Small fixed blades - underrated and underutilized for edc.
- Thread starter Houlahound
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As long as what you are using to hang it around your neck is breakable beyond a certain amount of tension, it's actually pretty handy!
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I carry a neck knife when I kayak or canoe. But find them uncomfortable dangling around my neck and don't like them tucked behind a shirt regardless of the perspiration issue. But I suspect it is mostly a matter of getting used to it.
With kayak carry it's a safety issue for me, but I keep a serrated knife clipped to my flotation vest, so the neck knife is pretty unnecessary overall.
Pocket fixed blade carry is okay, but I don't want more stuff in my pockets.
Horsewright
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Small fixed blades is what I do. Vast majority are carried horizontally or nearly so. Most are crossdraw too. Very common in the cowboy world/culture. Grab your coffee and sit back a bit. As a rancher as well as a knife maker, a small fixed blade is also a safety device for us. Being around large animals and ropes things can get pretty western pretty quick. Carrying a fixed blade horseback vertically just ain't done much by people that spend a lot of time in the saddle cause it ain't real smart. Here's our farrier's assistant, under one of our horses pulling the shoes. He keeps his fixed blade ready:
But not only are they a needed item in a wreck sometimes they are used daily, opening feed sacks, hay bales and other ranch chores. Branding time they're handy cause them little bull calves need to become steer calves. Waiting for the next calf with my EDC in a horizontal sheath and a prototype round nose castrator in my back pocket:
It works!
The wife carries a crossdraw too. Its out of the way when you're working, bending over etc. Ya can see hers' above her left front pocket while she's branding this calf:
Out of the way when horseback and roping:
Shotgun Stewie is mixing up some of the meds and he has his too:
Even when giving a tuckered out calf, thats run out of gas, a ride, its not in the way:
Small of the back works for a lot of folks too:
Cross draw works for lefties too that rope right handed:
Small fixed blades can do big jobs too. So my son was working on this ranch riding first calf heifers. He would ride through them often, looking for any heifers having calving problems and many were in this particular group of about 300. He found one that had broken her leg right up at the hip. He and his boss were gonna try and splint it as she was due to calve shortly. But it was too close to the hip bone no practical way of splinting it. So they shot the heifer and did a caesarean trying to save the calf. Ya got three minutes to get this done. They got the calf out but the little guy didn't make it, he only lived for 3 or 4 hours. Then they called the butcher. He couldn't come out and get the heifer with his truck but he could handle it if they could bring it to him. He needed it decapitated and quartered. The knife they used? One of my Buckaroo models 6.5 inches over all and a 2 5/8 inch blade.
Oh that heifer was about 1100 lbs. Little fixed blades can get things done!
But not only are they a needed item in a wreck sometimes they are used daily, opening feed sacks, hay bales and other ranch chores. Branding time they're handy cause them little bull calves need to become steer calves. Waiting for the next calf with my EDC in a horizontal sheath and a prototype round nose castrator in my back pocket:
It works!
The wife carries a crossdraw too. Its out of the way when you're working, bending over etc. Ya can see hers' above her left front pocket while she's branding this calf:
Out of the way when horseback and roping:
Shotgun Stewie is mixing up some of the meds and he has his too:
Even when giving a tuckered out calf, thats run out of gas, a ride, its not in the way:
Small of the back works for a lot of folks too:
Cross draw works for lefties too that rope right handed:
Small fixed blades can do big jobs too. So my son was working on this ranch riding first calf heifers. He would ride through them often, looking for any heifers having calving problems and many were in this particular group of about 300. He found one that had broken her leg right up at the hip. He and his boss were gonna try and splint it as she was due to calve shortly. But it was too close to the hip bone no practical way of splinting it. So they shot the heifer and did a caesarean trying to save the calf. Ya got three minutes to get this done. They got the calf out but the little guy didn't make it, he only lived for 3 or 4 hours. Then they called the butcher. He couldn't come out and get the heifer with his truck but he could handle it if they could bring it to him. He needed it decapitated and quartered. The knife they used? One of my Buckaroo models 6.5 inches over all and a 2 5/8 inch blade.
Oh that heifer was about 1100 lbs. Little fixed blades can get things done!
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Might be time to name names on good small knife sheath system makers.
Horsewright
do you do custom sheath orders?
Horsewright
do you do custom sheath orders?
herisson
Apple slicing rocking chair dweller
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Carrying a fixed blade around the neck or in the pocket seems just natural and simple to me. Because now I can... In town, I focused on slipjoints. Now that i'm living in the country, I totally indulge in wearing fixed blades.
Just some in my rotation. These are neckers and they are good at being neckers. I mean the sheath is secure enough that I don't ever fear for my gut. And I value my gut, a lot... I put them on in the morning, put them down before sleeping (sometimes I might even forget) :
Just some in my rotation. These are neckers and they are good at being neckers. I mean the sheath is secure enough that I don't ever fear for my gut. And I value my gut, a lot... I put them on in the morning, put them down before sleeping (sometimes I might even forget) :
Yeah but thats.... horizontal....Not as fancy as Horsewright’s gear, but I have settled on strong side vertical carry for my small fixed blade.
What qualifies as "small"? Some of the blades above don't seem that small.....
This is a "small" fixed blade
Its identical to the larger versions in every way, and quite sharp.
I've been carrying a "normal" size (about 3 3/4" blade) puukko in my right front pocket.
The long slim sheath fits the shape of the pocket pretty well, and it rides right along the seam so you don't really notice that its there. That curve in the sheath ensures that it stays put, and you can easily stick your hand in your pocket and barely notice its there.
The snap hook on this one is just long enough so you can attach it to a belt loop and have the knife disappear into your pocket.
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eveled
Gold Member
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22-rimfire
ive always thought of my Randall as a small Kephart. It even has a similar sheath. It has a very short handle but it is bulged in just the right places it fills my hand just right. I’m going to check out the condor too.https://www.bladeforums.com/account/th-attachment-manager/1426270/view
Last edited:
JOELSM
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Horsewright
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Might be time to name names on good small knife sheath system makers.
Ya bet PM me.
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Will do when I get a knife worthy of a custom sheath. Got you bookmarked.
MolokaiRider
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Small fixed blades is what I do. Vast majority are carried horizontally or nearly so. Most are crossdraw too. Very common in the cowboy world/culture. Grab your coffee and sit back a bit. As a rancher as well as a knife maker, a small fixed blade is also a safety device for us. Being around large animals and ropes things can get pretty western pretty quick. Carrying a fixed blade horseback vertically just ain't done much by people that spend a lot of time in the saddle cause it ain't real smart. Here's our farrier's assistant, under one of our horses pulling the shoes. He keeps his fixed blade ready:
But not only are they a needed item in a wreck sometimes they are used daily, opening feed sacks, hay bales and other ranch chores. Branding time they're handy cause them little bull calves need to become steer calves. Waiting for the next calf with my EDC in a horizontal sheath and a prototype round nose castrator in my back pocket:
It works!
The wife carries a crossdraw too. Its out of the way when you're working, bending over etc. Ya can see hers' above her left front pocket while she's branding this calf:
Out of the way when horseback and roping:
Shotgun Stewie is mixing up some of the meds and he has his too:
Even when giving a tuckered out calf, thats run out of gas, a ride, its not in the way:
Small of the back works for a lot of folks too:
Cross draw works for lefties too that rope right handed:
Small fixed blades can do big jobs too. So my son was working on this ranch riding first calf heifers. He would ride through them often, looking for any heifers having calving problems and many were in this particular group of about 300. He found one that had broken her leg right up at the hip. He and his boss were gonna try and splint it as she was due to calve shortly. But it was too close to the hip bone no practical way of splinting it. So they shot the heifer and did a caesarean trying to save the calf. Ya got three minutes to get this done. They got the calf out but the little guy didn't make it, he only lived for 3 or 4 hours. Then they called the butcher. He couldn't come out and get the heifer with his truck but he could handle it if they could bring it to him. He needed it decapitated and quartered. The knife they used? One of my Buckaroo models 6.5 inches over all and a 2 5/8 inch blade.
Oh that heifer was about 1100 lbs. Little fixed blades can get things done!
Excellent post, per usual.
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- Nov 20, 2005
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I like my Bark River Mini Kephart. It's ~7.5" OAL. I am certain I would like the Randall you have. The Condor Compact Kephart is a very simple knife. I like it, but that doesn't mean that you would. Closest Randall I own is the Jack Crider Special. Probably should dig it out, but I haven't messed with it in a good while. I suspect it is a bit large for regular carry for me.
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Horsewright
No vertical fixed blades on horseback. Is that because of possibly falling onto the knife?