What is the most versatile blade shape?

Great question ! Definitely gets the heart racin' and cogs turnin' !
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The clip point is a great all-around design and one of the most popular blades. If I had to pick ~ it's the clip point. Tip is sharper and also lowered for more control. Usually has plenty of belly. Great slicing and slashing capability. Goes great with utility knives to camp knives to fighters to hunting knives.

My second choice would have to be the spear point. Very cool blade! The point is extremely strong and controllability is excellent.

The drop point is another great design and really like on a hunter. Lowered tip for great controllability and exceptional strength and heavy use. Plenty of belly for good slicing and slashing.

Can't leave the tanto out of the picks ! It's superb for point strength and sharpness. I love it with a hollow grind along the straight edge and a flat grind of sorts up front.

Had to edit to add the drop point info.

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Livin' Life ~ Full Throttle
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[This message has been edited by GigOne (edited 06-18-2001).]
 
I really like a sharp, pointy tip on my blades. For my particular using purposes, a point is very important for helping:
- dig out splinters
- cape & skin big game
- skin small game

The best blade shape I've ever seen (& used) is on Bob Dozier's Yukon Pro Skinner. Plenty of point for delicate work, yet lots of belly for cutting and skinning.

AJ
 
When I was planning my first custom folder, designed to be my EDC I thought long and hard on what would be the most useful for what I do on a day to day basis. I love a classic drop or clip, but it was the wharncliff I kept on coming back to. Since I'm not skinning a deer on a daily basis, but opening mail or packages, cutting a bagel or and apple and other stuff like that and because of the fine point wharncliff was the way to go. Tim Herman has a very elegant wharncliff on his Sliver, so I based mine on his. I've carried and used this knife daily for the past six months and never had a day where I regretted my choice.

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I do not like how weak the tip is on the average clip point (I've broken quite a few) and I have dug out a lot of splinters easily with various SAK's drop points.
 
Depending on your use I would say that either the clip point with a flat clip or the drop point are the most versatile.

The traditional tanto, without the two angle tip would be second.

I have always considered the spear point to be a sub-species of drop point, a drop point with an additional grind.

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The real questions are how wide or narrow is the point and how much or little belly does it have. Whether the spine is straight or angled or convex or concave isn't really what makes a blade profile more or less versatile.


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Use of Weapons
 
Hummmm, I would have to say clip point #1 for all around use, then the drop point. My favorite looking is the spear point. Great question
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I would also have to say the drop point is the best all around utility blade shape. For my personal use around the office though, the wharncliffe gets the nod.
 
chalk up another vote for the drop point. the wharncliff on my PECK is very nice though for the point. There's nothing like a good recurve though.
 
I guess I'd have to vote for the venerable puukko, a design that evolved over many hundreds of years of practical application: a relatively short blade (palm width, more or less), a fairly narrow blade, with a fine point for delicate work, and a zero bevel edge. The handle would be guardless, and the edge would go right to the handle.
 
My favorite is the drop point. To me, the clip point is second but I prefer the stronger tip of the drop point.
 
I really like drop points on my smaller knives, but spear points on my larger ones. I'm so inept at sharpening larger knives, that a spear is about all I can handle!!!!

The wharncliff definitely gets the nod for awesome looks on a gents knife.
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Alberta Ed:
I guess I'd have to vote for the venerable puukko,...</font>
Click to expand...

I agree with Ed, the puukko design is
traditional in all the nordic countrys
and has always been multi-purpose.
It was made to be carried always, and to be
the only knife a person carried.
It had to be light and easy to sharpen.
It was made of carbon steele, hardend not to be brittle.
It was used both on fishing trips and hunting
trips, but was really optimised for cutting
wood.
It is the kife used by the raindeer owning Saami people even today.
Anyboddy interested in how to handle game
after it has ben shot should get a video
of Saami lassoing, slaughtering and butchering raindeer.
It is amazing.
..
john
 
I thought the new BM Griptilian had an interesting blade shape but upon using it discovered that the snout kept interfering with my activities. So I ground off the hump and turned it into a clip point. Suddenly it's usefulness has increased tenfold!

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Peter Atwood

email: fountainman@hotmail.com
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by fountainman:
I thought the new BM Griptilian had an interesting blade shape but upon using it discovered that the snout kept interfering with my activities. So I ground off the hump and turned it into a clip point. Suddenly it's usefulness has increased tenfold!

</font>
Click to expand...

I agree about the giptilian. It is very hard to use the point for fine cutting or getting into small spaces to cut. I like mine plenty good but the blade shape could be better.



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The drop point is the most versatile blade shape, followed closely by the clip point. But that's just my opinion.
 
In a fixed blade I like the spearpoint the best, that is what I asked for in my Custom 10V fixed blade.

In a folder I like that and a clip point about the same. Drop point is good though...

As long as it is not a tanto (American style) I am happy, or a sheepsfoot, I dislike that as well.

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