I notice a lot of people use here use large knives 7inch +. here in the uk most bushcrafters use a 3-4 inch knife pared with a folding saw and maybe a axe/hatchet(This is typically what I carry too.) . Im just curious to know why you choose large knives.
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why the big knives
- Thread starter laurens
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Just speaking for myself, I am fascinated by larger knives for their versatility. They can do most things a smaller knife can do plus chopping. The tradeoff is speed. It may take longer to do more delicate tasks with a large knife. On the other hand larger jobs tend to get done much faster. And chopping is much more efficient with a large knife.
So instead of carrying a hatchet and a knife, one can carry just the large knife or a large knife and a smaller one. In addition, the self defense potential of a larger knife is not to be ignored. Of course this can be a social disadvantage too. But I suspect the U.S. still has more empty wild places than the U.K. where one may still wear a large knife without sheeple criticizim.
So instead of carrying a hatchet and a knife, one can carry just the large knife or a large knife and a smaller one. In addition, the self defense potential of a larger knife is not to be ignored. Of course this can be a social disadvantage too. But I suspect the U.S. still has more empty wild places than the U.K. where one may still wear a large knife without sheeple criticizim.
depends on the job, I own some knives that some might call a single edged short sword, but were designed as knives and used as one (I have a weak sport for medieval stuff)
But I think 90% of the time bigger just has the bigger is better and wow look at that sucker reasons behind them.
But I think 90% of the time bigger just has the bigger is better and wow look at that sucker reasons behind them.
I don't use big knives often at all, less than once a month, even that's pushing it. Generally there are two reasons I use them. One, good for chopping. Two, they're just plain fun, no one can deny it feels good to chop up a thick chunk of wood with a fine bowie.
Cliff Stamp
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[vs axe]
They work much better on smaller wood than axes, expecially the size of wood typically cut for shelters and such and immensely so if the wood isn't very rigid like alders. They are also much more functional for limbing, being about 2-3 times as efficient as an axe on small woods. They are also more efficient on prying apart woods and splitting really bad wood. Seven inches isn't a large blade though, most large blades like goloks and such are small at about 12-14". The regular use ones are 16-18". Most of the 7" blades are general utility patterns, they are not meant to be part of a small blade + saw/axe kit but to function on their own similar to a SAK vs tool kit.
-Cliff
laurens said:
They work much better on smaller wood than axes, expecially the size of wood typically cut for shelters and such and immensely so if the wood isn't very rigid like alders. They are also much more functional for limbing, being about 2-3 times as efficient as an axe on small woods. They are also more efficient on prying apart woods and splitting really bad wood. Seven inches isn't a large blade though, most large blades like goloks and such are small at about 12-14". The regular use ones are 16-18". Most of the 7" blades are general utility patterns, they are not meant to be part of a small blade + saw/axe kit but to function on their own similar to a SAK vs tool kit.
-Cliff
laurens said:
Because sometimes you just really need to hack things. I live in a rural area with lots of dense scrub, second grow, and swamp, and a big knife is invaluable just for getting around in the bush. A big knife is handy for making kindling. And they're useful for grilling steaks and other cooking purposes, as evidenced by these pics of my brother doing some cooking over a campfire this spring:
Admittedly, a BK-9 is massive overkill as a butter knife, but it sure did get the job done.
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What do you use in the kitchen? Most knives in the kitchen are over 4" long. Much of camping is kitchen work. How do you cut your bread? My wife is very upset with bread sliced with a 4" blade.
With one or two slashes a 7" goes through a 1"-2" green branch where as a saw takes too long and a hatchet, unless very good, tends to bounce the branch which is unpleasant in wet weather.
Bach packing I carry a SAK (with saw) and something over 7". To carry a saw and hatchet as well adds too much weight for a hike.
With one or two slashes a 7" goes through a 1"-2" green branch where as a saw takes too long and a hatchet, unless very good, tends to bounce the branch which is unpleasant in wet weather.
Bach packing I carry a SAK (with saw) and something over 7". To carry a saw and hatchet as well adds too much weight for a hike.
You make a large knife sound quite tempting, how do they compare to a hatchet lets say my gb wildlife in the of shaping wood into various articles like spoons wedges, spatula you get the idea. In the summer time bracken can grow really thick and tall pushing threw it is slow going especially if there are brambles intermixed thats about the only time ive had need for a machete.I have a 10 inch kukuri somwhere ill take it out with me see how it fares.What do you guys think of this tabok bolo
http://www.heinnie.com/cgi-bin/heinnie_store/web_store.cgi?page=FRATOTAB/knives.htm&cart_id=
click on filipino and bolo tabok,i think they may be made by valiant
http://www.heinnie.com/cgi-bin/heinnie_store/web_store.cgi?page=FRATOTAB/knives.htm&cart_id=
click on filipino and bolo tabok,i think they may be made by valiant
Cliff is right on with his post. The old adage of " the further you are from the road, the bigger the knife" is applicable as well. When in the bush in the warm months a big knife can do it all. I carried a Martindale Jungle Knife when in Alaska one summer and it really was the most used knife we had with us. Cleaned fish, cut firewood, dug rocks etc. With a SAK Rucksack or my son's Grohmann #1 we had it all covered. Cold weather is another story. Saw, axe is a must as a replacement for the big knife.
Cliff Stamp
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laurens said:
The raw stock removal ability in terms of chopping is similar, the knife has an advatage in some shaping as it can be used two handed as a draw knife. The hatchet has advantages such as you can actually chop a hollow out of a thick piece of wood directly much more efficiently. In general for carving and shaping the 7-10" blades with optomized profiles tend to be more efficient but the 14-18" ones are fairly awkward for one handed precision work. Plus a lot of the longer blades are actually unsharpened in the region just infront of the choil on traditonal goloks and machetes to act as pseudo-guards. You can regrind this yourself of course to enhance precision cutting but they are really awkward for it.
I have not used that, however traditional blades tend to be just as impressive, or more so, in wood cutting ability than the Wildlife. While they often have decorations, they are firmly rooted in cutting ability and thus are much thinner in cross section than many of the modern tacticals. You really don't want to use a stock tactical to judge the ability of a large blade for wood work in general, it would be like judging axes by using a hardware store utility hatchet.
woodsmoke said:
I like that knife, looks odd and felt odd when I first used it as if it wanted to be used upside down. But that goes away with use and it is really versatile and has a nice grip.
Deep ice and thick hard and cold wood tend to make an axe readily appreciated. All the brush is under feel of snow locally so there is no need to cut it anymore, plus the poll is useful for knocking the ice off of deadfall as well as breaking it off the frozen ground.
-Cliff
