Drop Points and History

[Shorttime]

Most knives that I see have some version of a drop point blade.

And yet, a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot pattern blade would seem (in the opinion of my tendonitis, anyway), to be easier to use for EDC.

Which got me wondering if there is some historical/traditional reason why there are so many drop point blades?

I have heard it speculated (although I cannot cite a source) that wharncliffe-pattern blades were the norm at one time, and the drop point blade developed because of uneven and overzealous sharpening.

Does anybody here have better knowledge? I would be interested to find out, if I can.

 

[marcinek]

Well, some say Loveless invented the drop point. I have heard several stories as to what his inspiration was, one being that it was the blade on his SAK, and the other was that it was the blade on an old Green River-type Hunter (from B. Levine).

Can't say I'm buying the oversharpened Wharncliffe story, myself. But Scagel knows I've been wrong before.

 

[KingMC]

My guess is knives historically were multi-purpose, both fighting and utility, and wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blades aren't very good for stabbing anything, hence why other pointier grinds were popular.

 

[afishhunter]

Ergg Dinochips invented the drop point blade, in the mid winter of 985,549,091,675,430.6 BC, when he was knapping a flint clip point in prepetation for the spring dino hunting season, and he thought (roughly translated to English) "wade a bird fart ... a pointy tip makes big stinky mess if oops when skinning brontosaurus, and pokes holes in me future tent. what if me leave back of sharp rock straight? Take less sundial shadow movement to finish, too ..."