Experiences with hawkbills?

[LeDe]

I have the same philosophy with some other tools as well, so I don't think it's the knife enthusiast in me looking for a way to justify another knife - I have no problem accomplishing that without adding a HB to my sock drawer.

Are you sure? Or is it your enthusiam applying to a broader area than "just knives"?

[aicolainen]

I have the same philosophy with some other tools as well, so I don't think it's the knife enthusiast in me looking for a way to justify another knife - I have no problem accomplishing that without adding a HB to my sock drawer.

Are you sure? Or is it your enthusiam applying to a broader area than "just knives"?

hahaha
I guess there's no way to really be sure about anything. All I know is that I only have knives in my sock drawer (well, except the few pair of socks I can still fit in there).

[Mushroom]

I have the same philosophy with some other tools as well, so I don't think it's the knife enthusiast in me looking for a way to justify another knife - I have no problem accomplishing that without adding a HB to my sock drawer.

Are you sure? Or is it your enthusiam applying to a broader area than "just knives"?

hahaha
I guess there's no way to really be sure about anything. All I know is that I only have knives in my sock drawer (well, except the few pair of socks I can still fit in there).

By now, we’re all just keeping socks in our knife drawers!

———
Speaking of hawkbills, we still need more blacked out hawkbill models. Ladybug Hawkbill, Dragonfly Hawkbill, Tasman… I believe all black variants would do well.

[legOFwhat?]

All vegetation fears the SE hawkbill!

[zuludelta]

What is everyone else's experiences with hawkbills? I feel like I've slept on them way too long.

Here's an extensive user review of the Karahawk that I posted a while back. My thoughts on hawkbills (and the Karahawk in particular) largely remain the same (except for the part about the Karahawk being the most pricey Spyderco I own... I've since gone way past that boundary LOL)

[VashHash]

I've been carrying a SE H1 spyderhawk almost every day for the past 14 years. I think hawkbills don't get the attention they deserve. I highly recommend everyone to get one.

[ykspydiefan]

I own a hawkbill from another company. It is a fixed blade and lives on my whitewater kayaking life jacket. In terms of a rope cutter, the hawkbill blade is the best in my opinion. In terms of a river knife and cutting ones way out of a rope entanglement, I think a fixed blade is the way to go. Is it time for a Spyderco fixed blade hawkbill?

Necro thread alert.

viewtopic.php?t=42895

[aicolainen]

I own a hawkbill from another company. It is a fixed blade and lives on my whitewater kayaking life jacket. In terms of a rope cutter, the hawkbill blade is the best in my opinion. In terms of a river knife and cutting ones way out of a rope entanglement, I think a fixed blade is the way to go. Is it time for a Spyderco fixed blade hawkbill?

Necro thread alert.

viewtopic.php?t=42895

Funny thing you should mention this. Recently someone asked for a knife recommendation on a Norwegian forum I follow. The OP was quite specific about what he was looking for and wanted suggestions on fixed blade hawkbills.
This had me quite perplexed as I think it was only at this point it fully dawned on me that my go-to company for hawkbills actually don’t have any in their lineup.

Not sure I'd want one myself, but it’s a rare occasion that I’m unable to recommend a Spyderco when someone wants recommendations for a practical application.

[JD Spydo]

I have the same philosophy with some other tools as well, so I don't think it's the knife enthusiast in me looking for a way to justify another knife - I have no problem accomplishing that without adding a HB to my sock drawer.

Are you sure? Or is it your enthusiam applying to a broader area than "just knives"?

hahaha
I guess there's no way to really be sure about anything. All I know is that I only have knives in my sock drawer (well, except the few pair of socks I can still fit in there).

By now, we’re all just keeping socks in our knife drawers!

———
Speaking of hawkbills, we still need more blacked out hawkbill models. Ladybug Hawkbill, Dragonfly Hawkbill, Tasman… I believe all black variants would do well.

Especially that SPYDERHAWK model would look really super cool with a ion fused black blade along with a black G-10 handle. Also yesterday I mentioned the old G-10 Harpy from the ATS-55 era and how functional that little gem was. And for a long time many here on the Forum have asked for the return of the G-10 Harpy. It would be cool to have a set of the SPYDERHAWK and Harpy both with Black G-10 handles and black blades. I do agree that they would sell really good.

[BEER_IS_COOL]

I've been a devout Spyderco Hawkbill fan for a long time ( 20 years plus). I've found that using a medium sized, fully serrated Hawkbill like the Harpy model makes a great companion blade to work along side a favorite plain edged EDC blade.

One brother mentions "gardening". And yes a full sized, Hawkbill like the full SE Spyderhawk is a perfect gardening tool. Now I would be the first to tell you all that a Hawkbill blade is not for everyone. But you really don't know for sure until you try one out for your own personal cutting jobs.

I can see how this works well. I'm enjoying the hawkbill, but it definitely has gaps. Having a PE companion fills those gaps in for a good 1-2 punch.

[ZrowsN1s]

I'm a fan.

The Hawkbill Dragonfly would be the perfect knife if it was a PE tool steel with liners and G-10/CF.

Any job where you have to open a lot of packages or boxes, the Dragonfly or Ladybug Hawkbill are great EDC choices. Great companion blades to anyone's EDC in general.

Coffee shops, Warehouses, IT jobs, Engineering Labs.... I've opened thousands of boxes and packages with little Hawkbills. Nothing better for zipties.

I used my Spyderhawk to cut up some carpet I was taking out the other day, perfect for that.

[BEER_IS_COOL]

The lack of versatility is definitely the crux for me.
I have a LB salt HB SE and a SS Harpy SE and I really like both of them, but outside very specific applications, the few things they excel in does not make up for all the tasks they suck at.

I carried the LB HB as a companion knife for a while, and it adds fantastic package opening capability without adding much bulk or weight to my carry, but after switching my main carry to PE wharncliffe, I've found the perfect compromise and can't even justify a LB.

That said, I'll probably buy a Tasman salt or similarly sized salt line hawkbill at some point. Sometimes you just don't know what you need it for until you need it, and it's not like I can just run over to my nearest hardware store and buy a decent hawkbill. Or any hawkbill for that matter. I have the same philosophy with some other tools as well, so I don't think it's the knife enthusiast in me looking for a way to justify another knife - I have no problem accomplishing that without adding a HB to my sock drawer.

I can see this. What wharncliffe are you using?

I have a Tasman. I was able to get it last Black Friday on sale with my Dragonfly Hawkbill and a serrated Native 5. Testing the Tasman is going to be interesting if I still continue to enjoy the Dragonfly.

[aicolainen]

I can see this. What wharncliffe are you using?

DF2 k390

I have a Tasman. I was able to get it last Black Friday on sale with my Dragonfly Hawkbill and a serrated Native 5. Testing the Tasman is going to be interesting if I still continue to enjoy the Dragonfly.

I tend to forget that I "need" a hawkbill whenever there's a sale, so I've probably missed out on some opportunities already. Since this isn't an urgent matter, finding something on sale is definitively the way to go. I'll add the Tasman to the wish lists/favorite lists at my usual suppliers. It may not be the one I'll get in the end, but it will at least serve as a placeholder to help me remember when the sales FOMO fog kicks in.

[ykspydiefan]

I own a hawkbill from another company. It is a fixed blade and lives on my whitewater kayaking life jacket. In terms of a rope cutter, the hawkbill blade is the best in my opinion. In terms of a river knife and cutting ones way out of a rope entanglement, I think a fixed blade is the way to go. Is it time for a Spyderco fixed blade hawkbill?

Necro thread alert.

viewtopic.php?t=42895

Funny thing you should mention this. Recently someone asked for a knife recommendation on a Norwegian forum I follow. The OP was quite specific about what he was looking for and wanted suggestions on fixed blade hawkbills.
This had me quite perplexed as I think it was only at this point it fully dawned on me that my go-to company for hawkbills actually don’t have any in their lineup.

Not sure I'd want one myself, but it’s a rare occasion that I’m unable to recommend a Spyderco when someone wants recommendations for a practical application.

Hello aicolainen,

I have used a CRKT Bear Claw for a long time. It cuts rope. It is cheap. It is a hawkbill. It is in a crappy steel which is disappointing and prone to rust under the scales. It has only cut rope and never failed to cut easy, in spite of never being sharpened.

[Fastidiotus]

I know it's not a true hawkbill and the packaging says explicitly not to because the tip is fragile, but I've never had a knife slide through cardboard as easily as my Matriarch. I never could fall in love with the delica but I think the serrated Tasman is still something that I'd like to try out.

[skeeg11]

For most, gardening and draw cuts on materials like rope are very much in it's wheelhouse. Most people also like sharp points on their Hawkbills.I actually file down the tip on my Byrd Hawkbill and use it to outline fish before I filet them. Works very well and saves the edge on your filet knives from coarse fish scales. Highly recommended for this purpose.

[JD Spydo]

Most interesting that this thread pops up again. Because lately I've been on a rant for a Sprint Run of the G-10 HARPY.

Another specialty type Hawkbill blade I've desired over the years is for Spyderco to consider a Spyderhawk with a G-10 handle as well.

I do believe that any Spyderco Hawkbill blade with a G-10 handles would be hard to keep on the shelves.

[mark greenman]

I find the Reverse-S way more useful; I think it's a better mouse trap.

With the Hawkbill, everything is initiated with the tip of the blade, I'm rarely making contact with much of the rest of the edge.

With the S, you can also begin cuts with the belly of the blade, especially with SE, while still having the hawkbill tip.

[mark greenman]

Most interesting that this thread pops up again. Because lately I've been on a rant for a Sprint Run of the G-10 HARPY.

Along those lines, I'd love a G10 Cricket.

[TimButterfield]

With the Hawkbill, everything is initiated with the tip of the blade, I'm rarely making contact with much of the rest of the edge.

With the S, you can also begin cuts with the belly of the blade, especially with SE, while still having the hawkbill tip.

I have both a Cricket and a Tasman Salt 2. I agree the S shape can cut towards the middle from both direction. But, I'm not sure I agree about initiating a hawkbill cut with the tip. The tips are a little bit more fragile. So, I thought the hawkbill was best with a pull cut from a near handle starting position. That seems optimum for this blade shape.