Where Balance Point?

[Bolster]

Where do you like the balance point of your knife to be?

In other words, if you balance your knife on your index finger, where is that preferred balance point for you? For ease of reference, refer to the numbers on the attached drawing... and please be careful balancing either point 11 or 12 on your finger... :o

[jpm2]

It depends mostly on the size of knife for me.
For my pocket knives, 3" and smaller, I like them very slightly handle heavy. I don't like them tipping forward when loosening my grip, like for instance when I rotate the knife or reposition/change grip, or doing detail work.

Larger knives, 5" and up I like blade heavy due to different uses than the smaller ones.

Between 3 and 5 inches doesn't matter, as I rarely use those.

[Baron Mind]

I picked 8, but if there was a "it doesn't really matter" option I would have chosen that.

I can feel a slight difference in hand for #8 knives, they tend to feel lighter than they are, but for the most part, our arms and hands are strong enough to manipulate 2-5oz knives just the same no matter where their balance points are.

[vivi]

7-8 is the best, or further back. I don't like blade heavy knives at all unless its a dedicated chopper.

[Wartstein]

7-8 is the best, or further back. I don't like blade heavy knives at all unless its a dedicated chopper.

But you do like the H1 Pac Salt?

Linerless handle and hollow/sabre grind blade make it noticeable blade heavier than a (linered) ffg Endura

[Cambertree]

Depends on the size of the knife, but generally I like the balance point for most Spydies to be on the index finger when held in the 50/50 choil. So about a 7 or 8.

[vivi]

7-8 is the best, or further back. I don't like blade heavy knives at all unless its a dedicated chopper.

But you do like the H1 Pac Salt?

Linerless handle and hollow/sabre grind blade make it noticeable blade heavier than a (linered) ffg Endura

Not the balance, no. Especially with how I grip that handle. Enduras have a better balance, as do the FFG Pacifics.

In fact the better balance of the LC200N models matters more to me than their FFG cutting ability, because on most the things I cut it doesn't matter much which grind it is.

[Cl1ff]

This is entirely dependent on the knife, but for one with similar proportions to the image 6-10 is fine, 7-9 is preferred.

[Bolster]

I own a Fairbairn Applegate. Boker weighted the handle to keep the balance just behind the guard. Discussions about the F-A knife often reference its "perfect balance," so maybe that's more of an issue to the SD crowd? Dunno. To me, it just feels heavier.

This is entirely dependent on the knife, but for one with similar proportions to the image 6-10 is fine, 7-9 is preferred.

Explain? What causes your preferred balance point to move forward or back?

[bearfacedkiller]

For folders I don’t really care. For fixed blades it depends on the size and the intended use. For detail work I like them handle heavy for more control. For larger fixed blades I like them blade heavy so I can use that weight to my advantage.

That said, it isn’t one of the more important criteria for me. Ergonomics, blade shape and blade geometry are what I focus on. I have blue collar hands and I don’t really notice balance one way or the other unless it is at one the extremes.

[Bolster]

Well, now that the thread has answers, I realize I should have asked specifically about a folding knife in the 3-4" blade range.

Sorry about that.

Yes, makes sense that larger knives have weight foward and smaller knives, weight back.

[DougC-3]

I think it's a mixed bag for folders depending on whether you want lightness in pocket or balance in hand. Just considering the latter, I like balance around 7 or 8, like maybe my G-10 Stretch. Back in the antediluvian days I got a Camillus "survival" knife with a heavy hex nut shaped butt that totally counterbalance the blade, which seemed kinda cool at the time :) but I don't know how practical it would be for bush craft, etc.