Does a 3 finger knife have a place in your life?

Great pictures.
I bet the little ones are cheaper.

A four inch handle with a 3 inch blade is my minimum. The length of the handle may be more important than the length of the blade.

An inch of length added to a three inch handle adds a lot to the comfort of using a knife, and makes little difference in its convenience of carry. To me.

My sweet spot fora folder is a 4.25-5.5 inch handle and a 3.25 -4.0 inch blade. I can do the small tasks with that size and the big tasks.

I like that El Toro.

 

Given the fact that most people in life dont carry a knife and get away with using the sharp part of a key, a 3 finger knife is fine for me. My cutting tasks are 99.9% opening packages, mail, etc... I could probably be fine with a 1" blade and a 1" handle to be honest. My EDC knives are sub 3'' bladed knives, i prefer those since the vast majority of a knifes life lives in the pocket, so I care about the feeling in the pocket just as much as feel in the hand. Again, my uses are all light weight tasks, so keep that in mind.

 

The issue for me is when other EDC stuff maxes out my pocket space. This can be a feature of particular pants or particular days. Especially if I'm pocket-carrying a firearm, it can make sense to move the carry spot for a knife up to my belt.

Weather and wardrobe are controlling factors for polite carry. When you can count on a shirt or jacket (a.k.a. cover garment), then you have a lot of freedom for guns and fixed blades on a belt. Even with maximum cover, compare the chunky vs. slender EDC footprints of guns vs. knives respectively. Knives can be much more comfortable than guns on the belt. Without a cover garment, a slender fixed blade can be easily carried IWB for total concealment but that doesn't always feel like the most practical choice for a utility tool. So I've found value in the discretion of smaller fixed blades for belt carry.

 

Sometimes 2 finger is sufficient (ZT 0022 on left)

 

As long as I feel like I'm getting a secure grip I'm fine with it. I've noticed that for me on knives that are close like the Bugout, while I can get my pinky on if I try it is pretty much just fingerprinting and not adding any stability to my grip. I often find myself, without thinking, wrapping my pinky around the lanyard on this one with the side of my pinky pushing forward on the back of the knife. With the Dragonfly, without a lanyard, I've noticed that (because the back is curved) my pinky sometimes migrates to the top/back of the knife. Not sure if I explained that well. Anyhow, I've noticed this to be a natural grip for me on these knives that my hand ends up in at times without any thought, and one that I feel locks the knife in to my grasp well.

 

My pocketable fixed blades will mostly accommodate a 4-finger hammer grip, but that is a grip I use rarely, if ever. More typically, I use a handshake grip, with my thumb on top of the blade, the handle butted in my palm, and the pinky hanging off the back. My only true 3-finger knife is the Grimalkin. I have no problem with using it.

If you want a small knife that takes a 4-finger grip, try one of Charlie Davis’s small Anzas.

 

I have a couple of 3 finger knives. They are my house knives. When I don’t plan on having anything to cut, but I want something in my pocket.

 

A 3 finger knife is in my life. I edc’d a Techno everyday for 5+ years at work and home. Its is 3 finger grip, but if I choke up on the blade I can squeeze the pinky on it. I’m an Electrician in the construction trade and this knife has done everything I needed it to do, in my trade, and never left me needing something more. I’ve since incorporated other larger blades into my weekly work rotation(thanks to these forums) but not out of necessity, and yes The Techno is still included in my rotation.

 

I rotate a Spyderco Rhino as part of my daily work EDC. Doesn't bother me that it's a 3-finger grip because it feels comfortable.

 

I simply seldom need a large knife any more, folder or fixed.... I used to carry a fairly large knife in the field for work and sometimes for hiking or hunting, but now I question whether or not I ever really needed such. I am planning an off trail hike once the leaves drop (to a avoid snakes mostly and better visibility of the terrain) and I will be carrying a short machete for that hike along with my regular woods carry. My machetes got used more for work than anything else, but when you need one, you need one. Same goes for larger knives. Pays to have options. There is a lot of personal preference involved and that is what makes the world go around from a consumer point of view.

 

Ive actually gone the other way even though I have reached the same conclusion. Basically that for 99.99% of my cutting day to day I could get away with a simple SAK which I do carry. On the other hand, SAKs require two hands to open, and I have large hands. Having something that is more comfortable to use for me is a bit like the argument between driving a 4 door sedan versus a smart-car. Sure, for 99.99% of my trips to and from work or to the store for a few small items im sure i could get away with a smart car. on the other hand it wouldnt be nearly as comfortable to use those times when it was too small for what i was doing would be very glaringly obvious.

 

Probably both. Or just a change in lifestyle. That is what it has been for me.

A Vic Cadet is about as small as I like to go but, a Spartan or a Pioneer feels better in my hand and offers more control of the knife. My Griptilian offers even more control if I am cutting larger projects.

I really could get by with any single knife out of the four but, I am finding that I reach for a different knife based upon my surroundings and cutting needs.

 

I sometimes wish I only had "4", but that milestone was passed a long time ago before I even joined BF. I agree that the Spartan/Pioneer/Tinker size gives you a little more control while cutting. But they are also bigger in the pocket (pocket load). However neither is a problem for me as I continuously carried the 111mm Adventurer for about 15 years. The little Small Tinker barely even registers in my pocket.

I do think I am going to pickup one of the new GEC #19's when they become available.... not sure when I will use it but it definitely appeals to me as a simple edc type knife.

The only time I carry a larger knife now other than the occasional fixed blade is in the woods. Cutting chores tend to be larger than normal day to day life for me in that environment. But even then, I really don't cut much of anything in the woods for the most part unless I am doing some background maintenance for a picture of a plant or something smallish and on the ground.

 

Hmm, interesting topic. While I think that every man should have a compact fixed blade in the 2” to 3” blade neighborhood, I’ve always preferred knife handles that can accommodate your whole hand. For instance, the ESEE Izula for me. The pinky finger is barely there, but still sorta hangs on to the handle.

 

A fixed blade in the 2 to 3 inch range would drive me nuts. Five inches is about right. Three and a half is minimum length for a fixed blade in my book.

I find folding knives very convenient. I even find myself reaching for a folder while in the kitchen.

 

I like 5" fixed blades. 6 inchers feel a bit large these days. I use my little SAK in the kitchen for the occasional cut more than I would have guessed. It is almost always very handy even when I have PJ's on.

 

I have a SAK dedicated to the kitchen drawer, the Skipper model. I put it in there when the last can opener broke, but even after I replaced the can opener, I left it in there, as I use it for so many other things in and around the kitchen:

• Small pliers for miscellaneous household tasks
• Serrated blade for package opening and other household cutting tasks
• #2 inline Phillips for just about everything
• Toothpick & tweezers for lots of things
• Can opener for opening cans for cooking
• Bottle opener/flat screwdriver is sometimes more convenient than dedicated ones in other drawers (they're buried, but the Skipper is always at the top!)
• Awl is a generally useful pokey/sharp tool, the like of which we don't normally see in or around the kitchen. (Many people sometimes use knife tips for this and regret it shortley thereafter)

 

I just got one of the CRKT Minimalist Bowies yesterday. It's a fixed blade (2") with a choiled 3-finger grip. It feels better and more secure in the hand than many knives with 4-finger grips. I got the version with the bright lime green plastic handle, sheath and bicycle gears and chains printed on the blade.

Admittedly, it does have pretty humble 5Cr15MoV steel, but I figured it's fine for the duty this knife is likely to see.


(CRKT stock photo)

 

Nope. All four. My pinky gets lonely when not included on the handle.

 

I been known to carry a 3.125 to 3.5 inch closed two blade Barlow from time to time, although it's been a while.
The two blade Barlow is the smallest knife I own, want, or will carry.
Other patterns the same size, such as a "medium" stockman, like the Buck 303 or Old Timer 34OT, are for me, a hard "pass'.