Buddy wants a hawkbill

Yo Mama

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My buddy would like a tough knife that will strip wire easily as well as take tops off of tubes, most of his job involves slashing cuts. He is looking at the Cold Steel Tiger Claw Karambit. With the s35v it looks like it would take good care of him, but what other options for a hard work knife should he look at as well? He's really set on a hawkbill, may make sense for his uses.
 
I believe there is a version of the venerable TL-29 that has a hawkbill. GEC farmer’s jack, and a couple Rough Rider models can be found with a hawkbill or curved pruning blade.
 
Spyderco makes a variety of serrated hawkbills that your friend can choose from, depending on the size/features your friend wants and how much he wants to spend.

Dragonfly2 Salt (yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Ladybug3 Salt (yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Tasman Salt2 (black or yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Harpy Stainless (w/VG10steel)
Matriarch 2 (black FRN w/a silver or black blade w/o the Emerson opener w/VG10 steel)
Bryd Crossbill Stainless (w/8Cr13Mov steel)
Bryd Hawkbill (FRN w/8Cr13Mov steel)
 
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Spyderco makes a variety of serrated hawkbills that your friend can choose from, depending on the size/features your friend wants and how much he wants to spend.

Dragonfly2 Salt (yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Ladybug3 Salt (yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Tasman Salt2 (black or yellow FRN w/H1 steel)
Harpy Stainless (w/VG10steel)
Matriarch 2 (black FRN w/a silver or black blade w/o the Emerson opener w/VG10 steel)
Bryd Crossbill Stainless (w/8Cr13Mov steel)
Bryd Hawkbill (FRN w/8Cr13Mov steel)

Only problem is that not all of them may be available. So, he'll have to shop around the Net or on EB if the one he wants isn't currently available from Spyderco or its primary dealers.
 
My buddy would like a tough knife that will strip wire easily as well as take tops off of tubes, most of his job involves slashing cuts. He is looking at the Cold Steel Tiger Claw Karambit. With the s35v it looks like it would take good care of him, but what other options for a hard work knife should he look at as well? He's really set on a hawkbill, may make sense for his uses.
I haven't done electrical work in a long time, but the Cold Steel Tiger Claw is a big knife. I would never have carried anything that large.
 
for construction work just buy cheap replaceable utility knives with replaceable blades instead of messing up a nice knife unless you really enjoy using your knives hard for work and seeing how they hold up
 
for construction work just buy cheap replaceable utility knives with replaceable blades instead of messing up a nice knife unless you really enjoy using your knives hard for work and seeing how they hold up

Along those lines you can get hawkbill blades for Olfa 34B/CKB-2 craft knives, as well as titanium pocket knife styled handles for these types of blades. Both sliding (most lock rather than simply tightened with friction) or ones that open like regular pocket knives. The blades can be purchased for about $11, but the knives themselves vary from cheap to well over $100. I have one coming that was about $40 shipped, as well as a hawkbill blade, but they're both taking the slow boat from China and I haven't received them yet.

The blade itself is 8Cr, or at least it claims to be. Hard to be sure, considering the source. If it is, then it's more than acceptable for $11 (even if it's lesser than 8Cr, oh well). Of course, it's resharpenable, but at $11 can still be considered "disposable" and replaced with a new one when you get tired of sharpening it or it's damaged beyond repair (hawkbill tips aren't known for being very robust).

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An even more disposable alternative might be hawkbill utility blades (often described as "concave", for purposes of searching). These can be problematic though. The most immediate problem is finding them. They're far less common, and can be found with or without holes, which may or may not line up with the particular mechanism (pay attention to the notches too). For obvious reasons the ones I tried were Stanley brand, and the 5 pack I bought off Amazon actually shipped from Vilnius, Lithuania. The other problem is compatability. I assume these Stanley blades will fit in a standard Stanley utility knife (I haven't tried, and believe it or not, don't own one). The issue is that they're shorter on the side that has no edge, and longer on the edged side (in relation to the notches). They do not fit in the titanium handled framelock flipper utility knife I own (not without grinding the blade down, and it either didn't fit in any of the titanium sliding tools I owned, or it was a bad idea for reasons that should be obvious looking at these pictures.

20210704_171553.jpg
(Magnus SlideClick - sticks out too far, edge exposed)

20210704_171437.jpg
(Manker, edge and tip exposed)

20210704_171344.jpg
(BigIDesign TPT Slide - edge exposed)

The one I found that works great is by Titaner. Normally I'm not a fan of this style because blades with holes like this are extremely uncommon and/or limited in choices, plus blade changes aren't as easy and there's fiddly bits to lose, but for me it's an acceptable compromise, it works well, and I do like the hawkbill for certain uses. The tip doesn't stick out and the edge isn't exposed. Looks pretty fetching in blurple too, I think.

20210704_171306.jpg20210704_171319.jpg
 
Milwaukee makes one that you should be able to find at any big orange tool depot. I carry one every day and I haven’t found a knife that can do what this knife does any better, and I’ve tried.
 
Ontario or Irwin Linolium/Carpet/Budding knife, if he wants a fxed blade. Or, as others have suggested, a Stanley et-al Utility Knife and a selection of blades.

Stripping cable/wire insulation dulls any knife, it don't matter what the blade steel is.
If he gets the Linolium/Carpet/Budding/Krambit, make sure he gets a puc sharpening stone, if he desires to sharpen it properly.
A rectangular stone and the blade curvature do not play well together.

Honestly, a Stanley et-al utility knife would be a more practical option. I've trimmed probably miles of electrical wire and cable using a standard Stanley blade during my working years. They work just fine.

Oh. For stripping wires and such, a serrated blade sucks.
 
Another vote for the Tasman Salt. I've had one for well over a decade.

If he wants to get spendy and cool, Microtech Hawk. 4" of talon.
 
Every wireman I work with has one of these Klein Tools foldable hawkbills with replaceable blades.


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A few of the old timers have the fixed blade version as well.

 
I guess I'm an old timer because I use a fixed blade. Don't know what kind of wire your friend is going to strip but if its heavy duty or poly cable your buddy is going to want a fixed blade.
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I used to carry Cases and some cheap Barlows, both were fine.... I recently found a cheap online deal on some Old Timers with a lock blade ($8.00 ea) and bought a half dozen. They work, but little hard to sharpen like the old standby ones.
 
Milwaukee folding hawkbill was the one I tried. Has no spring. I couldn’t get used to the button to open and linerlock to close.

Parker
 
murphy fixed hawkbill carpet knife is about $15... decent enough carbon steel, and made in the USA
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or the new kershaw outlier (under $50)
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