Breakdown of pro/con each blade type?

F

fan of fanboys

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Feb 14, 2014
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I was thinking maybe this would be helpful when looking at knives, especially for new guys like myself.

Could someone make, or point to if already exist, a breakdown of each blade type (or most common) and what they are ideal for and not ideal for?

Like drop point = xxx
Tanto = xxx

Something like that. That way I can say "I am looking for a knife that will mostly cut rope" I know this blade type or types is deal. Or if I am looking for something I'll use to stab more than slice, or I'll be slicing something thin vs something thick. Can find the best blade type for each task, or avoid one that is terrible for certain task.

If list already exist maybe we can make it a sticky?
 
I'll give a quick rundown of some of the common types.

Drop point: Probably the best all-rounder. Decent piercer, decent slicer, medium strength tip. Generally considered to be one of the best EDC blade shapes for its jack-of-all-trades nature.

Clip point: Similar to a drop point, but with a finer tip. Better at piercing and digging out splinters, but easier to break if abused.

Spear point: Similar to a drop point, but with a stouter tip. OK at piercing, and favored for bushcraft since you can use the symmetrical tip to drill divots in wood and the like.

Wharncliffe/Sheepsfoot: Straight edge makes it a GREAT slicer. Not effective at stabbing, but supremely effective at draw/scoring cuts for opening boxes/packaging, as well as whittling. As easy to sharpen as it gets. My favorite blade shape for EDC, but it can be hard to find in medium priced folders.

Tanto: A wharncliffe blade with a second point. Many people dismiss it as being "tactical" or "good for stabbing," but it's actually not great at either of those things (at least the americanized tanto). It's best used in the same manner as a wharncliffe, where you rely on the "secondary point" for making your draw cuts. The tip can then be saved (and potentially sharpened at a steeper angle) for when the need for piercing arises. A very underestimated blade shape among blade enthusiasts.

Recurve: Lots of belly, good for making draw cuts. Usually has a decent piercing tip. Great for cutting up cordage and opening boxes. Some consider it hard to sharpen, but generally it's not that difficult.

I think that pretty much covers the mainstream blade shapes. Of course there are many others, but those are the most common in my experience.
 
There are dozens of blade types and, for each type, countless opinions on what, exactly, they are good/not good for.

It's impossible to compile the kind of list you are asking for, let alone curate it as a sticky.

In my opinion.
 
 
marcinek said:
There are dozens of blade types and, for each type, countless opinions on what, exactly, they are good/not good for.

It's impossible to compile the kind of list you are asking for, let alone curate it as a sticky.

In my opinion.
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amg137 seemed to do a pretty decent job. Was not looking for the holy bible of blade configurations. Just Tanto = great for this not for this type deal.
 
 
fan of fanboys said:
Thanks, I will read through those. I did a google search on blade type breakdown but did not find anything super helpful.
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You might want to practice your Google-Fu and be a little more specific. Asking a vague question will get you vague answers and ultimately waste time. The pro/con of each blade style, grind, and type can vary by location/legality, user experience, intended purpose, and perception. Just some food for thought.
 
fan of fanboys said:
amg137 seemed to do a pretty decent job. Was not looking for the holy bible of blade configurations. Just Tanto = great for this not for this type deal.
Click to expand...

He did, though 6 types of blades is pretty general, as Rev noted. And if you want debate over what some people think a couple blade shapes are good for, then that hardly seems worth stick-i-fy-ing.

Pointy=pokey. Not pointy=not pokey.
 
RevDevil said:
You might want to practice your Google-Fu and be a little more specific. Asking a vague question will get you vague answers and ultimately waste time. The pro/con of each blade style, grind, and type can vary by location/legality, user experience, intended purpose, and perception. Just some food for thought.
Click to expand...

Well, that is brilliant! So how a blade works is based on geography? I did not know a knife works differently in different locations.
 
marcinek said:
He did, though 6 types of blades is pretty general, as Rev noted. And if you want debate over what some people think a couple blade shapes are good for, then that hardly seems worth stick-i-fy-ing.

Pointy=pokey. Not pointy=not pokey.
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Can you point out anywhere I said or implied anything about a debate? Because that was just stupid of you to type.

Different blade types and shapes exist. They have different pros and cons. If that was not true then only one blade type would be needed. So for someone new to knives it would be helpful to list a few common and popular shape and what they are good at and not good at. I thought was a simple question. I don't use my skinning knife to filet a fish and I don't use my filet knife to quarter a deer. Because they have different intended purposes and different strengths. All I asked was a breakdown of common and popular styles. I did not ask for an exhaustive list of every type known to man, a debate, or anything else. amg137 did a solid job of a few common ones.

If you want to contribute, great. If not, don't click the thread. Simple concept.
 
 
And almost anything anyone could ever want to know is already online. I bet over half the threads created on this site alone everyday could be found with a Google search. Traffic and activity on this and most sites would drop off dramatically if people only posted brand new information that was not available anywhere else.
 
RevDevil said:
You might want to practice your Google-Fu and be a little more specific. Asking a vague question will get you vague answers and ultimately waste time. The pro/con of each blade style, grind, and type can vary by location/legality, user experience, intended purpose, and perception. Just some food for thought.
Click to expand...


fan of fanboys said:
Well, that is brilliant! So how a blade works is based on geography? I did not know a knife works differently in different locations.
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What the RevDevel says is very true, different cultures have different traditions and different needs for their knives.

To think that geography has no effect on knife design and usage is very short sited.

Knife makers and users who have studied the history of cutting tools can gain great insights, and can help them/us in designing and using modern knives.

After all, knives have been around for a very long time; those who chose to ignore how and where knives are made and used are doing themselves a disservice.



Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
What the RevDevel says is very true, different cultures have different traditions and different needs for their knives.

To think that geography has no effect on knife design and usage is very short sited.

Knife makers and users who have studied the history of cutting tools can gain great insights, and can help them/us in designing and using modern knives.

After all, knives have been around for a very long time; those who chose to ignore how and where knives are made and used are doing themselves a disservice.



Big Mike
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Yeah, but you are saying is completely different that what was said. Like, not even close to being the same thing.

You are saying geography dictates or influences the style of knife design. Yeah, I don't think anyone disagrees with that.

Where the knife is located does not impact the pro and con of a certain design though. That was my question. What is the intended use of a certain blade design? What is the intended purpose behind a blade design? That was my question, which amg and fnzee have helped answer now. But the purpose or pro/con of a blade design function is not going to change whether it is in Africa or China or Oklahoma. Legality might but that was not my question.
 
People call these "western" patterns, yet came out of the early dynastic period in egypt around 2949 b.c. long before the "west" was even an idea. Getting up close to a lot of these blades was amazing just seeing how little has changed in the last 5,000 years.

EFTvarrl.jpg


My point is that, there are tons of resources out there to describe what type of blade or who makes it for what. Some patterns have been used over the years by certain cultures, but geolocation by profile is silly. Hand axes from 300,000 b.c. to 100,000 b.c. could've been made by homo erectus or both over time. Just depends on what you need an inclined plane for?

7OOFZl7.jpg
 
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B34NS said:
People call these "western" patterns, yet came out of the early dynastic period in egypt around 2949 b.c. long before the "west" was even an idea. Getting up close to a lot of these blades was amazing just seeing how little has changed in the last 5,000 years.

EFTvarrl.jpg
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That's actually something that I bring up from time to time, things really haven't changed all that much really. :)

And those basic designs are still more efficient than a lot of the new ones... ;)
 
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