oH tHe TiP iS ToO FrAGilE

[Wartstein]

For me the slightly dropped Endura-style tip (in ffg!!) always was pointy enough for any task I do, including removing splinters or ticks from the skin.
Plus it just inspires more confidence and makes me use my knife more casual / unworried than for example a PM2 - again, without having any detriment in my use.
Of course I totally believe that some of you benefit from an even pointier tip, but I wonder in what tasks that could be.

And there ARE situations when I really want a sturdy tip and go for my sabre grind Delica for example with its very solid tip: Whenever there is just not the time to be carefull and you WILL hit metal and other hard materials.
Once I did a post in the "what did you use your Spyderco for last" - thread, describing how I use my comboedge, sabregrind Delica to cut open loads a supply helicopter brings. The chopper flies multiple times and you have to cut open and remove the loads it brings really fast before it returns. Much of the stuff is hard (like metal beer barrels), and you WILL hit that stuff with the tip, cause you´re just in such a hurry. Really would not like to have a PM2 in such a situation (not even a ffg Endura to be honest).

/ One thing I personally do not really like by concept: Generally rather thick blade stock, but fragile tip (PM 2, Millie...)

[Bloke]

I think saying a pocket knife’s tip is too fine is like saying the sky’s too blue.

[Wartstein]

I think saying a pocket knife’s tip is too fine is like saying the sky’s too blue.

:p Really depends on the scenario one uses it in: See my post above!
Another example coming from "my real world": Rock climbing. When you do some more or less emergency cutting or really any cutting, where you cling with one hand to a hold, in a maybe akward body position, have to quickly cut something against rock, or will most likely hit rock: Not the PM2 - tip realm imho...

[Bloke]

I think saying a pocket knife’s tip is too fine is like saying the sky’s too blue.

:p Really depends on the scenario one uses it in: See my post above!
Another example coming from "my real world": Rock climbing. When you do some more or less emergency cutting or really any cutting, where you cling with one hand to a hold, in a maybe akward body position, have to quickly cut something against rock, or will most likely hit rock: Not the PM2 - tip realm imho...

Hi Gernot, I certainly agree both fine and not so fine tips have their place and I definitely understand your, brother Pelagic’s and others needs. I just feel a pocket knife carried by the average person cutting the mundane like myself, a fine tip has more advantages than disadvantages.

For example a while back I picked up a fair sized hardwood splinter off a pallet which I fairly easily cut/picked out with a Military’s fine sharp tip. Maybe something I couldn’t have done as easily with a more robust tip. :)

[Blueboost]

TBH.. in '97 or '98 I was carrying a Spyderco that could punch a hole in a car door.

[GarageBoy]

As a sloppy sharpener, I have no idea how to keep tops pointy - any tips? I only use the flats on the sharpmaker, but having a rough time getting the tip done. Same with freehanding, I end up over compensating for the curve and rounding the tip

When big brown bear stabbed the steel and other stuff with the k390 police, I was impressed

[Rpp]

What is this nonsense?

[James Y]

As a sloppy sharpener, I have no idea how to keep tops pointy - any tips? I only use the flats on the sharpmaker, but having a rough time getting the tip done. Same with freehanding, I end up over compensating for the curve and rounding the tip

When big brown bear stabbed the steel and other stuff with the k390 police, I was impressed

When sharpening, including with the Sharpmaker, don’t run the tip off the rod. End the stroke with the tip in the middle of the flat. Running the tip off the rod can round off the tip.

Jim

[DutchBlades]

There is most certainly a need for rounded knives for EMT's, divers, local knife laws, etc. and it definitely suits certain models.
But a knife being pointy has never been a reason for me to turn down any specific model; regardless of blade stock thickness.
I like knives with a pronounced tip and seeing how I don't expect my knife to magically turn into a crowbar, I've never had any issues with them.
There's all shapes and sizes in the line-up, so I choose and use them accordingly.

[GarageBoy]

As a sloppy sharpener, I have no idea how to keep tops pointy - any tips? I only use the flats on the sharpmaker, but having a rough time getting the tip done. Same with freehanding, I end up over compensating for the curve and rounding the tip

When big brown bear stabbed the steel and other stuff with the k390 police, I was impressed

When sharpening, including with the Sharpmaker, don’t run the tip off the rod. End the stroke with the tip in the middle of the flat. Running the tip off the rod can round off the tip.

Jim

I'm having a different problem, I can't seem to get the tip bevel to contact the stone - do I drop my wrist more, or do I move my wrist more laterally to follow the curve?

[James Y]

As a sloppy sharpener, I have no idea how to keep tops pointy - any tips? I only use the flats on the sharpmaker, but having a rough time getting the tip done. Same with freehanding, I end up over compensating for the curve and rounding the tip

When big brown bear stabbed the steel and other stuff with the k390 police, I was impressed

When sharpening, including with the Sharpmaker, don’t run the tip off the rod. End the stroke with the tip in the middle of the flat. Running the tip off the rod can round off the tip.

Jim

I'm having a different problem, I can't seem to get the tip bevel to contact the stone - do I drop my wrist more, or do I move my wrist more laterally to follow the curve?

The way I do it is to allow it to gently follow the curve, even if it means pulling my elbow back a little when doing the curve. I don’t bend or tilt my wrist much if at all. If you end the stroke with the tip in the middle of the surface, you should be able to feel the edge bevel towards the tip making contact. Also, you don’t need to use much pressure. Slow and easy, IMO.

Jim

[Bloke]

I'm having a different problem, I can't seem to get the tip bevel to contact the stone - do I drop my wrist more, or do I move my wrist more laterally to follow the curve?

Hey Boy, I had the same problem when I first got my SharpMaker. :rolleyes:

The “Secret” is: The edge of the blade needs to be tangent to the stone in order to be ground. That basically means you need to rotate the blade through the vertical plane to ensure belly and tip are ground as evenly as the heel of the blade.

So, you’ll need to lift the handle to engage the belly and particularly the tip, and depending on the blade shape sometimes you may need to finish the stroke with the knife almost vertical.

Hope this helps and I haven’t confused you. :)

[Woodpuppy]

^^ Bloke’s got it. I sometimes hold the knife closer to vertical and just work on the tip to “catch up” with the work in the ear of the knife.

[GarageBoy]

Thanks, I have to find a comfortable way to get the knife nearly vertical

[tonijedi]

Thanks, I have to find a comfortable way to get the knife nearly vertical

Use a lower surface to put the sharpmaker on. If the table is too high the range of motion is limited.

[dj moonbat]

"Problems" like determining the correct pointiness of knives are the reason we have the free market.

[JD Spydo]

I dearly miss many of the older Spyderco models that had "pointy" blades. The JD Smith comes immediately to mind. I was carrying and using my old VG-10 version of my Spyderedged JD Smith the past 2 to 3 days and it's such a pleasure to use it. The first half inch of that blade is PE and the point is a "splinter picker" too. Now that clip point with the well defined point off that Dyad Jr. you just showed us is also one of my all time favorite designs.

The original "Worker" C-01 model had a nice well defined point on it too. Also the original Centofante C-50 was a really pointy model as well. If people are careful about using a pointy blade they won't have any problems with them.

[JonLeBlanc]

When you guys say "(almost) vertical" may I ask what you mean by that? Is it that the edge/handle is perpendicular to the stone? I'm just trying to get an image of what's going on, because Garageboy's question is a good one and I've had to pay a lot more attention to my tips when sharpening, and not always succeeding in getting them as evenly sharp as the belly.

[vivi]

When you guys say "(almost) vertical" may I ask what you mean by that? Is it that the edge/handle is perpendicular to the stone? I'm just trying to get an image of what's going on, because Garageboy's question is a good one and I've had to pay a lot more attention to my tips when sharpening, and not always succeeding in getting them as evenly sharp as the belly.

Yes, you want the edge perpendicular to the stone. This is what it looks like at the beginning of my sharpmaker stroke:



And the end:



Versus how it'd look without angling the knife:



NOTE - THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO SPYDERCOS SERRATED KNIVES. On their serrated knives the serrations are all parallel to one another, so you sharpen those knives like a PE Wharncliffe. You DON'T tilt the knife to follow the curve of the blade.

It's also very important not to drag the tip off the rods. I recommend always using the flats if you can for this reason, it makes this easier.

For a damaged tip I often flip the blade upside down and grind the tip at an elevated angle. This might make the tip a little thicker, like a Delica 4 vs a 3, but it quickly restores the V shape to give it a point again.

If any of this is unclear I can make a video.

[JonLeBlanc]

Thank you that did help Vivi.