Finger choil- thoughts

Monofletch

Monofletch

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I was outside yesterday actually using my EDC! I was cutting bags of soil and mulch open. The problem I kept having was the bag getting stuck on the finger choil. I know it’s probably operator error, but it was getting annoying as hell. Now, maybe it was the wrong knife for the job, I can admit that, but it’s the one I had.
Now I am not a fan of the finger choil! Talk me off the ledge.

This is the knife in question (my favorite edc)....

A135C214-A0CB-43F8-A2D7-BFE34188C2F9.jpeg
 
One of my main pet peeves, yours doesn't look like it should hang up too much with that angle, but it can.

I took and radius'd the start of the edge so that if material does fall into that area, it will slide up and onto the edge;


G2
 
Some like it some hate it. This is the exact reason given but the folks over at Spyderco I believe for why so many popular models of theirs (think PM2) just terminate with no sharpening choil. No opportunity to get material stuck in there.

Others that do a lot of sharpening hate the "smile" that it creates with no choil. It is a bit of a trade off. Often choils will make it so that sharpening is easier and blade life is extended. The tradeoff is that if you are cutting material that can get stuck and hang up your cuts that is going to be a bigger problem with a knife with a prominent choil
 
I will join you on the ledge, sir!

No need for a finger choil! Handles seem designed to be easy to knock out with a belt grinder, rather than made so that you can get a close grip! A properly done Nessmuk, or knives from the Iron Age are the kind of thing I'm thinking of, but Kepharts kind of have the right idea, too.

Like this:

Yci5QGv.jpg



Blade stops right where your fingers begin, but the two never touch. Seems easy enough.

This Old Hickory Kephart (image borrowed from this thread: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/old-hickory-small-game-and-fish-knife-kephart.1741884/)

AckbhCc.jpg



Is another example: just a wee little nubbin that reminds you to stop, before you get hurt. Other than that, all business. Flat fronts on the handles even made for a better pinch-grip!

Say, this ledge is pretty far up in the air, mister. I think I'm gonna get down and have some more lemonade......


(Edited for typos and stuff)
 
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Some are useful ,IMO ...others are just an accident waiting to happen .

The poorly designed ones , I just don't try to use . But I don't find them to be in the way , usually .

On the Lawman , not too bad .


On the Ultimate Hunter , if the one next to the blade is even supposed to be a finger choil , doesn't work well for me . But I love the knife anyways .
 
I don’t mind a choil on the handle or a finger groove or guard but I don’t like a finger choil on the blade at all.

I think if you were catching a bag on that finger choil you were gripping from the sides and leaving the choil exposed and using a low angle of cut. Try gripping with your fingers around the handle with your index finger in the choil and use a steeper angle cut to allow more room for your handle.
 
Like I said, o have better knives for the job. I’m not always the smartest man on the job either. LoL!
 
I always laugh at Striders, with the finger choil, on the finger choil, on the sharpening choil... closest I have to that is a "Striderco", my Shaman, and that is really a madman. As thick and fat as I like to get in a carry pocketknife, I usually have that one when I'm anticipating wood or something like that.

I like the choil on my Police 4, too. Sure, it can snag on smaller knives. I have not found this to be a problem on the knives in which I enjoy it, as I either am using it (Shaman) or, the knife is so big it has not presented any problem yet (Police 4).

It is not a make/break deal for me and would depend on the knife, is what I'm saying. Glad my PM2s don't have choils.
 
Monofletch said:
Like I said, o have better knives for the job. I’m not always the smartest man on the job either. LoL!
Click to expand...
Considering you are going to a knife show this weekend, its time to pick up a choil-less knife!
 
Short blade: Finger choil takes away too much useful cutting edge.

Long blade, like the LionSteel M7, yes it's OK. Choke up over the guard right to the rear of the edge for fine work, while there's still plenty of edge left up front for all other tasks.
 
When I cut bags of mulch/dirt I use a box cutter. Running anything into dirt will dull it quickly (i.e. chainsaw).

I have some Hinderers and I prefer them without a choil. There is more useful blade that way.
 
One of the main strikes against the Native 5 is the choil that leaves you with very little blade.
 
I cut a finger choil into my Junglas 2 so I could choke up and utilize the big knife for more duties comfortably. I'd say it is definitely knife dependent.
 
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