Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

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SpyderEdgeForever
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Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#1

Post by SpyderEdgeForever »

We have discussed such things as blade lengths and shapes, grinds and thicknesses. What about blade widths? When do you prefer a blade to have a larger or smaller width to it? Where would small and large widths come in handy for particular cutting uses?

Example: The Ikuchi is definitely a good design but the blade is narrow in width. Meanwhile the Tenacious and Resilience have larger widths across the flat of the blade. I can see where, say, using the blade to prepare food such as sandwiches and using spreads and other things, it would be better to have a wider blade. Thus the Spydie Chef has that nice wide blade profile to it. And then blades like the Endura and Delica seem to try to have a width in the middle of those extremes.
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Evil D
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#2

Post by Evil D »

Kinda depends on the whole package for me, depends on the rest of the design/blade grind/blade thickness/etc. It matters a lot depending on the blade grind, because mixing and matching different combos can be good or bad depending on your goals. So...

1) Short blade height + hollow grind + 4mm thick would be pretty strong and would make a good ice pick but probably wouldn't slice worth a crap. Think Vallotton Sub-Hilt..

2) Tall blade height + full flat grind + 2mm thick will slice like a laser but may not be as strong and will make for a much wider knife when closed. Imagine a Chaparral LX..

There is a good balance in every scenario and I think most of the time Spyderco find it. Their leaf shaped blades are a great middle ground. There comes a point where blades ground and designed for hard use (as with #1 for example) are unnecessary if the pivot isn't also equally beefy, and all you end up with is a poor cutting knife. I prefer to tailor the knife around the intended use as opposed to just preferring one standard combo.
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Xplorer
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#3

Post by Xplorer »

For me, how wide or tall I prefer a blade to be is directly related to the spine thickness. Generally speaking, the thicker the spine is the taller the blade has to be to maintain a primary bevel angle with good cutting geometry.

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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#4

Post by bearfacedkiller »

Blade stock thickness is a major factor because that effects the primary grind angle.

It also depends on if you want to make very straight cuts or if you want to be able to turn while in the cut. A taller blade will act like a rudder and tend to stay straighter as you pass through media. A shorter blade will allow you to carve better as it will turn while in mid cut easier.
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Mako109
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#5

Post by Mako109 »

As others have already said, it depends. For me it's also highly situational, some might say "mission specific", but I don't like sounding so tactical. My ideal blade dimensions differ depending on whether I'm at work in my regular corporate job, or free lancing as fine art photographer (building sets for our projects), or backpacking, fishing, etc..

If I had to choose one blade height for EDC, every other feature notwithstanding, it would be like the Advocate. Not too wide, not too narrow. (Actually I like all the other blade proportions of the Advocate as well.)
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#6

Post by The Meat man »

Mako109 wrote:
Sun Apr 28, 2019 11:44 am

If I had to choose one blade height for EDC, every other feature notwithstanding, it would be like the Advocate. Not too wide, not too narrow. (Actually I like all the other blade proportions of the Advocate as well.)

You said it.

I think the Advocate's blade shape and profile is as near to perfection as I've ever seen in a Spyderco knife.
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Blue72
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#7

Post by Blue72 »

I’m always extremely impressed with the slicing capabilities and ease of penetration of a filet knife

So I prefer knives thin and narrow. Unfortunately there are not a lot of spyderco's like that
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Naperville
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#8

Post by Naperville »

I was unable to find the advertised width on one of my fav knives, the Chris Reeve Green Beret, no matter, I think I prefer knives with at least a 3:1 ratio, blade length : knife blade width. I like them able to cut/slash and thrust.

I'd take it out and measure it but I guess this is good enough for non sciency work.
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#9

Post by Mattysc42 »

As wide as possible without making the blade too fragile for a given thickness when FFG. The Manix XL has my favorite spyderco blade proportions. Thin and wide, among spyderco’s best slicers when brought down to 15dps, and sturdy enough to be a beater.
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Re: Blade Width: What are your ideal widths?

#10

Post by Wartstein »

For me one of the the best examples for how a thick (at the spine) blade can still have a very good slicing geometry by making it wide, is definitely the Shaman.
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