Endela Vs Strech 2 blade géometry (belly)

[Jull]

Hi guy's i'm interrest about this technical question

Blade géométry about Endela and strech 2 espécially the belly what is the reason Sal create it like this?

Here we can see blade of Endela (in red) and strech 2, we can see Strech 2 have a more pronounced belly on the side of tip than the endela, endela have more a "continued" belly.

So i hasked me why is different and why Sal create it like this.

Strech 2 in catalog, was mention like hunter knife so this pronounced belly it's for remove skin off animal? or maybe just because it's good for edc use simply?

For me (and i'm newbee:) this more pronounced belly he's good for cut on plate surface like cutboard for put the knife at verticaly.

And endela whith more "continued" belly have more long effective cut.

... Not sure :)

[bearfacedkiller]

I think you have it figured out. The Stretch was originally a folding Hunter and the Endela is more of a edc/utility knife. They are quite similar though so the distinction is subtle in some ways and both could fill either role.

The straighter edge is better for utility. The more pronounced belly would be better for slicing cuts like skinning an animal. It would also be better for making a rocking cut against a board.

In the end it is just preference.

[Doc Dan]

You got it, as BFK noted. The Stretch was designed as a hunting knife. It has more belly and the point is configured in such a way as to make skinning an animal, such as a deer, much more efficient.

[elena86]

I disliked that funky Stretch blade shape for many years but the more I use it the more I like it. It’s not as good as the Endela for my every day cutting chores but the pronounced belly brings some benefits to the table so to speak. I only wish they kept the old, more pointy blade style of the Stretch1. I never understood the transition from the Stretch1 to the Stretch2 but it’s Sal’s pet project so I am sure he had something in mind when he designed the Stretch2. Speaking of Stretch style blade shape, I hope they release another drop point UKPK in a better steel... soon.

[ChrisinHove]

I prefer the Endela blade but just couldn’t get on with the handle.

[Jull]

My grandpa doo this but i never hunting, and dont know a lot about hunting, hunters often use 3.5 inches blade for skinning animal?

I think they use most often fixed blade 5/8 inches no? maybe i'm wrong...

[Doc Dan]

My grandpa doo this but i never hunting, and dont know a lot about hunting, hunters often use 3.5 inches blade for skinning animal?

I think they use most often fixed blade 5/8 inches no? maybe i'm wrong...

For skinning a 3.5 to 3.75 inch blade is optimal. When it comes to quartering and etc. a larger knife is good.

[Gtscotty]

My grandpa doo this but i never hunting, and dont know a lot about hunting, hunters often use 3.5 inches blade for skinning animal?

I think they use most often fixed blade 5/8 inches no? maybe i'm wrong...

In my experience, 3.5"-4.5" is about right for a hunting knife, I've used shorter and my longest is 4.5". When you're skinning, gutting or quartering an animal in the field, you're often working with your hand around the blade, precision and fine control are important. Accidentally cutting inards or yourself in the back country can be quite inconvenient, and a bunch of extra blade length makes this more likely while not really providing value in the process.

[Notsurewhy]

Most hunters I know use short bladed (3-4in blade) knives for skinning. You need fine control and don't want to let the tip get away from you.

[bearfacedkiller]

Processing a deer falls into four categories for me. Field dressing, skinning, breakdown/deboning and then packaging.

For field dressing (removing all the innards while still in the woods) 3-3.5 inches is ideal. I was taught that you want to field dress a deer with a blade that is the length of your index finger.

I have skinned a lot of deer in my life. I think that 3.5” is enough but closer to 5” is better. The shape of the blade is more important than the length. It needs enough belly to make drawing cuts and the tip needs to be high enough that you don’t accidentally puncture the skin. Puncturing the skin only really matters if you plan to keep the hide though.

For breaking a deer down I prefer blades about 5”. I will usually skin it and then debone it with the same knife.

After that I bring everything into the kitchen and use kitchen knives to get it into vacuum bags for the freezer. A gyuto for cutting it up and a fillet knife for the tedious work of silver skin removal which is by far my least favorite part of the whole process.

It is also worth noting that the drop point on the Stretch is meant to make field dressing easier. It helps for the spine to drop down to the tip so you are not poking stuff inside the chest cavity. I also usually lay my index finger along the spine of it keep the tip a little more covered. The Stretches odd blade shape achieves a good amount of belly with a dropped point which are both features of many hunting knives.

[Notsurewhy]

Processing a deer falls into four categories for me. Field dressing, skinning, breakdown/deboning and then packaging.

For field dressing (removing all the innards while still in the woods) 3-3.5 inches is ideal. I was taught that you want to field dress a deer with a blade that is the length of your index finger.

I have skinned a lot of deer in my life. I think that 3.5” is enough but closer to 5” is better. The shape of the blade is more important than the length. It needs enough belly to make drawing cuts and the tip needs to be high enough that you don’t accidentally puncture the skin. Puncturing the skin only really matters if you plan to keep the hide though.

For breaking a deer down I prefer blades about 5”. I will usually skin it and then debone it with the same knife.

After that I bring everything into the kitchen and use kitchen knives to get it into vacuum bags for the freezer. A gyuto for cutting it up and a fillet knife for the tedious work of silver skin removal which is by far my least favorite part of the whole process.

It is also worth noting that the drop point on the Stretch is meant to make field dressing easier. It helps for the spine to drop down to the tip so you are not poking stuff inside the chest cavity. I also usually lay my index finger along the spine of it keep the tip a little more covered. The Stretches odd blade shape achieves a good amount of belly with a dropped point which are both features of many hunting knives.

Some Benchmade hunting knives have jimping on the spine near the tip for extra grip using this technique. Not necessary, but handy. Other makers may do this to, I've only seen it on BM.

[Jull]

Okok thanks hunters friends :), i dont know this but in fact, i see somes vidéos whith skinning animals and now i understand better a 3.5" knife can be really good for this.

I'm understand better the shape of this Strech 2 and just can say good job Spyderco for this really good knife total apropriate for folding hunter Knife.

For me i have endela in this time, he's good, just sometime plant or scrap whith the tip when i'm cut too verticaly on wood cutboard, but i total know it's a folding knife not a kitchen knife and it's "normal" with short blade,
maybe strech 2 or endura 4 will be better for cut on cutboard; certainely endura 4 the best for prep food on cutboard, but Strech 2 SS really nice just for aéstétic with this 3.5" short blade and endela nice aéstétic too...

So... i will see :)

[Wartstein]

Hey Jull,

funny, I am actually preparing a thread about the differences between "edge geometries with a continous curve" (my example is the Manix here) and such with a "long section of totally straight edge and THEN a pronounced belly" just towards the tip (Stretch).

Cause this is what it is like in many cases: Knives with "less belly" often times don´t have actually "less", it just starts at the very start / heel of the edge already and continues towards the tip, but more subtle (sometimes even hard to be seen in some sections) than on knives like the Stretch.

People sometimes say the Straight Spine Stretch would essentially a "backlock FRN PM2", cause the blades of the two models seem to be pretty similar.
For me they are really not. Besides of the thinner blade stock of the Stretch (3 vs 3.7 (?) mm), the PM2 has that continuous curce in the edge, while the Stretch has a totally straight edge for the first, I don´t know, perhaps 1.5 " (perhaps less) - like a wharnie in that section.
So the two models feel more different in many tasks than lets say Manix and PM2.
And I personally do like the long, totally straight section in the Stretch-edge better. Cuts more powerful, is better in whittling and so on.

But as said, I am about to start a dedicated thread on this anyway and hope you´ll chime in there! :)

At the moment though my laptop gives me troubles, so it will take some time perhaps.

[Jull]

Hey wartstein!

Interresting topic, and agree with you "continued" belly or more pronounced belly near tip was two diferents cutting style.

Perssonaly in this time i like "countinued" belly like Santoku style just for pleasure of slicing, but pronounced belly near tip have this practical benefit for sure but we can talk in your future topic for sure :)

Thanks for answer.

[Bemo]

I'm looking forward to your article also Gernot. I've been thinking about this a bit over the last few weeks, about why the Wharncliffe seems to be having a resurgence. I think it is exactly because we "modern" folk don't do much skinning but a lot of envelope opening, box tear down, maybe the odd cutting up of food for our lunches. Maybe it's because we've all gotten so used to box knives and utility knives? I'm not sure. But you don't see anyone get excited about a clip blade anymore.

[Grizzly]

I also am trying to decide between the Endela and the Stretch. I'd like to see a Sprint run of Stretch 1s but am anxiously awaiting the Stretch SS in K390. Any hint of a timetable for the release of the new SS?

When I carried a Stockman folder without any locks, the Sheepfoot blade was always for detailed work. Tracing out something like a pattern. It's a very handy blade for controlled cutting. Sometimes it was even used for cleaning battery cables and terminals. Yup, blades were put to hard use back then. The Clipoint was the "edc" blade of its day. The rounded Spay blade was usually kept sharp and in reserve for when needed and the other two had dulled from use being 1095 steel and were in need of a touchup. Eventually I learned to keep some handy stones in the tool box for frequent touchups.

[Wartstein]

I also am trying to decide between the Endela and the Stretch. I'd like to see a Sprint run of Stretch 1s but am anxiously awaiting the Stretch SS in K390. Any hint of a timetable for the release of the new SS?

"Sprint runs of the Stretch 1": Yes, this would be great since for me the discontinued "1" is among the top two folders of all times.
But this won't ever happen, Sal said the molds for the grip of the "1" don't exist anymore. I'll never understand why this model was not more popuiar.

For me it is Stretch 1》 Endela 》 Stretch 2, all three certainly being top choices (main con of Endela and Stretch 2: Short cutting edge, thus less versatile)

[aicolainen]

Hi Jull,

I get the impression you used to assume hunting knives are supposed to be large.
I guess some prefer them that way, but as we see in the previous replies, the consensus seem to be in the 3” to 3.5” range.
As usual, I like to go smaller than the masses, even with my hunting knives.
My favorite hunting knife for the last 20 years has been the Fällkniven WM1, with a 2.7” convex blade.


I’ve tried others, but always go back to this one. The key feature of the knife is control. It doesn’t take a long cutting edge to gut a deer or a moose, but inadvertently piercing the innards only takes a second of inattention unless you know exactly where that tip is. The way I normally hunt, gutting is the only process that takes part in the field, for subsequent tasks I will have a whole slew of specialized meat processing knives available, but those I don’t really categorize as hunting knives.
The main exception from this workflow would be reindeer hunting, which takes place far into the mountains, and you usually have to carry all the meat out on your back, for many miles through strenuous mountain terrain. In such a scenario you want to pre-process the meat as much as possible to avoid carrying unnecessary skin and bone. For this work it’s preferable to have a kill kit with a selection of knives, plastic bags and such to properly take care of that precious meat.


I’m in the camp who want to see more folders with belly towards the tip. I use many of my folders for outdoors and hunting where such blade shapes makes sense.
The Stretch 2 doesn’t appeal to me for the reasons Wartstein brings up, but I might pick up a Stretch 1 at some point.

[skeeg11]

My kill kit consists of a SpydieChef, any knife with a 1.5"-2" inch blade for gutting, and a fruit knife with a 4.75" slender blade for reaming. Pretty light weight actually for the amount of work to be done.

[Menipo]

Hi Jull,

I get the impression you used to assume hunting knives are supposed to be large.
I guess some prefer them that way, but as we see in the previous replies, the consensus seem to be in the 3” to 3.5” range.
As usual, I like to go smaller than the masses, even with my hunting knives.

[...]

There are some types of hunting that do require a large knife. As far as I know in France and Spain (I don't know if in other European countries as well) wild boar hunting is still practiced with packs of dogs. When the wild boar is immobilized by the dogs, the hunter has to finish off the boar with a knife like the one in the photo (next to an Endura to compare the size).