Ya know, I've been sitting here wondering whether I should even reply, but what the hell. I like big blades and small blades, and carry both. But, I just want to point out that big blades can indeed process small game quickly & easily. I've cleaned a bunch of squirrels with a 2 foot bowie knife. If anything it was actually faster than using a folder or small fixed blade. Those here who decry such use must either have not given it an honest try for themselves, or if they did, they're trying to use the big blade like they would a small blade, which may be the real problem. At least that's about the only explanations I can come up with. Feel free to explain.
In clarification I'd like to point out I have nothing against big knives as such. My beef is with the big useless pry-bar school, especially when compared to knives that have clearly evolved their usefulness from a pedigree of kitchen utensils or camp knives that
had to earn their corn. Just because a knife is big, or indeed very big, doesn't make it crap. Plenty of people designs great ones that we can see right here on this forum. Further, as a matter of principle, I'd support anyone that chose to carry a big one. The reason being that here in England there is such an anti-knife jackboot there are many that would have us limited to the same poxy Mora we used with a length of orange nylon crab-line when we were pre-teen, save for now they'd probably want it round ended.
As for a 24 bowie performing just as well if not better than as a small fixed blade on game, well I have no experience of that. I have lopped the head and hands of numerous woodland critters with a golok, and yeah it was a lot less effort than finding joints.
What I was really driving at was something like this [that they are all from the same source is just a matter of laziness on my part].
Here's a classic
hopeful monster marketed under; Tough Men Temper Like Steel...They Learn To Endure. I wonder what it is good at. Then I compare it to the Rinaldi's Tactical Kitchen Knife I linked to earlier and I wonder how it could exist, [especially at a price point many teenagers might find a stretch] -
Go a bit bigger and I'm wondering even more. Although this one has the hunter's point, so I figure even though it is not for slicing and would be out performed by a machete, and so on, some hunters love to crush their game with a great big spear point. I think I'd do better with a decent butchers knife -
Taking the theme in the opposite direction and we can arrive at POS #3 for When Calling For Help Is Not An Option -
mmm, I'm loathed to post it because the picture is so embarrassingly bad, but here's one of my kitchen knives around the same size. I know which one would be more useful to me in the sticks without imagining I'm in some Hollywood fantasy.
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