what size???

You know, I re-read my own words, and I have to add something. It seems if I'm off to the fields and woods, or doing some heavy work around our little ranch, I find myself sticking my Vintage Knives Model 1902 Moose or my yellow-handled Case Trapper in my pocket. The smaller knives are okay for most everyday tasks, but if I know I'll be in the outdoors somewhere, I go for something a little heftier.

Ron
 
555 said:
LOL By looking at the Sizes on this list/thread, I can see I'm the odd man out and is why I can find lots of 3.5" stockmans and few at 4.25".
Click to expand...

You're not the only one. I carry a Case large stockman nearly every day. For the rare time (tuxedo, etc) when the large is just too bulky, I'll carry a medium stockman or pen. I prefer the slightly longer blades for food prep. I prefer the larger handle for comfort when using the knife longer than a quick cut. And, I just generally prefer a little heft.

I can't think of a task where a large stockman has been too much knife, but there are occasions that a tiny knife (e.g. peanut) is a pain. That's not to say you can't be inventive, or figure out a way to get the job done, but sometimes a bigger blade is just better.

If tiny knives did everything well, we could all ditch our knife blocks in the kitchen and just use a paring knife. :rolleyes:
 
Looks like I'm spittin' into the wind (as usual), but I have carried a carbon steel version of the big old 858 Old Timer stockman for many years in my front pocket. In the last couple of years I also have a Buck Alpha thumb stud type on my belt, in case I run afoul of a crazy. And if I go hunting I have a 5.25 inch double blade hunter in my pack. I rarely take a fixed blade hunting, because I never cut through bone (and not later, when I butcher, either). Sometimes, in addition, I take out something special and carry it to show a friend. So far, no boot knives or swords!!
 
I think your lifestyle and where you live is going to ultimatly make an influence on what you carry. A suburbanite or urban dweller is not going to have the same needs of a farmer or country carpenter.

They say clothes make the man, well maybe the clothes of your trade make a choice of pocket knife for you as well. :)
 
Blade length isn't a big deal for me, but I need the handle to be no less than the Victorinox recruit/cadet sizes. I like to get a whole paw on there.
 
For me. . . . .it depends on the pattern and intended use. My general preference is a closed length of 3.25" to 3.5".

When faced with lopping off limbs, I tend to gab a slippie with a 4.0" or greater blade length. :D
 
On the weekends I'm leaning toward a smaller knife (today a Schrade 34Ot) but at work in the factory I have to carry bigger, at least 4 inches. This week it's been a Boker carbon Stockman, just about right for a days work.
 
The knives I carry range from 3 1/4 to 3 5/8.
But interestingly when I looked at the knives, I realized my preference is the blade length, which are all 2 3/4 or a tad shorter.
 
Hi,

I find myself choosing size according to what I'm generally going to be doing and where I'm going to be doing it. For a typical workday use, I carry a Vic Soldier or a Buck large Stockman. I like the beefier blades on the 3 3/4" to 4" knives. And they carry easy in a pair of blue jeans. On the weekends I find myself going to smaller sizes. Yesterday, I carried a tiny 2 5/8" butterbean for my day trip to the big evil city. I've got a couple of goin' to town knives in that 2 1/2" to 2 3/4" range. They just disappear into a pocket, and if used they look like jewelry enough that no one is ever bothered by them.

dalee
 
I value the compactness of smaller knives, the ease of carry and acess, the way they don't scare people, and how they do cut like lasers, and how good they are for precision work.

However, I am gravitating towards bigger folders. I find myself reaching for my Eagle Talon or Opinel No. 9 when I want a more traditional knife to carry. My Copperhead and Moore Maker Serpentine Stock and larger Boker Stockman are pushing the Medium Stockman (my most favoritist knife ever) and my Sodbuster Jr. and my 303 outta my pockets.

I even think I'm going to be a hypocrite and go against what I've been preaching and buy a Queen, either a Moutain Man or a large swing guard, in birdseye and D2. I go over to Eknifeworks and ogle not the Cases or Kershaws, but the Rough Rider clasp knives.

So, all in all, right now, I'd say I prefer bigger knives. But I prefer bigger everything, and I'm about 6'7". I wear a Tissot Quadrato Chrono, which is about 3.75 cm across. I wear size fifteen shoes, and I carry big knives.
 
I too prefer a longer handle as I've got fairly big paws. I can finesse a small knife, but if I need some strength behind it I want my whole hand on the handle. At the same time I work in an office, and don't want to be flashing around a 4-3/4" Mountain Man, not to mention the excess weight - I don't need that much knife in this environment.

For this reason I've been gravitating toward the Case Slimline Trapper/Queen Utility end of things recently. The bulk and weight of the knife is diminished by its slimness, but it still gives you something to hold onto, as well as a really sharp slicing blade. Other 3.75-4.25" single blades have been in the rotation a lot lately, too (GEC Beavertail, Copperlock, etc).

As with handguns, I find slimness and lack of bulk easier to "carry" than minimal overall size.

-- Sam
 
When I was camping I was trimming up a fire poker and had to use my leatherman.I had my copperlock and feared the bolsters wouldn't hold up. It would have been a different story if I had my 6347.My leathermans blade usually ends up being a scraper and it was dull.
 
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