I am gravitating towards smaller knives

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Doc Dan
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#21

Post by Doc Dan »

That sounds like a great mod! I would love to know how that turns out.
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Capt J-rod
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#22

Post by Capt J-rod »

Pocket space is very precious real estate... I have a ton of EDC "stuff" that I thought would be great. Most of it lives on top of my dresser lol. I rotate through a PM2, mini-grip, 940, and now a para3. I have a case peanut that serves as my "dress knife". As far as pocket space goes, the 940 carries the easiest, but the blade shape leaves a lot to be desired at times. The PM2 is hands down the knife to carry if I need to really use the knife. The para 3 is kinda the Goldie locks of the group. The mini grip has been my work knife and has been beaten on since day one. I have an affinity towards a dragonfly with green G-10 scales, but that is a very expensive knife for what it is. I live in a rural area where pocket knives are a way of life, but the PM2 gets some strange looks in the city. The smaller knife desires show up for me in the summer. I pocket carry a S&W snubbie, and it competes for pocket real estate. In the colder months it is easy when a CCW is in a holster and covered by a sweatshirt. As long as it is razor sharp, a small knife does 90% of what I need. A dragonfly salt has been catching my eye lately. We'll see how long I can resist the temptation.
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#23

Post by jpm2 »

I never gravitated away from them, regardless of the many break away attempts over the decades.
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#24

Post by Evil D »

I sort of went the other way. I used to prefer 2.5-3 inch blades but have moved up to 3.5-4. The reason is less about wanting larger blades (though "practicality" does increase with larger blades for me) but more so because ergonomics are important and more specifically the opening and closing is getting more and more important as I get older and my hand dexterity reduces and old hand injuries start catching up with me. For me there is a sweet spot around Manix 2 sized handles or bigger that are easier to open and close, while smaller knives cramp my hand far more and take more focus to operate. Basically it has more to do with me matching knife size to my hand size than what I do or don't prefer.
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#25

Post by jackh »

I like smaller knives unless the job demands a bigger, stronger, longer knife. But those type of tasks usually (for me) come up when I'm working on a carpentry project of something like that. Smaller knives are just easier to handle. Also, I try to stay away from situations where a larger knife may draw attention. I don't even care for that type of situation because they usually revolve around something to stupid to occupy my time.

Sometimes all we need is a 1" blade. But sometimes that 1" blade needs to have a full size handle. Take a sheetrock (utility) knife for example. Try using a Manbug to cut sheetrock. The blade would handle it but the handle is way to small to be comfortable.

As one other poster mentioned I like to be prepared also. That means enough knives on me to handle what I might come across. Today I carried a Manbug, GEC traditional, Carter neck knife and a Michael Walker. I used a knife between 5 and 10 or so times and used the MW every time. Actually, now that I think about it none of these knives I consider large. So I probably never need a 3.5" plus blade length for what I'd call EDC needs. EDC needs vary of course. A forest ranger might consider a 3.5" blade the minimum for most daily tasks. Fighting off grizzly bears and the like. :)
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#26

Post by Wartstein »

Doc Dan wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:52 pm
As I get older, and maybe more practical, I find myself gravitating towards smaller pocket knives and away from very large knives.....

....

Anyway, rant finished. I find smaller knives, though not too small, to be more generally useful for day to day things, and I am not unnecessarily lugging around a large heavy knife.
For me it is a bit the other way round: I get older too (believe it or not... ;) ) and in the process find larger knives more and more more practical than smaller ones.

Like probably not too few I started out with a Delica as my first Spyderco and got a BM Minigrip at the same time (those were actually my first two quaility folders generally, and the Minigrip remained the only non-Spyderco-folder I kept). And while for me the Delica overall was the better knife with way better ergos and lock, I began quite soon to wish it had the bit more actual edge the Minigrip offers.

In my daily use an actual edge- length (so not blade-length) between 8 and 9 cm (that´s around between 3.1 to 3.5" of edge) has turned out to be the most usefull. I do a lot of food prep on the road or in the outdoors with my folders, that´s one area where you want a longer blade. Furthermore, when doing longer cuts, with a short edge I run out of blade before I finished cutting the material (cardboard); A longer blade also allows me to keep hand or pivot further away from things I cut; And at the end of a day a longer edge will more likely still have some razor sharp areas than a short one.

And for me a longer handle always has better ergos and allows for better leverage than a shorter one.

That being said: I almost always carry my knives in the right front pocket, and even an Endura can get a bit long/uncomfortable in the pocket when you´re wearing somewhat tighter pants and riding a bike or sitting in a car. A handle-length like the Stretch 1 offers is perfect for me, and I would not go longer than a closed Endura is.

But as a person who loves knives and their designs, I can also really value well designed small knives, cause I think it is much harder to make a small knife ergonomically right than a larger one. The Chaparral is a masterpiece in that regard imho.

So, concluding: In my day to day life I normally really want an about Endura-sized folder in my pocket. But on days when a very small and light knife is better (for example loosely in a zippered pocket when backcountry skiing) I really can appreciate a well designed little one, and even like the "challenge" of doing every task with a short blade, even if a longer one would be better (much like bikers sometimes like to ride a single-speed-bike, despite there are 27-speed bikes available... ;) )
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- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#27

Post by Doc Dan »

I do carry and use larger knives. I most always have a M2 LW in my pocket at times of the day (gotta get that Endela). However, when I go out to the mall, or am around the house, I simply need a smaller knife and I actually get the most use out of them during the day. I love my K390 ULW, Chaparrals, and my G10 Dragonfly (favorite DF), and I also carry FRN DF's. I occasionally carry an older Cat, too. I can see a pattern of size and use, here. Like the traditionals I used to carry, these are about the same size. A man needs a good dedicated pocket knife.

I have the new ULW Coyote stuck in customs (first time that has ever happened) and I am now looking at the Lil Native Backlock people rave about (in my cart waiting payday). I am really looking forward to these knives.

When my wife asked me what kind of Spyderco I wanted for our up coming wedding anniversary, I gave her a list, and all turned out to be of a similar size. I told the the One-Eyed Jack, Techno 2, or Sante Fe Dragonfly. I keep going back and forth on these three.
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#28

Post by bearrowland »

Exactly!!
Spydergirl88 wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 3:37 pm
Little knives are the bee's knees :)
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#29

Post by Pelagic »

I think I'd really enjoy the right native or chaparral one day, but for now, larger knives are an absolute necessity. It can become a safety concern if I cannot cut a very large rope quickly on demand.
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Re: I am gravitating towards smaller knives

#30

Post by AshK »

My choices in blade length seem to come down to where I'm living and the local knife laws. When bigger knives were okay, I've carried a Police or an Endura. Then for a long time, a MeerKat was my EDC because it was just so small and innocuous - perfect for the specific country.

I just moved to a state that isn't worried about blade length at all, so now I'm back to an Endura or a Tuff, and about to buy a Police.

Clearly I think bigger is better as long as it's okay with the locals.
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