why not thinner blades?

[JCavSD]

Seems to me that it comes down to the intended use for the knife and personal preference. The bark river golok is my most used knife...mostly yard work. Nice thick blade around 0.25". If that blade was 1/16" it would be more of a spatula than a chopper. I have smaller knives that are thinner, and mid-sized knives that split the difference. For me, in most cases, the bigger the blade the better the chance it will be used for chopping and other heavy duty chores...so I prefer thicker steel. In general, the reverse can be said for the smaller blades I have.

I'd also say that, except in extreme cases, grind has more to do with performance than thickness. If you check out the camp knife challenge thread on W&SS (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=687445&highlight=camp+knife+challenge) you'll see some interesting results.

 

[Amaranth]

Yep, kitchen knives do cut well.

Probably because a 1/16" blade is more likely to break if dropped on the tip. Exactly what happened to my Damascus VG-10 santoku knife.

Of course if a knife falls it seems like it's most likely to fall tip first, sort of like the jelly side of toast is going to hit the floor.

Everything is going to be a compromise between desireable qualities and a pocket knife should be a little more durable than a kitchen knife as it's used under "field conditions".

 

[Brutus013]

I love thin blades for pretty much everything I use. Luckily, it's easy to get a thin blade if you like slipjoints. Slipjoints often come with great slicing ability due to their thin blades. That's not to say more modern knives all have thick blades; Spyderco has many models with great, thin blades, as do many other companies.

As EDC blades, my knives benefit from a thin blade. If you were out in the woods, though, I suspect a thick blade might be to your advantage for both durability and chopping ability.

Different uses require different blades.

 

[Brutus013]

Probably because a 1/16" blade is more likely to break if dropped on the tip. Exactly what happened to my Damascus VG-10 santoku knife.

Of course if a knife falls it seems like it's most likely to fall tip first, sort of like the jelly side of toast is going to hit the floor.

Everything is going to be a compromise between desireable qualities and a pocket knife should be a little more durable than a kitchen knife as it's used under "field conditions".

Actually, it's more likely that the tip won't hit the floor, and speaking of toast, the side with the jam/butter has a good chance of staying up top if it's spread lightly and with vigor.