Complex curves

[wrdwrght]

So, as I begin my descent—with these two new Spydies—into the rabbit-hole of complexly-curved edges (ones neither just convex or concave, nor ones only Spyderedged), I need to improve my vocabulary.



Case in point. The Ulize has a waist where the Dodo has a belly, and the Ulize has a belly where the Dodo has a waist.

What terms do we use to distinguish these edges from each other?

What opinions have you on the advantages of one edge over the other (or indeed over more standard edges)?

And what cautions would you offer regarding their sharpening?

EDIT (now endlessly to make a resource): “Google is my friend”: viewtopic.php?t=76708. But, then, I would not have been able to show my new Spydies or ask my other questions.

I hasten to add that I’m hardly the first to go down this rabbit-hole. From it some years ago emerged enough members here to form “The Cult of the Curved Ones”.

More “Reverse S”s to consider: AUS6 Meerkat; Cricket; Civilian; Matriarch, Matriarch2; Lil’ Matriarch

More “Recurves” to consider: Shabaria; Hanan; Vrango; Zulu; Subvert; Adventura; Rubicon; Khukuri; Captain

What kind of complex curve is a Kris?

[PeaceInOurTime]

Generally, blades like the Ulize are called recurves and blades like the Dodo are referred to as reverse-s.

Spyderco's triangle stones work perfectly for those edge shapes. Many on this forum will recommend the Sharpmaker.

Edited to add: And congrats on the new knives! I've wanted to try those models for a while now.

[steelcity16]

Neat knives. I wish the Dodo would come back as a Dodo 2 LW and also a Dodo-fly. A Cricket 2 LW and Cricket-fly in Reverse S would be fantastic as well. Very useful little utility blade shapes.

[ladybug93]

Neat knives. I wish the Dodo would come back as a Dodo 2 LW and also a Dodo-fly. A Cricket 2 LW and Cricket-fly in Reverse S would be fantastic as well. Very useful little utility blade shapes.

we can still dream. i'm still 100% on board with a dodofly, especially as a blacked out salt with se h1.

[Danke]

Is the Dodo-Fly a balisong Dodo or a Dragonfly sized Dodo?

[Evil D]

Ulize = Recurve
Dodo = Reverse S

The Ulize is the only recurve I've ever owned that I actually liked. That knife is an ergonomic masterpiece. It's a shame it didn't do better.

[BornIn1500]

Is the Dodo-Fly a balisong Dodo or a Dragonfly sized Dodo?

Dragonfly

"Behold! The elusive "Dodofly"!" viewtopic.php?t=84079

[vivi]

Funny how even with all the attention the Ulize has gotten here over the past year, the P3 is still forgotten. In fact most people probably think of the "wrong" knife when I say P3

I handled an Ulize in person when they came out and the ergos are brilliant. Would have bought one but I'm not a fan of sharpening & reprofiling recurved blades. Would immediately jump on a SE sprint though.

[Evil D]

Funny how even with all the attention the Ulize has gotten here over the past year, the P3 is still forgotten. In fact most people probably think of the "wrong" knife when I say P3

I handled an Ulize in person when they came out and the ergos are brilliant. Would have bought one but I'm not a fan of sharpening & reprofiling recurved blades. Would immediately jump on a SE sprint though.

I was lucky enough to win one from the calendar contest or it's a model I wouldn't have given a second thought. Like the Ayoob I think it's an example of a really weird looking design that people didn't vibe with but ergonomically it just works. I did manage to get mine reprofiled and it did suck but now it'll sharpen on the Sharpmaker easily. I too would immediately order one in SE, probably two.

[Sumdumguy]

As much as I liked the Ayoob, this will always be the better of the two in my book. Neither are bad, by any means. But, the Ulize is my favorite in this category.

The blade shape is far more useful than you would think.

As for sharpening, I haven't had any issues using the corners of the SM. Haven't felt a need to reprofile. Mine is at 15° and very sharp.

[JonLeBlanc]

wow, I've heard of the Ulize, but I'm not sure if I ever seen a pic of one, pretty cool!

[Danke]

Is the Dodo-Fly a balisong Dodo or a Dragonfly sized Dodo?

Dragonfly

"Behold! The elusive "Dodofly"!" viewtopic.php?t=84079

In if it's not a backlock.

[wrdwrght]

So, as I begin my descent
What kind of complex curve is a Kris?

[zuludelta]

The more I see of the Ulize the more I kick myself for passing one up when it was available at a deep promotional discount at a local B&M a couple of years back. That's one sexy recurve.

[wrdwrght]

I don’t know what Seki-City shop made the Ulize (wasn’t Moki), but they sure upped their game.

[Cambertree]

Nice thread, Marc.

The Ulize looks like it was made by G. Sakai.

You probably already saw this pic I posted in the Kris thread. It shows a whole array of specific nomenclature for features and parts of the Kris.



It was from a display of Krises and other Malay, Dutch, Portuguese and English edged weapons and tools at the museum in Malacca.

[JD Spydo]

I was fortunate when I got my first 3 Dodo models back in the 2003-2004 era. I was most lucky when I was able to get one of the earlier Dodo models in SE. These Curved Blades in SE are awesome and it always seemed strange to me that Spyderco didn't try more SE models with the Recurve, Reverse S and KRIS type models.

Evil D and I both have been lobbying hard for a serrated version of the ULIZE. The Dodo in SE was very aggressive for a blade as short as it is. Bottom Line: These "Curved Blades" have their place. But I believe that they would have even a bigger market share if more of them were offered in SE.

[wrdwrght]

Nice thread, Marc.

The Ulize looks like it was made by G. Sakai.

You probably already saw this pic I posted in the Kris thread. It shows a whole array of specific nomenclature for features and parts of the Kris.



It was from a display of Krises and other Malay, Dutch, Portuguese and English edged weapons and tools at the museum in Malacca.

Thanks, Cambertree. I hope it becomes a useful stopping point for others. Your thought-provoking image improves it.

Had Ed Schempp included the Tuntong Keris, we could have said his Kris is both a recurve and a reverse-s.

[wrdwrght]

I was fortunate when I got my first 3 Dodo models back in the 2003-2004 era. I was most lucky when I was able to get one of the earlier Dodo models in SE. These Curved Blades in SE are awesome and it always seemed strange to me that Spyderco didn't try more SE models with the Recurve, Reverse S and KRIS type models.

Evil D and I both have been lobbying hard for a serrated version of the ULIZE. The Dodo in SE was very aggressive for a blade as short as it is. Bottom Line: These "Curved Blades" have their place. But I believe that they would have even a bigger market share if more of them were offered in SE.

I’m hardly opposed to the Spyderedge, but would definitely like to see the pattern get refined into rounder points for greater utility (the Civilian’s nasty points can stay just as they are ).

And such a refinement would almost certainly improve the cutting power of the already edge-lengthened models considered here.

Still, I would hope that these models always be available in PE so that folks can explore the benefits of a low-frequency-low amplitude serration before moving to the same one with a high-frequency/high-amplitude super-edge-lengthening Spyderedge added. Comparisons are instructive.

[wrdwrght]

As for sharpening, I haven't had any issues using the corners of the SM. Haven't felt a need to reprofile. Mine is at 15° and very sharp.

Amen to the SM corners. But if you’re also inclined to freehand, as I am, don’t overlook Spyderco’s slip, Goldenstone, or even the chamfers on the Doublestuff. I’ve used each to satisfying affect on the models here, and on my Spyderedges, too.