Large, Medium or Small?

[james terrio]

Let's discuss when and why to use Large, Medium or Small knives. For the sake of clarity, I'll define them as follows:

Small - blade 4" or less
Medium - blade 4.5"-8"
Large - blade 8" or greater

SMALL
Generally speaking, I find myself using small blades much more often than any other, and most of the knife-using public does as well. They're just so darn handy... lightweight, easy to carry, and agile in the hand. You can lay your forefinger right down the spine for precise work, and it feels like you just have a very sharp finger. They don't attract a lot of attention, and
in most places in the USA (please consult your local laws/regulations/policies), knives with blades 4" or less are legal to carry as long as they're not concealed or double-edged.

Small knives don't get in the way when cleaning fish and game, doing most food-prep or whittling.

They don't chop very well, obviously - they simply don't have the length to generate good leverage and tip-speed. But by utilizing efficient snap-cuts you can clear the twigs and small branches off a limb quite quickly. A well-constructed small fixed-blade can also handle much larger jobs than we might think. With a bit of care, you can baton a small knife either across-grain or along the grain to process wood.

A client recently asked me for tips on batonning with a small-medium knife, and I simply said, "Don't try to baton a section that's wider than the blade is long. It'll get stuck "

For instance, if you need to split down a 6" diameter log into kindling with a 4" blade, there's no need to cut straight across the middle of it. Just work around the perimeter, turning a circle into a stop sign... then work on those "corners" and so forth. Same goes for cutting thick wood to length - just cut around the circumference until you have a notch all the way around and the core is small enough to break.

It's my firm belief that everyone should have at least one good 3-4" fixed-blade knife. They're just so handy and useful that I would hate to ever be without one.

MEDIUM
Mid-size knives are a bit trickier, but still extremely popular. While they aren't quite as handy as small knives, and certainly not as powerful as large ones, they do offer a great deal of versatility. This is especially important to many survivalists, outdoorspeople, and other folks who prefer to carry one do-it-all cutting implement on their person, and leave more cumbersome tools like axes and saws in their vehicle or at the cabin or campsite.

I find that 5-7" blades are a tiny bit cumbersome for tasks like making a sandwich or letting the insides out of a fish. But they certainly work! Likewise, they don't have the power of a large blade, but they offer increased reach and leverage for rougher jobs like wood processing or clearing brush. Medium knives do heavy work better than small knives, and light work better than large knives.

Medium knives are still quite comfortable for most people to carry. Some folks like "dangler" style sheaths for medium knives, so the knife can pivot out of the way when they sit down.

LARGE
When you need to do some serious chopping or slashing, there's really no substitute for a large blade. You just don't get the leverage and tip speed required for real efficiency with blades less than 8". 9" is much better and a 10" or 11" blade can be remarkably powerful - sometimes out-performing much heavier hatchets and axes.

Big knives do not have to be cumbersome or heavy! With smart design and attention paid to balance, a 9" or 10" blade can be impressively nimble - far more so than any hatchet or axe. Tapered blades and tangs really become important on big knives, removing a good deal of weight and more importantly, improving balance. A big knife that's balanced too far forward quickly becomes tiresome to use, while one that's balanced properly is easier to control, much more comfortable over long periods, and makes up for any loss of inertia/power with greater speed.

With a little forethought and good sheath design, even a small person can comfortably carry a big knife. Danglers are a popular choice again, and some folks simply carry them the way people have for centuries - tucked inside their belt instead of hanging from it.

The big knife may be the true Queen of the ChessBoard when it comes to across-the-board versatility, especially in a survival situation. As has often been said, "a big knife can do anything a small one can do, and can do things small and medium knives can't".

I like, own, use and enjoy knives in all three basic sizes. I carry a 4" SideKick pretty much constantly, and when heading out to the yard or woods I add a large knife for more strenuous work. But I also restrict myself to only a medium knife sometimes, because they're fun and useful, too

 

[Mack]

In my experience, small knives get used while large knives look cool. Small slender knives can do most of the cutting that I do. A nice caping knife or sharpfinger is plenty of knife for most of my life.
Of course I love medium and large blades as well but use them much less often. The right tool for the job isn't as big as most of us want it to be.

 

[1066vik]

the majority of my knife use is in the 2.5" - 4.4" cutting edge range.
I love "pocket-sized" fixed blades that give the carry convenience of a folder and no chance of lock failure.
I also love large knives - but there's not as much call for their use.

 

[daizee]

Hi James!

Small knives are my bread and butter, both to use and to make. All my carry blades are 2.5-3.0". They are hands-down the most useful for anything short of chopping or food prep. Unless you count field-dressing and butchering as 'food prep', 'cause 3" is where it's at for that. For the kitchen and camp I think dedicated tools are the order of the day. If I could carry a 4" knife I'd play with the 3-4" range, but honestly that size would be more cumbersome in my day-to-day and offer no real advantages. My SHTF belt knife would prolly be 5", but that's just fantastical. Wouldn't mind one in my truck, but that would count as 'carry' in my state.

-Daizee

 

[james terrio]

Hi Daizee, nice to see you here

 

[unit]

I have pondered this topic many times. It sort of depends on the situations a person will likely encounter.

That is: A person living in a jungle would basically be boasting his/her skill by carrying a 2 inch blade as their only knife...and this display would be as ridiculous as a Wall Street executive carrying a 8 inch survival blade in a baldric as he goes about his day.

If the knife is well designed, executed and properly sharp, size matters less. (A perfectly sized dull "knife" with the ergonomics of a barbed wire fence is arguably not even good for photographs)

 

[james terrio]

If the knife is well designed, executed and properly sharp, size matters less. (A perfectly sized dull "knife" with the ergonomics of a barbed wire fence is arguably not even good for photographs)

Absolutely! My aim isn't to say which size is "better", just to clarify my philosophy on when/why I select different sizes. :thumbup:

 

[unit]

Absolutely! My aim isn't to say which size is "better", just to clarify my philosophy on when/why I select different sizes. :thumbup:

Right on.

I might suggest a 4th category of "really small" knives. Lately I'm enjoying the utility of a sub-2 inch blade with a (relatively) generous handle. While I realize that technically it fits in your "small knife" category, it seems to me that there is a respectable difference that kicks in around the 2 inch mark.

While you won't get many large jobs done in a hurry, the precise control you gain is remarkable.

If I have the liberty to really take my time, I can carve some really fun tools out of wood with a small blade (and then get some bigger jobs done).

I have nothing against big blades (actually most of mine qualify), but they are all about speed and rougher work....when I want to REALLY enjoy time using a knife, I reach for a really small one.

I know it's not about "best" size...but sometimes it's fun to try something that doesn't seem obvious in pursuit of enjoyment over speed/efficiency.

I hope this makes sense...I need coffee.

 

[james terrio]

I might suggest a 4th category of "really small" knives. Lately I'm enjoying the utility of a sub-2 inch blade with a (relatively) generous handle.

That's a good point! Think of all the kiridashi's, utility knives, neckers and so forth that people use and enjoy. :thumbup:

 

[TMHunt]

James, this is a very interesting thread, suppose over time this one will go a long way, it will be interesting to see the logic on what people think as far as usefullness of blade size.
I come from a machining background. While setting up a salvage operation for one of the companies Ive worked for, in buying equipment there was one thing that we/I kept in mind and that was. "you can always do a small job on a big machine, but not a big job on a small machine" So we always went with bigger oppossed to smaller equipment. Ive often thought of this mindset and how or if it applied to knives, (which is another form of tool) and I find its almost the opposite that applies. I have found in my personal experience I gravitate to 2 to 4.5 in. Ive probably field dressed over a dozen deer and probably a hundred squirrels in my day, and Ive always used small blades. To your point, I think larger blades definatley have there purpose and are better for certain tasks, but just dont have the endless verisitility of a small blades. I do love big knives esspecially traditional bowies. but honestly as far as using them Im always been confused on most of there designs. But I dont think theres very many things as pretty as a well made traditional Bowie.

 

[james terrio]

Todd, I absolutely agree that a small knife is indispensable. :thumbup:

If a friend or client asked my advice on only one really high-quality knife to buy for everything from the kitchen to the workshop to the garden to the street to the boonies to the moon, I'd recommend a good handmade 3-4" fixed blade.

 

[TMHunt]

Todd, I absolutely agree that a small knife is indispensable. :thumbup:

If a friend or client asked my advice on only one really high-quality knife to buy for everything from the kitchen to the workshop to the garden to the street to the boonies to the moon, I'd recommend a good handmade 3-4" fixed blade.

Id say you advised him well.

 

[pertinux]

Todd, I absolutely agree that a small knife is indispensable. :thumbup:

If a friend or client asked my advice on only one really high-quality knife to buy for everything from the kitchen to the workshop to the garden to the street to the boonies to the moon, I'd recommend a good handmade 3-4" fixed blade.

Do tell. ;-) A smaller blade would be more comfortably pocketable, but not as do-everything as I wanted my THK to be.

James, do you remember how long the blade is on this one?

KNIFE: I gave James a vague idea of what I was looking for with the hope that he would be able to interpret it and make something useful. He did just that. He did a great job in terms of ergonomics. I wanted a small knife, 6.75 inches total, so it was a challenge to get a handle that was comfortable. James did a great job, as the handle fits my hand perfectly!

Thanks for the great new piece of steel James!

I was reminded of it again when reading Unit's words above, though I'm guessing its blade is (well) more than 2".

Still a way cool (and memorable) product, all the way 'round. :thumbup:

~ P.

 

[james terrio]

Good gravy, I almost forgot about that project... it was a lot of fun to design and build that knife and sheath to meet some very specific requirements. :thumbup:

That was the first sheath we made that included a rare-earth magnet to aid in retention.

As I recall, that blade is just under 3"; I'd have to refer to my notes to be certain.

 

[james terrio]

Here's another small, handy knife... the original Strix. I designed this with a great deal of input from the client, and I'm so pleased with the results that I now consider it one of my standard models.

(photo by client)

 

[daizee]

A full-size handle with a ~3" blade gives exceptional leverage and control.

 

[Mack]

While I generally tend toward smaller blades, some of the Beckerheads have been bouncing around the idea of a 14 inch bladed BK-5. That really has me thinking.

 

[fast14riot]

My ideal knife is very similar in size and shape to your strix model, I bought it from another maker so I won't post pics in your playground, but its a ~2.75" blade of same shape and a full sized handle. It goes from cutting my pork chops at lunch to making tent pegs to scraping battery terminals to opening letters to dressing large and small game. I carry it everyday, I sometimes rotate a few others in but I always go back to that one.

Personally, in north america I would have that knife coupled with a boys axe on a 24" haft, that combo will b able to handle pretty much anything. Other places I might swap out the axe for my 18" blade machete. Personally I have little use for midsize knives. Too awkward for many small tasks, but not enough there for true bigger tasks. Id much rather take a bigger tool (axe/machete) and make it into a smaller task capable of being handled by a smaller knife.

-Xander