Spear main, pen secondary

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May 26, 2011
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I own a couple of knives with spear main and pen secondaries, and though I find them aesthetically appealing I find I do not carry them much. In the size of knife we are talking about here (three and a half inch range to three and three-quarter) I find the blade shapes too redundant to justify the additional thickness/weight. My spear/pen GEC 15, for example, gets carried less than my single blade 15 or my clip/pen 15.

Does anyone prefer to have this configuration? Any advantages besides "if one blade gets dull I have a backup?" It seems like many, many old jackknives were made this way. What am I missing?
 
I like the spear for its versatility. I could skin or spread peanut butter. Spear tips tend to be stronger than clips also. The pen allows for finer work, opening envelopes, whittling. I like this combo a lot and am currently carrying this setup right now.

 
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I absolutely prefer spear points over clip points. It seems, perhaps just in my mind, that spear points are designed for everyday use, while clip points are more specialized for hunting. Folding hunters are always clip point, as are trappers. So yes, it has a lot to do with style and aesthetics.

So far, maybe one exception, all of my Great Eastern purchases have been spear point models. Boy's Knife, Pony Knife, White Owl, TC Barlows...

Similarly, with fixed blades I prefer a drop point.
 
I prefer a clip point but do kinda like a spear blade that has a bulbous, swollen appearance such as on this GEC #79 Montana Workhorse Whittler.

I6stu3W.jpg


I also like the GEC #5 drop point/skinner blade as evidenced in the below picture.

GEC #72 Lockback with GEC #1 regular clip blade (bottom knife) and a GEC #73 Linerlock with GEC #5 drop point/skinner blade (top knife)

bry9.jpg


As the OP said; a pen blade such as on this Case Barlow is a very handy tool in many situations.

acxXGu1.jpg
 
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I like both, but prefer a spear for a slipjoint. I find it handier for most EDC uses.
 
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I seldom carry knives with secondary pen blades, if the main blade is spear or drop or clip. If I'm going to have two blades on a knife, I want one blade to have a full-length straight cutting edge, as on a sheepsfoot or wharncliffe or coping blade. You get more versatility this way.
 
I like a spear with a small wharnie about the best. Kinda like a SAK Electrician. A spear with a pen blade combo is just too similar to me.

I don't mind a clip that much either if I'm getting a small pen, or vice versa maybe. Depends on the knife I guess. Little all over the place aren't I?
 
Spear and pen works fine for me :thumbup:
 
In theory, I claim to prefer 2 blades with some variety: one large, one small (so I'm not much of a trapper or muskrat fan) and one straight, one with belly. But in practice, there are few knives that perform better for me than a standard old red SAK (like a Tinker) with spear/pen blades.

Hypocrisy is my middle name, I guess! :o

- GT
 
Yeah, that "theory vs. practice" thing gets me too with knife blade selection. I understand the value and purpose of the different blade shapes, but my actual knife needs are pretty basic, to the point that for typical daily carry, it really doesn't matter to me. A SAK does all I need except for maybe weekend home fixup projects.
 
There are always exceptions Gary. I do the same thing. I will profess to have a preference one way or another for certain blades or combinations, but find myself often carrying something completely different. :D
You're quite normal. At least on the porch. ;)
 
I don't really care for the large main (whether clip or spear) & small pen of jack knife due to the extra spring & thickness. I do like single spring two blade knives. Ideally, I'd like a spear main & a coping secondary, but any combination of large and small blade on a single spring works for me. The most common from GEC is a clip main with pen secondary (#66 or #33 are the ones I find most useful). For real world use a Victorinox Small Tinker or a Manager along with a modern folder works fine for me.
 
I did not care for the spear shape either for years until I started carrying an SAK. Made a believer out of me. I still don't have a proper Barlow with Spear and Pen blades, but I aim to acquire one as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
 
I love the Spear/pen combo. I often use the big spear for food and game with the pen for dirty and detail work. I prefer the strong point of the spear to the clip..... they look nicer too.

That's not to say I don't like a clip.
 
Why not?? This broad Spear is nice and thin and the Pen pointy and stabby.:D

Hang tough, I'm saying

IMG_1205.jpg


Regards, Will
 
jc57 said:
Yeah, that "theory vs. practice" thing gets me too with knife blade selection. I understand the value and purpose of the different blade shapes, but my actual knife needs are pretty basic, to the point that for typical daily carry, it really doesn't matter to me. A SAK does all I need except for maybe weekend home fixup projects.
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Just last week I was thinking the same thought, John. I like the variety of carrying different patterns and different handle materials, but from a purely functional perspective, blade shape isn't a huge issue for me. Sharp = Good, Shape = Minor Detail :D


BigBiscuit said:
There are always exceptions Gary. I do the same thing. I will profess to have a preference one way or another for certain blades or combinations, but find myself often carrying something completely different. :D
You're quite normal. At least on the porch. ;)
Click to expand...

I showed this to my wife, and she said something about "damned by faint praise". :eek::p
I try to set limits for myself, like "Well, at least I'm not interested in knives with wood handles." But then members here show off their knives and erase the "lines I've drawn in the sand", and I'm thinking things like, "Still not that interested in wood, except that one Bob displayed with the incredible grain!" Before you know it, I want one of everything!! :(:eek::(

- GT
 
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