Why ?

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
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There seems to be a large move in recent months over to the smaller length, thinner stock type of knife and away from the sharpened pry-bar camp( I seem to be moving in the other direction but I have always been different to most !).
The reason most give is that the thinner stock flat ground knives etc perform much better at cutting up food items and making such things as fuzz sticks ( which I have to agree on by the way !).
However my question is this, if people are now prefering that type of knife why are they not carrying knives that are purpose designed for cutting food etc such as your quality kitchen knives such as the higher end Henckels line ?
Most high end kitchen knife brands seem to carry a utility type blade with an edge around 4" long.
The more I look at some of the knives shown recently the more I think they resemble kitchen knives, am I missing the boat here or is it just because most have never though of it ?
 
Most kitchen knives don't come in good carbon steel and the handles usually suck.

And no sheath either.

Plus you'd look like a goob.

An Old Hickory would be the exception.
 
They also usually have short tangs, crappy grinds, and are ultra thin (not just thinner than a Busse).

Out of curiosity, which blades have been mentioned so much recently that you noticed a trend towards them?
 
Good question. I did carry carry an old broken steak knife as a kid but that was because it was all I had available at first. I think as more people learn from use and from resources such as these forums they realize they can do better then just okay with something with thinner stock. I could be wrong but that's just my opinion. Personally I gravitated towards thinner blades for chopping and carry weight and slightly thicker smaller fixed blades for other things. I alos carry a sack with a thin locking blade. Currently I have only a couple large fixed blades with thick stock that I'd consider using but that's just because they're freaking cool, don't weigh me down, and have good balance. I am also guilty of being on the current machete wave again. I love those things.....
 
My ideal is 3/16 but will go upto 1/4. A SAK will do all my fine whittling etc. that most people use a thin fixed blade for.
 
The real solution is and always has been multiple blades. I love a big knife. I started with an old Arisaka Jap bayonet I found in my grandpas barn when I was a boy. But I saw real fast that a big chopper needs a little buddy for light chores. In days gone buy my pocket knife always carried that duty supplemented by a BIG chopper for wood and camp chores.

Later on a trio seems like the best answer. Hatchet for wood, stout knife for skinning and woodcraft and a little pocket knife for kitchen duty.

Still looking for that magic knife to do it all but I have yet to find it.

These days I am camping, hiking and canoing with Bark River Bravo 1, a Gansfors Brucks Wildlife hatchet and a Bark River PSK......mostly.

Then other days.............
 
I don't know. I like having multiples also. I like carrying both types.

One thing that I can say is that I really don't do hardly any kitchen tasks out in the woods. Sheer lazyness, probably. So I don't really care how well a knife slices tomatoes or whatever.

I will say this, however. I've never had one of my thicker knives fail to cut what I wanted to cut. I have had some of my thinner knives break when I didn't want them to break. So I usually err towards strength, knowing I can still cut.
 
I find that blades thicker than about 1/8" are simply overkill. I've never needed even that amount of heft.

I'd have no trouble using a Opinel paring knife. It's kind of a workhorse around here already.

Another one I've been thinking about lately is the Cold Steel knife that they seem to be marketing as either a kitchen knife or a neck knife with an added sheath. I don't know about the neck knife config, but the knife itself looks good to me.

Most of those Green River knives are pretty thin by knife nut standards, with full grinds. Those would be pretty good, too.
 
Multiple knives for different tasks is the way to go, is this part of survival also ?? overlapping ?? having more than one resource ?
 
How a about one like this?
Parer_Nat_Canvas_S.jpg

Specs:

Overall Length: 7 Inches
Blade Length:3.2 Inches
Blade Steel: 12C27 @ 59-60 rc
Blade Thickness: .075 Inch
Weight: 2.375 Ounces

Great for food prep and could do more.
 
Sharp Eye said:
How a about one like this?
Specs:

Overall Length: 7 Inches
Blade Length:3.2 Inches
Blade Steel: 12C27 @ 59-60 rc
Blade Thickness: .075 Inch
Weight: 2.375 Ounces

Great for food prep and could do more.
Click to expand...

Dayum that's sweet. :thumbup:
 
Sharp Eye said:
How a about one like this?
Parer_Nat_Canvas_S.jpg

Specs:

Overall Length: 7 Inches
Blade Length:3.2 Inches
Blade Steel: 12C27 @ 59-60 rc
Blade Thickness: .075 Inch
Weight: 2.375 Ounces

Great for food prep and could do more.
Click to expand...

That's exactly the kind of thing I've been eyeing up before I did this post !!!
 
Well for me first I wanted thick as possible because I thought that it made them somehow tougher.

Then I bought one of Dale Chudzinski's Nessmuks which was 3/32 and I really found it performed more camp chores like dicing potatoes and stuff way better than the thicker blades I have.

I might split some small kindling with my knife or something like that but most of the stuff I do is more food prep or whittling stuff so a thinner blade works better.

One reason I really like the 1/8" Skookum Bush Tool.

I ordered several of the scandi type cobblers blades that Kismet posted about. If I'm right they are about 1/16"?? I'm interested to see how they do.

I have a Swamp Rat, a Game Warden in .200, The F1, a Ranger RD4 so I've tried the thicker ones too.

Of course I like Khuks and Big Choppers so I still like big thick knives, but when you get down to the like 3 to 5" blades I way prefer the thinner stuff for the things I use small knives like that for.:thumbup:
 
I talked with Ken Warner at a show last month. We were talking about the AG Russell Woodswalker. After telling a great story about him dispatching a wounded groundhog with a Woodswalker, he made a statement: “what cuts better than a good paring knife?". He then showed me a prototype blade that he plans to market soon as a Warner Blade. The knife resembled a high quality paring knife. It should be great at food prep and other light chores but it would not be the only knife I would want to have with me in the woods. I usually carry a neck knife and/or a SAK to compliment a stouter blade. I did aquire a Koster recently that seems to be good at food prep and stout enough for serious cutting.
 
A 2$ carpet knife with a disposable blade cuts better than most knives but this is only half the story.

I personally go for thicker knives that cut well. In my last camping trip, I used my bark river Aurora to prepare meat, peal potatoes etc. It did it all nicely with no effort.
 
sodak said:
One thing that I can say is that I really don't do hardly any kitchen tasks out in the woods. Sheer lazyness, probably. So I don't really care how well a knife slices tomatoes or whatever.
Click to expand...

I'm with you there. My last few trips have been boil water, pour in pouch, stir. Just don't like hauling the stuff or wasting the time right now; so a kitchen knife would be pretty low on my list to carry.
 
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