My opinion regarding large knives is quite different from yours. You forget that knives are also used as weapons, and in countries were guns are allowed only for hunting or target shooting, a large knife is something you depend upon for defense against two-legged or four-legged critters. Probably you don't have to face it in the USA but down here, running into cimarron dogs or pumas or, God forbid it, boars, is a distinct possibility. I agree with you that large knives are unwieldy and heavy, but sometimes that weight can be mighty reassuring!