Point/Tip Orientation......?

F

fmajor007

Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
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Hey all you Bush-Crafty Guru's and Knife Aficionado's!

OK, got a question for you all about the placement/orientation/location of the pointy point of the blade in relation to the width of the blade/handle.

What's your philosophy for a GP/general-purpose field knife - bush-crafty stuff, *basic* hunting/skinning ops,

Should the pointy point (AKA tip) be:

1) In line with the top-line/spine of the blade?

2) Somewhere in the middle of handle/blade width?

3) Somewhere above top-line/spine of the blade?

If your answer has dependencies - i.e. - if the blade is X" long, then _____, or if the blade is X" wide, then _____, or if the knife is for skinning primarily, then ______, etc

Please share your thoughts/ideas!!!
 
I prefer center or slighty off-center toward the spine ie spearpoint and drop point. I dont like if the point drops below center towards the edge ie wharncliff on any knife. Flat-tops(straight spine-all belly) are ok too. Length isnt a factor to me.
 
Thanks guys!

Dave - why or what is it about the drop point/spear-point that's appealing to you? Why do you prefer 'em?

42 Blades - same question - why or what is it about the in-line tip (or close to it) that you prefer?

Are these preferences more about performance or appearance? Why?

Thanks!!!!!
 
I prefer drop, or flat-top because I prefer more "belly" in most of my cutting tasks, and they still offer enough point(if done right) to do detail work. I like to go with a spear or clip point when I need more piercing capability such as a tactical role(I know I know:rolleyes::jerkit::barf:) but still need the utilibility(I hope thats a word). I don't find blades with less or no belly as useful or versitle in a utilitarian role.
 
I like the point to be in line with the spine, but that's just me.

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fmajor007 said:
42 Blades - same question - why or what is it about the in-line tip (or close to it) that you prefer?

Are these preferences more about performance or appearance? Why?
Click to expand...

It's purely function for me. The closer to being in-line with the centerline of the handle, the easier the point is to control. This is useful when piercing things, drilling with the point, etc. The further out of line it is, the more twisting or levering is going to occur when you try to perform those tasks, and the more force you have to apply in order to get the same work done. You can't drop your body weight into the point of an really off-center point without risking slippage. :)
 
I prefer a mid or low point to anything too upswept.

What I like about upswept or trailing points is the amount of belly exposed for slicing and that with my method of sharpening I find it easier to maintain the very tip splinter picker pointy. That's probably just a quirk of my method though.

What I find no good about that is I don't do a bunch of meat processing in the woods so all that belly is wasted on me. It's not much use to me for anything else and it lets force escape. Plus it is a PITA when inverted and cutting on the pull 'cos I effectively lose a bunch of length, or at least it is very diminished.

A nice low point preserves power, and I like that. On a slippie I probably use the Wharnie shaped blade the most for exactly that reason [think Stanley knife]. A thing that made my old EKA Big Swede so great for working wood was exactly that. It lost little force at the pointy end compared to a Buck 110. If I wanted a knife exclusively for twig work and utility I'd probably stick with this sort of shape.

A nice balance that preserves a lot of power whilst still offering up a decent pointy tip and more than enough belly for my use is something along the lines of a drop point. It's the ideal compromise to me between power cutting and long arc slices. Spear points have their attractions to for this reason, but I see too many butter knife ended ones like a cross between a German issue knife and a pallet knife. That turns me cold.
 
baldtaco-II said:
Spear points have their attractions to for this reason, but I see too many butter knife ended ones like a cross between a German issue knife and a pallet knife. That turns me cold.
Click to expand...

I agree. A balance needs to be struck, and I'd usually rather it be too slim at the point than too rounded.
 
I prefer it to be center with the handle to inline with the spine. I really just don't like the way a lot of the other knives look, to be honest. Nothing to do with function. (Other than when skinning, I like a lot of belly and prefer the tip to be inline with the spine)
 
Really interesting responses!!!

I wasn't sure what folks responses would be. I figured more of the bush-crafty Folks would prefer the tip toward the middle of the grip, but it seems we've some preferences for in-line with the spine!!!

Thanks all and keep 'em coming!

Personally, i prefer the middle of the blade/grip to keep any tip-cutting (drilling, puncturing) to be in the center of my hand and not 'off' - function is beauty's master!!! So, my preference is primarily function over form and the drop-point, whilst retaining some 'belly' for slicing/cutting tasks, really is great.
 
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