Spyderco's Hawkbill blades? What would you change?

J

JD Spydo

Joined
Nov 20, 2004
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As many of you all here know I've been a big fan of Spyderco's Hawkbill and Reverse S blades over the years. I've discovered that they are excellent companion blades for most people's main EDC folder ( most of the time being a PE folder). For years I've carried one of my Harpy models ( mostly Spyderedged) as a companion blade for one of my main EDC Spyderco plain edged blades. It's been great because I can't tell you all how many times that a full Spyderedged Harpy or Spyderhawk has saved the day because of cutting jobs I encountered that are just a bit too rough for most PE folders. I would think that every first responder would love to carry a serrated Hawkbill for emergency situations.

But I've discovered that many of you good people tend to shy away from Spyderco's Hawkbill blades unfortunately :(. Mainly because I've seen those blades as being highly misunderstood and many knife users view them as aggressive, ninja type blades that a lot of people prefer to avoid>> albeit but I've personally discovered that Hawkbill blades do have many vital and pragmatic uses and can be very helpful with many different cutting jobs. Most people have never been exposed to the great potential that a Spyderco, Spyderedged Hawkbill blade can provide in a situation which requires thinking and acting fast>> and a blade that can get you out of very precarious situations.

But I now realize that not everyone's needs for serrrated and plain edged folders are the same for their daily routines. Many people are faced with a wide variation of demanding cutting jobs and there are some pe. Which would make their tool needs different from most. So my question for you guys/gals is >> What would you all like to see changed or added to Spyderco's main line Hawkbill blades?

If there is any feature or modification that would make you all want to buy one of Spyderco's Hawkbills what would it be? You can also suggest different blade steels and handle materials. Also keep in mind that many people are discovering that Spyderco's Hawkbill blades are also great for lawn and landscaping jobs. So what would you all want to make those types of cutting jobs better.
 
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I can say I've been converted to hawkbills. I decided to try out the ladybug and liked it more than I thought I would so I picked up a se tasmin and I love it. I know usually carry the tasmin along with a pe folder. The last time I was out with my dad we were talking about blades and I showed up the hawkbill and he thought he would be able to get some good use out of one so I plan on getting him one for Christmas. They do have dedicated uses but when you find something to use them, they really excel in what they do. Since I'm a knife nut I don't mind carrying a second blade and I've been trying to use the hawkbill whenever possible. It will never replace my pe blade so I won't only carry the hawkbill but I've been trying to find more and more situations to use it. If you're skeptical try out a ladybug. Depending on your common uses you may be pleasantly surprised.
 
You just reiterated some of the points I tried to make but you said it nicely "blueburr" ;) Yes Hawkbill blades are truly a companion blade for your serious "Every Day Carry" which 90% of the time for me is one of my Spyderco PE folders. I'm carrying my Spyderco C-60 Ayoob model today along with my H-1 Spyderhawk SE. Those two make one helluva combo :cool:

At this time the one major thing I would like to see Spyderco change would be for them to do Hawkbills in a larger selection of blade steels and with some really beefed up handles. It just makes good sense if you plan on doing rough work with them.
 
My first knife was a PE Harpy given to me by my brother when i was about 12years old (im 31 now). I love using that thing! Hawkbills are very under appreciated i think, people seem to think they are just good for cutting rope and cords for the most part, but i found they do great for edc.

Ive been wanting to buy a new one, but never find what i want in one. 3"ish blade, a non lockback(a good lock, but my least favorite), screw together construction, and most importantly a plain edge. Not a big fan of serrations.
 
And like you said JD, different steels too. I dont have to worry about salt water and while i do like vg10, i prefer alot of other steels over it, and trying new ones.
 
Carried a harpy for close to 20 years, love them. Have it on my key ring. Bought them for my kids and they have them on their key rings. Worked as a carpenter and maintenance man for many years, best knife is a serrated one for me. I like the thicker tip compared to my civilian and matriarch.
 
I just bought a Spyderco hooked blade but a Tasman Salt Plain Edge.


Haha a side comment; all evening I been trying to decide if I want to buy a second Cold Steel Super Edge. For those not familiar with it, it is a serrated edge fixed blade; very tiny / two inch blade.
Top knife in this photo


Why the heck am I deciding tonight ? I can get a very inexpensive price on it. Why a second one ? I am considering . . . grinding all the sedations off to make it plain edged.

I'm not a good influence am I ? The other thing I could do is grind the one I already have. I keep telling myself to get a second one so I can keep the first one serrated. The question that keeps coming back to me in my mind is . . . why do I need a serrated one. I don't have a good answer.

Some day I want to try a Spyder Edge because they are said to be so good. I bought the plain edge salt because . . . well . . . I just hate serrated edged knives and wouldn't have used the Salt much if it were serrated. As it is I really have been having a good time with my plain edged Salt.

That said.
If there is any feature or modification that would make you all want to buy one of Spyderco's Hawkbills what would it be?
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YES :
provide serrated blades with the bevel on the CORRECT side for right handed users. Every time I try to slice off a slice of something (saw off is more accurate) the cut goes all crooked / the slice is a tapered wedge rather than a parallel sided item. See chisel edged Japanese kitchen knives. Right handed use calls for the bevel to be on the right and the flat side on the left. This is opposite to what every serrated knife I have seen is.
 
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Give us some PE, SE and maybe even a new flavour of steel, LC200N?

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Interesting discussion JD, thanx.

The original hawkbills we made were a departure from the standard hawkbill, due to requests from fisherman in Alaska. They were working with nets and line a great deal and needed a finer point than what was being made. Anther departure was the SupereHawk which used a decreasing radius. I preferred it, but few seemed to notice.

sal
 
Thanks for the info Sal.
I use my Tasman salt for ripping open hay bales (both twined and tarped), and would love to see a heavy duty version of it in maxamet or cru-wear! It's got about the perfect reach for the use i put it to, but a thicker piece of tougher steel sandwiched between skeletonized SS liners under G10 or FRN would be just about perfect for the hard use mine sees. A superhawk sprint would also be a great way to accomplish this, and would get some of us newer to the club into one!
Regards,
Ed
 
Sal Glesser said:
Interesting discussion JD, thanx.

The original hawkbills we made were a departure from the standard hawkbill, due to requests from fisherman in Alaska. They were working with nets and line a great deal and needed a finer point than what was being made. Anther departure was the SupereHawk which used a decreasing radius. I preferred it, but few seemed to notice.

sal
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Hi there, Sal!
I want to thank you for designing and bringing to us the Spyderhawk, it's really an out-of-the-norm fodler in many aspects. I believe that the gardening environment could benefit a lot from a newer Spyderhawk, reverse S blade or oversized tasman in H1/LC200N for heavier duty tasks (trimming, root cutiong, pot opening and ripping, fertilizer bag opening, plastic container slicing...) that can be encountered everyday.
and the naval/sailor sector, Spyderco fans sector and many others could see the attractive of it.

I, as many others, wish you to reconsider a new recurved or "hawked" blade in a lightweight and rustproof format that would sure serve well to many people and please the excitement and anxiety we knife users and lovers have in that regard. Spyderco forums boil from that petition too as of late.
Excuse my poor English, and best wishes from a Spanish Spyderco convert!

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My last one was the Lil' Matriarch, last month, and I've carried almost everyday since. Such a versatile little guy!

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just imagine this great reverse S folder in H1, or LC200N... :rolleyes:
 
Hi Peacent,

Thanx for the kind words. BTW, Your English is better than mine.

Hagalo un buen dia!

sal
 
Sal Glesser said:
Interesting discussion JD, thanx.

The original hawkbills we made were a departure from the standard hawkbill, due to requests from fisherman in Alaska. They were working with nets and line a great deal and needed a finer point than what was being made. Anther departure was the SupereHawk which used a decreasing radius. I preferred it, but few seemed to notice.

sal
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Mr. Glesser:

The Superhawk was an excellent knife...but...if only you'd offered a serrated option! I bought one anyway, but if you bring it back,please offer serrated or even 1/2 serrated, or all 3 options. (SWEET!)

If i had to choose between super- and spyderhawk, however, i'd choose the frn spyderhawk because it's affordable enough to buy 2 or 3 for me & some for the kids, the work the %#@! out of them.

& Thanks for this discussion forum and letting us have our say,btw.
 
Sal Glesser said:
Interesting discussion JD, thanx.

The original hawkbills we made were a departure from the standard hawkbill, due to requests from fisherman in Alaska. They were working with nets and line a great deal and needed a finer point than what was being made. Anther departure was the SupereHawk which used a decreasing radius. I preferred it, but few seemed to notice.
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Greetings Mr. Glesser :) It's always great to have you chime in and share your thoughts with us. As you see there are some avid users of your great Hawkbill blades and you can also see that a few of them have given some good suggestions maybe worth considering.

Two of the big ones I wish you all would consider would be #1>> a new G-10 Harpy (PE & SE) and hopefully at some point bringing back the H-1 Spyderhawk. It's funny that the original VG-10 Spyderhawk that you guys launched back around 03-04 never seemed to get the fanfare that the H-1 versions got.

Also I'm seeing that I'm not the only end line user that would have liked to tried a SUPERHAWK model in Spyderedge. But we all love your Hawkbill models and we're hoping to see the re-introduction of some of the very popular past models as well as some new ones in the pipeline. But overall a G-10 Harpy would make my Christmas significant more merry :D>> and I just know in my gut I'm not alone wanting to see the return of that model especially since the one I carried for about 8 years got stolen :( But I do encourage you to keep an eye on this thread and the one over at Spyderco.com as well. Thanks for hearing us out :)
 
While the overwhelming opinion is for a larger hawkbill, I'm going to go the opposite way and say that a dragonfly sized hawkbill would be a perfect companion blade. For my uses as a companion style blade, it would be the optimal size. Fits easily into the pocket and remains there unobtrusively until needed. Then, pull it out of the pocket, cut what needs to be cut, and then return it where it sits waiting to be called upon again.
H1 or the new LC200N, in both blade styles, would work for me.
Another point to consider is price and the ELU. Larger sized hawkbills will inherently cost more than smaller sized ones due to materials and such. A smaller dragonfly sized blade (I believe someone coined the term "Dragonhawk" in a different thread a while back) would be an excellent gateway into the world of hawkbills. The initial investment would not be what most normal ELU's (of which we are not) would consider prohibitive. Once introduced to this blade and the benefits it offers, the hope would be that people would branch out and look for larger hawkbills and would not mind paying a premium price for them, having already seen how well the smaller, affordable blade worked.

John
 
I agree about the smaller size.

I'd like to see an "anywhere" hawk for travelling or as a secondary blade. Slipit with under 2.5" blade, serrated in s110v.

S110V for corrosion resistance, but better edge retention than H1. Should also be able to support a steeper angle on the blade grind.

Serrated so you don't have to worry about edge maintenance.

Slip joint and <2.5" blade to avoid most obnoxious knife laws.

Gimme a titanium handle like the Pingo and I'll be a happy camper. I'll definitely buy an FRN or g10 example as well though.

Call it the Spyderco Traveller.
 
Hey I can certainly empathize with many of you guys wanting a smaller Hawkbill like a Dragonfly sized version which many of you have shown interest in. But there is a case to be made that there is a demand for a wide size range of Hawkbill models. Yeah sure go ahead and have your Dragonfly sized Hawkbill but by all means let's keep the HARPY & Spyderhawk models too. Because not everyone's cutting needs are the same and when you factor in the need for a Hawkbill in Lawn, Garden & Landscaping jobs>> then a bigger version like the Spyderhawk is truly the way to go IMO ;)

Also I think by Spyderco adding a much wider selection of Hawkbill blades I believe it might just catapult the awareness of just how useful these folders are and might in turn increase the sales of all their Hawkbill models. All of these suggestions have been really good ones so far. And the Dragonfly suggestion makes good sense because I'm still surprised at how well the Ladybug Hawkbill has sold.

When it comes to folder selections I still believe "The More, The Merrier" and Hawkbill folders are no exception. Also with a wider size selection as well as a selection of edge types that would accomodate the demands of different cutting jobs makes good sense as well. Because Spyderco is already #1 in Hawkbill sales and overall quality of the units that they sell so you just know in your gut that a wider selection makes perfect sense as well. So wouldn't it make sense for them to have a virtual monopoly on that type of blade being that they are already the best in the business in that sector? I think you all know the answer :D
 
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I like my hawkbills with teeth and a simple curve (Tasman yes, matriarch no). H1 is fine for SE, but I'd be happy to see LC200n too.
I would go for a PE in a high wear-resistance and tough steel (Cruwear!, M4) or even S110V/S90V, but no interest in more VG10 or PE H1.
Delica sized works for me, not smaller because handle gets too small.

Other wishes - Karahawk in something other than VG10 and an Enuff-sized fixed blade hawkbill, SE in H1 or LC200n. :) We've wished for these before!
 
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This needs a serrated hawk bill blade. I'd really love it if they could shave .2" off of the blade too.

I carry something like an SAK or a Roadie when I travel, but would like something a little more substantial that I can carry anywhere without worrying about it.
 
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