What is the purpose of the groove in this knife?

[DaveC426913]

It is not a folding knife.

And it's too small to act similar to a "Granton Edge" that prevents slices from sticking.

https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10868213_10152451162981394_4080056179223702862_n.jpg?oh=e21db53eb831b7a175d9c3a5b070f1d5&oe=54FD9088

 

[jedishrfu]

It's for a thumbnail to grab the blade for when you want open the pocketknife. If it's not a pocketknife then maybe it was a blade that was repurposed.

 

[nsaspook]

It might be a small fuller to lighten that part of the blade while still keeping most of the stiffness.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

@DaveC426913 could you have made that photo any harder to see

 

[Medicol]

...stiffness.

Yes, I think this is the main reason.

 

[nsaspook]

If it is a fuller.
http://www.kampaibudokai.org/Fuller.htm

 

[zoobyshoe]

It is not a folding knife.

It's for a thumbnail to grab the blade for when you want open the pocketknife. If it's not a pocketknife then maybe it was a blade that was repurposed.

I agree with jedishrfu. If it is not now a folding knife, it must once have been. Someone put the blade in a new handle. Knife making is a surprisingly common hobby and there's lots of people who could figure out a way to remount a short blade.

The groove looks much too short to be a fuller, and some googling strongly suggests fullers are limited to swords and bayonets; much longer blades.

 

[phinds]

@DaveC426913 could you have made that photo any harder to see

Dave apparently isn't a photo manipulator. Here's one slightly better, but a little grainy.

 

[Dotini]

It looks like a hole or slot in the blade which might be useful for removing barbed wire from a post or otherwise bending wire or filament.

 

[DaveC426913]

The photo is a direct link to a friend's FB post. I might have manipulated it, but figured the effort wasn't worth it.

I think you're right about repurposing. I notice a screw holding the handle to the blade.