Change in Main Blade shape

T

tomcrx

Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
953
What were the reasons that the clip blade became the main shape of American pocketknives? In the 19th century most pocketknives sported a spear, wharncliffe or coping style main blade. In the mid 20th century the clip became the main shape. I was always curious why this occurred. Was it because belt knives became less popular to carry as an everyday tool and their shape transferred to the pocketknife?
 
Seems to me that a clip point gives you just as much belly as a spear, while allowing the tip to be more pointy. Simple logic, perhaps? ;)
 
I love the look of a spear point blade, but there is something extremely useful about a clip for EDC, especially a nice pointy one. The spear or drop point is MUCH better for cleaning animals, though, so maybe that's why it's changed. As our society got away from rural to urban, the clip became more practical for more people.
 
I still find a spear or drop point blade more useful though for every day use. I have a couple of clip points and if I know I am going to be cutting up something to eat that day like chicken or steak, I'll have the spear point or drop point with me. Otherwise, I end up cutting with just the tip of the clip point since it won't have as much belly for slicing.
 
It's an interesting question. Older knife catalogues appear to show both types as being popular in America. I think European knives tended to favour the Spear style more. A Spear blade with long pull and swedge is a real looker of a blade in my view and I find it a better food prep knife than the Clip.

The Moose is an interesting large pattern as it sports both of these blade styles, best of both!
 
willgoy said:
A Spear blade with long pull and swedge is a real looker of a blade in my view...
Click to expand...

I agree. I like the classic spear; I like the way it looks. My cutting chores are pretty simple nowadays, so most any blade shape will do, but since we collect (covet) knives we like, those are the ones I gravitate to.
 
willgoy said:
IA Spear blade with long pull and swedge is a real looker of a blade in my view
Click to expand...

Those are the only spear blades I like. It's normally my second least favorite of the standard blade shapes (Spey being my least... just don't cut anything that other shapes aren't better for)... but put a nice long pull and a swedge that takes up half the blade length on it and that spear becomes very sexy.

whittler.jpg
 
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