Watu on a Cutting Board?

[Road Tripper]

One of my joys is food prep with my folding knives (I do keep them clean). I like the Kapara, of course, and the Manix for that. I've been eyeing a Watu, and wonder how it is on a cutting board? I mostly cut vegetables like celery, carrots, onions, and peppers, as well as fruit. I've come to appreciate a Wharncliffe, but they can be less than ideal on a cutting board. I'm thinking the little bit of belly at the end of the Watu blade would help with that. Has anyone tried it? Thanks for sharing your experience.

[sal]

Hi Road Tripper,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[Sumdumguy]

One of my joys is food prep with my folding knives (I do keep them clean). I like the Kapara, of course, and the Manix for that. I've been eyeing a Watu, and wonder how it is on a cutting board? I mostly cut vegetables like celery, carrots, onions, and peppers, as well as fruit. I've come to appreciate a Wharncliffe, but they can be less than ideal on a cutting board. I'm thinking the little bit of belly at the end of the Watu blade would help with that. Has anyone tried it? Thanks for sharing your experience.

My wife uses the one she stole from me, almost exclusively for cutting food at work.

Basically, it's just an expensive steak knife to her.
But, she loves it.

Food prep? Not as much. But, I'm sure it won't, not work.

[Road Tripper]

Hi Road Tripper,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

Thank you Sal! I'm glad to be here.

[Notsurewhy]

Due to the negative blade angle, I think it wouldn't be great for cutting against a board. It would probably make a decent paring knife due to the thin blade and blade shape though.

I generally don't use folders for food prep, but I'd recommend the kapara or spydiechef if that's what you're interested in. Maybe a hundred Pacer if you can find one.

[Featherblade]

The small belly behind the tip compensates for the negative blade angle when cutting on a board.
And despite the lack of cutting edge (2.88"), there's something special about cooking with Spyderco folder.

[Road Tripper]

Thanks, all, for the comments. I recently picked up a Watu. It works just fine on a cutting board! That bit of belly at the tip does the trick. Interestingly, the arc of that belly is quite similar to that of my Manix, and the blade length is just about the same. The Watu of course has more straight edge starting at the pivot.

Read on for a mini-review...

The handle is the G-10/CF laminate, which I like quite a bit. The texture is perfect, and the carbon fiber shimmers in the light. It's beautiful. The handle is comfortable in hand, although I might prefer just a bit more height to it (I have medium to large hands).

The handle has two holes drilled through it in a homage to the original. These provide a bit of indexing and grip, and look good in my opinion. You can see the blade edge through them when the knife is closed, but I don't note any safety concern.

The blade has no jimping other than a bit for the small choil near the pivot. This provides some protection from sliding onto the blade. The gentle thumb ramp is comfortable and effective; given the thinness of the blade, I feared it might be a bit painful, but there's no issue.

The blade is 20cv, and ground very nicely to a thin edge. It was one of my sharper Spydercos out of the box.

Fit and finish is excellent. I found no flaws with the knife. It feels solid in-hand, lockup via the compression lock is perfect, and it carries well.

The only nitpick I have is with the clip. Although I'm a fan of the wire clip, this clip's touch point is positioned just beyond the first hole (counting from the pivot) in the handle. In use, this means that the hem of the pocket, depending on the stiffness of the fabric, can catch on the edge of the hole before engaging with the clip. This has gotten a bit better with time, but it does mean I have to be more attentive when putting it back in pocket. Sometimes I use a fingernail to slightly raise the clip while pushing the knife down.

Overall, I am happy to have it. I think it's a good design, capable, and attractive to my eyes.

[TkoK83Spy]

Give the Z-Cuts a try in the kitchen. Not a folder, but their cheap in price and perform great. We've got the PE and SE versions and my wife never grabs for the PE.

[VooDooChild]

Police 4 lightweight is pretty good on a cutting board or for food prep.