Your ideal EDC blade size

I just took a picture of this the other day. To me 3.25 is the best length for an edc pocket knife generally. Though I will carry regularly anything between 3.5 and 2.75 depending on my mood/situation.

Its pretty rare to carry a 4 inch but I’ll push it to 3.75ish sometimes for a large Sebenza. 3.25 is still just perfect usually. Although some 3.25 inch knives like my dpx HEST feel quite abit larger than others like my shamwari.

I got more 3.25 inchers but these are some of my favs:
NnRuDo9.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ironbut said:
3 1/4-3 1/2" seems ideal for me, although the shape of the blade has something to do with it also. For instance, a Native which has approx a 3" blade, handles like a larger knife.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that, I was trying to decide between ordering a PM2 and the Native 5 yesterday. I ended up ordering the Native 5 G10, I liked the overall size and shape better. I wondered how well it would handle bigger jobs, it doesn't sound like I'll be under-knifed. I know my Delica is about that size and it hasn't let me down. I'll find out how it handles soon enough.
 
MarkN86 said:
So based on your needs and experiences, how big of a blade or blades do you carry on a daily basis? I know that when I first got into knives I wanted a 4" blade or nothing, but my preferences have changed quite a bit over the years.

How about you? Do you carry a monster or a mouse? What tasks or needs make your chosen blade size best for you?
Click to expand...


It depends on what I'm carrying and to which jurisdiction I am going. If I am going in to Chicago I'll try to stay at 2.5 or smaller. If I am in DuPage County I carry the following:

If carrying fixed:
- Bradford Guardian 3 M390
Blade Length: 3.5"
Cutting Edge: 3"
- Bradford Guardian 4 M390
Blade Length: 4.625"
Cutting Edge: 4.125"

If I'm carrying a folder it is generally between 3 and 4 inches in length.
 
With me, it's not just the size of the blade but also how the folded knife rides in my pocket. A three and a half inch blade is about as large as I am normally willing to carry because of overall size when folded. Most of what I carry has a 3.25" blade and I hate going any smaller than a Vic Cadet at 2.5 inches blade length.
 
For me, as far as modern pocket clip folders go, it's around 3.5-4" as a general rule. Less than that and they tend not to provide a 4 finger grip and feel awkward to open one handed with big paws.
 
aleforme said:
3 to 3.25 is ideal but will stretch that a bit to around 3.5 or so if I really like the knife.
Click to expand...

The older I get the smaller the blade I seem to prefer. 3” - 3.25” is my current sweet spot. Current favorites are Fantoni Hide, Fantoni HB 02 and David Mosier Spektor
 
~3.75"
A though shorter or longer is ok too but I really find a large Sebenza or Endura sized knife does everything pretty well.
 
Blade length is a ways down on my preference list. My current EDC tasks truthfully allow the carry of a Spyderco Dragonfly 2 without much issue and I've carried one quite often. That said, I typically carry a Manix 2 LW just because it...well...maybe just because.

My friend asked me the other day about blade length and I said, "Well dude, I'm way more a desk jockey these days than actually working for a living. A knife is either long enough to cut through the entirety of an apple or it ain't. And if it ain't, it only needs to cut half way through."

:)
 
I prefer blades about 3.5-3.75" but these days I carry PM2 the most which is just under 3.5". I occasionally carry a Military or Manix 2 XL.
 
MarkN86 said:
How about you? Do you carry a monster or a mouse? What tasks or needs make your chosen blade size best for you?
Click to expand...
My Grail is a modified (handle) Brad Zinker Urban Trapper . . . so right around there (3.5 to 4 inch). I absolutely love my full flat ground Ti Lite IV which is 4 inch).
Why ? you ask.
Any thing from food prep to cutting bundles of stuff so I really enjoy that length. I have a ton of folders down to two inch though so I do appreciate smaller knives for sure for sure.
I've been known on many occasion to cut a blade that is well over three inch down to < 3.

As far as monster . . . funny you should ask today . . . I don't often carry my mellon tester's folder or my Cold Steel Holdout I very far from home but I had both with me today because I was showing the new guy at work a good cross section of interesting knives and those two were in the show 'n tell.

Bottom line : I wouldn't want to go on without Trappers and or a Paramilitary 2 size EDC knife.
 
Last edited:
To be honest, I like something between 2.5-3.25. I really don't like a blade larger than 3.25, though handle size on 3.25-3.5 is usually great.

It cracks me up when youtube reviews talk about good blade-to-handle ratios. I mean, if you can be efficient enough and get close to a 1/1 blade to handle, more power to you, but I've found that for almost every task, 2.5-3" is sufficient, though I like the handle of a larger knife, generally what's common in the 3.25-3.5 blade range.
 
I like about 8.25" OAL. However you get there (Lrg Sebenza, PM2, SnG, XM-18 3.5 types) is alright with me.
 
Need? I think 99% of the people here could make due with a 2 inch blade for 99% of EDC Tasks. I prefer 3.5 to 4 inches, I wear work pants anyway and have tools in my pockets already, so additional weight or bulkiness is rarely a concern.
 
3" and give or take a little for slip joints. Smaller and the handle gets cramped usually, or the handles looks too big for the blade if you get a short blade and long handle, and then bigger is a bit unwieldy and unnecessary for me in the pocket. I like 4" at home.

Native 5 is about perfect, though I prefer the blade and action on a sheeps mini-grip. A portion of the blade is for handle so it easily fits my hand and I have plenty of cutting edge. Bull moose and barlows for in the pocket and meeting rooms. I often carry a trapper at home too if I'm not carrying a larger modern.
 
miso2 said:
The size of Case Sod Buster Jr. is my sweet spot.
Click to expand...

Buddy I feel like we’re losing you to the traditional dark side!

If you ever feel sickened by your modern folders, don’t worry, I’ll take them off your hands and even pay shipping.
 
Most useful to me are around 3 inch blades

I find from 5 to 8 to be the most useless

9 and up start to shine for big chores
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top