Has Culinary Cutlery Skewed my Sense of Blade Lengths?

[Solomonson]

Recently I went to buy a Cold Steel Magnum Tanto. I struggled with what blade length (5.5"-12") to order as I couldn't fondle one locally. I gripped my Buck 120 and my KA-BAR Combat Knife for some perspective, but they both felt rather short. However, I was cautioned by a few people not to get too long of a blade.

Later while cooking dinner, I was still pondering the question and it hit me. By far my most common use of fixed blade knives (daily) is in the kitchen preparing meals. I took out the tape measure and the two knives I was using -- a chef's and a yanagi, both have 12" blades, and neither feel "long." Further measuring showed that my butchering knife has a 14.25" blade, while my bread knife has a 16.5" blade.

I went and ordered the 12" CS Magnum Tanto XII. It's great and it in no way feels even close to being too long, or even long at all. Has my perception/feel of non-culinary knife blade lengths been influenced by the culinary knives I regularly use? Anyone else come across this? Thanks.

 

[.455_Hunter]

I am not a frequent culinary knife user, so I would say no.

 

[Solomonson]

I am not a frequent culinary knife user, so I would say no.

What does your use of culinary cutlery have to do with my question?

 

[.455_Hunter]

What does your use of culinary cutlery have to do with my question?

Because you asked...

Anyone else come across this?

....and I answered.

I guess that was the WRONG thing to do.

 

[earlthegoat2]

What looks and feels right is highly personal.

I use a 10” Santoku and 12” Chefs knife mostly.

Any fixed blade knife I use for non kitchen (so outdoor) work, I don’t like the blade any longer than the handle. So, 4-5”. Obviously, I would not be a purchaser of the magnum tanto in any of its iterations. When I look through knife catalogs I skim right over the longer blade knives.

 

[Solomonson]

What looks and feels right is highly personal.

I use a 10” Santoku and 12” Chefs knife mostly.

Any fixed blade knife I use for non kitchen (so outdoor) work, I don’t like the blade any longer than the handle. So, 4-5”. Obviously, I would not be a purchaser of the magnum tanto in any of its iterations. When I look through knife catalogs I skim right over the longer blade knives.

So your use and choice of kitchen cutlery really hasn't impact your choice in "outdoor" knives? That's quite interesting.

 

[earlthegoat2]

So your use and choice of kitchen cutlery really hasn't impact your choice in "outdoor" knives? That's quite interesting.

I forgot to add a conclusion to my post but yes that is exactly the result. My hunting knife is a Buck Vanguard that I use for gutting and skinning and I could also use it for butchering but choose to use a Rapala 8” filet knife. That is the longest blade I will use for outdoor purposes.

 

[Solomonson]

Because you asked...

Anyone else come across this?

....and I answered.

I guess that was the WRONG thing to do.

Read again what you initially wrote! "I am not a frequent culinary knife user, so I would say no."

So you don't often use food knives. OK, but so what in this context?

 

[hso]

Anyone else come across this?

Nope

 

[bikerdoc]

I love to cook! And I'm fussy about my knives.
My food prep knives are a collection of old 1095 knives my dad used as a butcher.
Sizes Range from paring to 14 inches, plus two cleavers and a steel.
My favorite, all purpose is a 8 inch boning knife. It can do most tasks.
Good knives enhance cooking a just add to the experience.

My son in law is a Navy Chief, and cook. He Loves cooking and knives and he is an instructor at a Culinary school when in port.
He has some really expensive knives, yet lusts for mine. I told him maybe in twenty years
I once teased him with a gag gift of a stainless 440 B junk "chefs" knife from Wal-Mart. He was not amused!
Then I presented the Santoku

My favorite woods knife is a 5 inch I made.

 

[edwardware]

Has Culinary Cutlery Skewed my Sense of Blade Lengths?. . . Anyone else come across this?

Probably. Consider it from a mental model POV. . . your brain needs to track where the point of that tool is based on hand position, and that's exponentially harder as the tool gets longer. If your mental model is wrong when you check by looking, you don't like it!

I think that if you'd never used a knife longer than your palm-width, you'd feel odd waving around that 10" sword! OTOH, I use all sorts of sharp tools from 1-3' long, so a 10" knife seems pretty tame.

 

[rust collector]

My kitchen knives are used for completely different purposes, and live in a cutting block. I don't have to pack them, and they slice, dice,bone and smash rather than pierce, flay and chop.

The knives you use in the kitchen are longer than most, so it is no surprise that your tanto follows suit.