What do you consider optimum THICKNESS for blade length?

L

Lavan

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Nov 8, 2000
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I was as close as hitting "Checkout" on a Fallkniven Idun NL-5 when I took one last look at the specs.

5mm thick. I think that's too thick for a 4# blade that is NOT intended for prying or a bumper jack handle.

Am I nuts?

I like my knives to be for cutting, which includes ...slicing.

If I want a THICKER blade, I would go for a longer blade with distal taper (don't know if Idun has distal taper) or one of the current cord wrapped sharpened lawnmower blades that would be great for Ramboing your way through a forest of cops to burn down the town.

Whadda y'all think for 4", 5", 6" blades as far as ...thickness... goes?

For a general knife that you want to use for general purposes?

I would assume that WHATEVER the thickness, one would pry with it if it were a life or death situation and not care if the blade broke.

:confused:
 
I think for a fixed blade in that range, .21 inches or lowen to around .18 is best. Depending on the grind of the knife it can be very strong, and yet still be able to cut. :thumbup:
 
I think flat grinds on 4 mm stock is fairly versatile. I personally wouldn't want to go more than 3/16 inch which is 4.8 mm on most lengths and weights. With the distal taper on thicker stock, that still wouldn't allow more functional prying strength, would it? As for life and death situation, if its like you pry this very minute then you have a chance, and if you don't pry you have no chance, it is a fairly clear cut choice. Under less severe circumstances you would have to weigh the risks. Having your knife snap is not the end of the world. Having your knife snap and the blade falling into an unretrievable place is a lot worse.
 
I don't think that you can make a broad statement, such as "This thickness blade is only good for this length of blade." It just isn't as simple as that. The height of the blade, and the type of grind play a very important role. I have a Marbles Fieldcraft, that actually looks similar to the pictures I've seen of your Fallkniven. My Fieldcraft is 1/4" thick with a full convex grind, that tapers to a very acute edge. This Fieldcraft is one of the more efficient cutters in my collection, for outdoor work.

field1.jpg
 
My Kabar is 3/8'' thick with a saber grind and a 7'' blade.my Fallkniven F1 is also 3/8'' thick but only has a 4'' convex/V grind and i find it to be one of the best slicers I have.Heck, I've preped a steak with my 1/4'' tracker once at camp.I don't find that thickness has anything to do with slicing ability.
 
savagesicslayer said:
I don't find that thickness has anything to do with slicing ability.
Click to expand...

All that matters is how much of the blade the materials "sees" during the cutting. When you are carving woods for example the wood only exerts force on the blade very close to the edge and thus the thickness of the blade there is all that matters. However if you take the same blade and press it through a carrot, thick cardboard, heavy rope, stryofoam insulation, or split a piece of wood with it, you will notice a large difference between a 1/8" thick spine and a 1/4" thick spine. In general what is most critical is edge angle, edge thickness, primary grind, and stock thickness, in that order usually, because for most materials force that is exerted on a blade falls off rapidly as you move back from the edge.

In general though it is hard to argue that 1/4" stock is sensible on smaller blades because there really is little advantage to it. A normal sized man, can actually do a pull up off of a 3/16" blade with a full flat grind when it is only a few inches long so it seems unreasonable to have the stock thicker. If you need 1/4" on a 4" blade what are you carrying on your 10" knives to ensure they stay in one piece? If you are just cutting with it, knives of that length can be 1/16" thick and will handle any cutting necessary. Anything above that is mainly for prying purposes unless you want the thicker spine for ergonomic reasons. You could make an arguement for distal taper and blade versatility however. Wilson does a really nice job at this for example.

-Cliff
 
Savagesiclayer, MyKaBer is only 5/ 32 thick where did you find one 3/8 ? I like blades on the thinner side . Depending on the width, grind ,length & intend use. some web sites don't tell you what the grind is & it can be hard to see in the photos.
 
Thickness would be entirely mission-sensitive, except as Buzzbait says, you have to consider the grind as well. Given a series of knives, fixed and folders, with flat grinds or relatively shallow hollow grinds, I'm happiest around 1/8". But it's not a deal-breaker, it's not an element I really worry about in choosing a knife.
 
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