The Reverse 'S'...why?

L

Little claw

Joined
Mar 4, 1999
Messages
581
I'm really liking the look of the Dodo at the moment. Great materials, interesting (strong) lock design, small blade with big, ergonomic handle.

My only reservation is the blade profile. I can't see the utility/versatility/advantage of the reverse 'S' style blade.

I'd really like to get one of these, but that hooked point looks to me like it will get in the way and catch on things.

Will somebody please enlighten (or enthuse) me.

Thanks

Dom
 
well sir i cant say i like the design of the dodo, but hey im tough to please :D

i can see use to the blade, the part you say will catch that probably wouldnt happen because it is sharp... i think the knife would give a lot of control when cutting, that hooked part would probably be nice for cutting tarps, ropes etc. I personally think it is a nice design for a smaller blade... and can be used wherever creativity is applied
 
The reverse-S provides somewhat similar benefits to the more common recurve blade shapes. You get lots of belly combined with the sharp low-line point of a hawkbill. And on my S.P.O.T. the tip aligns perfectly with my wrist for thrusting.

--Bob Q
 
The hawkbill shape is a proven performer in the carpetcutter function. Any task requiring an initial shallow penetration and then a dragging, scrolling cut can be performed with this shaped blade much easier than raising your wrist to an unnatural angle and then trying to control the blade through the material with any precision. Some mundane things come to mind... tarpaper, sheet plastic, black weed control, leather. My similar bladed Cricket is a consummate coupon cutter. The added belly on the "S" provides a leveraged, lengthened sawing/slicing action not matched by a straight or hawkbill blade. I think it is a very useful blade.
 
The reverse-s on the cricket eats boxes like nothing else... start cut with the base, and then just slip the tip in and pull.

when you look at the c12 civ/mat line, they are designed for untrained SD, or mushroom harvesting, or even whitewater rescue/escape I hear...

As to the c80 dodo, I think I was done to provide the most useful shape, rather than most versatile(drop point or leaf). I'd put the cricket up with the endura for cutting ability(cricket does 10 layers of 18oz tarp fabric, while endura does 15 no problem. I could probably fit 12 on the cricket blade, but 10 was all we had cut.(c11 & 29 both SE, ats-55/frn, 99 model).
 
Reverse S also makes a good fine tip that's great for fine cutting. Normal clip/drop point blades might require you to raise the handle of the knife quite high for using the tip to cut, but the reverse S and the hawkbill drops it down for a more natural way to work.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I think there's enough here to convince me to at least try one, I might like it...

Aaron:

Nothing wrong with being tough to please! I didn't like the Dodo at all when I first saw it, but the small knife in a big package concept is important for me, living in the UK, amd the ergos look pretty well worked out.


I'm still interested to hear what others have to say on the reverse 'S'.

thanks

Dom
 
Tough to please is good. I'm certainly tough to please...atleast that's what my vendors say. But "tough to please" is also how Spyderco developed its reputation.

Just be sure to couple it with an open mind and a strict set of standards.

sal
 
From the cricket perspective it was an unparalleled box cutter / opener.

Originally I used to carry a CRKT ‘peck’ for this purpose (at a bar), and while it did seem to slice very keenly, making short work of boxes and tape alike. I frequently found when in a rush opening plastic wrapped packs of soft-drink bottles, I’d all to often slash the bottles open with an idle stroke (like wise with crisp packets).

The re-curve ‘S’ of the Cricket on the other hand offered quite a unique profile (and while I did slash a few bottles when I started using it :D), which really lent itself well to delivering very shallow controlled cuts;
By choking right up on the blade (with the handle pretty much loose in my palm) and my index finger running right along the spine of the blade (thumb and middle finger controlling the blade) I found you had only the little tiny ‘beak’ of the ‘S’ protruding from the pad of your finger (kind of like a claw). This meant to open say a box such as a crisp box (chips in the US :)) sealed with a long central strip of tape, you could place the pad of your finger directly where you wanted the cut to originate, and draw it along the cut with the very tip of the ‘beak’ only penetrating by a few mm.

Sounds really picky and a bit uncoordinated on my part I know, but this accuracy and option for extremely shallow penetration was highly valuable to me;
For example when opening items such as a cellophane wrapped suit etc. Normally I’d nick a few places on the wrapping and tear the rest, but with such control I’d happily ‘zip’ the whole package open :)

Another one I found was for cutting string / cord, where the hooked S was excellent for that last little tug to separate the string etc.

Sorry that I can’t comment on the Dodo, but I do think the S shaped blade is an excellent utility blade. Maybe not so good for food preparation etc, but with a multitude of other uses they’re very handy.

The only thing I would comment on the Dodo, is while the blue handle is rather sheeple friendly, I’ve always found with any blade that isn’t a bog standard pen style blade, tends to be met with raised eyebrows and sideways glances.
While I was comfortable carrying the Cricket in the UK (due to its diminutive size), I think the exotic lines and nature of the blade would tend to be looked on as some sort of martial arts blade by the police (along the lines of a Kerambit), and as such I would personally shy away from it in favour of even something larger such as a PE Eudora (due to its standard socially acceptable nature).
 
To resume what my forespeakers already said, the reversed "S" gives you a hawkbill tip combined with a bit of blade belly.
 
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