I too like the feel or heft of a well made blade. These super light or feather weight knives just seem cheap or delicate to me.

 

[sigsoup]

I think if you are overly concerned about weight, you probably watch too much Nutnfancy...

For me it all depends on what you are getting for the weight.

+1 I carry a 686+ 6 inch on my hip more often the not I don't think a little 4 oz + knife is ever gonna effect my judgment. Thank God for Texas

 

[michaelm466]

I think it depends some what on what you normally wear, I usually wear jeans or khaki shorts so weight doesn't effect me too much, I have no problem carrying a ZT 200 or BM 275.

 

[jnichols2]

Weight also affects how I carry a knife.

Under 3 oz (Delica 4) I carry loose in my front pocket. At 3.0 to 3.3 oz I clip it in the front pocket.

3.4 oz or above feels much better clipped to my belt. That leaves out gym shorts or dress pants. Belt carry of a larger knife is fine for camping or work, but might freak out the mall crowd.

My favorite pocket carry is a Caly 3.5 with CF handles. It weighs 3.2 oz.

 

[XiaolongJackson]

I don't like thinks being loose in my pocket so pocket clips are pretty important to me, and I've found that heavier knives are more likely to unclip and fall out of my pocket, so I prefer lighter knives.

 

[Southpaw1925]

I think balance is what's important. Not too heavy, but not too light. For me personally, I like my folders to be slim. If the handle is bulky and you clip it to your pants, even if its fairly light, you will feel it poking your leg which to me can get annoying.

 

[bdmicarta]

With a pocket clip and my tight jeans I don't have a problem with a heavy knife, but a medium weight knife if it is laying in the bottom of my pocket does bother me. If I was wearing less substantial pants knife weight would be more of a concern. I've watched the "tip up" guys do demonstrations on youtube and some of them insist on wearing pajamas or sweatpants while doing this, I would think that they softer fabrics would make it more difficult to carry a heavy knife.

 

[Dorito Monk]

Weight has literally no effect on my decision to carry a knife. I will tend to shy away from knives that are too bulky or too long for my uses, but their weight makes absolutely no difference to me.

 

[Brian.Evans]

I guess weight and size make a difference to me. I don't like big knives, and never have. I carry an Opinel no6 quite a bit, and it's under an ounce. My S&M heritage jack is heavier, but I haven't weighed it yet. My preferences run more towards smaller knives, so they naturally weigh less. I'm not about to obsess over 0.5 oz though. That's a little too knife nuttish for me.

 

[Rapt_up]

Being too bulky is the only thing that can bother me, weight is always ok.

Consider what is popular for concealed carry pistols and even the lightest ones topped up are all over 10oz.

If you got it attached to your silk boxers or panties while watching Deadliest Warrior then the lighter it is, the better it is.

at the last time. I agree weight isn't something I usually notice unless its too light. I like a nice solid knife I can feel in my hand or in my pocket or on my belt...Reminds me its there

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

At work while in scrubs weight is an issue- I don't want to bend over a client and have a 1/2# folder smack them in the head! Although slim lines are just as important for comfort. When in the outdoors/backyard weight is no issue. I recently looked at weight among different knives I had and was surprised at what was in the same weight class. It was interesting finding out how perception changed with the different knives- and surprising that some models I thought were the same weight were different. I have 2 almost identical trappers from a custom maker that were 5 grams apart, even though they were the same overall weight.

My Alan Davis WharnKris is what set it off. As a full sized folder almost everybody I hand it to exclaims how light it is in hand. So I found others in my collection that were within 2 grams of it, and made this pic for comparisons sake.

Two of my favorite folders are made by Alan, and the Beast is nearly 3 times the weight of the WharnKris, but in the right pair of Khakies it is very comfortable to carry- not do in scrubs or tighter fitting jeans, so it is very variable.

 

[jstrykr74]

Weight doesn't factor in at all. Bulk does. I'm usually carrying a blackberry, keys, wallet, and a full size 1911 or BHP with two spare mags. I'm not going to notice if a knife weighs 3.3 ounces or 3.4.