For all you yojimbo owners out there, i have a question. how is the tip strength of the yojimbo? we've all heard the stories of how the miltary has a "weak" tip, is the yojimbo the same way? in order to get something that pointy, it can't be too strong, can it?
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Yojimbo tip strength?
- Thread starter madfast
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The blue Yojimbo I have is made of S30V blade steel. I must admit that I have not put it through a brutal test as of yet but every other knife I have with S30V blade steel has had super performance. For instance I have a
Spyderco "Dodo" with that same blade steel. I use it for an EDC and have really put it through some very punishing ordeals and so far it has taken all I have given it. The tip on the Dodo has considerably less spine than my Yojimbo.
Spyderco "Dodo" with that same blade steel. I use it for an EDC and have really put it through some very punishing ordeals and so far it has taken all I have given it. The tip on the Dodo has considerably less spine than my Yojimbo.
Ive been carrying mine on and off for about 2 months and all I have to say is dont let the looks of the tip fool you. Ive beaten the crap out of this poor knife; stripping wire, cutting drywall (I know its bad), I even cut the top off of a can of pvc glue because I couldnt get the top off. A little time on the 204 at the end of the day (very thereputic by the way) and shes good as new.
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- May 26, 1999
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The tip broke off my Yojimbo maybe three days after I got it. I dropped it from about two feet off the ground onto a carpeted floor.
A broken point doesn't mean much to me; it only took around 10 minutes to fix. I love thin points, but I recognize that broken tips can affect the resale value of a knife, and some people don't know how to repair them.
If you really don't like thin tips, you probably shouldn't get the Yojimbo.
A broken point doesn't mean much to me; it only took around 10 minutes to fix. I love thin points, but I recognize that broken tips can affect the resale value of a knife, and some people don't know how to repair them.
If you really don't like thin tips, you probably shouldn't get the Yojimbo.
If I'm not mistaken, that was the most awesome F. Perrin and Capt. Nemo who did that.Parallax said:
If I'm not mistaken also, his Ronin's tip currently looks halfway on its way to a butter knife. Still an effective weapon, for sure, but I don't think it survived with "no" tip damage. But I can't find the reference, so, this information is worth exactly what you paid for it.
-j
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Yeah, just a very tiny bit of the tip broke off. Only a millimeter or two. Not a big deal at all. I reshaped it using a coarse benchstone. It's still pretty thin though and it might actually break again.madfast said:
I see tip breakage as sort of a self-correcting problem. If the tip breaks, reshape it and it'll be thicker. If it breaks again, the new tip you put on will be even thicker than the old one. Eventually you'll find an optimum thickness.
This is assuming that only a couple of millimeters of the point break off. If more than half an inch or so breaks off, that's a pretty serious problem!
I'd probably be more inclined to criticize how the knife was used in that situation though, rather than the knife's design.Michael Janich
Moderator
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Actually, the Yojimbo's tip is thicker and stronger than the Ronin's. The Ronin was made by Moki for Spyderco, and doesn't reflect the same quality as a Colorado-made Spyderco. The tip is thinner and frequently the cutting edge is not sharpened straight. The grind on the Yojimbo leaves more steel at the tip, is stronger, and always boasts a straight cutting edge.
The thing to understand about the tip design is that, because of its needle point, it will penetrate amazingly well. A private student of mine recently attended a domonstration of ballistic body armor. When the demo was over, he asked the company rep if he could try the Yojimbo on an unshot portion of a Level IIIA vest. It punched through every time with very little effort. (Note: Before I get spanked, yes, I know all about the fact that ballistic armor is not designed to stop knives, trauma plates, ice pick tests, etc. etc. My point here is to provide an example of the penetration of the Yojimbo/Ronin point design, not to debate body armor theory.)
Finally, even if a small portion of the point does break off, the cutting power of the knife remains exactly the same because of the straight edge. Furthermore, a Ronin with a broken tip will still penetrate better than many knives with their original point designs.
Thanks for your interest in my designs.
Stay safe and have Happy Thanksgiving,
The thing to understand about the tip design is that, because of its needle point, it will penetrate amazingly well. A private student of mine recently attended a domonstration of ballistic body armor. When the demo was over, he asked the company rep if he could try the Yojimbo on an unshot portion of a Level IIIA vest. It punched through every time with very little effort. (Note: Before I get spanked, yes, I know all about the fact that ballistic armor is not designed to stop knives, trauma plates, ice pick tests, etc. etc. My point here is to provide an example of the penetration of the Yojimbo/Ronin point design, not to debate body armor theory.)
Finally, even if a small portion of the point does break off, the cutting power of the knife remains exactly the same because of the straight edge. Furthermore, a Ronin with a broken tip will still penetrate better than many knives with their original point designs.
Thanks for your interest in my designs.
Stay safe and have Happy Thanksgiving,
Michael,
Thank you for your information. That is indeed true about the Yojimbo... it's why I carry it daily, and not only for SD. It makes for a totally awesome slicer and piercer. Love the wharncliffe profile.
And yeah... I'm glad you realized that the Japan-made Ronin had an... inconsistent edge (to put it mildly).
Take care and have a great Thanksgiving yourself.
-j
Thank you for your information. That is indeed true about the Yojimbo... it's why I carry it daily, and not only for SD. It makes for a totally awesome slicer and piercer. Love the wharncliffe profile.
And yeah... I'm glad you realized that the Japan-made Ronin had an... inconsistent edge (to put it mildly).
Take care and have a great Thanksgiving yourself.
-j