Why do warncliffe blades suck so badly?

mhawg said:
I, personally, find no use in everyday application for a 'warncliffe' blade. The same goes for the 'sheepsfoot', 'coping' and the 'spey' blade. They are historically accurate to be included on certain styles of knife but are they useful in any modern application? I finally found out that the 'stupid crooked hatchet head' I have is actually a carpenter's hatchet or a framing hatchet so enlighten me on these seemingly archaic blade shapes.
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Why do you feel the need to insult a timeless design,that many people like,just because YOU don't like it?:confused:

I happen to like wharnclifs a lot.Their utility use is unmatched IMHO.Plus they look pretty cool.;):thumbup:
 
Sounds like somebody doesn't get out much.

Talontwo's right on and it might be a bit embarassing if you come aboard with one of those tactical folders hanging off a pocket clip. Go aloft with a pointy knife or one without a lanyard and your not going to be real popular and your going to look pretty foolish trying to work rope with a clip point.

blackfly
 
1. For all of you who berated or insulted me, hey, eat chain!

2. For the rest of you I find about half of the mentioned uses something that I might benefit from in a non-pointed, straight-edged blade. All of my work on farms, fish hatcheries and land surveying was executed satisfactorily with some kind of clipped point or drop point blade along the lines of a normal hunting knife and utility blade. Carving, poking, scraping, minor prying, rope and cord cutting, feed/ fertilizer sack corner cutting and picket point whittling seemed to get done without opening those other blades. I'm not a sailor or a bloody Saxon, (hell I might be, who knows) and most knives have a straight section on them if the point doesn't get in the way.

3. I know warncliffes don't suck for people who have a use for them but, you're right, I ain't one of them. Thanks for the input and I hope some more uses and ideas will get in here. If you would like some used stockmans with cherry warncliffe, spey, sheepsfoot blades but well worn clipped points well...
 
Yeah. Wharncliffe / Sheepsfoot shaped blades are no good for everyday chores. :rolleyes:

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blackfly said:
Sounds like somebody doesn't get out much.

Talontwo's right on and it might be a bit embarassing if you come aboard with one of those tactical folders hanging off a pocket clip. Go aloft with a pointy knife or one without a lanyard and your not going to be real popular and your going to look pretty foolish trying to work rope with a clip point.

blackfly
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i use one of those "foolish" tactical folders on boat and dont look too foolish;)

I've found that cutting rope blade edge up in the bight that a straight edge (wharncliffe, sheepsfoot, or long spey blades such as those found in trapper style slipjoints) is second only to an inwardly curved one like a hawkbill. the bight tends to slide down off of the curve of a clip or drop point blade- not good when you are in a hurry to get the line cut and retied as the boat is pitching and 1200 feet of lobster trawl line is running off of an icy deck under your feet.
 
STR said:
You are in the minority then. Even the Stanley knife made for general utility and contractors used nationwide and the world over recognize the shape as the best for general cutting needs.
The Spyderco Delica and Calypso Jr. both which happen to be big favorites among Spyderco fans are nothing more than modified Wharncliffe blades when you take away the Spyderhump for the opening hole and see it for what it is. The Delica is Spydercos biggest selling knife of all time. Wonder why? Most of the popular models of the Wharncliffe are more specifically modified slightly to add some upsweep to the tip area or the tip third. But even the straight ones taken out to a good point come in handy for a number of daily chores from whittling, to anything a Stanley utility knife can be used for.

STR
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:thumbup:
I prefer all of my folders to be either pure or slightly upswept wharnclliffe. I have used all blade shapes fairly extensively, and those are, by far, the most useful for daily utility.
 
I carry and use a single blade slip joint everyday. That single blade is almost always a Wharncliff. It does everything I need to do, all day long everyday.

If I'm hunting, fishing or otherwise engaged in some larger knife task, that requires a belly, I'll have a fixed blade with me.
 
smitty0331 said:
Personally, I love them. As for usefullness, what CAN"T you do with one?
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In the shop, I pry open ball bearing seals, pop open pressure fitted dustcaps, ream out aluminum/ plastic ferrules, pick out that occasional wooden splinter or cable strand out of my fingers and palms, mark an X on my body to prepare for oral venom extraction resulting from rattlesnake bite (only kidding), and perform many similar chores on a daily basis. A wharnie or sheepfoot has no place in this area of work. The clip point is the only way to go in this case. Different tasks, different tools. All have their places.

N.

www.dozierknives.com/forum
 
I have become quite fond of the wharncliffe blades after toting a small Gerber Ridge Framelock. I am also a fan of the Spyderco, and have see those produced by Case, but have not had a chance to use them, though expect they are as nice as anything they produce. I have since been looking for other reasonably priced (<$50) production wharncliffe-inspired knives, straight or slightly curved, slip or locking, traditional or tactical - any recommendations?

Also, has anyone had a chance to use the Boker Chad Los Banos Trance?

http://www.boker.de/us/index.php?c=3000&a=01BO590&s1=Trance&s2=0&s3=9999&p=&pp=0
 
the confusion I'm experiencing in this thread

people saying wharnies aren't pointy

people saying blade shapes with curved edges are wharnies

?
 
I prefer knives with a good bit of belly to them, but I would never suggest that wharncliffe or other flat-bladed knives "suck" - they're just not for me. We all have plenty of options to choose from, so I say c'est la vie.
 
Wharnecliffe blade: straight blade and fine (sharp) point, ideal for everyday utility

Sheepfoot blade: straight blade and rounded point, perfect when safety is an issue

I like and use both designs.

For cutting rope I prefer a straight blade and the Wharnecliffe point is ideal for cutting carpet or carving wood.

The Spyderco Delica, Caly3 are essentially modified Wharncliffes with a slight up curve as STR pointed out. The Spyderco Centofante 4 is a true Wharncliffe.

Rafael
 
smitty0331 said:
Personally, I love them. As for usefullness, what CAN"T you do with one?
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They're not good for skinning, scraping something off of glass, or for spreading peanut butter. Outside of a very few things, a wharncliff is my favorite blade shape. It also makes an excellent steak knife as you won't dull the edge cutting on a ceramic plate.
 
Andrew Colglazier said:
If you have ever castrated a hog or calf, you know that a blade with a point on it is a bad idea when dealing with critters that will jump buck and kick. Growing up on a hog farm, we used to castrate using spey bladed pocket knives but got tired of having to clean the knives up, not to mention all the sharpening.

We eventually bought scalpels with replaceable blades, but we always snapped the points off with pliers before going to work.

Andy
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damn that sounds like a nasty job :eek:
 
I like a sheepsfoot for cutting line with. The clip of a clip point is there to decrease the angle of the point, making it sharper. The trade off is that it tends to snap off. If you're measuring out rope, and pulling your blade through loops to cut lengths, you benefit from having a blade that leaves enough metal behind the cutting edge to be solid the whole way down the blade.

And spey blades are great for cutting fruit and spreading butter.
 
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