There is significant difference between casual knife users and those who use their blades for serious cutting chores. Experienced users know that, for most cutting tasks, the closer the material being cut is to the "heel" of the blade (the part of the sharpened edge closest to the handle), the more leverage and control they will have. As knife's blade gets longer, the leverage of its length can actually work against the strength of the user's hand, making it difficult to apply cutting pressure with the distal portion of the edge. Not until the blade offers enough length and mass to serve as chopping tool does additional length really offer increased performance.