Whats with people calling medium sized knives "large"?

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ribeyemediumrare

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Oct 5, 2018
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Anyone else get annoyed by this? Many medium sized edc folders that are just big enough to get a full grip on and use comfortably are being labeled as large by manufacturers and consumers, I don't get it. To me a "large" sebenza, PM2, Rat1, are moderately sized knives that disappear in the pocket unless I'm wearing something tight or lightweight but are just big enough to confidently do some work with. To me calling these large leads to non-knife people freaking out when you pull out anything that isn't under 3 inches with a 3 finger grip.
 
I doubt non-knife people even know what a Large Sebenza is, let alone that “Large” is in it’s name. I believe that distinction is for models like the Sebenza where there is a “Large” and a “Small”. A lot of companies make different sizes of the same model. It’s probably just used to differentiate those knives from other. Instead of calling them both Moderately Sized Sebenzas(which they both are), one is larger, thus it is a Large Sebenza.
 
ribeyemediumrare said:
Anyone else get annoyed by this? Many medium sized edc folders that are just big enough to get a full grip on and use comfortably are being labeled as large by manufacturers and consumers, I don't get it. To me a "large" sebenza, PM2, Rat1, are moderately sized knives that disappear in the pocket unless I'm wearing something tight or lightweight but are just big enough to confidently do some work with. To me calling these large leads to non-knife people freaking out when you pull out anything that isn't under 3 inches with a 3 finger grip.
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If all you carry is a Ladybug, then EVERYTHING is large. Perspective.
 
McFeeli said:
I doubt non-knife people even know what a Large Sebenza is, let alone that “Large” is in it’s name. I believe that distinction is for models like the Sebenza where there is a “Large” and a “Small”. A lot of companies make different sizes of the same model. It’s probably just used to differentiate those knives from other. Instead of calling them both Moderately Sized Sebenzas(which they both are), one is larger, thus it is a Large Sebenza.
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They should just call the sebenza 21 "large" simply sebenza 21 and the small a small 21, just like how benchmade makes the griptillian and the small version is a mini grip. Non knife people might not know what a knife is called but how we treat certain knife sizes can condition the general public to be scared of something that is relatively normal sized. Consider places with knife laws of under 3 inches, the boundaries were set because they deemed that to be an appropriate size limit for a pocket knife and anything over that is a weapon in their eyes instead of a tool. Some people might be hesitant to carry a normal sized knife because they've been conditioned to believe its too big and scary to have on you.
 
So what qualifies as large in your book then? Semi-Ridiculous? Like a Crusader Forge FIFP EX or a CS Large Espada? (and before anyone gets mad at me, I have owned both)

I agree, I don't think a Large Sebenza is a large knife, but it is the large version of that knife. But why would a non-knife person even know that a Large Sebenza is a Large, or a Small a small? They likely just see a knife.

However, no, nothing about it annoys me.
 
jceckrosh said:
So what qualifies as large in your book then? Semi-Ridiculous? Like a Crusader Forge FIFP EX or a CS Large Espada? (and before anyone gets mad at me, I have owned both)

I agree, I don't think a Large Sebenza is a large knife, but it is the large version of that knife. But why would a non-knife person even know that a Large Sebenza is a Large, or a Small a small? They likely just see a knife.

However, no, nothing about it annoys me.
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Large: adamas, xm24, spyderco military. The large sebenza is the regular version of the knife and the small is a mini. Its not about a non-knife guy knowing the name but about how we perceive certain knives. If companies and reviewers tell you a knife is huge you're going to believe it will be too scary or threatening to carry and use in public, then the general public is only exposed to tiny blades and freak out when they see anything reasonable sized. This leads to ridiculous knife laws where a simple cutting tool is classified as a weapon, or getting complaints from HR when you use your pocket knife to cut a sandwich in half.
 
I get full purchase on the small Sebenza and the large has extra handle at the end, so the Large and Small designations are fitting from my perspective. As others have said, it's more a descriptor to differentiate between the two options.
Overall, the Large is closer to what is generally considered medium knives. It is dwarfed by my BM Bedlam and Emerson Persian. With that said, all the knives I've mentioned would probably be considered different sized toothpicks to someone like Shaq.


If a non-knife person is freaked out by a pocket knife, I don't think adjusting the semantics to make them feel safe will help much in educating their perspective.
 
ribeyemediumrare said:
Large: adamas, xm24, spyderco military. The large sebenza is the regular version of the knife and the small is a mini. Its not about a non-knife guy knowing the name but about how we perceive certain knives. If companies and reviewers tell you a knife is huge you're going to believe it will be too scary or threatening to carry and use in public, then the general public is only exposed to tiny blades and freak out when they see anything reasonable sized. This leads to ridiculous knife laws where a simple cutting tool is classified as a weapon, or getting complaints from HR when you use your pocket knife to cut a sandwich in half.
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I highly doubt that knife companies marketing or model designations have anything to do with the ridiculous knife legislation that gets passed.

Plenty of folks on here carry and use all manner of knives in public, from small to larger folders, to big ole bowies on their hip and no one bats an eye. Your conduct with said knife will be much more applicable to how you're perceived by others.
 
I'm similar- to me the PM2 is medium, Delica is small, Military is large. PM2 is the smallest that I EDC. I had a ZT 0561 that I also considered large, then I bought a ZT 0200 that I thought went beyond large. When our state law had a 5.5" limit I wanted to buy a Tatanka because it was the largest allowed, I would consider that one to be beyond large as well.
 
Look up the lyrics to the old Randy Newman song “Short People”. You’ll find the answer to your question there.
 
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