7" vs 9" blades....Pros and Cons of each.

Soulrack223

Soulrack223

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I am really attracted to the new SRKC 11 Series but with all of the other new knives coming out, I'll have to limit myself to only one of them. Just as the title suggests, I am interested in everyone's opinion about the uses of 7" vs 9" blades. I don't need either one. Let's face it, I have a lot on knives already. I would like to see a conversation as to why one is better than the other and why. FWIW I have always been a 6" and 10" knife person. I have never like 8" blades. Obviously 7" and 9" aren't 8" but they're close. Which is gonna be a winner? :confused:

Thanks Rats, I don't know that I've posted in here before. :)
 
I know a ton of other people will think otherwise but I typically have no use for a blade in the 6 to 8 inch range. I would always rather have a small 3/4 inch knife and a 9+ inch knife regardless of weight or "convenience". I'm definitely picking up the 311, might get a 411 and will have to have long think about the 911 vs the new sykco 911 or basic 10... They all look pretty rad :)

My last input on this matter is that since you claim to not need it = you're simply buying it for fun, and the bigger knives are always more fun :D
 
I've always boiled it down to personal preference, which do you like the looks of most?

Some look blade heavy, some look handle heavy. For example, I love the Steel Heart E, but he Battle Mistress E looks too long in the blade to me.

When your buying for the fun of it, personal aesthetics do have a lot to do with the choice. :)
 
jbob24 said:
I know a ton of other people will think otherwise but I typically have no use for a blade in the 6 to 8 inch range. I would always rather have a small 3/4 inch knife and a 9+ inch knife regardless of weight or "convenience". I'm definitely picking up the 311, might get a 411 and will have to have long think about the 911 vs the new sykco 911 or basic 10... They all look pretty rad :)

My last input on this matter is that since you claim to not need it = you're simply buying it for fun, and the bigger knives are always more fun :D
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Good point. That's one for the 911. I should have made this a poll. I personally like and use the ~6" blades the most. The SFNO, ASH-1 & Tank Buster are my most used knives. So that may be another reason to go 9" since my users are closer to 7". Keep the suggestions coming. :D
 
leatherman said:
I've always boiled it down to personal preference, which do you like the looks of most?

Some look blade heavy, some look handle heavy. For example, I love the Steel Heart E, but he Battle Mistress E looks too long in the blade to me.

When your buying for the fun of it, personal aesthetics do have a lot to do with the choice. :)
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I am also a huge fan of the SH Ergo. It's far superior to the FSH and NMSFNO IMO. The deal is that both the 911 and 711 are looking sweet to me and the blade length seems to be the only difference. I saw the 711 first and fell in love with it. Now the 911 is looking really good to me. I wanted some practical reasons beyond mere aesthetics. Get a 711 and compare it to all of the 6" blades I use all of the time or get a 911 and chop with it? :confused:

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I vote 911. Sounds like you're set around 6 inches, and I doubt that the 7 will do much more than your current line up. Plus, if you decide the 9 isn't for you it'll probably bring in more cash on the exchange. Then you can get the 7 and pocket the rest! Just my two cents :)
 
Generally I would recommend that if you are going to carry two knives, get the big one and pair it with a small one. If you only want to carry one knife, get the mid-sized. :)

Given your current set-up, and that you are pretty well covered in the mid-sized with SFNO, ASH-1 & Tank Buster, go for the 911. :D
 
IMO the biggest downside for the larger blades is weight and leg real estate. Hiking and climbing around with a hogleg on can limit range of motion and throw off ones balance. That said, my favorite blades are Chopweiler and FBM.

J.
 
Now I'm thinking 911 and Basic 4--thanks for the input. The War Hawk is so tempting too, but I don't know if I'd ever actually use it. :foot: Atleast no one said "get both." :D
 
VoxHog said:
Generally I would recommend that if you are going to carry two knives, get the big one and pair it with a small one. If you only want to carry one knife, get the mid-sized. :)

Given your current set-up, and that you are pretty well covered in the mid-sized with SFNO, ASH-1 & Tank Buster, go for the 911. :D
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Bingo. My advice, also.

I solved my personal dilemma "Jerry's way." I'm getting both. But then, my wife snagged large discounts on both of those knives.
 
Personally, I find knives in the 3-5" range the most useful. Once you go bigger than that you sacrifice fine work for heavy work. I have a couple 7" knives and any time I use them I find myself wishing they were either a few inches smaller or a few inches bigger so I would opt for the 9".
 
Until I got this awesome sheath, carry was an issue for me with the bigger BR. My CT got out much more and the BR was in the pack mostly. I'm enjoying the Battle Rat more now and it gets used a lot more.

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between my Camp Tramp and Battle Rat... the Tramp see's more belt time. but with res-c you can carry alot of knife and not much weight. so I tend to carry choppers with res-c and my smaller ones in micarta just something to think about I guess. as far as use, depends on if you do alot of chopping. I do agree big knives are fun!!!!!!!!!!!lol
 
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