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When and why would you need a folder bigger than a Rat-2 ?

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Chapp

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Just curious. I have a rat-2 for some months, I'm cuting almost everything with it and I didn't touch my Paramilitary 2 once since then. I'm just curious when and why some people need a bigger folder than this size ? I'm not judging, just wanting people input about this.

It's strictly about folders, I perfectly understand why some people would need a fixed blade bigger than a rat2.
 
Chapp said:
Just curious. I have a rat-2 for some months, I'm cuting almost everything with it and I didn't touch my Paramilitary 2 once since then. I'm just curious when and why some people need a bigger folder than this size ? I'm not judging, just wanting people input about this.

It's strictly about folders, I perfectly understand why some people would need a fixed blade bigger than a rat2.
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Because it all just boils down to personal preference. I don't like folders with blades smaller than 3", so I wonder why folks carry knives that are so small?
 
91bravo said:
Because it all just boils down to personal preference. I don't like folders with blades smaller than 3", so I wonder why folks carry knives that are so small?
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There's preference and there's usefulness. I'm interesting in the latter. I can understand why people like bigger folder, but I need to hear when and why people would need a bigger folder than a 3" blade. Under what circumstances ?
 
When cutting cardborad I find having more edge helps the job go quicker. I can cut more with each stroke But that's really an "edge" case. I like the feel of alarger folder in the hand, but for most of what I do I won't need more than a rat 2.

In fact, my city has a rediculous 2.5 inch blade length limit so I started carrying a sak Spartan. It's awesome and if I'm honest about it, it gets way more use than my other folders.
 
3.5" to 4.5" long blades mark the range of utility to me. The middle being the sweet spot. That is what I am most comfortable with in a commercial kitchen, at home, and in the field. When I was still consulting (as recent as a year ago) I kept a 4" folder in my pocket at all times. I could break down a pig or open a box with it. I could skin a 2-pound fish with one. A salmon if I had to although even though longer is better. Not shorter. Knives with blades less than 3" are semi-useless trinkets to me. Although the blade itself is usable in most circumstances, the handle length becomes too short with a three-finger grip instead of full hand. I also require a drop point, or at least a mild spear point as my Laconico Keen has shown me. YMMV.
 
Chapp said:
Just curious. I have a rat-2 for some months, I'm cuting almost everything with it and I didn't touch my Paramilitary 2 once since then. I'm just curious when and why some people need a bigger folder than this size ? I'm not judging, just wanting people input about this.

It's strictly about folders, I perfectly understand why some people would need a fixed blade bigger than a rat2.
Click to expand...
Wow . . . just every day.
I carry both everyday meaning something two to three inch and another knife about four inch.
Why ?
In a word : Cake.
Hahahaha . . . I mean you never know when someone is going to show up with ice cream cake and invariably they don't have a knife to cut it. Why ice cream cake exactly ? Old thread . . . you would have had to been there.

Seriously though I do some food prep and often use a Cold Steel Holdout One which has a six inch blade.
At work I cut widish wads of rubber strips to put in the dumpster ( long story) and a Para2 blade is just long enough and four inches is even better. I also do pierce cuts in rubber coated cloth and the Para with it's sharp pointy tip is perfect for that; more blunt pointed blades like a Dragonfly is not ideal and my Spyderco Ouroboros (which I love) is just not good at this work and is too short as well.

I bought a Rat 1 in D2 this year, my first Rat and I love the thing. It is kind of big but I use the blade length. it's funny, when I carry my Ouroboros for a while then grab one of my traditional Trappers to EDC the Trapper looks like a "large" knife. When I carry my usual EDCs such as one of my many Para2s or my Rat 1 or one of my Brad Zinker Urban Trappers and then grab one of the traditional Trappers I mentioned above the traditional Trappers seem small.

Plus . . . I just like the larger handles. On many of my knives I have cut the blade length down so that I have a highly controllable short blade but still have a good full handle. Think four or five inch handle and a two inch or two and a half inch blade.
 
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Wowbagger said:
Wow . . . just every day.
I carry both everyday meaning something two to three inch and another knife about four inch.
Why ?
In a word : Cake.
Hahahaha . . . I mean you never know when someone is going to show up with ice cream cake .
Click to expand...
Some may laugh at that reply but I was at a kids birthday party and no one brought a knife to cut the cake! I always carry a large folder because I have XXL hands, all I had on me that day was my small Sebenza....I felt very inadequate :(
 
Because I like them. I had the same answer for a friend when she asked why I lugged around a snubbie S&W model 29.

If I'm going to cut some fruit for lunch I want to slice it in as few steps as possible instead of nipping away at it. Sure I don't "need" a PM 2 but I am proficient with it and feel safer.
 
I like to have options and typically “over EDC” on the daily.

Large folder, small folder, and usually a fixed blade somewhere.

When I’m only able to carry one, I tend to carry something in the 3-4 inch range.

I like the larger folder because it can handle more “mistreatment”. More times than not I abuse my knife and having that extra length and weight is useful.

Examples:
Hacking small brush.
Stabbing seed bags/ferlizer totes.
Reaching deep into something to scrape.
Longer edge for cutting thick double wall cardboard.
Light prying.
Etc.
 
Chapp said:
There's preference and there's usefulness.
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:) "Usefulness" depends on what you want / need to cut and how you "prefer" to cut it .

If you consider utility / working type knives , including fixed blades , used all over the world throughout history , the vast majority will be substantially longer in blade and OAL than your "preference" .

A 3" blade must slice twice to equal one cut of a 6" . Small is less efficient for large cuts .

Bigger handles that fill the hand are much better for hard , extended work . More OAL provides reach , leverage , speed and momentum .

Smaller is only actually better for precise work or work in limited space , and for convenience of carry and concealment .

Or , at least , that is my personal viewpoint and preference . ;)
 
Chapp said:
There's preference and there's usefulness. I'm interesting in the latter. I can understand why people like bigger folder, but I need to hear when and why people would need a bigger folder than a 3" blade. Under what circumstances ?
Click to expand...

I share a lot of the same sentiments from the posters above, in regards to large folders. Hell, I love larger than usual fixed blades too!
 
3.0 to 3.25" blades on folders is my preferred size. I carry a 111mm SAK every day which has about a 3"blade or so. Why not larger? Personal preference for regular carry. I do like a longer bladed knife to cut cake, cantalopes, and watermelons however.

The truth about knives is that I could easily get by with a medium sized SAK or most any traditional folder about that size and be quite content in terms of it's capabilities. But I like variety and swing modern and traditional on knives. But ultimately on moderns, my favorite size is noted above in the first sentence.
 
Not everyone has the same "needs" /wants. Thats a good thing. Myself I agree the rat 2 is a good size. My most used folders are 3"-3.25". Then again my most used fixed blades aren't much larger.
 
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