"**** the choils, full speed ahead!"

[Bill1170]

It doesn't stop me. The PM2 is one of my favorite knives, despite the choil. I consider the whole package.

[HarleyXJGuy]

Curious about whether the dislike of a choil on a knife would stop you from having and using it.

What is this "dislike of a choil" you speak of?

[bearfacedkiller]

On some knives they are superfluous and on others a necessity. I couldn't use the Native if it didn't have one.

[spyderwolf]

I realy hate choils,and i have a Dragonfly,a Military and a Caly 3.5 :).Wonderful knives,but for me the Endura/Delica are simply knife poetry.I love the Tenacious,too and i think its high time for a steel upgrade,and maybe some titanium scales for that one.

[Joris Mo]

Being a choil lover I won't vote, one of the reasons I love Spyderco is that they're so good with choils.

[zhyla]

You know just because a knife has a choil doesn't mean you need to stick your finger in it.

[Fancier]

Yes, but the choil is absolutely useless when it comes to cutting things. I stopped carrying the Native 5 because half the time when I tried to cut something with it the choil got in the way. It now sits on my desk as a letter opener. The larger the blade the less annoying the choil, but I still would rather carry the Resilience than the Military due entirely to the choil. To each his or her own. :)

[Bill1170]

I've said it before, but the only time the choil on my work knife (smurf PM2) really irks me is when cutting plastic film or building paper because the lip of the choil catches on the film. Since I never use the choil to grip the knife, I think I'd be happier without it there.

That said, there are many reasons I prefer my PM2 to a Tenacious, so I live with the choil.

[Fancier]

Okay, I have a silly question! If choils are so fantastic why don't they put them on fixed blades, too?

[Bill1170]

Okay, I have a silly question! If choils are so fantastic why don't they put them on fixed blades, too?

There are plenty of fixed blades with finger choils. I have a Randall-made skinner with a choil. It makes perfect sense in that application.

[tvenuto]

I don't categorically like or dislike choils. I love my Sage 3, and Chaparral, and think they would be worse without the choil. I also love my Delica, and think it would be worse with a choil. I think Spyderco takes a holistic approach to their designs, and I think the right knives end up with choils and vice versa. I also think that there's plenty of variety to satisfy most preferences.

[The Deacon]

Yes, but the choil is absolutely useless when it comes to cutting things. I stopped carrying the Native 5 because half the time when I tried to cut something with it the choil got in the way. It now sits on my desk as a letter opener. The larger the blade the less annoying the choil, but I still would rather carry the Resilience than the Military due entirely to the choil. To each his or her own. :)

Nothing works for everyone, not choils, not serrations, not clips, not "all edge" blades, so I agree, "to each his own". However, could you explain how the choil "got in the way"? I can understand not liking them, or thinking they take up real estate that could be better used for more sharpened edge, but I fail to see how one could possibly get in the way.

Okay, I have a silly question! If choils are so fantastic why don't they put them on fixed blades, too?

Silly me, I thought some of them do...

[Fancier]

I guess one man's "choil" is another man's "handle with a big finger rest in it". :)
In the case of the Native 5 I found the choil to be excessively large, particularly in comparison to the blade length, and that when slicing the "kick" between the choil and the blade was inconveniently large and would drag across the material. This is entirely due to my draw cutting technique.
I will say that the choils are great at preventing the knife from closing on your fingers.

[Blerv]

I like a model first then see how my particular preferences influence the decision to buy.

Drawing a line in the sand either way forces one to skip over some designs that otherwise could be adored. I don't like g10, choils or jumping but have a Caly3.5. Go figure...it's just a great knife. :p

[Evil D]

Okay, I have a silly question! If choils are so fantastic why don't they put them on fixed blades, too?

Did a random Google search for "fixed blade knife" and found some random pics for ya. I didn't even include "choil" in the search description.














I could probably do this forever but I think you get the point.

[akaAK]

Could care less if a knife has one or doesn't. If I like a knife I buy it. Even better if I get the chance to hold it first.

[VashHash]

The rock salt/rock has a choil so does the Southfork. Phil Wilson seems to like choils on his designs as well as Ed Schempp.

[Cujobob]

Choil and finger guard service different purposes. Finger guard is to prevent slipping, choil is for detail work. Detail work = choking up on the blade. On the Perrin knives shown above, you are not choking up.

Having a choil is not something that is added with no detriment to the knife IMO and this is something that lovers of choils often ignore it seems. Remove a choil from most knives and you often get a main grip that allows for a better combination of hard use and detailed work by bringing the hand closer to the blade, but you also increase blade length. With a choil, a lot of us simply feel like you get two grips - one we rarely use and another that is further off the blade which allows for less control than would be available otherwise. It's not as simple as saying one way is right. I love my Caly but I won't do harder work with it. I just feel like there's a huge misunderstanding between the two groups for some reason.

[The Deacon]

Choil and finger guard service different purposes. Finger guard is to prevent slipping, choil is for detail work. Detail work = choking up on the blade. On the Perrin knives shown above, you are not choking up.

Having a choil is not something that is added with no detriment to the knife IMO and this is something that lovers of choils often ignore it seems. Remove a choil from most knives and you often get a main grip that allows for a better combination of hard use and detailed work by bringing the hand closer to the blade, but you also increase blade length. With a choil, a lot of us simply feel like you get two grips - one we rarely use and another that is further off the blade which allows for less control than would be available otherwise. It's not as simple as saying one way is right. I love my Caly but I won't do harder work with it. I just feel like there's a huge misunderstanding between the two groups for some reason.

So, by your logic, the area on a Kiwi that I, and most others, would describe as a 50/50 choil is not really a 50/50 choil but a finger guard because it is used almost all, if not all, the time?

There is not one single feature that can be present on a knife that is universally loved. The "good news" is that Spyderco makes enough different models with enough different features that a person has at least a reasonable chance of finding one or more of them that will do the job for him, whatever that job may be. The "bad news" is that many of us, myself included, are at least occasionally so self-centered as to think that every knife Spyderco makes should be configured "our way", or at least one that's configured 90% of the way should be 100%.

[gaj999]

So, by your logic, the area on a Kiwi that I, and most others, would describe as a 50/50 choil is not really a 50/50 choil but a finger guard because it is used almost all, if not all, the time?

I agree with that. Those cutouts are out of the handle, not the blade. Same thing with the Perrin.

Gordon