Whip out and deploy vs cutting efficiency.

Whats more important in a knife

  • Cutting efficiency

    Votes: 110 92.4%

  • Whip out and deploy

    Votes: 16 13.4%

  • Pry bar, Hard use, I don't care about cutting ability.

    Votes: 8 6.7%
  • Total voters
    119
D

Dean51

Joined
Aug 30, 2014
Messages
922
There are threads about efficiency of movement aka whip out and deploy. Threads about knife size but few threads about geometry and cutting efficiency.

I value a blades efficiency as a cutter and carry a key ring pry tool for the other non knife tasks. I'll rule out a blade over .110 and .020 BTE, even .020 BTE is to thick for general cutting.

I can go to bladehq and rule out almost all moderns because of blade geometry and or stock thickness. Company after company won't have a good cutter in their whole inventory. Thick saber ground stock that rips through something like cardboard as much as it cuts through.

Manufacturers are putting out these saber ground blades for three reasons, they can look good and looks sell.
It's also cheaper to only grind half the blade, it's kind of a hoax that is saving the manufacture money at the expense of cutting ability.
Thick saber ground blades helps idiot proof the blade from hard use.

Look at reviews and there will be 4 paragraphs on whip out and deploy and almost nothing about how it cuts. More often than not when they do say a knife is a good slicer, I'll laugh thinking that the reviewer doesn't know what he's talking about.

Steels have advanced and I appreciate the new steels from AUS-8 to S90V but cutting geometry seems to have been lost somewhere.
Maybe I just don't get the whole hard use, whip out and deploy thing.

Any one value cutting efficiency more than whip out and deploy or hard use abilities?
Or am I alone?
Two choices if the poll works.
The R2-D2 doesn't cut as well as the Wasp but it's not to bad.
fTJPtDC.jpg
 
Dean51 said:
...Maybe I just don't get the whole hard use, whip out and deploy thing.
Click to expand...
I think most of us prefer cutting efficiency. But different blade shapes for different cutting or use purposes. Most don't use folders for pry bars; maybe light prying. I also prefer the saber ground or shaped blade profile and have for a long time.

Whip out and deploy is not high on my list.
 
A knife is used to cut things with the edge it has. Prying, spine wacking, throwing and all that other crap you're not supposed to do with a knife, is just silly. So my answer for a knife, is cutting efficiency. For whipping out and deploying, I practice those habits at the gun range with my pistol.
 
I think there are some pretty good cutters/slicers over .11.

Most of my users are over that.
PM2 .14
Manix 2 .13
CRK Inkosi small .13
Griptillian.12
Slysz Bowie .14
ZT 0770 .12
 
For work blades I prefer knives that can be opened one handed.
I don’t use the term “whip out and deploy”

I consider cutting efficiency most important in my culinary knives. For a regular edc, I’m looking for combinations of attributes, cutting efficiency being just one of them.

It really depends on the application for me.
 
ScooterG said:
I think there are some pretty good cutters/slicers over .11.

Most of my users are over that.
PM2 .14
Manix 2 .13
CRK Inkosi small .13
Griptillian.12
Slysz Bowie .14
ZT 0770 .12
Click to expand...
The Manly Wasp easily out slices the R2-D2. The R2-D2 is thinner stock but it's .020 BTE vs .012 for the wasp. It's just been my experience that at .110 things start to go down hill. Especially if the knife thick BTE.
 
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I know of many moderns that have very good cutting/slicing efficiency. These are only some of the ones I own/have used that I can think of off the top of my head:
Spyderco:
Military, PM2, PM3, Delica 4 FFG, Endura 4 FFG, Native 5, Caribbean (leaf blade).

Benchmade:
805 TSEK (discontinued), 555, 550, etc.

CRK:
Large and small Insingo, small Inkosi, Umnumzaan.

To me, "speed of deployment" is not a selling point. My knives are tools, and not primarily a weapon or a prop to show off with. I get them open quickly enough to do whatever chore needs to be done without worrying about being a quick-draw artist.

Jim
 
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A knife is a cutting tool ... simple as that ... if I want a prybar I'll use a prybar ... and whip it out and deploy? ... ummm ok ... never felt any need to do that with a knife ...

As 91bravo said the only time I worry about speed of drawing and getting into use is saved for my carry guns.

If a knife won't cut it's just a chunk of metal.
 
I am totally with you, OP.
For me to perform light cutting chores, thin blade stock and thin BTE are essential.
It is just laughable to see my $75 GEC or cheaper Opinel perform way better than >$300 midtech/production knives in most cutting tasks for me.

Ergonomics may come in to the second place, especially for heavier cutting tasks.
For this, PM2 is quite good despite its thick blade and BTE.
 
I say "Whip out and deploy" because, this day in age, most steels you're going to get in even a budget friendly piece aren't going to have a problem with an ability to cut. And most company understand the right designs and grinds to put on different blade types that will lend to them being efficient cutters, given that this is pretty much the sole purpose of a pocket knife and the primary purpose of any other type of knife.

So no, I don't much stress cutting efficiency. Don't get me wrong, I pay attention to the stats of a blade, such as the type of grind, the blade material, etc. However my main focus is on the opening and locking functions of knife. I want quick deploy and one handed function.
 
:) I prefer a balance of all of the above . Cold Steel , no compromises ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
Dean51 said:
There are threads about efficiency of movement aka whip out and deploy. Threads about knife size but few threads about geometry and cutting efficiency.

I value a blades efficiency as a cutter and carry a key ring pry tool for the other non knife tasks. I'll rule out a blade over .110 and .020 BTE, even .020 BTE is to thick for general cutting.

I can go to bladehq and rule out almost all moderns because of blade geometry and or stock thickness. Company after company won't have a good cutter in their whole inventory. Thick saber ground stock that rips through something like cardboard as much as it cuts through.

Manufacturers are putting out these saber ground blades for three reasons, they can look good and looks sell.
It's also cheaper to only grind half the blade, it's kind of a hoax that is saving the manufacture money at the expense of cutting ability.
Thick saber ground blades helps idiot proof the blade from hard use.

Look at reviews and there will be 4 paragraphs on whip out and deploy and almost nothing about how it cuts. More often than not when they do say a knife is a good slicer, I'll laugh thinking that the reviewer doesn't know what he's talking about.

Steels have advanced and I appreciate the new steels from AUS-8 to S90V but cutting geometry seems to have been lost somewhere.
Maybe I just don't get the whole hard use, whip out and deploy thing.

Any one value cutting efficiency more than whip out and deploy or hard use abilities?
Or am I alone?
Two choices if the poll works.
The R2-D2 doesn't cut as well as the Wasp but it's not to bad.
fTJPtDC.jpg
Click to expand...
 
BeyondTheBox said:
And most company understand the right designs and grinds to put on different blade types that will lend to them being efficient cutters,[…]
Click to expand...

I don’t know how to say this without it sounding like you’re on my lawn, but I disagree.

I also didn’t distinguish between grinds until I cut with a knife that was ground really thin and acute. The difference in cutting ability (low force required to get a clean cut) was so stark, I have not been able to stand a factory grind since.

Factory geometry has to balance cutting ability with manufacturing cost, returns, warranty claims from non knife people, and knife use that goes beyond just cutting things.

Once you know your usage, you can take a knife really really thin to optimize its cutting ability without affecting the durability of the edge. It makes quite a difference.
 
OP, edge toughness and edge durability are also very important metrics in a knife. Where did you consider those parameters in your poll? Hopefully not in the 3rd option!
 
In almost 60 years of carrying and using knives, I've never had a knife need that could not be satisfied with a small stockman with 440A blade steel.

Now, being a knife knut, I have all sorts of blades, both modern and traditional. And I am a bit of a steel junky, so I have blades in all sorts of alloys. But those are because, "I can", not because "I need."
 
A cheap box cutter would probably suffice for most actual pocket knife use and be very slicy , but not very much fun or interesting for a hobby / collector .:(
 
knarfeng said:
In almost 60 years of carrying and using knives, I've never had a knife need that could not be satisfied with a small stockman with 440A blade steel.

Now, being a knife knut, I have all sorts of blades, both modern and traditional. And I am a bit of a steel junky, so I have blades in all sorts of alloys. But those are because, "I can", not because "I need."
Click to expand...
I very much agree about steel, although I sure do like all the choices:) I’m perfectly fine with properly treated 1095.

I’m ok with a thinnish blade as long as I have the proper tools to use for heavier cutting tasks.
I’ve seen a lot of broken blades on small stockmans.
 
The Spyderco Military checks all my boxes. Great ergos, very easy to open and close one handed, peirces well and is an excellent cutter
 
I prefer high carbide steels...which really only lend themselves to increased edge retention and a toothier, more aggressive edge. The reason for this is knives are meant to be, first and foremost, cutting tools.
 
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