3/16 thick knives

Shorttime

Shorttime

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Oct 16, 2011
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At one time, I had a Spyderco Calypso, and the blade was far too thin for my knuckle-dragging self. I was afraid I would break it, every time I used it (I didn't use it for long).

I have a knife which is 3/8" thick at the spine, and although I love it, using it to cut things is, shall we say, far from effortless.

I've tried knives with almost every common thickness of stock in between those two. I'm pretty happy with 3/16" thick knife blades. It's a little thicker than the usual production knife, but I'm willing to put some more effort into push cuts in exchange for the extra confidence in the strength of my knives.

I already know that TOPS makes some knives in 3/16 stock (I'm a TOPS fanboi, after all), but I'm hoping the vast knowledge base that is Bladeforums can suggest some others?

I get the impression that it's not a very common choice.

Price, size, steel choice, and the other caveats are not an issue right now. I just want to know what else is out there.

Thanks!
 
Ankerson said:
Swamp Rat. :)
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Or, Scrapyard... ;):D

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All you'll ever need IMHO for thickness. :thumbup::p
 
3/16ths" is my personal preference for fixed-blades. I have two that are that thickness- Entrek Cobra, and Lionsteel M5.

I'm pretty sure that both companies make others fixed-blades in that thickness.

Spartan Blades also make a variety of fixed-blades in that thickness. I'd love to own a few, but sadly they're out of my price range for knives I don't really need at the moment :( .
 
Can't say enough good things about my GSO 6 from Survive! Knives. This is the old spec one, although he has a preorder for an updated version that's very similar in thickness.

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Infidu on the left is 3/16th, the Busse AMS on the right is barely under 3/16,, website says .155
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Ankerson said:
Swamp Rat. :)
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No. He needs good geometry. OP, send your knife to someone who can thin the edge down on it. Most knives of this size have edges that are to thick to do anything knifey. They really are just sharp prybars. SR101 is good stuff and I recommend it too but you'll probably have the same problem you're having now straight from the factory. If you thin the edge, your big knife will keep its strength. It'll just lose the "beat it through a cinder block" edge. But it'll do what you need much better. Just my opinion.
 
BK9

That's a thicker knife than I need for most anything. Most of my knives fall between 2 and 3mm and they serve me well.
 
3/16 = 0.1875" - rather thick for a folder, TOPS/Buck csar T comes to mind

2/16 = 0.1250" - 0.12 is a very common thickness, including some very robust models, I think grind and spine play s bigger part here then anything.

For example, a Kershaw Blur and a Kizlyar ute are both listed as 0.12", and hollow grinds, but the ute is a much more "robust" knife blade as they left more spine, and a center Iine all the way through the tip gives it more meat and much sturdier feel.

I see models in between, around 0.15"
Boker bullpup comes through mind, since I was just thumb shopping Boker's earlier today.
 
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I'm pretty sure my Busse HellRazor is 3/16... And I absolutely love it
 
If you're not happy with 1/8" (0.125"), then perhaps you might look at the CRK Umnumzaan at 0.140". I've used that knife for rough work and never worried about it. You are right...in that thicker blades do NOT slice well at all.
 
Off the top of my head, in no real order.

Becker bk4, bk5, bk7, bk9, bk10, bk12
Esee 4, 6, laserstrike
Ontario bush series
Tops BOB
Most of kabars zombie lineup
Schrade schf 42
Cold steel srk, master hunter
JAB gamestalker, baconmaker
And I'm pretty sure the bark river bravo series in A2 is as well.

Maybe its just me, but I guess I don't think of 3/16 as being all that uncommon of a size.

I have found that I need no more thickness than that, even in a good sized blade. Most things I actually want thinner, but 3/16 is workable, and more than strong enough for everything I've done, and have any intentions of doing.

Good luck on the hunt for more blades. I hope you find something that suites your fancy.
 
Some of the Bark River knives are about that thickness. The standard Bravo 1 is a little thicker than that at .217". They have others that are at .187 like the Boone, Trail buddy, Huntsman, Nomad, and Canadian Camp II to name a few.

Our Ambush line has the Alpha using 3v steel in a .187 thickness with a 5.125" blade.
 
Eric@DLT said:
Some of the Bark River knives are about that thickness. The standard Bravo 1 is a little thicker than that at .217". They have others that are at .187 like the Boone, Trail buddy, Huntsman, Nomad, and Canadian Camp II to name a few.

Our Ambush line has the Alpha using 3v steel in a .187 thickness with a 5.125" blade.
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Ah, you're right. I forgot that the bravos were .217. Thanks for fixing that for me :).
 
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