Pointless knives , what are they good for ?

[DocJD]

It seems I see more and more "safe" knives with blunted / rounded ends .

Small / light weight "cleavers" , also . Not really cleavers at all , functionally . IMO .

Other than to be super safe , PC and absolutely non weaponized (stabby) ...what earthy good are these knives ?

Really don't understand this trend on a functional basis .

The sharp point of a knife is extremely useful and I personally have little use for one without .

Well , except maybe on a butter knife . Or possibly a rescue / emergency tool .

Please educate me if I'm missing something !

 

[JAB]

You don't really need a point for slicing or chopping.

 

[bigsurbob]

Sorry.

I have a pointless knife in my truck as a seatbelt cutter.

 

[navman]

Actually, more than you would think. Police, SAR swimmers, divers, rescue and EMT, boaters on zodiacs, Corpsman, breachers, EOD, investigators....the list goes on.

Blunted tip knives prevent tearing of material (inadvertently) in hasty/stressed situations. Also safer for cutting material next to skin.

I carried one on my body armor when doing boat ops. Also dedicated choppers (like competition choppers) don't benefit from a point.

 

[navman]

...adiing that some knives, like the Graham RAZEL, are specifically designed to use the top edge as a chisel or scraper for demolition work and construction...very handy!

 

[DocJD]

Thanks guys ! Great answers .

Agreed ...make perfectly good sense for emergency , rescue or other specialty applications .

But most of what I see , ain't that type . IMO .

I still believe that a general purpose , EDC utility or field knife , needs to have a sharp point .

 

[BladeScout]

I take it, the OP doesnt do a lot of sailing.

 

[Eversion]

I take it, the OP doesnt do a lot of sailing.

Expanding on this point, the sheepsfoot blade profile is said to have been popularized by sailors long ago, as a cutting edge is a necessity when dealing with the ropes aboard, but unpredictably bouncing over waves with a knife in hand makes one likely to inadvertently stab something or someone.

 

[DocJD]

Expanding on this point, the sheepsfoot blade profile is said to have been popularized by sailors long ago, as a cutting edge is a necessity when dealing with the ropes aboard, but unpredictably bouncing over waves with a knife in hand makes one likely to inadvertently stab something or someone.

OK , Thanks ! It's good to learn things .

I take it, the OP doesnt do a lot of sailing.

Here be me only sailin' knives , me hearties !

 

[Halador]

Although I also dislike cleaver style knives, I think aesthetics are another reason that people might enjoy them. Having a flat "nose" on the knife lends itself to a different visual appeal than many other knives.

Also there could be argued to be a small benefit in longevity. The straight edge acts like a wharncliffe but the height of the blade and the flat front means that over time, as the knife is sharpened, the length and shape of the blade will not change. This means that a cleaver style blade theoretically has a much longer lifespan that many other blade shapes without losing utility or becoming unsafe. So if a person only wanted ONE knife, and their needs could be met by a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot, they could choose a cleaver style instead and get a safer blade with many of the same benefits.

 

[gadunz]

Slaughterer's skinner, rounded upswept point for less hide & gut stabbing.

 

[Eli Chaps]

I'm overseeing a project that has had me interacting with numerous contractors. One journeyman electrician has been using and abusing whatever the Gerber cleaver model is for the past two weeks. Opening boxes, cutting them up, quick slices on this and that, zipties (cringe), scraping paint off, etc.

He's been at it for thirty years and seems to love that knife. He was very proud to show it to me when I asked about it. Even led to me sending him down the path to learning how to sharpen.

Although it isn't my style, and certainly not my brand, the blade shape itself looks to be very functional as a utility type blade. It has enough point for precision like scoring or something.

 

[skyhorse]

Many knife are purpose designed for sailors, EMTs , equestrians etc.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

99.9% of my knife use is cutting or slicing and doesn't require a sharpened tip at all, so I would say said knives are only about 0.1% less functional that knives with a sharp point.

 

[jideta]

Carried a Spyderco Mariner for a couple of years and never felt like I was missing something...
Sheepsfoot is a great GP blade.
Blunt point knives are good for everything except stabbing.

 

[Horsewright]

Lot of cowboys use a rounded tip knife and in cowboy vernacular its known as a "nutter"

Here's a deal I did a while back on some. I was hesitant to build such a knife at first because I too was in the same thought process as DocJD

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/well-its-pointless.1508574/

On our own ranch, the wife asked me to make a damascus one. She wanted a smaller knife that could be passed around to whoever was doing the cutting:

Here our young friend Emma is using it to cut her first calf:

My daughter used it too:

The wife as well:

This knife is used just for this specialized task. Each gal pictured above has and carries a regular edc too:

This little guy has worked well for us:

 

[MayHemAndHaw]

Lot of cowboys use a rounded tip knife and in cowboy vernacular its known as a "nutter"

Here's a deal I did a while back on some. I was hesitant to build such a knife at first because I too was in the same thought process as DocJD

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/well-its-pointless.1508574/

.

Having seen those photos I think I'm now less scared of pointed knives than "the Nutter.

 

[USMCPOP]

Pointless knives are great for children. And for some tasks, there's no point in having one.

 

[Boombats]

Having seen those photos I think I'm now less scared of pointed knives than "the Nutter.

This

 

[afishhunter]

Sheepsfoot is a great GP blade.
Blunt point knives are good for everything except stabbing.

This.

The lambsfoot is also an excellent general purpose blade, by the way.