Large knives: advantages & disadvantages...

[Will_]

For many years I've used knives with blade lengths around 4 inches for bushcraft. (Awesome - the bushcraftuk spell check doesn't like "bushcraft" as a word! )
Recently I've been wondering about getting a larger knife. Possibly the John Nowill Survival Knife http://www.heinnie.com/Survival-Knife-Black/p-0-0-1160/
I was wondering if people would share their experiences of the advantages and disadvantages of larger (6 inch +) knives.
I'm particularly keen to hear about how people find finer skills like skinning or cutting notches with larger knives.
Thanks to all who post. I've learnt so much already from this forum - Will

 

[nitrambur]

(Awesome - the bushcraftuk spell check doesn't like "bushcraft" as a word! )

You might find the spell checker is built in to your browser

 

[swright81076]

I regularly use a larger blade in the form of a fiskars x3 billhook.
I have no problems using it for finer stuff, (but use my hillbill for that) it works fanatically well as a draw knife, will chop logs about 3 inch on 3 chops around the piece, and will easily chop 6 inch loss and limbs in as many chops.
I haven't taken an axe out with me since mastering the billhook.
I'd seriously consider one instead of a large knife. A massively underrated bushcraft tool.

touched by nature

 

[Samon]

The knife size isn't that important, it's the grind that make the difference. The MOD knife you linked - once sharpened can cut really well as it's near on scandi ground! It can also cut moderately and split very well.

I don't mind bigger knives aslong as the grind is right as it's not really an issue other than when considering weight/taste. I'd still rather take a decent scandi or opinel for wood and my spetsnaz shovel for wood and the other stuff!

 

[British Red]

It all depends on your tasks and your other toolset (to my mind). I find little place for a larger knife if I have an axe and saw (for example) and am processing firewood. But if shelter building, a larger knife for cutting thatch is extremely useful. I find a larger knife combines well with a pocket knife for finer tasks. Fine woodwork (carving, trapping) requires a detail knife, cutting thatch or bedding (bracken, boughs etc.) lends itself to a larger knife, crosscutting wood is best accomplished by a saw, splitting and limbing is axe work. Skinning and processing small game needs a small knife but jointing large game needs more blade.

Right tools for the right job.

 

[FGYT]

I would say if your gong to replace your 1x 4" bushcraft style utting tool with the 1 x MOD then you would find some stuff a little mot difficult

My choice would be an even bigger Knife to be really usful at teh large end and a smaller blade for fine stuff
for years (couple decades) for me this ws a large kukri and a locking SAK the pair can do every thing 4" blade does and more tho t teh expence of weight

Now Ive discovered Bushcraft and the error of my ways

I still dont like the 1x 4" carry option but use a small Sharp pointy necker and an 8" chopper both of my own design
North American Indian Mocotaugan (Crooked Knife)
and a GB carving Axe
And a Silky Big boy large folding saw
and an Elbow Adze

 

[John Fenna]

I have a couple of larger knives - a leuko (sp?) and a Finish Army Special Forces survival knife ... but these days they mainly stay at home unless I am off path clearing ... and even then my Billhook is my usual choice.
For Bushy events my normal cutlery choice is - rehandled jonssen Mora neck knife one of a selection of 4"-ish bushy knives some commercial some gifted all modded to some degree and my faithful hook!
If I know I will be doing a lot of wood processing/felling of small trees then the SFA is added to the list

 

[Dave]

Im not a fan of those big survival knives, although I quite like the look of those anglo-saxon broken back seax.

 

[ged]

You probably wouldn't call what I do 'bushcraft'. I wouldn't. Most of the time I'd call it 'camping' and occasionally 'bumming around in the woods with a few mates'.

As far as camping goes (from opening packets of biscuits to felling the odd tree with a work party and of course permission) I have a range of tools from such as the Victorinox Signature (which is always on a pouch on my belt) and the Leatherman Micra (it used to be in the FAK but it went a bit rusty from years of neglect so now it's on my key ring) through the multi-tools, small to medium to large folders, bushy type blades, and so on right up to machetes (anywhere from 350g to 700g), parangs (similar weights and heavier), a variety of saws, hatchets, axes and mauls and probably quite a few things I've forgotten to mention.

My Victorinox Signature isn't going to get me very far felling a dead Larch. I probably wouldn't reach for a bolo machete to open a packet of biscuits. Hacking brambles with a maul would raise a few eyebrows.

When I go camping, I very rarely need much more than the multi-tool that happens to be on my belt. The weight, bulk and general demeanour of something like the tool linked in the OP would be more than a little bit embarrassing to me.

I might feel differently if I were dropped behind enemy lines to set up, er, an OP with nothing but my belt kit, but that's never going to happen.

 

[FGYT]

I might feel differently if I were dropped behind enemy lines to set up, er, an OP with nothing but my belt kit, but that's never going to happen.

always used to carry Secateurs in my belt kit for doing that much quieter , easier and you can cut a very thick branch easily if you know how to

 

[mountainm]

always used to carry Secateurs in my belt kit for doing that much quieter , easier and you can cut a very thick branch easily if you know how to

I got a pair of these for similar reasons

 

[sandbender]

"..I was wondering if people would share their experiences of the advantages and disadvantages of larger (6 inch +) knives.
I'm particularly keen to hear about how people find finer skills like skinning or cutting notches with larger knives..."

A 4" 'bushcraft' knife for me.

A larger knife might be of more use for chopping I suppose, but then if I wanted to have a chopping knife I'd have a billhook or a machete. Better still a saw or possibly an axe, it all depends what you get up to in the woods or around about 'your bit' I suppose.

When it comes to making things, from shelter parts to pot hangers and other tools, I cannot imagine a large knife being as useful, also it is a large knife, it will weigh more and that is never good.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Will_]

Thanks for all the replies so far.
I'm thinking that for me a larger knife might be a jack of all trades, master of none.
I don't think it will replace my Hultafors trecking axe & Condor Bushlore combo, but I might still have a place for a jack of all trades though - if ever I'm off with minimal kit or if I should ever find myself behind enemy lines in Dorset...
This thread was quite relevant and interesting: http://www.bushcraftliving.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10839
Keep the good advice coming

 

[Samon]

a few more points to consider are large heavy and large light weight knives. That MOD knife is a 6.25mm thick and heavy, so does better at chopping than say the Esee in the same length, but also hammers and splits with more confidense. However the Cold steel Bushman is very lightweight for it's length, and has a solid metal contruction and a hollow handle. It dosn't chop well, but it's tough and can be battoned through the logs without breaking or bending. The hollow handle can also be filled with stuff, fire lighting gear or a pole so you can use it as a spear/brush clearer, machete or apple lopper!

Both cost under £50 and can do some cool stuff you wouldn't do with a small knife. Both can do the finer cuts with average ability but can do so much more than a 4"er (ooh eerr).

If you do some browsing on .com knife forums you'll see our colonial chums go bananas for a big knife. I don't often see axes in camping threads there very often but big bottom knives and guns.., and it must be an culture/attitude thing (rambo..!). Us dudes being more.. 'reserved' in our tastes go with that simple little knife and make it do the bigger jobs. Hence why alot of our 'bushcraft' knives are made from thick stock, so they don't break when battoning because you didn't want to take an axe!

This is my MOD knife



and my Bushman



If you can afford either, get one! they are both cool knives and will fit that slot you're trying to gauge.

 

[robevs73]

In my oppinion if your going big ,go Big. 7" blades are ok for most tasks but not small delicate work ,your going to need a small knife aswell so why not get 9-11" blade they are better choppers , slashers and splitters. Billhooks are an excellent and cheap alternative.

 

[santaman2000]

Depends on what I'm planning on doing:

If I'm just on the farm (back in my youth rather than now-a-days) All i usually needed was my pocket knife (usually a stockman back then with a 3" main blade) I could clean the horses' hooves, clean squirrels, rabbits, quail, doves, ducks, and small fish as well as castrate calves and pigs, slice my spam, and open cans (caveman style) and whittle with that. The disadvantage was that so small a knife ALWAYS wore out in a year or less with that sort of use so I later added a Buck 110; It's still my favorite general purpose knife.

If I knew fishing was my main purpose that day, I carried a filleting knife (6" for freshwater and 8" for saltwater fishing) I still do.

On a deliberate camping or hunting trip (for other than small game) I've always carried at least a 5' hunting, skinning, or bowie style knife.

There's really no purpose for a 4" fixed blade IMHO other than for a steak knife at home. There's little it can do that either the smaller or larger knives cain't do better.

So my answer? Carry several knives of different sizes for different tasks. If the need/desire arises, add an axe and/or machete also.

 

[Wayland]

Not much I could add that hasn't been said.

Most of the time I use a small knife but if I'm working somewhere very "brushy" then the leuko is a good tool.

For light chopping work I use my trailhawk. For heavy chopping I use an Axe.

As has been said, choose the right tools for the environment.

 

[dwardo]

If one knife was great for everything we would have far less designs than we have available now.
Its like golf bats. Why do they have a whole bag full when you COULD manage with one. Same with carving and turning tools.

I make my choice from a penknife, 4 inch fixed, billhook, axe, folding saw, bow saw all depending on how many i can be bothered to carry.
If someone else was carrying them for me I would take all of them, and a cabinet scraper, files, rasps, planes, sandpaper, all of which are cutting tools.

 

[Samon]

So my answer? Carry several knives of different sizes for different tasks. If the need/desire arises, add an axe and/or machete also.

I completely disagree. The whole idea of 'bushcraft' is to use knoweledge, skill and practice to substitute tools.

 

[santaman2000]

I completely disagree. The whole idea of 'bushcraft' is to use knoweledge, skill and practice to substitute tools.

The whole idea of "bushcraft" is to get out and kill something. the rest is just window dressing.