It's Hawkbill Time: Spyderco Units Only Please

[JD Spydo]

In the past three years every time I've brought up the subject of Spyderco's great Hawkbill models I continue to hear from many guys how good they are in gardening, landscaping and other lawn & garden type jobs. In the past two days I've been pruning rose plants and cutting vines along with working on some small trees that have only been in the ground for two years>> getting this area ready for the summer ahead and my Spyderco Hawkbills are making the job easier. The more I use my Spyderco Hawkbill blades for lawn & garden jobs the more I want to see what all else they are good for.

I find that my Spyderhawk models along with two of my older Harpy models are the ones I go to the most. Now I don't really want to completely restrict this Spyderco Hawkbill thread to lawn & garden uses only>> no I would like to hear about a wide range of uses that many of you all are discovering. Also I'm always wanting to hear about more cutting jobs that Spyderco's Hawkbills do well.

Also I'm finding that I use my Spyderco Hawkbill models on most of my day to day jobs as well. Spyderco's Hawkbills are so good that I really don't have much desire to check out any other Hawkbill blades. So please let's chat and compare notes on Spyderco's great Hawkbill models big & small.

[JuPaul]

I now have the biggest and littlest of the spydie hawkbills - the ladybug and the spyderhawk and they are both awesome. The ladybug is super useful for all sorts of little around-the-house jobs...peeling the plastic seals off of chalulah bottles and cutting the plastic ties off little toy components comes to mind. The spyderhawk I've used for yardwork. One of these days I'll have to get a hawkbill salt and test it out as an edc blade.

[James Y]

I find the safest knife for me to open that tough plastic clamshell packaging is my VG-10 SE Harpy. It’s easy to control, and won’t result in a potentially dangerous slip.

Jim

[JD Spydo]

I now have the biggest and littlest of the spydie hawkbills - the ladybug and the spyderhawk and they are both awesome. The ladybug is super useful for all sorts of little around-the-house jobs...peeling the plastic seals off of chalulah bottles and cutting the plastic ties off little toy components comes to mind. The spyderhawk I've used for yardwork. One of these days I'll have to get a hawkbill salt and test it out as an edc blade.

Yeah these Spyderco Hawkbill blades really grow on you the more you use them. However I do find that the serrated ( Spyderedged) Hawkbills seem to do better in pull cutting jobs. A lot of people I find shy away from that Spyderhawk model because many people perceive it as strictly a tactical type blade. And yes I'm sure it does have some tactical uses it would be ideal for but it kind of gives it a bad rap and people tend to overlook all the pragmatic uses that it has. The last time I helped field dress a deer I couldn't believe how useful the Spyderhawk was in separating joint areas as well as sawing through some hard to cut places on the carcass.

99% of the time I carry a full sized Spyderco plain edged folder along with a serrated ( Spyderedged) folder and most of the time when working I carry a Spyderhawk or Harpy in SE.

Yeah using a big Spyderco Hawkbill really grows on you when you discover how many cutting chores they are good for.

[Blackhill]

Hi JD.
I'll throw in my love for the Hawkbill.I carried a Harpy for over 10 years for work.I found it was an extremely useful blade shape.I used it daily for cutting zip ties.Stripping electrical flex.Opening packages,cutting tape and copper wire. I used it as an electricians knife.I modified mine by cutting the Spydie hole to make a wave and tapping a new hole for tip up carry .I was initially worried the blade would be too delicate without the hole but I did that about a year into owning it and it's held up amazingly well to years of daily use. The wave feature also made a great bottle opener.

Due to being in the UK I don't risk carrying the Harpy these days.I make do with a Case Hawkbill and a UKPK.
My Harpy is a bit worn from a hard life but it's my most treasured knife.I also had a Merlin at one point .
As I said in the UKPK Titanium thread. A slipjoint Hawkbill would be my Spyderco grail knife.

[JuPaul]

I now have the biggest and littlest of the spydie hawkbills - the ladybug and the spyderhawk and they are both awesome. The ladybug is super useful for all sorts of little around-the-house jobs...peeling the plastic seals off of chalulah bottles and cutting the plastic ties off little toy components comes to mind. The spyderhawk I've used for yardwork. One of these days I'll have to get a hawkbill salt and test it out as an edc blade.

Yeah these Spyderco Hawkbill blades really grow on you the more you use them. However I do find that the serrated ( Spyderedged) Hawkbills seem to do better in pull cutting jobs. A lot of people I find shy away from that Spyderhawk model because many people perceive it as strictly a tactical type blade. And yes I'm sure it does have some tactical uses it would be ideal for but it kind of gives it a bad rap and people tend to overlook all the pragmatic uses that it has. The last time I helped field dress a deer I couldn't believe how useful the Spyderhawk was in separating joint areas as well as sawing through some hard to cut places on the carcass.

99% of the time I carry a full sized Spyderco plain edged folder along with a serrated ( Spyderedged) folder and most of the time when working I carry a Spyderhawk or Harpy in SE.

Yeah using a big Spyderco Hawkbill really grows on you when you discover how many cutting chores they are good for.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that both my spyderhawk and ladybug are SE. I don't think I'd want them in PE, but maybe I'm wrong...

[Evil D]

My hawkbill needs are pretty satisfied, at least until they come out with another FFG option with SE (also with more hook than the Superhawk had).

[JD Spydo]

My hawkbill needs are pretty satisfied, at least until they come out with another FFG option with SE (also with more hook than the Superhawk had).

I also would like to see something in the size range of the HARPY with more curve to it as well. But the Spyderhawk is quite satisfactory for my uses.

We used to have about 4 guys that were professional fishermen and other guys who did work at sea that all used to talk about how Hawkbill blades were ideal for what they did.

A full flat grind SPYDERHAWK is something I've had on my wish list for quite some time.

If the lawn & garden tool catalogs like A. M. Leonard were to discover how good Hawkbill blades are for that type of work I doubt if Spyderco could keep them in stock.

[The Meat man]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

[JD Spydo]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

Interesting! What advantages do you find using a Hawkbill with less curve? I've personally found the opposite to be true but I'm all ears. Here lately I've also wondered how the right Hawkbill blade might just make a great grafting knife.

Also I wish more of you all would make a list of what you all use Spyderco Hawkbill blades for?

Oh one other question? Who else thinks that a full flat grind blade on a Hawkbill would make it a much better tool?

[The Meat man]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

Interesting! What advantages do you find using a Hawkbill with less curve? I've personally found the opposite to be true but I'm all ears. Here lately I've also wondered how the right Hawkbill blade might just make a great grafting knife.

Also I wish more of you all would make a list of what you all use Spyderco Hawkbill blades for?

Oh one other question? Who else thinks that a full flat grind blade on a Hawkbill would make it a much better tool?

It just seems easier to use, especially when cutting things on a flat surface. A more abrupt hook tends to snag more unless it is laser sharp because of the increased angle of the cut. Part of it might be aesthetics too; I prefer the look of a single curve rather than a curve with a sudden hook at the end.

I can see the utility of having a "hookier" blade, though: being quicker to "grab" material and hang on to it.

As for use, I carried my Byrd Hawkbill exclusively for about a month and used it for everything I'd have used a regular blade for (including food prep.) It worked great, most times better than a regular blade would have actually. Cutting cardboard, popping thick plastic pallet banding, slicing cheese for snacks, cutting open bags and boxes, trimming plants, poking things, even a little bit of whittling. I really like the Byrd Hawkbill.

I absolutely think a FFG Hawkbill would be a great idea! Preferably, in a high hardness steel like CPM 4V, available in both PE and SE. Or CPM Cru-Wear.

[ZrowsN1s]

I'd like to see the HB DFly get the S90V Carbon fiber treatment. Nothing wrong with the serrated H1, but I'm a collector. I want something fancy. My custom McNee's Microhawk scratches that itch (mostly), but it's heavy and not as Curvy/pointy as the dfly and not fully ambidextrous. There's room in my collection for another small high end hawkbill. A nice mid size piece wouldn't be out of the question either.

[zuludelta]

My modest collection of Spyderco hawkbills (from L–R: Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill in H1, Byrd Knives Hawkbill in 8Cr13MoV, Tasman Salt 2 SE in H1, Karahawk in VG-10):

I used to regularly carry the Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill as my trail-running knife but eventually replaced it with a leaf-shaped Dragonfly 2 Salt SE since the latter has a smaller closed profile and fits in the waistband key pocket of my running shorts.

I've used the Tasman Salt 2 SE, Byrd Knives Hawkbill, and the Karahawk at various times as my work knife and I've found the hawkbill blade shape to be pretty useful for utility work. I've said it before & I'll say it again: for cutting rope, pallet strapping & netting, nothing beats a hawkbill, especially a serrated hawkbill. Serrated hawkbills do tend to collect gunk (stuff like cardboard & polypropylene bits mixed with adhesive residue) in the scallops after a while, though, more so than other blade shapes because of how they "gather" the material being cut. A very minor drawback but it can be a bit of an annoyance if one does a whole lot of cutting at work (like I do).

And I know karambits get a lot of crap for being the edgelord's knife of choice but I actually found the Karahawk to be quite useful when I had to respond to a workplace medical emergency (I pull double-duty as a Level 2 OFA): because of the Emerson Wave feature (and because of muscle memory built up from a lifetime drawing folding knives from my right front pocket), I was able to deploy it much, much faster than the rescue hook on my folding trauma shears—the drawing action was almost automatic—and the hawkbill blade shape allowed me to use the Karahawk much like one would use a rescue hook (being very, very mindful of the sharpened tip, of course).

All in all, I have a very positive view of Spyderco's folding hawkbills as utility cutters. Just like any "specialist" blade shape, a hawkbill will excel at certain tasks and struggle with others, but it can be a solid general-purpose work knife so long as one uses a hawkbill with a clear understanding of this fact and makes adjustments accordingly.

[Evil D]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

My issue with gentle curved hawkbills is that they start to defeat the purpose, or for me I think I'm just as well having a wharnie with a negative blade angle since you get very similar pull cut performance in a more versatile blade shape. This is one of those situations where carrying two knives is the best bet and for the hawkbill I like enough hook to "grab" things and pull cut them. With a knife like the Superhawk you don't get much "grab".

[The Meat man]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

My issue with gentle curved hawkbills is that they start to defeat the purpose, or for me I think I'm just as well having a wharnie with a negative blade angle since you get very similar pull cut performance in a more versatile blade shape. This is one of those situations where carrying two knives is the best bet and for the hawkbill I like enough hook to "grab" things and pull cut them. With a knife like the Superhawk you don't get much "grab".

I've thought of that too and you may be right - perhaps my ideal blade shape that would offer something of a compromise would be a wharncliffe. I haven't used a wharncliffe extensively so this might be a good excuse to try one.

[JD Spydo]

My modest collection of Spyderco hawkbills (from L–R: Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill in H1, Byrd Knives Hawkbill in 8Cr13MoV, Tasman Salt 2 SE in H1, Karahawk in VG-10):
20200510_105226.jpg

I used to regularly carry the Dragonfly 2 Salt Hawkbill as my trail-running knife but eventually replaced it with a leaf-shaped Dragonfly 2 Salt SE since the latter has a smaller closed profile and fits in the waistband key pocket of my running shorts.

I've used the Tasman Salt 2 SE, Byrd Knives Hawkbill, and the Karahawk at various times as my work knife and I've found the hawkbill blade shape to be pretty useful for utility work. I've said it before & I'll say it again: for cutting rope, pallet strapping & netting, nothing beats a hawkbill, especially a serrated hawkbill. Serrated hawkbills do tend to collect gunk (stuff like cardboard & polypropylene bits mixed with adhesive residue) in the scallops after a while, though, more so than other blade shapes because of how they "gather" the material being cut. A very minor drawback but it can be a bit of an annoyance if one does a whole lot of cutting at work (like I do).

And I know karambits get a lot of crap for being the edgelord's knife of choice but I actually found the Karahawk to be quite useful when I had to respond to a workplace medical emergency (I pull double-duty as a Level 2 OFA): because of the Emerson Wave feature (and because of muscle memory built up from a lifetime drawing folding knives from my right front pocket), I was able to deploy it much, much faster than the rescue hook on my folding trauma shears—the drawing action was almost automatic—and the hawkbill blade shape allowed me to use the Karahawk much like one would use a rescue hook (being very, very mindful of the sharpened tip, of course).

All in all, I have a very positive view of Spyderco's folding hawkbills as utility cutters. Just like any "specialist" blade shape, a hawkbill will excel at certain tasks and struggle with others, but it can be a solid general-purpose work knife so long as one uses a hawkbill with a clear understanding of this fact and makes adjustments accordingly.

I would have just loved to have had one of those Karahawks in SE. And why they make any Hawkbill and not make it available in Spyderedge is beyond me. I don't at all object to plain edged Hawkbillls because I'm sure they have more uses than I've discovered so far. But 90% of the time when I use a Hawkbill I go for the ones with teeth. And for lawn, garden & landscaping uses I can't imagine what, if any advantages a plain edged Hawkbill can provide.

I'm still wanting to see a fixed blade Hawkbill at some point>> and yes I want it in both edge types.

[bbturbodad]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

I feel the same way and that's why I'm a big fan of the reverse S for EDC use. Just enough hook but doesn't get in the way for general use.

I do find the HB Ladybug to be very usable and it punches well above its weight class.

[JD Spydo]

For my EDC uses I prefer less of an abrupt hook and more a gentle curve.

I feel the same way and that's why I'm a big fan of the reverse S for EDC use. Just enough hook but doesn't get in the way for general use.

I do find the HB Ladybug to be very usable and it punches well above its weight class.

Glad you brought up "Reverse S" blades. I've said many times that if they took a Matriarch model and made it with a thicker blade ( especially in the tip area) and in full SE you would have a really nice utility work knife that would be great for many types of work.

The "Reverse S" blades and the Hawkbill blades both have their advantages and disadvantages. The belly part of a "Reverse S" blade in SE gives you a lot of leverage cutting extremely thick rope and/or cordage.

But I will say that both Reverse S and Hawkbills both are much better in Spyderedge. I've yet to find anyone give me more than 2 reasons why they like a plain edged blade in either blade design.

[bbturbodad]

But I will say that both Reverse S and Hawkbills both are much better in Spyderedge. I've yet to find anyone give me more than 2 reasons why they like a plain edged blade in either blade design.

The main advantage I find is easier straight cuts without veering off course with PE for longer cuts. Also do to the grind not being chisel ground on PE blades the tip is stronger and feels less fragile.

I don't have any FFG SE blades but I'd love to try out one in reverse S.

[James Y]

I’ve been thinking about getting a SE Ladybug HB for awhile now (thanks to Bloke!), but due to having no income, I cannot justify the purchase for the foreseeable future. Even though it’s little, IMO it would be good to always have on me if I didn’t want to carry a regular-sized hawkbill on any given day.

Jim