How "BIG" of a knife, before I revert to "NEWBIE" status.......?

[Phaedrus]

I like a large knife for wood processing but the rest of the time I'd say 4"-6" is fine. I have a RAT 7 and really like it. Despite the comments made here about the SP8 it's been my primary go-to blade for batonning for a long time. So far I haven't found anything that has dethroned it yet.

[Winter]

Hmm, you are the first person I ever met that likes it and uses it. Does you SP8 perform better now than when it was new?

[crashdive123]

After watching the vids in this thread - http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ck-Fire-making - I will never buy one.

[Winter]

Seemed to be working ok for him. My main complaint with it was the very short abrupt grind. At the time I was selling the entire spec plus line and I still consider them a best value knifewise.

Well, one I sold injured the user enough for several stitches because of user error and "it just wouldn't stick into the wood" he was cutting. I didn't understand him either so I tried it out. It had a tendency to glance off wood at the angle you would use to sharpen, with a chopping motion, a piece of wood. The weight distribution and mass of the SP8 made the glance off the wood into a violent affair tht damn near broke your wrist.

My SP5, on the other hand, with it's full flat grind, ate wood at any angle.

Knives are a very personal tool though. A guy can actually find a knife that matches their individual technique if he looks hard enough.

[whitis]

A knife that is larger than you need to chop an oncoming grizzly bear in half from stem to stern in one chop at full gallop is overkill.

One feels a little more 'secure' with a fixed blade, but more than 6" gets unwieldy for the small tasks. Now, if you're talking about a straight up long term survival set up: fixed blade + multitool.

In the kitchen I frequently find myself using a large (8" or 10") chefs knife for small work, such as cutting the eyes out of a potato with a circular motion. I just wrap my fist around the back of the blade near the tip and use my thumb for depth control. The paring knives are lonelier than the maytag repairman. I will also do this with a steak knife size (if it is the largest knife I will need to prepare, and eat, a trivial meal) but this requires holding the fist and fingers at an angle because the blade is not as wide. A really heavy knife would be ungainly to use this way.

[Mad Cow]

OK, Rick sheepishly let out that he owns a RAT-7. Now I want a BIG Tool also. I feel inadequate in the tool area. However I don't want to go so long of a tool, that I am laughed at as a "Newbie".

So, yes 4" to 6" is a good blade length for "General" camp/outdoor work. But is there any justification for a 8"/9"/10" or longer blade on a fixed blade knife...????

Maybe a Ontario RTAK-II for quasi-machete, and camp work......? http://wilsonswilderness.webs.com/pr...eviews2010.htm (See review # (6) SIX)


So.......how long of a blade is too long....??? (Note: Assume you would also have with you a 3 1/2" to 6" knife).

I like my Helle knife. The blade is 3 7/8 and for me is the perfect length. I also like the RAT-3. I consider 4 inches my max length. Another fellow I know does everything he needs with a bolo machete.