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I'm pretty sure there is interest for almost everything serrated, but we know you can't make all of them.

On the actual edge grind, I’d prefer an asymmetric chisel grind, like the SE knives - with the bevel on the hollow side.

As far as an SE Yo2, it’s not really something I’d get. I seem to recall MJ saying that there were issues in SD use with serrations snagging in clothing?

And I don’t really use my Yo2 as a utility knife, I have the Wharny Delica for that.

But if people want a SE Yo2, then more power to them.

I would also be interested in a Serrated Yo2 and Yojumbo for that matter...
I’m enjoying the discussion in this thread.
Being a pretty new member, I haven’t posted much, but I love Spyderco’s wharncliffe style and the serrations just as much.

Hey, All:

I apologize for the slow response. I'm on the road for a photo/video shoot with USCCA and Concealed Carry magazine, so I've been away from the keyboard...

First and foremost, thank you, Sal, for the kind words. Just as importantly, thank you for taking the chance on my designs 20 years ago. Very few companies at that time were willing to embrace new and different ideas about tactical blade shapes. You and Spyderco have always been open minded and different in the best possible way. I'll always be grateful for that.

The original grind for the first-generation Ronin was, as Sal described, a chisel grind with a deep hollow on one side and a full flat on the other. Mike Snody, the custom maker who made the first Ronins, was a big fan of this grind and was very good at it. When I wrote an article about his knives for "Tactical Knives" magazine, I explained its advantages and how it worked with right and left-handed users. Mike was impressed with my understanding of its nuances, and even more impressed when the article became the tipping point for him to become a full-time maker.

Around that time, Sal had invited me to start teaching MBC under Spyderco's auspices and thought that I should also have a signature knife design that I could recommend to students. I showed him the Snody-made Ronin and the rest is history.

Two decades later, it's awesome to see more Wharncliffe designs out there--especially on the tactical side--and to know that I had something to do with sparking that interest.

Again, thank you, Sal and Spyderco, for everything...

Stay safe,

Mike

I would buy a SE Yo2. I had a blue Yo1 that I was very fond of, but a friend talked it right out of my pocket. I never bought a Yo2 in the gap since. A SE version would tip the scales for me. If it were it asymmetric hollow like Mr. Janich suggests, it would be even more enticing.

I wouldn't be opposed to a SE yo2, but possibly with the less snag-prone serrations as popularized in several other threads here.

Another wharnie fan here.
I'm using the Salt 2 SE wharncliffe as my work knife and I've an older wharncliffe Urban that goes in my 5th pocket for edc.
I'd absolutely love a wharnie UKPK especially with brown FRN or pakkawood :)

I'd have interest in that grind. Chisel edge, hollow on one side, flat on other. Sounds good. I like the ease of sharpening of chisel grinds and the greater inclusive edge angles you cam get with fixed angle sharpeners.

Huge wharnie fan, but not into the asymmetrical grinds, nor the hollow on the Yojimbo 2. I tried buying the original Yojimbo 1 for a while, but eventually gave up finding one. When the Yojimbo 2 was announced I was disappointed in the choice of a hollow grind. I know they have better performance in many scenarios/materials but my preference is always a non serrated FFG.

I'd love to have a Native Wharnie...

Subscribed for the wharnie talk :D

Woodpuppy wrote:Subscribed for the wharnie talk :D

+1 :D

Lots of interesting ideas in this thread. I like chisel edges in theory, but find in practice that many manufacturers produce chisel-edged blades that are far, far too thick behind the edge for the serious user to get much real-world utility out of them without extensive reprofiling.

The proposed chisel-edged Wharncliffe design with a hollow grind on one side and a full-flat grind on the other is very intriguing, though. Done right, it should be a spectacular slicer.

zuludelta wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:49 pm

Lots of interesting ideas in this thread. I like chisel edges in theory, but find in practice that many manufacturers produce chisel-edged blades that are far, far too thick behind the edge for the serious user to get much real-world utility out of them without extensive reprofiling.

The proposed chisel-edged Wharncliffe design with a hollow grind on one side and a full-flat grind on the other is very intriguing, though. Done right, it should be a spectacular slicer.

Do these tend to be “handed” designs? I find serrated knives steer in the cut. Is the hollow/flat supposed to help with that?

Woodpuppy wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:30 pm

Do these tend to be “handed” designs? I find serrated knives steer in the cut. Is the hollow/flat supposed to help with that?

If I understand Sal's description right, the asymmetrical hybrid HHG/FFG chisel edge would result in a knife that excels in making clean, precise, shallow cuts in hard, porous material (think of a woodworking knife) but is also able to slice cleanly all the way through dense material (like meat or fruit) with relatively minimal drag. Normally, blades that are ground to excel in the former aren't as good in the latter, and vice-versa. Most knives are typically ground to work "good enough" for both types of tasks, or to excel in one or the other.

I think any sensation of "handedness" in this design would be mostly (if not wholly) mitigated in the proposed hybrid HHG/FFG Wharncliffe if it were in plain edge (I think the problem of serrated blades "steering in the cut" is exacerbated by the prominence of the ridges between the scallops), and if the grind angles are done right.

That said, I find that I instinctively compensate for blade "handedness" when cutting with an asymmetrically-ground blade (including Spyderco's serrated knives), and it's something I almost never consciously notice unless it is explicitly brought up.

Sounds intriguing. I’d be interested in trying one of these asymmetrically ground wharnies.

I’m not sure I’d be interested. That grind perhaps would be good for marshal blade work, but that is not my thing. I see no practical use. As for Wharncliffe shape, Ken Onion’s Leek is pretty nice. I like the wharncliffe a lot for some things.

With regard to "handedness," the deep hollow/flat combination does have a bias toward one hand. The original Ronin I designed for Snody was ground on the reverse side for righties. Most commercial chisel-ground knives that are not Japanese kitchen knives are ground on the obverse side so they "look right" in advertising.

Serrations are, by nature, a secondary chisel edge and also define handedness. The advantage of the deep hollow over a saber grind or flat is you can achieve a thinner behind-the-edge thickness and maintain it further up the blade. That mitigates the effect of the "handedness" issue.

Stay safe,

Mike

Doc Dan wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 23, 2020 12:40 am

I’m not sure I’d be interested. That grind perhaps would be good for marshal blade work, but that is not my thing. I see no practical use. As for Wharncliffe shape, Ken Onion’s Leek is pretty nice. I like the wharncliffe a lot for some things.

The Leek has some belly to the edge, so it is not a Wharncliffe. It is a very useful blade shape in its own right, however. I think Kershaw refers to it as a modified drop point.

It is flat across the bottom, no belly on any of mine. It is a modified wharncliffe.

The wharncliffe is one of my most used blades cleaning squirrels and rabbits. It takes the feet, tail, and head off nicely. It is not great for skinning and gutting though. I like the wharcliffe for certain carving chores, too. It also makes a great exacto substitute.

I like Wharncliffe blades, mostly smaller blades. Length-wise, I probably wouldn’t want one for myself with a blade much over 3”.

Jim