Love for the Sheepsfoot?

[RayseM]

I really like the look of a lot of sheepsfoot blades but wonder how they would function as a day to day knife.
Pointy blades (sorry if I'm getting too technical ) intuitively seem more useful - from letter openers to food prep,
from box openers to bushcraft. No thought - for me anyway - to self defense as that is not the why I carry a 4", or less,
folder every day.

Anyone have a good word to say for sheepsfoots as EDCs?

Thanks for chiming in, Ray

 

[knarfeng]

A sheepsfoot blade excels at many things, especially for starting a cut in the middle of a surface instead of at the edge. Excellent for opening blister-packed items.
so:
Opening packages. Check.
Cutting rope. Check
trimming flash off plastic items. Check
cutting veggies. Check.
easy to sharpen. Check. No curves to complicate things.
However:
Skinning a critter. Not good.
Carving a spoon. Not too good there, either.

 

[FullMetalJackass]

Knarfeng basically sum it up!
They are good at a lot of things that does not involves stab/piercing.

One of my favorite knives is the CRK Insingo, what a slicer!

 

[JR88FAN]

Knarfeng basically sum it up!
They are good at a lot of things that does not involves stab/piercing.

One of my favorite knives is the CRK Insingo, what a slicer!

This is where I get a little confused, because the Insingo is not a traditional "sheepsfoot" it's actually a modified version of a wharncliff or sheepsfoot.

The Insingo is actually very good a piercing through material, the swedge near the tip is almost sharp, and because there is a slight upsweep at the tip it punctures and seperates exceptionally well.
It's closer to a spear point then a true wharny or sheepsfoot in this regard, and you can stab it into a piece of wood with or this carboard with no issues....

 

[knarfeng]

This is where I get a little confused, because the Insingo is not a traditional "sheepsfoot" it's actually a modified version of a wharncliff or sheepsfoot.

Oops. That's what happens sometimes when a Traditional guy tries to answer a question about a modern knife. Who knew it wasn't an actual sheepsfoot blade?

 

[JR88FAN]

More traditional wharny/sheepsfoot blades vs the Insingo....

 

[JR88FAN]

Oops. That's what happens sometimes when a Traditional guy tries to answer a question about a modern knife. Who knew it wasn't an actual sheepsfoot blade?

There are so many "modified" versions of this blade style that it really gets difficult to try to classify what it actually is sometimes!
The Insingo is a great example of taking a wharny/sheepsfoot and making it neither but both...

 

[timberweasel]

A true sheepsfoot blade has a straight edge, like so...

GEC #25

Knarfeng nailed it with its pros/cons. But there are modified sheepsfoot blades that can change things up some, like so...

Spyderco Rock Lobster

A bit o' sweep makes things like food prep a breeze and can spare a lot of wear on the tip. It will never be a good stabber, but it will lower the angle-of-attack for piercing tasks. Very nice for EDC type use, imo.

-Brett

 

[RayseM]

Deleted - double tap

 

[RayseM]

So this one has potential then?

 

[JR88FAN]

So this one has potential then?

View attachment 662674

They all do, it just depends on what you want out of a knife, or more to the point, what you are willing to sacrifice.

I don't stab/pierce much at all, so I prefer the slicing/cutting/chopping ability of a full "straight" edge that these blade shapes offer.

That's the great thing about the Insingo, it is still very capable with it's tip without having to adjust your angle.

 

[FullMetalJackass]

There are so many "modified" versions of this blade style that it really gets difficult to try to classify what it actually is sometimes!
The Insingo is a great example of taking a wharny/sheepsfoot and making it neither but both...

To my eyes, the Insingo is the best incarnation of sheepfoot style. But I'm not a purist or old school

I understand pure Wharncliffe are supposed to be straight, tho.

 

[SCWillson]

I love sheepsfoot blades; for me they've consistently been one of the more useful blade shapes. They do 99.9% of what I use an EDC for well; the only place they would come up short would be self defense. And that can be addressed with a pointier profile (sometimes called a sheepcliffe).

 

[SW-EDC]

I have 1 and use it to slice zucchini for the deep fryer.

 

[braillediver]

I'm not sure what the exact style is but I'm loving this one right now:

 

[Henry Beige]

When I carry a multi-bladed knife that includes a sheepsfoot, the sheepsfoot is the blade I use most often, almost to the exclusion of the others. Now I think about, I guess it is curious that I don't have any single sheepsfoot blades.

 

[ThePeacent]

I am limited to comment on the uses I have and tasks I do with this blade

but in that regard, as said:

Box opening: Check

Fertilizer bag opening and textile slicing: Check

Food prep and veggie cutting: Check

Fish processing: Check

Gardening/digging/root cutting: Check

Also, do not discard stabbing. Just do a "snap cut" motion with it using the wrist, and if sharp enough, deep will it go
As useful for EDC as any other, but YMMV and so do your needs