Harpoon shaped blades. Why?

[H0kieengineer]

I love harpoon blades. I think they look sweet and on some blades give a nice thumb ramp that flows with the lines of the knife.

Is the purpose of that blade shape mostly looks or is the some purpose that I don’t know?

 

[kvaughn]

Personally,it serves to keep me from liking a knife.--KV

 

[McFeeli]

I’m fairly certain they’re just for looks. Maybe on certain fixed blades you could attach them to a stick and use them as a fishing spear, but that’s just a very specific use I imagine they could be used for, haha.

All that said, I love the look of a good harpoon blade profile.

 

[Stelth]

I like them.

 

[ErocSD]

My assumption is all looks, but I love the look.

 

[Kiteman72]

Whales.

 

[Gravy]

It's just aesthetics. Same thing for compound grinds and crowned spines.

I suppose they could also be used as thumb ramps, like on the Kizer Ursa Minor....

 

[AntDog]

The ‘poon makes a bigger hole when you poke something than the same blade without it. Makes a good thumb ramp as mentioned. Plus, they’re not ugly to me.

 

[Stumpy72]

That nasty little point/hump thing on the back of the harpoon blade is designed to savage your pants pocket at an accelerated rate. The harpoon blade design is the result of a conspiracy of knife designers working together with pants manufacturers.

 

[3fifty7]

I do not care for them on folders there are only a very few harpoon shaped fixed blades that I like.

But they sell right now so makers are making them.

 

[FullMetalJackass]

My XM-18 Harp Tanto is an incredible knife to remove the eyes of potatoes. And I often prep 'tatoes.
I absolutely love that fat boy as an EDC. The “hump” on swedge is smoothened and does not rip off pants, and the angle between the tanto tip and the rest of the edge is insanely sharp AND robust, which makes it ideal to... cut things basically.

 

[Bluearcflash]

Don't know but they sure do look good, especially the fixed blades.

 

[DocJD]

Aesthetic appeal of the arrowhead , harpoon and phallus .

I would not want this on a working or SD knife . Might tend to get stuck , hooked in the material being cut .

 

[tltt]

See no use other than looks on a folder. Depending on the design, on fixed blades it could allow you to a straight chopping edge while maintaining a sweeping edge on the other side. That's how it was used on older hunting designs, but now it also seems mostly for looks.

 

[Justme33]

I really liked the shape on the mini vallation. Gave a really nice place for the thumb to go. The lock kept sticking so it had to go back. If they ever make that without the assist I would be tempted again!

 

[South paw draw]

I like them.

 

[Korean Hog]

They seem like they stab into things a little easier, granted, a swedge does the same thing without having that extra material on top.
The Umnumzaan's Harpoon section makes a nice scraper that saves the actual sharpened edge of the blade.
Either way, the harpoon on the right knife looks damn good.

 

[Ironbut]

They just look badass. If I ever needed to chop the roof off a car & all I had was a knife, I'd want it to be a Fatty.

 

[David Mary]

The ‘poon makes a bigger hole when you poke something than the same blade without it. Makes a good thumb ramp as mentioned. Plus, they’re not ugly to me.

I have to agree with all this, with two exceptions: That pivot in the pic is one of them, namely I would rather see that beautiful blade as one end of a solid piece of steel, the tang extending all the way into the handle being the other end.

And for me, it would have to be either black socks with black pants, or white socks with tan pants.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Personally,it serves to keep me from liking a knife.--KV

Same here.