Why is the clip blade so dominant?

S

supergnat

Joined
Jun 27, 2015
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167
I've never liked clip blades. They just look, I don't know, flimsy to me. I've always gravitated towards knives with coping or skinners or sheepsfoot blades.

Do clip blades have some advantage over the other blade styles that I'm missing? I figure I must be missing something because with the exception of SAKs, clip blades are totally dominant for slipjoints.
 
Are you talking about fixed blades or slipjoints specifically?

In all my slipjoints that have clipped blades the point is just as acute and fine as some of my wharncliffe blades from GEC. Thus it provides a very finite point alongside the bonus of having a nice sweeping belly. I don't believe they're dominant as I see a variety in all blade styles with slipjoints, wharncliffe, sheepsfoot, clip, spearpoint, modified sheepsfoot, fat spearpoint, coping blade. Many do prefer them aesthetically due to the swedge and fine point which allows a pleasing look to many, myself included. I for one do not find them fragile in nature, they are meant to ease puncture well but if you're stabbing and then prying with a slipjoint you're using the basis of a slip joint wrong.

The clip point blade also dates back to macedonian times and has a long and illustrious history, from knapped flint knives to the turkish clip all the way to the 'bowie' knife which is highly popular.
 
supergnat said:
I've never liked clip blades. They just look, I don't know, flimsy to me. I've always gravitated towards knives with coping or skinners or sheepsfoot blades.

Do clip blades have some advantage over the other blade styles that I'm missing? I figure I must be missing something because with the exception of SAKs, clip blades are totally dominant for slipjoints.
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There are certain patterns of pocket knife for which a clip blade is more or less part of the pattern. Trappers and stockman knives come immediately to mind. Since those are two of the most prevalent patterns, you do see a lot of clip blades on traditional pocket knives. Those knives feature a clip blade because they are patterns originally designed for use by hunters and outdoorsmen. The clip blade has belly to it, which makes it useful for skinning. But it is also a good general purpose blade. So it is also useful for folks to carry when they are not ready to skin game.
 
knarfeng said:
There are certain patterns of pocket knife for which a clip blade is more or less part of the pattern. Trappers and stockman knives come immediately to mind. Since those are two of the most prevalent patterns, you do see a lot of clip blades on traditional pocket knives. Those knives feature a clip blade because they are patterns originally designed for use by hunters and outdoorsmen. The clip blade has belly to it, which makes it useful for skinning. But it is also a good general purpose blade. So it is also useful for folks to carry when they are not ready to skin game.
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I think these are important points. My guess is that fashion and tradition also have something to do with it, people carry what their grandaddy/father carried (and probably what they were bought as kids, and also what their friends and neighbours carry - folks in Texas apparently favour large Trappers for example, if the advice Carl was recently given in The Lounge is correct.

Some interesting points made in this thread of Carl's here too: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...foot-and-the-spear-American-and-English-taste
 
supergnat said:
I've never liked clip blades. They just look, I don't know, flimsy to me. I've always gravitated towards knives with coping or skinners or sheepsfoot blades.
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Coping, ok, sheepsfoot, definitely, but you think a clip point looks flimsier than a skinner blade? I beg to differ. I love a sheepsfoot with a pen blade, myself.
 
They have a point and a belly. Also, I think it's partly just a tradition thing.
 
coolio said:
Coping, ok, sheepsfoot, definitely, but you think a clip point looks flimsier than a skinner blade? I beg to differ. I love a sheepsfoot with a pen blade, myself.
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Flimsy was a poor choice of words. But I haven't got anything better.
 
I personally have grown to dislike the very fine pointed and highly upswept clips that appear on many knives. But GEC gets them just right.

nqfN2F7h.jpg
 
As a kid, I never really thought a knife was a real knife unless it had a clip point (Bowie-looking) blade. I think maybe it is tradition/fashion, especially in small pocket knives where it really doesn't matter because any sharp edge would do just fine.
 
knarfeng said:
There are certain patterns of pocket knife for which a clip blade is more or less part of the pattern. Trappers and stockman knives come immediately to mind. Since those are two of the most prevalent patterns, you do see a lot of clip blades on traditional pocket knives. Those knives feature a clip blade because they are patterns originally designed for use by hunters and outdoorsmen. The clip blade has belly to it, which makes it useful for skinning. But it is also a good general purpose blade. So it is also useful for folks to carry when they are not ready to skin game.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head. (I couldn't have said it any better myself!)

Captain O
 
Buzzbait said:
I personally have grown to dislike the very fine pointed and highly upswept clips that appear on many knives. But GEC gets them just right.

nqfN2F7h.jpg
Click to expand...

I like the look of that. If that's what most clip blades looked like, I'd be fine with them.
 
I also am not keen on clip points in general ( but I agree the GEC pictured above looks great.)
I like drop points, spear points, sheepsfoots (feet?) or wharnecliffes.
It's not any performance related issue with me, just a personal preference.
I prefer brunettes to blondes and ale to lager. No worries.
 
I, too, dislike clip blades - they just don't look "right" (and the fact that as a kid I broke the tip of every clip blade I ever got my hands on may have just a *teensy* bit to do with that!)

When it comes to bellied blades I find the spey and drop point more useful for the things that I do. (The #73 with the spey and drop point, for instance, is the ideal hunting knife for me.) They may not be for others, and I appreciate that.
 
There are two things going on - first is usefulness - each blade has an original purpose that it evolved to address. The second thing is style - what the buyer likes. I think you see lots of clip blades because they are both very useful and quite attractive to a decent number of knife buyers. There are many knives with other blade configurations that suit other folks as well. For me as long as I have a Clip of some sort and a Sheepfoot I'm happy for use and aesthetics. OH
 
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