spyderco tuff, what is the groove on the blade for?

Sal Glesser said:
There were those that said of us in 1981; knife users don't want one hand opening knives, they make the knives "look" ugly. Knife users don't want or need clips, they make the knife "look" funny. Knife users don't want serrations, bread knives belong in the kitchen.

When I bought my first Spyderco Endura in 1991-1992, I intentionally broke the plastic clip off because I thought it looked stupid and like a bic pen clip, lol.:o
I was attracted to it because it looked futuristic and the full gator edge looked ferocious. I still have this knife. It has been my dremmel practice knife and has been jimped to hell and back. Despite having 40 or so other value knives, it has earned a spot in my Maxpedition EDC bag.
Sorry to go off subject, I am not really sure what to make of the Tuff yet. I guess it is just another radical design that will take some getting used to, like the endura did when it first came out.
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sogflash said:
I don't want to criticize everything, but does that extra strength mean much?

well that makes good sense. then it's actually a practical part of the knife for some people.

the weight of knives isn't an issue for me. I don't mind "heavy" knives.
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Almost made it to everything. The knife is designed for "hard use", so logically, any additional toughness and strength would be important? Would you agree or disagree? Sometimes we really need to just stop and think for a minute. Nothing on this knife was accidental. It's been in the works for a really, really long time and was designed by one of the top makers in the game, Ed Schempp, he knows a thing or 2 about making knives. ;)

As far as the size and weight of knives is concerned, the market dictates trends and as Sal stated people might not know what they want until they really have it in hand. Some folks just don't want a thick, heavy, cumbersome chunk of steel in their pocket. Others love it more than cheesecake. I like larger folders myself, they are perfect for what I do at work. Sometimes a smaller, thinner knife is more appropriate for their tasks.

Laws also dictate quite a lot of what happens in the knife making world. Spyderco makes a knife to suit just about any legal gray area you can imagine. Ranging from the Military all the way to the Bug, and everything in between.
 
RevDevil said:
Laws also dictate quite a lot of what happens in the knife making world. Spyderco makes a knife to suit just about any legal gray area you can imagine. Ranging from the Military all the way to the Bug, and everything in between.
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Yep.
Although there's no length laws here in Canada, under 4 inch blade length seems to go over better generally.
That's why I was glad for the length of blade; some people were complaining that it wasn't more like 5 inches or so, but that wouldn't get carried so much by all that many people.

So far, my Tuff has been in the pocket constantly (except when being used), and it has been working out great.:thumbup:
 
Sal Glesser said:
From a metalurgy point of view, the fuller will theoretically add strength because of the hardened curve.
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I very respectfully disagree.

stabman said:
It doesn't add strength.
It retains most of the strength while giving a slight weight reduction.
If that groove were not there, it would be stronger yet.
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That is a demonstrable fact. Removing material simply can not make any given structure stronger. Period. This goes for fullers, lightening holes, tapered tangs, and so on.

Having said that, many times the very slight reduction in strength caused by such a feature is trumped by its corresponding increase in usefulness. :thumbup:
 
james terrio said:
Having said that, many times the very slight reduction in strength caused by such a feature is trumped by its corresponding increase in usefulness. :thumbup:
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That's true.
My dad likes how light his Native 5 is...so much so that he's buying a second one when they come back in stock.:)
He also liked how the fuller on the Tuff made two handed opening easier. It's like the ultimate nail nick.:thumbup:
 
Sal Glesser said:
From a metalurgy point of view, the fuller will theoretically add strength because of the hardened curve. From a marketing point of view, it is easily identified. From a manufacturing point of view, it demonstrates skill and shows we're not cutting corners. For large gloved hands it permits easy two handed opening, or easier one hande opening when needed.

On a heavy knife that we're trying to make lighter, any weight is important.
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Thanks for explaining all of that Sal,
I had the same question but didn't want to ask and
appear ignorant. :o

I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to justify the outlay,
it is a pretty pricy piece.
 
james terrio said:
I very respectfully disagree.



That is a demonstrable fact. Removing material simply can not make any given structure stronger. Period. This goes for fullers, lightening holes, tapered tangs, and so on.

Having said that, many times the very slight reduction in strength caused by such a feature is trumped by its corresponding increase in usefulness. :thumbup:
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He did say "hardened curve."

Makes me wonder if the heat treat changes the strength along the fuller compared to a thicker piece of metal.
 
Man, I want that knife but I just bought a Sage 2 and I'm light for knife buying. :(
 
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I don't know if this'll help ya'll but read this and thought it explaned it pretty well.

This is true not only for cans, but for all sorts of structures and containers, it's a fundamental engineering principle. Here are some other examples of this principle in action:
•Automobiles. Notice that the hood of your car has few (or no) flat surfaces, it's all curves. Same is true for most of the rest of the surfaces (windshield is another good example - side windows don't have to be as strong, and they have to open, so they aren't curved).
•Corrugated boxes, roofs and so on. The corrugation makes for strength.
•Other containers, such as propane tanks, scuba tanks, all sorts of things. If they have to stack, then the bottom is either curved inward (which reduces the volume the container can hold), or a false bottom is placed around the real bottom to make them stackable.


Why is it this way? Because the strength of a cross-section goes by its cross-sectional moment of inertia. If this doesn't make sense to you, think about this:

Hold a flat sheet of paper in your hand. It's floppy and has no structural strength to speak of. This is because it has almost no moment of inertia around the bending axis (ie, all of its mass is on the bending axis). Now, roll the paper into a tube. Suddenly, the same sheet of paper has considerable stiffness. By rolling it into a tube, you increased its moment of inertia around the bending axis (by moving its mass away from the axis and out to the edge of the tube). This is also why I-beams have that "I" shape, but you're probably tired of this by now.

Keep an eye on the world around you. You will see this principle in action over and over again.

Concave radius' when tied by a web together in pairs will increase the strength on a all planes, by cuttin' the radius you essentially increase the surface area, ya gotta look at the cross section to really see how this works. You're essentially tryin' to compress two arches, they actually support each other and increase the strength/stability of the shape.
 
Mr Glesser, I love your knives, but the only thing that stops me from purchasing Ed's designs are the lack of jimping. Your persian for example; I would buy it in a heart beat if it had jimping.

Please tell Ed to incorporate jimping onto the thumb ramp of the blade and I will have to buy every blade that he designs.

No, I'm not a member of TNP.
 
duro said:
Mr Glesser, I love your knives, but the only thing that stops me from purchasing Ed's designs are the lack of jimping. Your persian for example; I would buy it in a heart beat if it had jimping.

Please tell Ed to incorporate jimping onto the thumb ramp of the blade and I will have to buy every blade that he designs.

No, I'm not a member of TNP.
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The Tuff has jimping.
Both on the ramp, AND on the tang.

Now you have to buy it.:D
 
Well I like the fuller and to let you know it gives the blade an I-Beam effect making it lighter and stronger. I plan on getting one soon I hope.
 
RickJ said:
Well I like the fuller and to let you know it gives the blade an I-Beam effect making it lighter and stronger. I plan on getting one soon I hope.
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On that topic:

Beam theory shows that the I-shaped section is a very efficient form for carrying both bending and shear loads in the plane of the web. On the other hand, the cross-section has a reduced capacity in the transverse direction,
 
 
And, in the end, who cares?
The knife is tough (Tuff) enough for anything any sane---or even most insane---humans can do with a folder.
Plus, I think it looks pretty neat.:)
 
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