- Joined
- Jan 12, 2013
- Messages
- 3,194
I never cease to be amazed at the design genius of the Insingo blade shape. Not everything is immediately obvious about this blade shape, and one really needs time with this knife as their 'user' for the design to be fully appreciated. I have the Large size, but I can assume most of the same attributes apply to the small, which is arguably the more popular size. I just wanted to share some ideas and images for folks considering this great blade.
For starters, some design elements that are so cool
The swedge on the blade allows the illusion of a graceful, pointy knife. You often see pictures of the Insingo taken with the swedge blocked by the camera angle like this:
When if fact the blade is a little more squarish when you really look at it:
Also very cool is the fact the intersection of the swedge, and the upper edge of the hollow grind-line forms an "X". Notice how the swedge becomes the curve of the spine, and the curve of the grind becomes the nose of the knife (if you get what I mean). This is a very nice design detail:
Now on to business. Why is the Insingo so good a piercing? I can guarantee you it is. Firstly, the point of the blade, is directly in line with the handle. You wouldn't guess so, but it is. The belly of the Insingo shape curves the blade upward, and the swedge curves the spine downward, so they meet exactly in the middle of the knife. If you hold a straight-edge across the center of the pivot screw, and the middle of the 'machining hole', the tip of the blade is directly in line, which makes the knife great for stabbing into things.
Also the tip of the blade, because of the swedge, is nice and thin. Compare the Insingo (design genius), with the Spyderco Southard. I know the Southard has thicker stock to begin with, but note how the flat-top spine of the Southard, makes for a much thicker tip, than the swedge design of the Insigno. I would argue the swedge, if you can call it a swedge, is what sets the Insingo apart from other sheeps-foot / Wharcliffe style blades. (Note: neither my insingo, nor my Southard has bent tip. My camera distorts things in macro-mode if you get too close)
Finally. if you think about it, the Insingo is really as pointy as many spear-point blades. If you ignore the fact the edge is on the top in this photo, and pretend you are looking at a normal blade, you can see it is really not all that blunt:
Anyways..........the knife sells itself, so doesn't need any promotion, but if you are on the fence about an Insingo, i would say go for it if you are looking for a great user.
Check out this video of the Insingo doing heavy tire-cut testing! Cool to see the blade jammed into that tire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOoNICQW93A
For starters, some design elements that are so cool
The swedge on the blade allows the illusion of a graceful, pointy knife. You often see pictures of the Insingo taken with the swedge blocked by the camera angle like this:
When if fact the blade is a little more squarish when you really look at it:
Also very cool is the fact the intersection of the swedge, and the upper edge of the hollow grind-line forms an "X". Notice how the swedge becomes the curve of the spine, and the curve of the grind becomes the nose of the knife (if you get what I mean). This is a very nice design detail:
Now on to business. Why is the Insingo so good a piercing? I can guarantee you it is. Firstly, the point of the blade, is directly in line with the handle. You wouldn't guess so, but it is. The belly of the Insingo shape curves the blade upward, and the swedge curves the spine downward, so they meet exactly in the middle of the knife. If you hold a straight-edge across the center of the pivot screw, and the middle of the 'machining hole', the tip of the blade is directly in line, which makes the knife great for stabbing into things.
Also the tip of the blade, because of the swedge, is nice and thin. Compare the Insingo (design genius), with the Spyderco Southard. I know the Southard has thicker stock to begin with, but note how the flat-top spine of the Southard, makes for a much thicker tip, than the swedge design of the Insigno. I would argue the swedge, if you can call it a swedge, is what sets the Insingo apart from other sheeps-foot / Wharcliffe style blades. (Note: neither my insingo, nor my Southard has bent tip. My camera distorts things in macro-mode if you get too close)
Finally. if you think about it, the Insingo is really as pointy as many spear-point blades. If you ignore the fact the edge is on the top in this photo, and pretend you are looking at a normal blade, you can see it is really not all that blunt:
Anyways..........the knife sells itself, so doesn't need any promotion, but if you are on the fence about an Insingo, i would say go for it if you are looking for a great user.
Check out this video of the Insingo doing heavy tire-cut testing! Cool to see the blade jammed into that tire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOoNICQW93A
Last edited:
) Its just the lens distortion caused by using my camera so close-up.
