Well at least that's what the new moderator on another popular forum is saying, here is his post,what's your views ?


Overboard with Blade Thickness: Your Mod's Ramblings

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I am always amazed when I see guys attempting to use a heavy duty knife for fine delicate tasks. It is simple geometry that dictates, in part, how a knife will perform. In looking at many traditional knives from cultures unarguably known for their survival skills, it is easy to see a common theme, thin is in. An exception being the Kukhri with it's incredibly thick spine. The machete, for example, is thin stock and has been used for generations all over the world in tropical places. The humble Mora is a staple in many Scandinavian cultures. Even the classic slip joint has it's place in history of proven bushcraft blades here in the Americas. Where are all the traditional thick blades?

Fast forward to today and you'll find the "sharpened pry bars" or the "tactical chisels" in the hands of many aspiring woodsmen and women. At what point in our collective use of knives did we make the shift from thin to thick? Why do we find ourselves obsessed and using knives with overly thick edges and stock to accomplish delicate tasks? These answers will vary and there are many forum members that will insist on certain thickness. Perhaps internet cinder block knife gurus have conditioned us to believe thickness is necessary to survive. This is complete non-sense as true WILDERNESS survival skills will never require you to use a knife as a jackhammer. The thickness issue has been rehashed over and over but recently it has been on my mind so I had to express my views and pose this question.

How thick is thick enough? Is there an ideal thickness for a bush blade? As many of you know, some survival schools use the trusty Mora that is approximately 3/32" thick. This thin stock knife can handle most tasks but lateral stress (batonning through knots) can break a blade. The Wilderness Learning Center, where I teach, uses a Bark River Knife and Tool Fox River that is .170" thick. This thickness can accomplish all we throw at it but some would argue this .170" thickness is too thick. Is 1/8" thickness the pooridge Goldy Locks would have picked? Is .170" or approximately 5/32" that thickness when comparing it to .250" stock knives?

How do we come to a consensus? Is it even possible to come to a consensus or do we just agree to disagree? While I don't know if a single thickness is the perfect thickness, I know it is possible to be too thin and it is definitely possible to be too thick.

Your thoughts?

I guess it depends on what the knife will be used for,A thick blade can perform any task that a thin blade can, which is quite simply CUT things, however a thin blade cannot perform any task that a thick blade is capable of and yes that may be prying or an extra step or digging or maybe even chopping firewood. Wouldn't you rather have that versatility than not have it. If we liked skinny little knives that we could stick in a crack in a tree and snap or bend we wouldn't be on this site I guess. No we want to be able to stick a knife in a crack and tear a giant hunk out of the tree, then laugh a loud manly laugh!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

wow...
it's not just edges and spines that have to do with everything.
you can have a thick blade outcut a thinner one because it's geometry is better.
It just depends.
look at the bravo1 for example, it's pretty thick but it would probably outcut alot of knives of even thinner stock.

I really don't get what that guy was talking about at all.
I see where he is coing from.. just don't see what he's trying to get at.
don't know where we went from thin stock tot hick... maybe some made knives of thick stock when they found out they could grind them to cut good AND be able to pry, split wood and stand up to tougher use.
I guess some companies started making them thick too, but maybe they didn't cut that well.

thick prybar knives have their place though, as do thin knives.
alot of people use them in urban environments so thick prybar type is good for them.

That guy is dismissed. Be off with him. The trend towards thicker blades happened primarily because it's a GOOD IDEA.

The people who think thin blades are all anybody needs have never *seriously* put their knives through the ringer. I would be scared to baton a 3/32" or 1/8" blade through hard wood. And the thicker, heavier blade makes chopping MUCH easier, and MUCH more efficient specifically because of the added weight.

If all you want to do is slice or stab, then a thin blade is fine. But don't come crying to me when your blade needs to be completely reprofiled because you chopped with it, or you dropped it out of a tree or off an embankment onto a rock and broke 1/2" off the tip, which has happened to me. I've also dug holes with my Yard Guard. I've chopped up exposed roots and hit rocks. I doubt somebody would be very successful doing that with a 1/8" thick blade. Of course that guy probably takes a hatchet into the woods in addition to his knife. I don't.

That said, all of this is just my opinion. To each his own, and if all somebody ever needs is 3/32", then more power to him. I like strength, durability and ruggedness myself, which is what brought me to Scrapyard in the first place.

And when I said "you" above, I didn't mean anybody in particular...

The width if Busse kin blades makes the edge geometry excellent because of the high blade grind, if a blade was alot more narrow then you would have to make it alot thinner to get the same good edge geometry. Make sense?

i am going to continue repeating myself until i'm acknowledged.

give me a 1/8" thick, full flat, 7" long scrapper. dammit.

im BAD

he did specify "delicate tasks"

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> One of my new Favorites! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> With a choil instead of a talon hole it would be PERFECT! I need to find another so I won't be scared to mod it.

Remove the talon hole, and you'd have a choil. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Just depends what the use is. I still would rather have a thicker blade than a thinner one, just in case.

That's a nice one Vance.