Jazz wrote: ↑Tue Jun 11, 2019 3:22 am
I think the wharncliffe will do it all but better than a reverse s.
I think you are right that a wharnie D’fly will do most of what a reverse s would. I think the two blade shapes are more similar to each other in use than either is to a traditional blade shape. Each will still have certain advantages over the other though. I tend to do a lot of scoring cuts with the tip of a knife on flat surfaces. A Wharncliffe works great for that kind of cut but a reverse s will offer even more leverage for that type of cut without having to raise the butt of the knife. Of course the Wharnie will offer more tip strength in the same cut. For a shallow, controlled cut like opening a clam shell or scoring though the skin and scales of a heavily scaled fish the reverse s will work more safely and effectively. Mainly because the butt of the knife doesn’t have to be elevated and the rest of the hand can remain on the material you are cutting for control. I like to use a small reverse s the same way I’ve seen you using a wharncliffe sometimes. Forefinger on the spine. The knife effectively becomes a claw. A wharncliffe will make the same type of cuts but you will need to raise the butt more to get it to grab in certain types of media. The Wharncliffe will excel over the reverse s in other ways like more traditional slicing/chopping cuts. I feel like the reverse s is a more specialized blade shape than the wharncliffe but less specialized (more versatile) than the hawkbill.
Anyway, not trying to change your mind, just offering some of my thoughts on why I like using the reverse s shape.
