clip or spear point?

coop7

coop7

Joined
Apr 9, 2012
Messages
318
Just wondering what you guys prefer and why. I personally like the clip better for my own applications.
 
It depends. Some knives like a Barlow or Teardrop just look better with a spear point. Also, the spear has a stronger point. Clips look right on trappers and stockmans and poke holes a little better.... plus the extra belly is nice for some tasks.

To me they are just different tools for different jobs.
 
Definitely prefer my Barlows with a spear point, just seems right for some reason and I'm not sure why....My first knife (that I can remember anyway) was a Barlow, unfortunately I don't have it anymore, and I can't for the life of me remember if it was a clip or spear, but something tells me it might've been a spear point... :)
 
Woodrow F Call said:
It depends. Some knives like a Barlow or Teardrop just look better with a spear point. Also, the spear has a stronger point. Clips look right on trappers and stockmans and poke holes a little better.... plus the extra belly is nice for some tasks.

To me they are just different tools for different jobs.
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I agree. When I want an clip, not much else will do. But the spear is also nice for certain things that it does better than clip. I like the spear better when doing a day hunting trip or a hike as I find the spear better for dispatching small game and for food prep. Eased the edge wayyy back on my DB Barlow and it is a good slicer now.

However, it doesn't compete with other knives I have that are hollow ground in profile (ancient CASE copperhead and a couple of others) with clip points as far as slicing goes. But with a clip it is easy for me to punch a hole where I don't want it in a small animal when cleaning it, and on a small clip I use too much of the blade near the point to make it really comfortable. So for different daily tasks I choose a different profile.

Since I have the luxury of picking which knife I will take to match the task of the day, and I enjoy that 5 second decision every day I make it.

Robert
 
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I'm with bonky. A slender clip is the single most useful blade for me. Add a Wharncliffe or sheepfoot, and I'm good to go.
 
In all honesty I like them both. I think maybe I'd give the "edge" to the clips just because on average I find they often sit better in the handle. Both are very functional and I can get by with either :)
 
I normally have a spearpoint of some sort in my pocket. Nothing against clip blades (I own plenty of them too) but I think a spear just looks better.

Most tasks I ask of my knife can be handled by either blade.
 
Each blade has different strong points when it comes to certain tasks, but frankly it's not something that really affects my day to day usage at all. If it can cut stuff, it can be carried. The spear seems like a stronger tip though and is what I have on my EDC, but I can't see why I wouldn't be equally well off with any other blade.
 
Although I like them, and have several knives with them, I never really understood the popularity of them on pocket knives especially.

It's actually designed, if I have this correct, for stabbing, not so much for cutting.

The clip point allows the tip to penetrate quicker, with less pressure, and to be withdrawn quicker and easier for a follow up stab.

The tip is weaker than a spear or drop, or for that matter sheepsfoot, spey, warncliff.

It's really not designed for cutting or utility, it generally works ok for most things at best, but where it really excels is the use where most people will generally never use it for
 
Since a lot of my larger knives end up being lunch knives, I prefer a spear, since I can spread and "spatula" things easier. Likewise, my little knives end up picking splinters and doing other fine work, so I tend to like a clip, like on a peanut or Buck 309 or now, a GEC Pemberton. However, certain patterns just look right with one type of blade. For example, GEC's Ben Hogan with a spear just looks kind of goofy, I think, but with a spear, it looks graceful.
 
I prefer clip to spear. Or wharncliffe to spear. Or sheepsfoot to spear. Or coping to spear. Or can opener to spear. If you can't tell, I don't like spearpoints very much.
 
I think I have more spears than anything, but my favorite is the clip when done right. Something like the blade found on a Bose wharncliffe trapper.

WTComparo2.jpg

Image by waynorth

Unfortunately no production manufacturers make anything like that.

- Christian
 
Agreed Christian. The #74 WT is beautifully made, but it's a shame they didn't use the more slender #48 frame to come closer to the Bose pattern.

"Slim and thin, to win!" I say.
 
I like them both, and both will do just about whatever I need a pocket knife to do. I think it depends as much on the overall knife design as it does the blade.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
I solved this conundrum by carrying a GEC boys jack spear point, and a 48 single blade trapper.
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Sounds like a pretty good solution to me. I have to use my Schrade 194OT for the clip since I don't have 48 single blade trapper.

black mamba said:
Agreed Christian. The #74 WT is beautifully made, but it's a shame they didn't use the more slender #48 frame to come closer to the Bose pattern.

"Slim and thin, to win!" I say.
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I with you totally on this point, Jeff. I was disappointed when the 2012 forum knife came out so thick. The width of the blades makes the knife uncomfortable to use with either blade because of the width of the blades. The 48 frame would have made a better feeling knife in hand and probably would have cost less as well. This is off topic though, so I will apologize for that.

Ed J
 
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Putting aside aesthetics, from a purely practical point of view, I think I prefer a spear-point, simply because I use it more often, but I do like to have both :) And again, from a purely practical point of view, for sheer useability, I'd choose a drop-point over both ;)
 
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