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What does a "big" knife cut like?
- Thread starter mikemck
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
- Messages
- 1,218
Well it's pretty simple actually.
I'll explain it anyway, though:
There are, generically speaking, two kinds of cuts in the world - the push cut and the slice
-the push cut is simply taking your knife and pushing it against something with no moving the blade forward and back along the medium, examples of push cuts include opening letters and cutting other paper-products. In a push cut, size doesn't matter - plain and simple, since there is no vertical movement of the blade no slicing action takes place - but more on that in a minute.
-the slice involves taking your knife against the medium and moving it vertically (either back or forward or both). When you do this it allows the microserrations on your plain edged knife to do their proper job of slicing up the medium - the concept is better illustrated with a fully serrated knife - it's not a very effective push cutter, but drag it along the medium you intend to cut and it'll go like a hot blade through butter. Now realize that in a very basic sense, a plainedged knife is just a fully serrated knife with REALLY small serrations (the microserrations I referred to previously).
Ok, anyway i'm getting off track - the bottom line is the bigger your blade, the more you can get cut in one slicing stroke before having to reposition your blade or start slicing the other direction, so for example if you were cutting a rope - you might be able to cut it with one deliberate stroke from your 5" blade whereas with a 3" blade you'd have to "saw" on it a bit, which would take longer.
Hope this helps...
I'll explain it anyway, though:
There are, generically speaking, two kinds of cuts in the world - the push cut and the slice
-the push cut is simply taking your knife and pushing it against something with no moving the blade forward and back along the medium, examples of push cuts include opening letters and cutting other paper-products. In a push cut, size doesn't matter - plain and simple, since there is no vertical movement of the blade no slicing action takes place - but more on that in a minute.
-the slice involves taking your knife against the medium and moving it vertically (either back or forward or both). When you do this it allows the microserrations on your plain edged knife to do their proper job of slicing up the medium - the concept is better illustrated with a fully serrated knife - it's not a very effective push cutter, but drag it along the medium you intend to cut and it'll go like a hot blade through butter. Now realize that in a very basic sense, a plainedged knife is just a fully serrated knife with REALLY small serrations (the microserrations I referred to previously).
Ok, anyway i'm getting off track - the bottom line is the bigger your blade, the more you can get cut in one slicing stroke before having to reposition your blade or start slicing the other direction, so for example if you were cutting a rope - you might be able to cut it with one deliberate stroke from your 5" blade whereas with a 3" blade you'd have to "saw" on it a bit, which would take longer.
Hope this helps...
YoungCutter,
Thanks much for the clear and well thought out explanation, but that's not quite what I'm wondering about here.
Someone will say, "it's a small knife but it cuts as well as a big knife", or "It's small knife that thinks it's big", etc...
If you have 3" of blade, it's not going to slice like it was 10" of blade, although it might push cut just the same as a 10" blade, but that is a measure of the blade geometry and sharpness, not blade length.
I still just cannot see how a small knife is going to cut like a big knife. A knife cuts or it does not, and as near as I can see, a big knife does not cut any different than a small knife.
Surely I am not the only person here who has read a statement like this, and wondered what it really meant...
Thanks much for the clear and well thought out explanation, but that's not quite what I'm wondering about here.
Someone will say, "it's a small knife but it cuts as well as a big knife", or "It's small knife that thinks it's big", etc...
If you have 3" of blade, it's not going to slice like it was 10" of blade, although it might push cut just the same as a 10" blade, but that is a measure of the blade geometry and sharpness, not blade length.
I still just cannot see how a small knife is going to cut like a big knife. A knife cuts or it does not, and as near as I can see, a big knife does not cut any different than a small knife.
Surely I am not the only person here who has read a statement like this, and wondered what it really meant...
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2001
- Messages
- 1,218
Perhaps what they mean is something along the lines of a recurve or something that enhances slicing ability beyond normal parameters of a smaller blade, some of it's just hype too.
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2001
- Messages
- 491
I think it's what you're supposed to say about a small knife that you have really been impressed by 
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2000
- Messages
- 21,269
It's not the size that counts, it's how it's used that counts.
.. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist.
.).
Anyhow, I think that the blade shape has alot to do with how a small blade can cut like a larger blade. A recurve, like was mentioned before, does tend to make a small blade cut like a larger one.
.. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist..).Anyhow, I think that the blade shape has alot to do with how a small blade can cut like a larger blade. A recurve, like was mentioned before, does tend to make a small blade cut like a larger one.
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2000
- Messages
- 53
Here's another possibility:
One advantage a large knife usually has is a larger, more secure handle. That allows you to exert more force, particularly if the knife is sturdily built.
Small knives have smaller handles, and are thus usually less secure, and often more lightly built. A small strongly built knife with a well thought out handle that provides a great deal of grip security could allow you to cut through harder, more binding materials like a larger knife.
(The above probably applies more to folding knives than fixed ones.)
One advantage a large knife usually has is a larger, more secure handle. That allows you to exert more force, particularly if the knife is sturdily built.
Small knives have smaller handles, and are thus usually less secure, and often more lightly built. A small strongly built knife with a well thought out handle that provides a great deal of grip security could allow you to cut through harder, more binding materials like a larger knife.
(The above probably applies more to folding knives than fixed ones.)
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2001
- Messages
- 101
Smaller knife can be much better then larger knife in push cut...
Since the blade on the smaller knife can be significantly thinner than on the big blade, you can grind/sharpen it to the point of razor... Does not make sense to do that on the thicker blade as it will weaken the edge to the great extent...
Also thinner blade will slide through the media being cut easier because the blade is thinner...
Think razor vs Randall 14 pushing through something soft...
Since the blade on the smaller knife can be significantly thinner than on the big blade, you can grind/sharpen it to the point of razor... Does not make sense to do that on the thicker blade as it will weaken the edge to the great extent...
Also thinner blade will slide through the media being cut easier because the blade is thinner...
Think razor vs Randall 14 pushing through something soft...
Another criteria that I think makes a small knife cut big is the amount of blade the maker can fit into the handle. If it is a small knife, but the blade is big for the knife size than I say it cuts bigger than it is.
I think the CRK Mnandi is an example of this. It seems so much smaller than a small Sebenza, but the blade is very close in size to the small Sebenza blade. Therefore the Mnandi is a small knife that cuts bigger than its size would suggest.
JT
I think the CRK Mnandi is an example of this. It seems so much smaller than a small Sebenza, but the blade is very close in size to the small Sebenza blade. Therefore the Mnandi is a small knife that cuts bigger than its size would suggest.
JT
I think Eccentrich hit the nail on the head.
Small knives are very useful for alot of things but they generally don't have much handle, and so, extensive cutting can quickly fatigue the hand (and sometimes cause hot-spots and blisters).
Take a look at carpet-knives and drywall-knives and linoleum-cutters and box-cutters: they almost always have small blades (to avoid over penetration) but they usually have big beefy handles.
Some of the Spydercos are small-blade-big-handle style knives (the Salsa, Meerkat, Navigato).
Allen.
Small knives are very useful for alot of things but they generally don't have much handle, and so, extensive cutting can quickly fatigue the hand (and sometimes cause hot-spots and blisters).
Take a look at carpet-knives and drywall-knives and linoleum-cutters and box-cutters: they almost always have small blades (to avoid over penetration) but they usually have big beefy handles.
Some of the Spydercos are small-blade-big-handle style knives (the Salsa, Meerkat, Navigato).
Allen.