What's the right knife for the right job?

[johnnyKnives]

I only own two knives. A benchmade 4.5" bowie and a swiss army knife cadet. Today I was whittling and I was having a hard time making finer carvings with the bigger knife. I tried the SAK and found it was much easier for the details. I know that sounds obvious but I was under the impression that someone that was good with a knife could make any knife work with almost any situation.

Another example, I was making a fishing spear and trying to cut notches in it to hold the fish. It was difficult with the Benchmade and easier with the sak. So why are all the survival knives big long knives (maybe they aren't I don't know)?

Am I just no good with knife or is the small folder really good for situations a larger blade isn't. It was not all the length of the blade either. It was the width and thickness too. I think I want a folder again.

 

[johnwaynesandw]

You might just want to thin the edge down on the BM. Many knives are easier to controll when they are smaller, but my Buck 119 (6'' blade) carves sticks just fine.


John

 

[Thalestin]

Heres some evidence: surgeons dont operate on people with a foot long blade. Thin smaller blades are better for intricate work. This is the same in the field while hiking etc. Some "survival" knives arent bad for these chores. I find my bravo 1 aint bad, but I find a smaller, lighter blade easier.

 

[Harayasu]

A small blade is easier to control than a big blade and serves different purposes than a big blade. That is why many people who go outdoors carry blades of different size. Knives used for detailed wood carving usually have small blades, about 1 or 2 inches.

 

[Ben Dover]

Where I grew up here in the Rocky Mountains, the old-timers always said that you could tell the experience level of an outdoorsman by the size of his knife.

The smaller the knife, the more experienced the man!

 

[knarfeng]

I only own two knives. A benchmade 4.5" bowie and a swiss army knife cadet. Today I was whittling and I was having a hard time making finer carvings with the bigger knife. I tried the SAK and found it was much easier for the details. I know that sounds obvious but I was under the impression that someone that was good with a knife could make any knife work with almost any situation.

Another example, I was making a fishing spear and trying to cut notches in it to hold the fish. It was difficult with the Benchmade and easier with the sak. So why are all the survival knives big long knives (maybe they aren't I don't know)?

Am I just no good with knife or is the small folder really good for situations a larger blade isn't. It was not all the length of the blade either. It was the width and thickness too. I think I want a folder again.

As you have discovered, what knife shape works best depends on the job to be performed. The finer the cutting task, the more the smaller blade will excel as the smaller blade will give you better control. But, if you were trying to trim branches, you would find that the Bowie performed better. Some folks consider the ability to excel at trimming branches a significant requirement for their knife. (Sometimes even if they never leave the city.)

Personally, whether in camp or in the city, I find that the most I've ever needed is about a 3-4" blade. But YMMV. It's all a matter of what works best for you. There is no right answer about what size knife you need to carry.

 

[mg357]

Have you thought about using both knives for carving jobs? use the big knife for the big carving work and when you get to the detail work use the smaller knife. That is just this very young humble man's 02 cents.

 

[fast14riot]

There is a reason the classic woodsmans set is a set of three edged tools, not just one knife. A small 1.5-2 pound hatchet single or double bit, a 3-5" fixed blade and at two or three bladed slipjoint. One could do most anything one would ever need in the woods with those three tools.

The thought of one knife that can do it all and do it well is what drives some makers to keep making and collectors to keep buying, personally, I carry a 3" drop point hunter and a serpentine jack most every day and my "office knife" is a customized kershaw skyline that replaces the fixed blade some days.

Find a favorite of each and use them well.

-Xander

 

[marcinek]

Another example, I was making a fishing spear and trying to cut notches in it to hold the fish. It was difficult with the Benchmade and easier with the sak. So why are all the survival knives big long knives (maybe they aren't I don't know)?

Very simple answer. For the vast majority "outdoor survival" means bashing the bejeebus out of trees with a huge knife while, at all times, within 50 yards of a gassed up car having a trunk full of beer.

Now there's nothing wrong with that, but how it became "survival" escapes me entirely. Seems to me a typical survival task would be something like making a fishing spear. Which is far easier to do with a thinner, smaller blade.