And your Point Is?

Tanto, hands down. First, it is the coolest looking, and second, I think it's the most durable and strongest. It's good for stabbing and piercing, so it's good for defense. Pretty much all my knives are tanto.

Drjones
 
A Mayo Hawkbill(which is more a slightly modified warncliff), and Spearpoint.
 
I'm partial to the recurve--I really like the extra belly and the way it cuts.

-Z
 
Anything but Tanto (especially the single side sharpening ones)
Tanto pierces somewhat well and slices pretty good, but pain in the but for me to sharpen.
I probably like either a clip or drop point with a bit of recurve.
 
I like the blade on the native. No idea what it is called. I guess it would be called a modified spear-point. I also like the recurves like the chive and the CUDA EDC


I also like the looks of those mayo hawkbills. very nice.
 
I think I'm with Calyth in that I like drop or clip point blades these days. I know that a tanto is stronger for stabbing, but I just don't find myself stabbing things that often. If I have to, I'm sure the lil Benza or Socom will stab well enough.

Sharpening the tantos is not quite as intuitive to me as other blade shapes mentioned above but can be worked without too much trouble.

This whole wharnclife thing always seemed wierd to me, but as I age they're starting to appeal to me a bit more. It seems like it might be the closest thing to a straight razor you can carry in your pocket.

jmx
 
The recurved blade of the 710 is by far the most useful blade shape I've ever used. I think I'd prefer it with a little bit more of a recurve, but not so much that it takes away from the pointy point. I'd be interested to try out a 4-4.3" Sifu as that might take the cake.
 
Maybe a little weird here, but my favorites (or at least most used) are wharncliffe's and sheepsfoot blades.

Probably because I do a lot of knotting and small rope work ( see My Knot and Knotting Page ) and the straight edge allows for much more careful detailed cuts.
 
drjones, what we in America call the "tanto" point is not used in Japan, as I understand it, not on knives, at least. It is used on certain varieties of swords (yes, Robert Marotz, I do remember that you have said that a tanto IS a sword by Japanese definition). It is that usage where the point has an advantage, as it can pierce armor. That is its intended purpose and that is what you should be considering it for. I remember when Cold Steel first brought out their tanto knife and they had all of these ads about how you could pierce car doors with them. I kept wondering who would want to do that as a matter of practice. There is no real purpose to a knife designed to pierce armor in this day and age, therefore there is no purpose to the American tanto point on a knife other that looking "cool" so that it appeals to young people.

My favorite points are the spear point for general utility and the clip point next, but it would be first were I to be using it for self-defense. The clip point allows for the back cut as an effective strike in a knife fight, and I have watched the Keating tapes enough to appreciate its effectiveness. The advantages of the spear point for general utility are obvious; it is strong, it is sharp for fine work, and it may be easily sharpened.
 
Well, modified drop points like on the Wegners and Griptillians (the one they call a sheepsfoot)for most things. Very fond of a nice pointy wharncliffe too.
 
I like a straight ahead point that lies somewhere between the center line of the handle and the spine. It should be acute enough to dig a little (in wood) and make small holes, but not so acute that it breaks easily. Either a drop or mild clip works, as do even straights (without a drop). I'm not into spearpoints cause they are harder to make really sharp, and you end up giving up a lot of slicing ability for the sake of better stabbing penetration which I don't need much anyway.

American style tantos don't do anything for me first because all the tanto knives I've handled are way to thick (IMHO), and second because the points are not acute enough. Recently I've experimented with upswept points. I love their acuteness, and they promote a certain combination of penetration and slicing moves really well, but are not so useful for general utility chores, because sometimes you have to turn the knife upside down to put the point where you want it, and then there is no cutting edge behind it... An upswept point with a sharpened swedge might be interesting, but that might not be strong enough for other uses...
 
preferably a droppoint, like the classic loveless hunters, or the point of a randall Nr 1 for more tactical oriented stuff. What can I say.. I'm a sucker for classic shapes :D
Most used cutters : LCC tip is very nice designed, Military (spyderco) tip is excellent for utility.

Greetz and take care, bart.
 
Another vote for the spearpoint style blade of the Native, but I'm also fond of the 710's recurve, Wharncliffe, and the modified reverse tanto of the 940.
 
My first preference would be a drop or spear point. My second choice would be a relatively short straight (not concave) clip point without swedges like the SOG Government Model's.
 
Another drop point vote here. The drop point seems to do most everything well. I have always liked the look of the clip point though they have not worked out quite as well as the drop point for me. There are times when a blade with no tip is best. I like a sheep's foot for this. I do tend to avoid tantos - nothing against them, just not for me.
 
I love a nice clip point for looks but for a user, I prefer a slightly upswept wharncliff or sheepsfoot design.
 
My fave is probably the drop point. Although I am a big fan of tantos like the CQC7 and M16. Nice robust blades with pretty durable tips.
Matt
 
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