Why so many recurves lately?

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JTR357

JTR357

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Don't get me wrong,I like recurve blades.I was just flipping through the latest issue of Blade & noticed almost all the new knives have a recurve blade to them.Is this just the latest craze?
Although attractive & somewhat useful,I still like a strait edge or full-bellied blade more so than recurves.
There were more than a few instances when I had a recurve blade on me & wished I had a full-bellied one.

What do you think?
 
I hate recurves, but it saves me money since I won't be buying any of these knives. Wonder what is driving the trend.
 
Recurves look awesome, plus they hook material and pull the edge through at a skewed angle (the distance between the edge and shoulders lengthens so the recurve acts as though it is cutting with a thinner angle, but still has all of its steel to keep from losing any strength) without the user having to contort his or her wrist too much.

That's my guess on the popularity, at least.
 
thombrogan said:
Recurves look awesome, plus they hook material and pull the edge through at a skewed angle (the distance between the edge and shoulders lengthens so the recurve acts as though it is cutting with a thinner angle, but still has all of its steel to keep from losing any strength) without the user having to contort his or her wrist too much.

That's my guess on the popularity, at least.
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Would you go so far as to state it's an evolution of blade designs?
 
For a fighter or a skinner it can have some working advantage. It gives you extra belly for slashing effectiveness and a belly hump for separating hide from tissue. This is not the reason for sales. Designers like Darell Ralph partnered with big manufacturers to make the designs available. This got copied and it became a fashion fad. Think of them like mini-skirts and hot pants; fun to look at, but not destined to last.
 
I have nothing against them.I'd just like to see as many normal blades as I see recurves.
 
Kershaw Echo is a great utility knife. Not much can compete with it.
The ZeroTolerance 0100 is another "Onion" design that totally has my attention.
 
I believe that one big reason recurves are more popular now than they used to be is the availability of suitable sharpening tools. Sharpening the whole length of the blade is a pita with just a bench stone whereas modern tools such as high quality sharpening rods and systems such as the sharpener make the job easy.

I don't like short recurve blades. I would rather use either a blade that has a belly the whole length or a hawkbill depending on the task.
 
AfterTFD said:
I believe that one big reason recurves are more popular now than they used to be is the availability of suitable sharpening tools. Sharpening the whole length of the blade is a pita with just a bench stone whereas modern tools such as high quality sharpening rods and systems such as the sharpener make the job easy.

I don't like short recurve blades. I would rather use either a blade that has a belly the whole length or a hawkbill depending on the task.
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I hear ya.I had a problem sharpening them at first.It's easy now with the sharpmaker(just the tri-stone corners) or round diamond rods.
 
Recurves are a very old design, it's nothing new, they're just enjoying a bit of a rennaisance lately. They DO cut better than a straight edge for the most part but don't lend themselves to resharpening as well as a more conventional blade shape.
 
yoda4561 said:
Recurves are a very old design, it's nothing new, they're just enjoying a bit of a rennaisance lately. They DO cut better than a straight edge for the most part but don't lend themselves to resharpening as well as a more conventional blade shape.
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Better How?I can't think of how they could be any better(functionality) than a straight blade.
 
The shape helps to dig in and force the edge through some materials. An example is thick poly rope. Straight edges often have a tendency to slide if they aren't perfectly sharp, the recurve can get away with a slightly duller edge. It makes the cut easier and more controlable.
 
Spyderco has some Hossom designed knives that are decent too.
Then there's the ever-lovin' Khukri that was a famous battle weapon in India.
Some you boys oughta get into the New World..it's a lot of FUN!! Lol!
 
yoda4561 said:
The shape helps to dig in and force the edge through some materials. An example is thick poly rope. Straight edges often have a tendency to slide if they aren't perfectly sharp, the recurve can get away with a slightly duller edge. It makes the cut easier and more controlable.
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Makes sense...thanks:thumbup:
 
I know my Keshaw storm was great while puting down carpets in the new house, it "bit" alot more than others, including a grip.
 
JTR, The rise of recurves can be explained in 2 words: Eye Candy!

I think that recurves are really popular now because of the rise of interest in knives has been going on for a while and designers want to keep the audience's attention.

Curves really grab people's attention. I don't find them as functional as straight blade.

But they are exciting to look at.
 
The 710's recurve is the most I will tolerate. The shallot doesn't look too bad either but that's the most I would go.
 
I think the popularity of recurves has more to do with aesthetics than anything else. I remember being at one of the local knife shows and I asked a pretty popular knife maker from Hawaii (forgot his name and no it's not Ken Onion) who does a lot of work with recurves (he has beautiful knives) why he made recurves. I asked if they had any special funciton. His answer was pretty simple- "I dunno." Not trying to make this seem negative at all, his knives were incredible. But to me this helps support my opinion on this.
 
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