Off Topic Thick vs Thin Knife...

Thick/Thin

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Take into consideration the density of the cut subject.
As in the density of a Water melon vs tree branch.
A thin knife would make clean slices of water melons,
But could probably fail at something denser like hard wood.
As a thick spine knife would have higher resistance
during the downward forces of slicing in.
Being thicker it would be wedging itself in a watermelon.
Knowing this, a thick spine knife as oppose to a thin one
would make a better choice for less refined hacking purposes.
Also a thick spine knife would better handle lateral forces
In the event of having to free the knife stuck from a wedged in cut.
There is no one knife suited for absolutely everything.
The choice of carry should be predetermined
By knowing exactly what the everyday task at hand is.
The preparedness for extraordinary events warrants
A bug out bag with more than 1 type of edge tool.
 
I think Colubrid was pointing out the three blade types under discussion and comparing them to body types. Long and thin, and relatively light. Short and stocky, more dense and heavier(in general). The middle ground, something heavy enough to be reasonably effective at bigger jobs, but thinner, longer, and light enough to perform more delicate tasks.

Unless I just completely misread that. Which happens often enough that I rather expect it.
 
My go-to outdoors knives are generally either an eight inch 3/16" thick 1095 blade, an eight inch 3/16" thick ATS-34 blade or a ten inch 3/16" 1095 blade . But that doesn't mean I feel handicapped when I carry a SOG S-1, at .280" thick. And big knives do the little jobs better than little knives do the big ones. In my opinion, however, edge geometry and cutting technique are more important than brute strength in most situations, and 1/8"-3/16" is more than enough for everyday jobs.
 
katanas said:
Sorry, colubrid, I'm missing your point. :confused: It's probably too obvious for me. o_O
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My attempt at humor .. But as you know when you have to explain a joke it is never as funny as it was originally. So my bad.

In general ectomorphs and mesomorphs are more efficient, better athletically, live longer, out perform, are more successful, are more attractive and are more useful for a variety of productive life tasks.

whereas endomorphs ..well you get it now.
 
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I chose middle, with 1/8 to 3/16 as being what I like. My preferred size is 1/8 which I do not know if it is considered thin, but it adds strength and still thin enough to slice adequately. As it has been said, I think the user should know what kind of requirements are needed for the task they choose or what physical demands will be required of a knife. Common sense and a little thought. The old adage "measure twice cut once" comes to mind. My father was an engineer, he did not over think the process, but he knew the job, what would be required to accomplish it, and what tools to use. The Nessmuk trio idea has appealed to me also, so I think some fore thought is a good idea. My glamping is not the same as someone who hikes all the way in or who has a site already in mind such as a cabin.
 
Pomsbz said:
I think the premise that there is a single choice which will suit all walks of life is simply wrong.
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Agreed. Half the fun is trying new knives to see if they meet your needs, or just to improve your bushcrafting skills.
 
Thin.
I have a Benchmade 586 with M390, it's a reasonably good slicer. It's .100 thick at the spine and .015 behind the edge. That is about as thick as I will tolerate on a folding knife. My D2 Barlow is 63 thick at the spine and .015 behind the edge. With out a doubt it will out slice that benchmade.

I carry a 3” Widgy or a Nite Ize on my key ring.

I won't sacrifice cutting ability, just to have a knife I can use as a pry bar.
This is just my opinion, that works for my uses.
 
colubrid, quarterbacks LOVE their endomorphs (not so much those opposing). :p Seriously, my 1/4 in custom may not perform as many tasks as well, but it will perform them AND it is unlikely to break (which tends to happen at the worst of times-thank you Mr. Dickens).
 
You never had to choose.

1/4" stock with a 2" wide blade, and 0.020" edge shoulders.

Sabre Hollow Grinds can be even thinner edged from a thicker spine, still allowing slicing tomatoes, and the sabre grind line will send the wood chips flying if set low enough, just like the flare of an axe...

Gaston
 
I prefer medium thick knives. Thin blades leave me with the feeling that the blade could easily snap, and I find thick blades kind of bulky and ugly looking. All three have their advantages but medium is my preference.
 
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