Wharncliffe question

[Gargs]

I am curious about the practicality of wharncliffe-style blades. If you use one regularly, what specific use do you put it to? Thanks for any info/input.
Steve

 

[Kevin Cross]

I actually prefer this style of blade for edc office type work. I use it to open packages, cut string, slicing and cutting food/fruit, pretty much all of my "light weight" cutting needs through out the day. I know of several people who are active in buckskinning/civil war reinacting who use small wharncliffs as patch knives. Hope this helps. Kevin

 

[Gargs]

It does help. Thank you, Kevin.
S

 

[GoodGuy]

I wish more manufacturers would make high quality folders with Wharncliffe style blades.

 

[STR]

I prefer Wharncliffs for everyday knives. I've actually used them for a lot more than they are supposed to be good for and have found if you make them with a bit of an upsweep at the tip you can actually use one for a lot of jobs the true straight edge ones have more trouble doing. Its the only folder blade I make or want to make actually and I am not the least bit interested anymore in making other shapes.

Other than the uses it can be good at I think its the shape I really like the best and it may have something to do with my life long love of sailing knives. You know the ones usually seen with Marlin Spikes for untying rope. I've had this thing for sheepsfoot and Wharncliff style blades and sailors knives all my life really and have been teased by some of my family that I must have been a sailor in a past life or something. Its a long story.

Anyway, I've skinned and field dressed with Wharny blades and used the same knife for scraping out old caulking from old window seals, cutting and shaping notches and other things for installing hinges, and of course they are super knives for box cutting, opening packages, cutting tape and preparing things for mailing, cutting open dog food bags and other such jobs around the house but they are also superb handyman blades. Many contractors have a love for this shape also..

Most all of my favorite carry knives with the exception of a few are Wharncliff style or some off shoot modification of the design. I consider the blades on both the Delica by Spyderco and the Calypso Jr. by Spyderco to be basically Wharncliff blades. Its just hard to tell with the opening hole but if you take that away that is what you are left with. It took me a long while to see that but one day it dawned on me why I always loved those two knives and had so many over the years.

STR

 

[GoodGuy]

I often use a Spyderco "Swick" for EDC type chores. I'm not a big fan of neck knives, but I like the Swick's short, sturdy blade. I wish Spyderco would somehow incorporate that type of blade into a small folder.

Wharncliffe type blades make great whittlers! I guess I'm not the only one that still whittles around here.

 

[STR]

Actually I'm amazed I forgot to mention the whittling. They are all I use for that and carving faces on walking sticks.

STR

 

[Joe Talmadge]

I prefer wharncliffes or modified wharncliffes (like leaf-shaped blades) for EDC as well. On a folder, a belly gets in the way for any type of food prep, cutting open hard clamshell plastic, and any other number of uses.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Love em' so many uses, but as been said, more utilitarian than hunting, though
some hunters prefer it for various parts of the skinning process.

Here is a link to a thread I started on my more recent LoneWolf City Knife has a smallish modified wharncliff blade.

Uses range from box opening, rope cutting, wire stripping, places where the point
of the knife needs to get in close.

A handy blade shape,
G2

 

[Scott Free]

They make an excellent steak knife.

 

[ahgar]

I've had a couple and like them. seems like they would work fine for anything you'd use any knife for except skinning/ cleaning game but i'm sure as mentioned above you could make it work. The only one i've got now is a case seahorse whittler and i like it enough to keep it.

 

[DreamHawk]

Love wharncliffe's, I actually just received my first very nice one from Graham bro's knives:

One scale is white with a black liner, the other black with a white liner. 154CM

 

[Jon Brand]

Wharncliffes tend to keep an edge nicely if used for things like cutting steak. Only the tip will hit the plate and the rest of the edge will only go through meat.

Heres one out of the collection, but I would never use it.

 

[jjacques]

They're great utility cutters, for all the reasons other people have already mentioned.

They're also easy to sharpen, especially when compared to a lot of the recurve blades out there these days.

I'd love to see an Emerson wharncliffe. I wish Benchmade would make some lefty-friendly ones!

 

[G3]

Best utility blade shape hands down. Not the greatest at puncturing but rarely do I need a knife just for that purpose.

 

[Gargs]

Thanks to all of you. I'll pick up a wharnie since the way you all describe it is how I use my knives most of the time!
By the way Gary (G2), that sheath you made for my Military about 4 years ago makes it my most carried knife - even though I like other folders more. Intelligent design perfectly executed.
Steve

 

[Metis]

i rotate two wharnies regularly, a Boker Wharcom and a Dalton Ambi auto.

easy to use, easy to sharpen for the sharpening challenged.


love'em.

 

[Lucky Bob]

Utility cutting, and ease of sharpening... I'm even designing my own!