Why are blades so wide?

R

RiverRock

Joined
Jul 5, 2013
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3
As a kid in the 50's we had a couple of paring knives and a butcher knife or two. Every man and boy carried a slip joint pocket knife which dressed fish, squirrel, rabbit, peeled apples, sharpened pencils and did a hundred other things. The blades were never wider than 5/8 with most 1/2 or less. Traditional slip joints still exist and are still popular. A lot of single blade folders are an inch plus in width. Almost all fixed blades are much wider than 5/8 inch. GEC has a H20 fixed that looks to be a sod buster type in a fixed blade but is an exception. The wider blades are plainly much more liked and in demand. Why are they? To me the extra width is just in the way and while better for spreading humus is at a real disadvantage for cutting a hole in an orange. Really, are the wider blades better? Is this mostly a matter of looks? So, what are your preferences and why. If you respond to this post and a reply is appropriate from me it may take a while as I 1 finger type slowly. This is my first post, nuff said.
 
I agree, I prefer the more narrow blades rather than the wide. A dedicated skinner would be the only exception.
 
I think it comes down largely to cutting geometry. With the popularity of locking mechanisms, people want blades capable of being used for more prying and rough cutting than slip joints. To accommodate that (or at least the perception) blades have gotten thicker. In order to keep a decent grind on the blade, they've had to get taller, otherwise you'd end up with a wedge instead of a blade.
 
If you want a certain spine thickness with a given grind angle the blade width will determine how thin you can get behind the edge, for starters.
 
Thanks for the replies. It looks like the preference is not for wider but thicker and stronger blades. The width increase is just a byproduct.
 
Pretty much. People want thicker blades these days, but if the knife doesn't cut, well that's no good either. By making the blade and grind wider, they can make a good cutter despite the thick spine.
 
Wide knives cut in a straight line easier. Thick knives notwithstanding.
 
It's almost like a generational thing. As newer designs came about, the stock needed to be thicker. It prevents the less bright from easily breaking their blades when they decide to use them as screw drivers and prybars. Heck, companies even decided at some point to make actual prybars with a sharp edge and pass them off as knives.
 
I like the shearing power offered by a wide blade. Still happy with the blades on my SwissChamp.
 
It's also a way to alter mass distribution without negatively impacting cutting performance. When you stack more mass directly behind the edge it puts it where it can best contribute to applying itself directly to the target. Think of the difference between getting swatted with a broom handle vs. jabbed by the end of one. Same mass, different orientation. Wide blades have their disadvantages as well, but I like them for a lot of tasks. Just depends on the context you're using it in. Now, broad, thick blades with stubby grinds...THOSE I often don't understand.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
It's also a way to alter mass distribution without negatively impacting cutting performance. When you stack more mass directly behind the edge it puts it where it can best contribute to applying itself directly to the target. Think of the difference between getting swatted with a broom handle vs. jabbed by the end of one. Same mass, different orientation. Wide blades have their disadvantages as well, but I like them for a lot of tasks. Just depends on the context you're using it in. Now, broad, thick blades with stubby grinds...THOSE I often don't understand.
Click to expand...

Well said! (Manix2 in hand)
 
A wide blade (top to bottom, NOT thick) tends to cut straight and not twist in your hands when cutting. Thick blades might be okay for woods work, for hacking, but they don't slice well at all. I prefer about a 1/8" thick or perhaps 5/32" thick blade for casual carry.
 
The paring knives you are referencing will always be with us, especially amongst the females who toil at kitchen tasks. The small, thin blades work great for food prep and are frequently the favorite users in the home. Many women prefer small knives because their hands tend to be smaller. Some like the chef style knives that tend to be somewhat wider. These can be used to scoop food and give a bit of distance between the cutting surface and the hand. The six inch chef knife is very popular and works well in a variety of applications.

As to the pocket knives: back in the day, no self respecting man would be caught using his Barlow as a pry bar. Shop class taught us the folly of such an application and pushed us into using other tools better suited for heavier tasks. These days, one finds overbuilt folders that try to cater to our 'need' for a knife that can do everything. Of course, there is no such thing. As much as I like my ZT, I know better than to pry heavily with it!

Common sense should prevail here, but as I have mentioned before, this cutlery addiction attracts all manner of folk who think they've got a new take on what the best knife should or could be...when most of the time they should just choose a sensible tool for a sensible job. I'm not going to use my fillet blade as a machete and I will certainly never try to use my Basic 9 to extract a cactus spine from my gastrocnemius.
 
I tend to prefer thinner blades, but it is not a show stopper. Honestly, I think about it when I see a wide fixed blade made for regular use (vs chopping) in terms of it practicality for me. I tend to like nimble blades, but a lot of it is what you are used to overall. I buy all kinds, but I generally only carry the thinner knives and thinner is relative to the overall length.

I use the Vic kitchen knives (cheap ones) a lot. I can't see buying one that has a 12" blade on thin stock as it would flex.
 
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