Spyderco Forums

Out of all of the designs Spyderco and others have used, both in the past, and the present, which do you think are the most efficient blade shape when it comes to everyday cutting applications? I am going to say the Drop Point Leaf Blade Shape is the most efficient. It is no wonder Sal chose that one for Mule blades and other production models.

The secondary questions are grind and thickness. I would say flat grind and flat saber grind, and also thickness, in the 2.5 to 4 MM range. I believe anything below 2 MM is too thin and too fragile when it comes to steel (perhaps in the future with new non iron based super materials we can have paper thin knives that stand up to the stress and strain) and above 4 MM tends to be too thick for proper cutting. You may ofcourse differ from me on that.

I think a FFG thinner Shaman would be perfect. Taller blades with a stout tip that slice well are a good all around choice imo.

Delica, manix, and native come to mind.

I think a 2mm wharncliffe in ffg or high hollow grind.

I've traditional with the blade stock under 2mm. They're not fragile.

knivesandbooks wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:04 am

I think a 2mm wharncliffe in ffg or high hollow grind.

I've traditional with the blade stock under 2mm. They're not fragile.

This is good to know. That means 2 MM can cut very well and also stand up to the stress and strain. Thank you.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:21 am

knivesandbooks wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:04 am

I think a 2mm wharncliffe in ffg or high hollow grind.

I've traditional with the blade stock under 2mm. They're not fragile.

This is good to know. That means 2 MM can cut very well and also stand up to the stress and strain. Thank you.

An Opinel no.6 Inox is listed at 1.27 mms. I've never found a means to break one.

Guess you'd call the funky blade shape of the Stretch 1 and 2 a droppoint. Anyway, that's clearly the most efficient I've ever experienced. Make it 2.5mm in thickness (instead of 3), keep it ffg and it would be even better

knivesandbooks wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:24 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:21 am

knivesandbooks wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:04 am

I think a 2mm wharncliffe in ffg or high hollow grind.

I've traditional with the blade stock under 2mm. They're not fragile.

This is good to know. That means 2 MM can cut very well and also stand up to the stress and strain. Thank you.

An Opinel no.6 Inox is listed at 1.27 mms. I've never found a means to break one.

9 years using (and admittedly abusing) it like I got it for free (which actually I did, as I found it abandoned in a park :confused: ) and it is still going :o

I really like the pointy tip of the para 3 and pm2, but they’re a little thick. Delica and Endura probably fit the bill to a T.

I think a full flat ground, 1.5 - 2mm thick wharncliffe with a pointy tip is hands down the best utility shape.....aside from doing food prep.

Anything with belly is a compromise to me. Works better for food prep but worse for utility.

This is one of the reasons I made the odd choice to buy a Ronin 2 for utility. It's a go to for around the house stuff, like breaking down boxes and whatnot.

Vivi, would you want a SE wharnie or do you prefer PE?

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:28 am

I believe anything below 2 MM is too thin and too fragile when it comes to steel (perhaps in the future with new non iron based super materials we can have paper thin knives that stand up to the stress and strain) and above 4 MM tends to be too thick for proper cutting. You may ofcourse differ from me on that.

SEF, through the ‘80 I dressed, goats, small deer, cut the bottom jaw out of pigs and cleaned umpteen fish with a Gerber Pixie with 0.063” blade stock. It never looked like breaking.

I got distracted cleaning fish one morning and left it on a rock ... the ocean took it.

Wartstein wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:37 am

Guess you'd call the funky blade shape of the Stretch 1 and 2 a droppoint. Anyway, that's clearly the most efficient I've ever experienced. Make it 2.5mm in thickness (instead of 3), keep it ffg and it would be even better

As time goes by day by day I am beginning to agree.

thinner, longer, pointier FFG with negative blade angle for me since i cut food primarily with my edc

Besides wharncliffes, Ive found that Spey blades (and similar) as well was the drop points similar to that of a GEC Bull Nose Sodbuster (almost all flat with the abrupt belly at the tip) are great.

I used to be all about the curves, but this last year I really found preference in knves with little to no belly.

Doeswhateveraspidercan wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:19 pm

Wartstein wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:37 am

Guess you'd call the funky blade shape of the Stretch 1 and 2 a droppoint. Anyway, that's clearly the most efficient I've ever experienced. Make it 2.5mm in thickness (instead of 3), keep it ffg and it would be even better

As time goes by day by day I am beginning to agree.

Glad you begin to discover the magic of the Stretch...
Hope that more knife-enthusiasts overcome the at-first-"different"-looks and give this design a try.

knivesandbooks wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 11:23 pm

Besides wharncliffes, Ive found that Spey blades (and similar) as well was the drop points similar to that of a GEC Bull Nose Sodbuster (almost all flat with the abrupt belly at the tip) are great.

I used to be all about the curves, but this last year I really found preference in knves with little to no belly.

I'm in the opposite boat. If I'm going to have belly, I prefer it to be gradual like a Police 3. Easier to sharpen by a long shot, and more handy for my uses. Spey blades and Spydercos like the Ark, I feel once what I'm slicing reaches that curve, it just wants to slip right off the cutting edge.

Woodpuppy wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:52 pm

Vivi, would you want a SE wharnie or do you prefer PE?

I'm fine with either. I'd buy a SE wharny Endura if they used the Endura 3 handle shape.

I do feel SE wharnies lose out on SE being easier to sharpen by not having to follow the curve of the blade due to the serrations all being ground at the same angle, but that's not a knock against the usefulness of the blade.

npad69 wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 7:51 pm

thinner, longer, pointier FFG with negative blade angle for me since i cut food primarily with my edc

A negative angle makes a big difference. Increased leverage with no penalty. I can't use designs like the Kershaw Skyline with the same appreciation as I do a Military - they feel designed more for the eye than the hand.

For me that would be a plain edged, full flat ground blade, as thin as possible and as wide as practical. Aside from wide being better than narrow, blade shape is unimportant. Edge shape, on the other hand, matters, I prefer an edge shape something like that of the Stretch, Endura, Military, and Schempp Persian that combine a decent amount of straight edge with a usable convex curve at the tip. My ideal "dream Spyderco" would be a Schempp Persian, bolstered like the original, with a 2mm FFG blade and no Boye dent.

Modified wharncliffe edge(slightly curved), plain edge, full flat, 2mm blade stock, very thin behind the edge OR a 3 inch, thinner behind the edge(0.015) Dragonfly

Pelagic wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 13, 2019 10:41 am

I think a FFG thinner Shaman would be perfect. Taller blades with a stout tip that slice well are a good all around choice imo.

Delica, manix, and native come to mind.

This.

For me, Manix and Native are the top choices, because I like the 50/50 choil.

I've tried to EDC the PM2 and the leaf blade shape just works better for my personal daily tasks.

just unzipped some double walled cardboard boxes withe the Stetch2 VG-10. Can catch the Cardboard in the belly and just razor it open no problem then broke it down. Starting at the heel and by the time it hits the belly towards the tip it is locked in and done for.

Still paper cutting sharp after all that, no problem. VG-10 just does not get enough respect.