I posted this to social media today and wanted to get the thoughts of members of the forum. The little knife that could....let’s be honest, how often do we really NEED a big knife? How many tasks require a delicate touch or does a larger knife with more exposed edge become a hinderance than a help? One trait I’ve seen play out time and time again in our classes is new students come to us through our big knives and often attempt to use them for every task. As their skill increases the blades get smaller and smaller. What are your thoughts on this observation? #nimbleknives #smallknivesmattertoo. #eseeknives #randallsadventureandtraining I watch each class and see instructors using small, nimble knifes and see students using E5, E6s for the same task (one they could easily use a smaller knife for)....there is NO DOUBT that big knives are cool but my CR2.5 handles 95% of my cutting tasks....maybe 99% if I"m being truthful... Where do you fall on this continuum? Thoughts? talk amongst yourselves...
Yup. By far, my most used knives have blade lengths between 2.5" - 3.5". And I completely agree that as skill develops, a smaller knife can do a lot more than it may be given credit for. I think it's pretty classic that someone runs out and buys a 5" blade when they are first really getting into knives, bushcraft, survival, etc. And then? Their second knife purchase is often in that 2.5"-3.5" range and with time, it ends up becoming the "go-to." In a former life, I spent 12 years leading wilderness expeditions professionally in some pretty remote corners of the Americas, typically for a month or more at a time without returning to civilization. This was before I really got into knives, and I usually just carried a SAK Farmer and maybe a small Leatherman on those trips (and in some places a machete...). We survived just fine. These days, knives are a bit of a hobby for me, and for that reason I own some bigger ones, mostly because they are just historical patterns that I think are really cool. But they are shelf queens that rarely ever get used. If I'm truly being honest, an Izula II can do everything I need most days, and that includes multi-day trips in the backcountry. And the E3 is about as big as I tend to carry anymore. For larger wood cutting tasks, I'd much rather use a saw or an axe.
I have to agree @shaneadams90, didn’t Mors K, Lars felt and Ray mears say that you don’t need a knife wider than your hand to do everything you need in the wilderness. Now keep in mind I am not talking about the task one uses an axe or saw for, I know you can beaver chew through a tree with a small knife and it will work. I know I can baron with my 2.5, but I would most likely use it to carve a wedge and use that tonspilt wood. Like you I find I use my 2.5 for most everything I do knife related and if I need a bigger knifes reach for my 3 or PR4. I don’t own a whole lite of knives over 4 inches, I carry an axe. I do love my Junglas don’t get me wrong and a machete has its own place in the wilderness. But for me 3 to 4 inches is good for me.
I am a true knife fanatic, have been all my life. Almost anything that can or should have an edge is candy to me, including axes, tomahawks, machetes, even shovels. Sitting in the truth chair though, 99% of my cutting is done with a Rat2 folder or a Leatherman. In the bush I use a machete but it's a brush and briars remover mostly. I have cutters and slicers from 2/32"s to 1/4" thick and from 2" to 24" long. Everything you pick up around here is sharp, paper cutting-arm hair shaving- take your fingers off sharp. Nonetheless everything from the daily mail (junk) to the evening meal usually falls to the handy pocket clipped folder.
I agree 100%. However where most small blades fall short is their handle. Generally too small and usually has poor ergonomics. Show me an izzy blade on an rb3 handle and now your talking. The 3hm is close but still not quite a small blade.
This. I feel like I can do a lot with a smaller blade - if the handle is adequate. It's what really elevates the Izzy II to a much more usable knife for me, from the original Izula. I have TKC G-10 handles on my E3 and really like them. I've thought about doing the same with the Izzy II, but I just keep coming back to the fact that it works just fine for me the way it is.
I don’t think you need a big knife but I think a lot of people think it helps. Great post idea I’ll have to come back
There is no doubt we carry way more knife than necessary most of the time. It does make us feel better and gives the option for using the knife like an axe. A small knife cant do those things as well as a larger one.
I do almost everything with a 3-3.5” blade. Most of the time I could easily get by with a SAK blade or an Izula if that’s what I chose to carry. For me the 3-3.5” is truly my sweet spot for just about everything in the world that an axe or saw isn’t needed. It’s not what I would choose if I was in one of those crazy “if you could only choose ONE KNIFE TEOTWAWKI” scenarios but for daily stuff and general camping etc, a 3” thin blade is pretty much the king for me.
I LOVE big blades, I find all manner of uses for them, practically speaking smaller knives do much more of my cutting. My most carried/used blade is a Busse Skeleton Key followed by an Izula2 and a Scrapyard 311 Those 3 blades do lots of general work. when i am hunting I like a bit larger knife however, it just makes joints and heavy work a bit easier.
Candiru, Izula, Cr 2.5 or the mora 1/0 handle far more then I give them credit for. Big knives are fun but the little guys are more practical imo. I don’t even carry a big locking folder anymore. Benchmade 319 Proper and a leatherman.
Big knife fan here. Sure small knives have their place. But what takes ten minutes with a small knife takes 30 seconds with a big knife. Less energy and time expenditure Example of big knife use vs small knife for me: I daily cut away thick triple liner plastic from our wet pour concrete bins. Takes me a minute with my Esee 6. Takes about 5-7 minutes with my izula2 . Reason why?? More blade length contacting / slicing thru the thick plastic in one motion vs trying to maneuver a little short blade. (EDIT: I have literally 4 - 5 minutes between concrete trucks leaving and arriving during a pour session , to get my tandem axle axle roll off truck backed up to the excess concrete wet-pour bin, hooked up, cut away the excess liner plastic and load and go - I DO NOT have time to fiddle with trying to slice with a little blade. 15 seconds per bin side (4) to slice off the plastic with a big blade. ) I see people trying to cut/chop 3” thick trees for firewood with moras and similar size blades . Takes me 2-3 quick chops and it’s down , takes them a lot longer and more effort. Small tasks with a large knife can be done just fine by choking up on the blade and tucking the handle under your arm or pits My 2 cents The saying “big knife user = rookie or less experienced “ is BS.
Big knives have their place, that's for sure. Given the choice between a SAK and a machete in the my neck of the woods and south of here, I'll take the machete every time.
When I used to cut a lot of plastic on pallets I carried a folding utility knife with one of the carpet hook blades in it. Worked great on twine also.
I honestly believe it's silly to think there's one "best" knife for anything. It solely depends on where you live (or where you're going), and what you do. From a machete to a SAK, or a heavy felling axe. I learned a long time ago that a master will take any super expensive custom blade, down to a broken piece of glass and use it with such proficiency, you'll want it. It's why Mors Kochanski regularly uses a basic Mora while teaching, so his students don't confuse the skills for the tool. He also commonly has a heavy chopping knife on his belt (kukri, leuku), and an axe nearby. Despite being a knife nut, I'm honestly happy with most any decent modern knife. It's a lot more than my ancestors ever had. I learned a while ago I can make most knives do what I need to do, so I just use whatever blade I enjoy the most. If there's one thing I'd change about small modern production knives, it'd be the handle. Most makers downscale the handle to match the blade, and they tend to be too small to be comfortable for lots of work, at least in my hands. It's why I tend to enjoy puukkos. Big handles, and smaller blades with high cutting proficiency (high grinds).
the stuff they (TRIPLE) line the bins with is brutally thick poly liner - thicker than the tin in tin cans. . I would love to snag an entire roll of it for shelter building (hot shelter) The stuff would last for a decade in the woods. Costs like $100 a roll. (up here) I bet a carpet hook knife would work. But I'm just so used to medium/big blades........
I love smaller knives. And honestly, they are mostly what I use. It's hard for me to make a positive argument for bigger knives in my area, as in the Sonoran Desert you could pretty much get by with a decent SAK if you wanted to. I mostly carry a small fixed blade and a folding saw when out and about in the AZ bush. Haven't had an actual "need" for a big knife out here. (I haven't been harvesting agave hearts on the regular either though, in which case a machete would be great to have lol). I use big knives too though, but it's not because I "need" them. I could definitely see how in some areas it would be more beneficial to have something larger, but all in all my smaller blades do me just fine.
