What does the Wharncliffe do well? I have heard they are good utility knives and I can see why,but I also see a lot of them being offered as self defense knives and "tactical" knives. Any information is greatly appreciated guys.Thanks.
I would turn it around slightly, and ask, what doesn't a Wharncliffe do well? And in answer to that, I would primarily say skinning. And it's a lousy shape for a chef's knife or butcher knife. ;-)
As a general purpose or utility blade pattern, I love it. It's probably my favorite overall blade shape because it works so well for the kinds of things I do on a daily basis. In addition to that, it's straight edge makes it easier to sharpen.
Personally, I haven't noticed all that many of them marketed for self defense of "tactical" use, but in all fairness, I'm not a big fan of most knives in that market, so I don't go looking at them much. I would actually think a wharncliffe blade would be rather sub-optimal for SD, though. A wharncliffe makes a poor slashing weapon. It will make fairly shallow slashes, as compared with a knife with more belly. If I had to pick one shape I most associate with self defense and tactical knives, I'd say it's the american tanto (not a big fan of them).
Another place where wharncliffe's are very useful, and very traditional, is for whittling. The flat blade and sharp point allow for excellent detail work. The traditional "whittler" slipjoint pattern generally has a wharncliffe for the main blade. I also have a couple of little custom swood carving knives from Harold Woods that are wharncliffes. Wonderful little knives.
