Sheepsfoot vs Wharncliffe?

roninelh

roninelh

Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
610
I am in the market for my first new straight edge knife and I can't decide between the two blade shapes... I'm looking for a single blade because it will be used as a secondary blade for cutting boxes and whatnot.My favorites are the EO Boys knife/Charlow, but I also like the half congress, norfolk, GEC 55, GEC 25 and Case swayback. I would also like it to be 3-3 1/2 closed with the preference on 3. These issues aside, I just cant decide between the sheepsfoot or wharncliffe blade shape. If they made a case peanut in wharncliffe, hypothetically it would be perfect.

What are your guys' opinions? Are their any advantages to one blade shape over the other? If you fellas have any suggestions on a knife that you love for straight blade type tasks, please recommend it... I never thought I would carry a sheepsfoot or wharnie, but the utility is undeniable.

Thanks in advance!
 
I have a few sheepsfoot knives that I am quite fond of, i.e. Case Whaler, Otter Messer Sailor's Knife, and a Schrade 175. Will post up some pictures tomorrow if ya like. :)
 
There is a pretty good deal on a #25 Little Jack with the sheepsfoot blade right now in the exchange on this site. I have the same knife that's for sale plus an ebony version and I love them as they disappear in the watch pocket of my jeans and are perfect for opening boxes and packages and what not at work. It is a single blade knife though so not sure if it's what your wanting or not. I like both those blade shapes and find the Wharnie maybe a little more appealing to the eye but I like the Sheepsfoot more just because it feels more traditional to me. :) I love how on my GEC blades with the Sheepsfoot I can easily pinch them open too.
 
The Case Tiny Trapper is about Peanut-sized and has been offered with a Wharncliffe secondary, though it is not currently in production in that configuration. This has Case's odd blade shape that is closer to a lambsfoot that people here call a lambcliffe.

The Case Mini Copperhead is a 2-bladed pen-style knife on a single spring, available with a true Wharncliffe main blade and is currently in production, right at 3" in length and a handy little knife.

The Swayback Gent might be a choice here, at 3.2" long with a single Wharncliffe blade.

I personally prefer a sheepsfoot blade, which is one reason I really like the Stockman patterns that include one. But it's not a strong preference so I'll carry a knife with a Wharncliffe primary or secondary fairly often.
 
I usually like a wharncliffe over a sheepsfoot, for the finer and pointier tip, but the sheepsfoot that GEC puts on their knives like the #15 and #47 has a pretty sharp and pointy tip. For example, if you compare the #47 to a true wharncliffe like a Case wharncliffe mini trapper or Sway Back Jack, the #47 has a thinner grind to the edge, which makes the tip finer and stabbier. The tip on my #61 Northfield half congress isn't quite as fine, but the one on my #62 Easy Pocket Whittler is extremely fine. If you went with the #15 sheepsfoot, I honestly don't think you'd be disappointed or wishing that the tip was finer. Of course, the #25 is 3", which you say you'd prefer.
 
Anything the sheepsfoot can do the wharncliffe can do just as well. The wharncliffe does have the added utility of a pointier tip.

About the only advantage I can see for the sheepsfoot is its longer blade life. It'll take much longer to sharpen away a sheepsfoot compared to its wharncliffe counterpart.

- Christian
 
I like the combo of the sheepfoot with a pointy clip blade, as found on a jack or stockman.
But if I was gonna have a single blade straight edge, it would be a Wharncliffe for the pointy tip.
 
kamagong said:
Anything the sheepsfoot can do the wharncliffe can do just as well. The wharncliffe does have the added utility of a pointier tip.

About the only advantage I can see for the sheepsfoot is its longer blade life. It'll take much longer to sharpen away a sheepsfoot compared to its wharncliffe counterpart.

- Christian
Click to expand...

What Christian just said.
A little taller blade in the Sheepsfoot, a little more pointy with the wharny.

Find one with preffered scales shape of your choice since If you don't like the way it grips it won't matter?
 
The sheep does not stab at all, the wharnie does, a lot. The sheep sticks out of the handle profile a lot, the wharnie does not. As mentioned, a sheep is pinchable, a wharnie is not. A sheepfoot blade is Much better than a wharnie at scraping out the bottom of the peanut butter jar, and a sheepfoot is MUCH less likely to stab a sail while cutting a rope on a rocking ship, than a wharnie. The original purpose of the wharnie was as a whittler, the most use of a sheepfoot is maritime.

A Case Bose gent would be my pick for a single wharnie, but in a smaller package I really like the mini copperhead

I really like the GEC 25 single bladed Sheepfoot. The fat handle goes well with the tall blade. A stag or ebony bareheaded sheepfoot 25 would tempt me, a lot.

253113-be-stl-ebony1_zps0096cd76.jpg


And there IS a peanut with a wharnie, the AG Russell pinched peanut
RUS-JJ13-MI.jpg


this thread has more pictures of wharnies and sheep
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/927154-Sheepsfoot-Wharncliff

and this thread is full of 25's with different handles and blade configurations
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...st-GEC-25-single-bladed-Little-Jack-yet/page3

post pics of what you get :-)
 
Last edited:
I prefer a sharp wharncliffe as I find it useful for precise and fine work. I find that wharncliffes carry well, and more of the blade profile is usually hidden well.
 
Aesthetically, for me, it depends on the other design aspects of the knife which looks better. In practical terms, both blade shapes can vary, and some Sheepsfoot blades have a more sharply angled tip than others. While I have knives with Wharncliffe blades I like a lot, overall, I prefer Sheepsfoot blades, both aesthetically and to use. If I want something a bit 'pointier', I go for a Lambsfoot ;)
 
Sheepsfoot, for the same reasons noted by jon_slider and Jack Black.

I never thought I would want a Sheepsfoot, but a Sheepfoot Charlow has been my EDC for over a month now. I have become quite devoted to it, a convert to the practical utility of the shape.
 
black mamba said:
I like the combo of the sheepfoot with a pointy clip blade, as found on a jack or stockman.
But if I was gonna have a single blade straight edge, it would be a Wharncliffe for the pointy tip.
Click to expand...

This.
In a two blade jack, I would go for a sheepsfoot (if the straight blade is main, and I have a pointy secondary) or a wharncliffe if the straight blade is secondary. I find sheepsfoot blades more aesthetically pleasing, as a general thought. On a single bladed knife, maybe I would pick a wharncliffe, althought the "stabbing issue" on some wharncliffe blades can hassle me (much depends on the use, obviously).
Considering your requirements, I would get a Case Swayback Gent and never look back.

Fausto
:cool:
 
I like a Wharncliffe slightly more than a sheepsfoot, though it depends on my mood. Sometimes a sheepsfoot is just right:

bulldog.jpg


othertimes I just love a Wharncliffe:

pp25.jpg


Z
 
In the straight edge patterns, I prefer a wharnie because it still has an effective piercing point (more than the lambsfoot, and even more than the sheepsfoot). And that A.G. Pinched Peanut is killing me... I've been on the fence for some time now. I got the Dogleg Trapper made by the same manufacturer and it's one of the most gorgeous knives I have. I would jump anytime for the Peanut if it wasn't so ridiculously small (smaller than a Case, which is already SMALL...) and quite expensive.
 
I have a few of both but seem to use knives that have either a sheepsfoot main or wharncliffe secondary the most when it comes to these 2 blade shapes. As you can see I do have ones with a wharncliffe main but other than the SBJ, I didn't really use them. I originally had a #25 but got the GEC #61 Half Congress to be a companion knife for dirty work to a longer single blade trapper I used for non dirty stuff. I switched to the #61 over the #25 because I liked the slightly longer handle. These days though, if I'm not using a GEC #73 for boxes, I reach for a GEC #47 Hayin Helper with its big sheepsfoot blade. As for your size requirements, the GEC #25 and SBJ satisfy that. The GEC #61 is 3 5/8" with the rest bigger. I don't have the a #55 or #15 Sheepsfoot but I was considering the #15, I just have so many others in that category that I already use so I held off.



 
I think Rhino is right- get the straight-edge knife you like best and then see if it's a sheepsfoot, wharncliffe, (or lambsfoot). (And tell us how it turned out please.) If you don't already have a preference/ prejudice, how are you going to decide which one of ours to adopt?

I'd go with the sheepsfoot, myself. I get better control with it with and it won't wear down at the tip as fast as the wharnie. Also lack of accidental stabbing is a good thing in my book. The sheepsfoot still has a usable point when you want it. But wharnies look cool. Maybe get both.
 
3" closed? Wharncliffe.

Howeeeeevah. My TC Barlow Lambsfoot/pen does so many things well at just under 3 1/2"
 
I use straight edge knives for all my leather cutting, currently favouring my old Wharncliffe. The one thing I would caution if buying a new knife is check where the tip of the blade sits in the slot. The Charlow sheepsfoot 15 is very well burried whereas the tip of the blade in the long skinny 89 whittler is so close to the top of the slot that sharpening will expose the tip in no time.

Best regards

Robin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top