Some Comparison Pics

I don't have the 5 or the 6, but I must say that the 5.1 is a very good one knife option when I am working in the woods making firewood to heat the house. It is big enough to remove sapling limbs that are in the way, remove saplings up to 3 inches pretty efficiently, and the choil allows me to choke up for finer work when required. But it is small enough to carry on the belt when working a saw and carrying rounds to the ATV trailor all day. I often carry it on hikes and find it not at all hard to carry. For me, anything bigger rarely finds its way on my belt. Your points regarding the 5 and the 6 are certainly valid points, but I am clearly a fan of the 5.1. If I carry a pack on hikes or outings, I usually have a larger knife on or in the pack and the 4.1 on the belt. My guess is that both the 5 and the 6 will be of a decent size for belt carry just as the 5.1 is for me, which is why I have a 6 on order. Anything larger I fear would be relegated to pack carry only.

For me, having the knife on my body is an essential component of a survival knife philosophy. You never know when you are going to need it. I love large knives around the campsite, but never have one on me when I drive to Lowes on the weekend in winter when I might slide off the icy road with no cell phone coverage.

I like your posts, Mac. You make some very relevant points :thumbup:

Brian_T said:
I think the 4.1 and 5 are the Jacks of All Trades in the S! lineup and could be used interchangeably (at least that's the way I view them.) Some folks will like the 4.1 better; some the 5.

The 6 starts edging into the "too much" zone just as the 3.5 does into the "too little" zone. Does that make sense?

In my mind, you could absolutely do it all with some planning and either the 4.1 or the 5 in a bushcraft or survival scenario. Does that mean in some situations I wouldn't want the extra blade length of the 6? Heck no!

Pulled Brian's quote from the picture thread, but thought it was applicable here.

I'm in a similar line of thinking. In my opinion, the four best stand-alone blades in the line are the 4.1, 4.7, 5 and 5.1. With the 5.1 being the king of the one-blade option.

Blades in the 6"+ range have me wanting a smaller companion blade. And blades in the 3" range have me wishing for a larger companion blade. Luckily I really like combos, so this works out well in all areas except the bank account. :)
 
Hard Knocks, I am not planning to have an S!K smaller than the 4.1 as this category is more than filled up in my collection. In fact, the cup runeth over. The 4.1 could probably perform close to 98% of anything that I need a knife for, even in a survival situation. It just can not perform those tasks as efficiently and effectively as a larger blade. I love large knives for the efficiency in which they can perform certain tasks. And efficiency matters in a survival situation. That is why I keep coming back to the 5.1 when the situation that I am in could result in a survival situation, and I have no plans to be outdoors for more than a day. The 5.1 is my answer to the potential call. I have well over 100 knives in all sizes and shapes from various makers and manufacturers. If I had to get rid of all of them but one, I would keep the 5.1. But what would be the fun in that?:cool:
 
Really great points here! I agree that the 4.1 can do damn near anything but I really like having a thicker stock blade with a solid tang for that added security. I love bigger knives but the laws around here are pretty vague about certain sized knives so I play it safe and carry the 4.1 daily. The new 3.5 will probably fill that void but I will keep a bigger knife in my van just to be safe. I would carry the 5 everyday in a heartbeat if I wasn't worried about getting a ticket or having it confiscated.
 
If I had to get rid of all of them but one, I would keep the 5.1. But what would be the fun in that? :cool:

Lol. Exactly right.

I know what you mean Mac, I started off hard in the smaller blades and have a bunch of smaller (4" and under) quality blades as well. I wasn't super excited when I ordered the 3.5 because I had the role well-filled. But it was available, and with the starter program I just couldn't pass on it for the price, and I'm sure glad I didn't. I've got a row of small fixed blades sitting out for quick rotation and use the 'what I want to carry today' method as a judge of the keepers. I've been pocket carrying the 3.5, something I do not normally do, but that blade and sheath (w/o belt clip) just works for me. I was surprised how often this summer that little 3.5 has been the go-to blade, and it has really made a place for itself with me as a keeper. I kinda feel like I'm doing the 4.1 a disservice that it's not on my radar, but I don't have a 5.1 right now, and that needs to be remedied as soon as possible.

Standard, man I know those carry laws are drag! That is one thing we thankfully do not have to worry about here. I had two customers in my shop today wearing sidearms open carry. One of them had about an 8" Marbles tied down on him, too. Doesn't bother me in the least, my place is a carry-friendly zone. :)
 
I guess it's a blessing in disguise considering how many degenerates are out here.
 
I love getting to scroll through and learn from all y'alls experience. Great conversation here.

HK, do you mind saying what kind of business you're in?
 
My wife and I run a sharpening and repair facility for industrial saw blades and carbide tooling. Think large roundsaws, bandsaws and log home tooling. I like it. Let's me play with a lot of grinding equipment for other tasks :)

Custom saw blade we build in-house, rips and planes in one pass



Custom carbide-tipped house log notcher (cuts the half-round for stacking corners)

 
Haha, that is sweet. Sharp things at work, sharp things for fun in your free time. Win win!

I bet it is very rewarding to run your own business.
 
Wow that's awesome HK! It's surprising how many cutting blades are out there and the price that they go for so repairing them is a great idea. I think I spent nearly $60 to replace a 60 tooth 12" blade on my miter saw because my idiot friend decided to heat the blade so much that it warped and started hitting the top guard.
 
Haha, that is sweet. Sharp things at work, sharp things for fun in your free time. Win win!

I bet it is very rewarding to run your own business.

Yeah everything in the shop is either hot or sharp. All kinds of ways to maim yourself, ha! The best part about running your own business is you only have to work half days. The hard part is deciding which 12 hours that is going to be. :D

Wow that's awesome HK! It's surprising how many cutting blades are out there and the price that they go for so repairing them is a great idea. I think I spent nearly $60 to replace a 60 tooth 12" blade on my miter saw because my idiot friend decided to heat the blade so much that it warped and started hitting the top guard.

That is exactly the type of thing we deal with every day. Had it not been bent (warped) you'd have about a $20-$24 sharpening charge on something like that at your local sharpener. Many of the bent blades can be repaired as well, although the cost vs benefit might not pay off on a 12" blade. We still level and tension a lot of the more expensive blades, though.



On comparisons, I'm very curious of the new 6 compared to the old 6, since it's gaining some blade length. Hate to wish my life away, but I wish these were out now, lol.
 
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The best part about running your own business is you only have to work half days. The hard part is deciding which 12 hours that is going to be. :D

Lucky man!

On comparisons, I'm very curious of the new 6 compared to the old 6, since it's gaining some blade length. Hate to wish my life away, but I wish these were out now, lol.

I'm wishing there will be enough people ordering the 6 so that it'll go into production before the 4.5, 8, 10 & Necker :D
 
There have been some very good posts in this thread and others with regards to the one knife option/survival scenario.

It's amazing how much the choice of blade size differs from person to person..... GSO 4.1 all the way up to the 10!
I guess it mostly comes down to one's knowledge, experience, and what variety of tasks one would expect the blade to perform in that environment and/or scenario(s).
 
My wife and I run a sharpening and repair facility for industrial saw blades and carbide tooling. Think large roundsaws, bandsaws and log home tooling. I like it. Let's me play with a lot of grinding equipment for other tasks :)

If my wife and I had to work together every day, it might be disaster. You are a great American HK.

On another matter, I refuse to live and work where I can't carry.
 
On comparisons, I'm very curious of the new 6 compared to the old 6, since it's gaining some blade length. Hate to wish my life away, but I wish these were out now, lol.
I need to recheck the specs, I was thinking the blade was still a perfect 6 inches, but the handle gained 0.3 of an inch.

There have been some very good posts in this thread and others with regards to the one knife option/survival scenario.

It's amazing how much the choice of blade size differs from person to person..... GSO 4.1 all the way up to the 10!
I guess it mostly comes down to one's knowledge, experience, and what variety of tasks one would expect the blade to perform in that environment and/or scenario(s).
Yes! I found this very interesting as well. Some people prefer an almost hatchet like blade with a choil, some prefer closer to 4 inches. Personal preference all the way.

I'd like to think I could do most of what I need with a 4 inch blade, but I'm anxious to try the 6 and 10.
 
I need to recheck the specs, I was thinking the blade was still a perfect 6 inches, but the handle gained 0.3 of an inch.

I hope I don't have this wrong, I never had an old spec 6. But I believe the old spec 6 and the 5.1 were both 5-3/4" tip to handle, with the only difference being the choil. The new spec 6 looks like it gains a 1/4" so that it is a true 6" tip-to-handle blade length. As always, someone correct me if this is not right and I will come back and edit it out to prevent confusion.

There have been some very good posts in this thread and others with regards to the one knife option/survival scenario.

It's amazing how much the choice of blade size differs from person to person..... GSO 4.1 all the way up to the 10!
I guess it mostly comes down to one's knowledge, experience, and what variety of tasks one would expect the blade to perform in that environment and/or scenario(s).

SilverNeedle said:
Yes! I found this very interesting as well. Some people prefer an almost hatchet like blade with a choil, some prefer closer to 4 inches. Personal preference all the way.

I'd like to think I could do most of what I need with a 4 inch blade, but I'm anxious to try the 6 and 10.

In the past I used smaller blades almost exclusively, and still carry one more than the large blades just out of practicality. But once I started dabbling in the bigger blades I found there were some tasks in which they really excelled, and they could do about anything the small blades could do. Maybe not as efficiently/comfortably/conveniently as a small blade, but they can pretty much do those small blade tasks. And then I began adapting some techniques to suit the larger blades. Who knew there were different ways to clean a rabbit??!! :) I won't link to it because it's in Busse Combat, but there was a good post not long back where a gentleman gave a step-by-step with pictures of cleaning a rabbit with a Team Gemini, that's a 7" blade. It was a very good tutorial, and I added that technique to the arsenal in the old noggin. As I am becoming more proficient with the larger blades, I am more confident in their use, and I find I enjoy carrying them much more.

Mac, you're making me blush :redface: :D
 
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I hope I don't have this wrong, I never had an old spec 6. But I believe the old spec 6 and the 5.1 were both 5-3/4" tip to handle, with the only difference being the choil. The new spec 6 looks like it gains a 1/4" so that it is a true 6" tip-to-handle blade length. As always, someone correct me if this is not right and I will come back and edit it out to prevent confusion.

Oh good point. I had looked at bladehq, but I think they rounded up on the blade length.
 
In the past I used smaller blades almost exclusively, and still carry one more than the large blades just out of practicality. But once I started dabbling in the bigger blades I found there were some tasks in which they really excelled, and they could do about anything the small blades could do. Maybe not as efficiently/comfortably/conveniently as a small blade, but they can pretty much do those small blade tasks. And then I began adapting some techniques to suit the larger blades. Who knew there were different ways to clean a rabbit??!! :) I won't link to it because it's in Busse Combat, but there was a good post not long back where a gentleman gave a step-by-step with pictures of cleaning a rabbit with a Team Gemini, that's a 7" blade. It was a very good tutorial, and I added that technique to the arsenal in the old noggin. As I am becoming more proficient with the larger blades, I am more confident in their use, and I find I enjoy carrying them much more.

Good points! Indigenous people in tropical environments do many small tasks with different types of machetes on a regular basis.

Perhaps a 3.5 piggybacked to a 10's sheath would cover all bases, unless going for a long hike where weight is a concern.
 
Good points! Indigenous people in tropical environments do many small tasks with different types of machetes on a regular basis.

Perhaps a 3.5 piggybacked to a 10's sheath would cover all bases, unless going for a long hike where weight is a concern.

You could do about anything with that combo. And on the days where you want to go lighter, grab a mid-size blade. The 5.1 or 4.7 for me.
 
I'm liking everyone's thoughts here. It would take a lot of adapting on my part to learn how to clean quail or fish with a big knife, but it's probably a good idea to learn how to. Hell I'd probably screw up with a small knife considering it's been so long!
 
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