Hawkbill blade for utility/EDC carry?

Ironman

Ironman

Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
402
I was talking to an old farm guy and he showed me the knife he always carried and swore by. It was some kind of hawksbill or "pruner" blade. I liked the look, and when I saw the Alan Folts Hawkbill custom, I really got interested. Anyway, I never buy a knife i don't intend to carry and use, so before I drop $300+ on one, is a hawkbill useful for everyday knife stuff? Or is it specialized to certain uses? Thanks for your input!
 
I carry a hawkbill everyday. Usually a Spydero Merlin or G10 Harpy for edc, but I also have two custom fixed blade as well. I love the design. It is not as versatile as a drop point for overall use, but the things it does well it does exceedingly well. My vote is to go for it.

Jack
 
I used to carry one in my tool pouch as an electrician to remove the outer insulation on romex. I'll second donovan's comment, "It is not as versatile as a drop point for overall use, but the things it does well it does exceedingly well." For me, it's good for cutting into things. But it might not be what I would choose to make thin slices as in peeling an apple. I found the blade more difficult to sharpen than a drop point, but then Spyderco didn't make sharpmakers at that time.
 
Ironman, pick up a cheapie like this Camillus Dura-Tool Pruner or one of the Spydie hawksbills and carry it for a while. Then you'll know what it can do for you.

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I work in the electrical industry and have, in the past, carried this blade shape with great success. It is a great utility range blade IF your' not a' skinnig a deer with it :) KnarFeng nailed it true....
WOOK
 
or you could get an opinel hawksbill if you want a cheapie to play with and see if you like the shape (in carbon)...ragweed has some.

http://ragweedforge.com/HistoricalKnifeCatalog.html (just a little past half way down the page)

btw, i am not affiliated in any way with ragweedforge.com or anything, though i have heard good things about them...
 
My dad owns a small farm and I work there a few days a week. Hawksbill blades really come in handy, since there are lots of pull cuts involved in every day's work. I bought a Victorinox knife with a large hawksbill blade and black plastic handles, I paid just a few bucks. It's one of the best slipjoints I've ever used. It's not sexy, but the blade is well made and the spring is strong.

It's not the most versatile blade design, specially the ones with very pronounced "hooks", but it can't be beat if you need to do lots of pull cutting. I carry mine in addition to another knife with a more versatile blade shape.
 
I used to EDC a Sypderco Harpy and found it really useful for my work as a electronics installer and as a drapery installer. It was great for opening boxes as well as stripping cables.
 
The last time I regularly carried a hawksbill, it was a little different from most: a Kershaw Talon. The curve on the blade isn't extreme, it's about like that Byrd Crossbill, actually, and the handle is titanium over steel liners, very solid -- like the Byrd Crossbill! That Crossbill is looking better all the time! :)
 
FWIW, I see a lot of those Camillus dura-tool hawkbills on Ebay at very low prices- I got one of the ones without scales for about $5 including shipping. Good knife, now I'm trying to figure out how to add scales..
 
I like hawksbills and wharnies....but then again, I don't skin no animals....

they make excellent letter openers and slashing knives (opening bags / packages / (use your imagination))
 
Another guy agreeing with knarfeng and crew. Opening boxes, stripping wires, and other sorts of pull-cuts and precision cuts make hawkbills very handy.
 
I bought a Byrd Crossbill out of curiosity & found the blade shape to be useful for most of my cutting needs. It's for sure a hard worker.

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It's in my EDC rotation, but I would carry it a lot more often if it was a little smaller. The closed width seems to take up a lot of room in my pocket.
 
Flashpoint said:
I bought a Byrd Crossbill out of curiosity & found the blade shape to be useful for most of my cutting needs. It's for sure a hard worker.
*IMG snip*
It's in my EDC rotation, but I would carry it a lot more often if it was a little smaller. The closed width seems to take up a lot of room in my pocket.
Click to expand...
yeah, it's kinda odd. I'd think they'd reduce the "palm curve" of the handle, maybe even have the butt of the handle flare upwards a little...
 
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