Wide Blades - Advantage or Disadvantage

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
759
I remember one post where someone said that they didn't like wide blades like say a Becker Crewman. I was wondering what the advantage or disadvantage would be of a 5 of 6 inch knife with a wide blade like a Crewman vs something with a more narrow blade like maybe a Kabar.
 
The obvious advantage would be that you can have a thick edged blade that has longer to taper thus making a good slicer while maintaining strengh, if that makes sense ?
To me narrow blades are more for tactical uses as they are better at penertrating when thrust into an object.
 
pitdog said:
The obvious advantage would be that you can have a thick edged blade that has longer to taper thus making a good slicer while maintaining strengh, if that makes sense ?
To me narrow blades are more for tactical uses as they are better at penertrating when thrust into an object.
Click to expand...

Another benefit to a wider blade is that they tend to have a little more forward weight and a bit more energy when chopping. Of course this doesn't really play a role in smaller blades.

When using a shorter blade, lets say 3", a wider blade can have less of a point and are sometimes preferred for dressing/skinning game. Think Nesmuk as opposed to a fillet knife. Less likely to puncture a gut sack.

pitdog is right on the thin blades being better suited for puncturing or stabbing.

A KaBar isn't really a thin blade. Just thinner than some of the modern offerings. A friend of mine has a Blackjack AWAC and its an awesome knife. Bad part is that its a very thin and handle heavy fighter. Not a bushcrafter by design but better than not having a knife.

I used a Camillus Air Force knife with a 5" blade for years. Loved it 'til I lost it.

In the 5" to 6" range, you aren't looking at a dedicated skinner or a chopper. Its a cutter (just my opinion) that can handle some skinning and chopping. Buy what feels good in your hand and balances well for you. Don't get hung up on blade height. Form should follow function and skill and familiarity with a given tool is more important than aesthetics.

HTH,
Rupe
 
With a wider blade you can use a thinner stock of steel and still maintain rigidity of the knife. This way you optimize strength and cutting efficiency. I think Pit said the same thing but I'm a bit too tipsy to decipher it.

The wider blade also works great for chopping up veggies and kitchen duty. Just look at your average chef knife to take a cue.

Personally, I like'em wide.
 
Wide blades do not carve as well as narrow ones, rather clumsy affairs on shorter knives, points become less useful as well. On a larger knife however, priorities change and a wider blade could serve for some practical purpose.

I use a hatchet for chopping/splitting/etc, so a knife is my primary cutting tool and is best served at no longer that 4", thin (at or under 1/8") and narrow (A mora, lol).

My $0.02, cheers,
:D
 
My preferences fall in line with Wabajack's. I use an axe/hatchet and a saw to take care of the large chopping/cutting needs, and I use my knives for slicing.

My "normal" bit of kit when out for a long walk, or an extended stay in the woods, looks something like this:

  • SAK of some sort in one pocket
  • CRK Sebenza or Spyderco of some sort in another pocket
  • Leatherman SuperTool on my belt
  • Fixed blade knife on my belt (usually a Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner)
  • Browning folding saw in my ruck
  • Sometimes a small hatchet or axe in my ruck
The proper tools for the proper chores and I feel safer, use less energy up, etc. :D Works great for me, YMMV!

Cheers! Happy Holidays!

AJ
 
I like wide blade in my field knives.. a wider blade alows me to choke up on the using a pinch grip on the back of the knife for finer work, it also allows me to use the spin to shovel food into my face which is my favorite thing to do
 
Wider is better for shorter 6 to 7 inch camp knives used for chopping, splitting firewood.
Scott
 
I guess it would depend on your cutting style... If you are a "campcrafter" you may want that narrow thin blade for carving... especially if you regularly carry an axe/hawk for larger tasks. For an all around campknife I prefer a wide blade. That theory differs in the UK.... They tend to carry a small thin blade coupled with an axe. You don't see many big choppers over there. (not sure of knife laws there.... perhaps they can't carry large blades)

Rick
 
Magnussen said:
I guess it would depend on your cutting style... If you are a "campcrafter" you may want that narrow thin blade for carving... especially if you regularly carry an axe/hawk for larger tasks. For an all around campknife I prefer a wide blade. That theory differs in the UK.... They tend to carry a small thin blade coupled with an axe. You don't see many big choppers over there. (not sure of knife laws there.... perhaps they can't carry large blades)

Rick
Click to expand...

Legally all we can carry is a non-locking folder with a blade less than 3". Anything more and we must have 'good cause' such as it being used in a trade (that the user is actually doing right now), or sport or hobby (like a hunter with a skinning knife, or a bushcrafter).

Got to be real careful though because if we aren't actually doing the 'good cause' reason when challenged, we'll likely be arrested.

An axe is treated the same but since not many people carry one, they don't tend to make the news so often.

Safest bet is a small fixed blade and axe if we're going bushcrafting. Personally though I still strap on the mistress once I'm in the woods out of the way.
 
What I had thought about doing was to make a piggy back sheath for my Crewman to carry a Mora too. I didn't know if that would be overkill since I don't really consider the Crewman to be a big knife. Seems like you would usually do that with a 7 or 9 inch model. However, the I think they would make a good combo to get the best of both and the Mora is so light that you would never notice the weight difference. You wouldn't have to worry about batoning with the Mora then either. I personally like the wide blades because you can grab the blade and choke up for finer tasks.
 
Triquetra said:
What I had thought about doing was to make a piggy back sheath for my Crewman to carry a Mora too. I didn't know if that would be overkill since I don't really consider the Crewman to be a big knife. Seems like you would usually do that with a 7 or 9 inch model. However, the I think they would make a good combo to get the best of both and the Mora is so light that you would never notice the weight difference. You wouldn't have to worry about batoning with the Mora then either. I personally like the wide blades because you can grab the blade and choke up for finer tasks.
Click to expand...

That would be a good combo! Thick & thin - Best of both worlds right there.
 
Wabajack and Magnussen pretty much nailed it, it's about what you want the knife for. For a chopper or a camp knife the larger blade helps. For any amount of fine wood work the thinner blades is tops. You can't work the corners and tight angles with something too wide.
 
i generally prefer a wide blade while in the woods... thought thinner blades have their place too..
 
im for wide blades, the RC6 and BK7 are what I really like. I do like thinner blades, but my RC6 shaves just fine for its size, and I wont carry any less.:D
 
I like wider blades too, mostly cause I like the looks and feel of them. I have bent thinner blades doing regular work.
 
Based on the likely use of the blades, I prefer a wide blade on large knives and narrow blades on small knives which are more likely to be used for fine tasks.

on the large blades, it's like Pit said, you can have a knife that slices and chops well with a wide blade.
 
I'm in the wide blade camp, I much prefer the look of them and they seem to serve me well for tasks that I require !!!
 
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