Why is the Chokwe such a powerful cutter?

marlinspike · #1

A friend wanted me to cut some horse stall mats (think 3/4" thick tire rubber). I saw this as an opportunity to do a comparison. I took with me a Benchmade 42, a large Persian2, and a Chokwe. The Chokwe was by far the best. When I went to the Persian2 I was grunting so much that my friend said "are you using a different knife now or something?" The 42 was useless and couldn't even get into the material.

So, what is it that makes the Chokwe so powerful?

jabba359 · #2

marlinspike wrote:So, what is it that makes the Chokwe so powerful?

The super thin grind along with the splinter-picker tip. My Chokwe hadn't really cut anything yet (I've had it for a few months), so I decided to give it some food prep use today. I cut up some peppers and chicken to make some stir fry and it sliced like a champ. Here's the proof!

CanisMajor · #3

jabba nailed it. Chokwe is an awesome slicer. I love mine.

Canis

jossta · #4

Man all this Chokwe talk lately has me wanting one now.

gunnut35 · #5

The Chokwe is a great slicer and is one of the smoothest to open of any Spyderco i own.

clovisc · #6

the original fixed blade was more or less the one single knife design in the area of zambia i lived in. they were used for everything from food prep to hard use in the cassava fields. i have one the size of my forearm that i carried pretty frequently over there... it is a serious slicing, chopping machine. :D

Creepo · #7

Thin grind makes it bite into the material real well, and with the narrow blade there is less drag. There are probably some minute differences in the grinds of the Chokwe and the Persian2 since they both have 3mm FFG blades and the Persian2 isn't all that much wider of a blade, so theoretically they should be similar. The 42 on the other hand isn't full-flat ground so it just won't cut as well. :p
It's also possible that there were some differences in the very edge due to sharpening or lack of it.

marlinspike · #8

Creepo wrote:Thin grind makes it bite into the material real well, and with the narrow blade there is less drag. There are probably some minute differences in the grinds of the Chokwe and the Persian2 since they both have 3mm FFG blades and the Persian2 isn't all that much wider of a blade, so theoretically they should be similar. The 42 on the other hand isn't full-flat ground so it just won't cut as well. :p
It's also possible that there were some differences in the very edge due to sharpening or lack of it.

The 42 and Persian2 both had fresh edges off my Sharpmaker, and both would shave hair no problem. The Chokwe had the factory edge, but I later tried it with my own edge off the Sharpmaker and it was still king.

Thin grind vs narrow blade I think is what I'm trying to learn about. I'm trying to know what makes a knife a good cutting tool so I can stop buying based on feel/looks alone. It sounds like you're saying the grind can be thin independant of the blade thickness? How so?

jackknifeh · #9

marlinspike wrote:The 42 and Persian2 both had fresh edges off my Sharpmaker, and both would shave hair no problem. The Chokwe had the factory edge, but I later tried it with my own edge off the Sharpmaker and it was still king.

Thin grind vs narrow blade I think is what I'm trying to learn about. I'm trying to know what makes a knife a good cutting tool so I can stop buying based on feel/looks alone. It sounds like you're saying the grind can be thin independant of the blade thickness? How so?

I believe being a better slicing knife has to do with how fast the blade gets thick. A full flat grind blade gets thick slowly. A saber or hollow grind starts thin, then gets thick in more of a "all of a sudden" manner. Think of slicing a tomato. The tomato is soft and flexible so if the blade is thin then gets thick all of a sudden the tomato will give and the slicing is fine. Now think of slicing an apple. If the blade gets thick quickly like a saber or hollow grind the apple slice will have a tendancy to break but a full flat grind blade will seperate the apple gradually and not split it. Now think about the thick rubber you were cutting. Since I'm sure it didn't seperate well the blade that gets thick gradually will slice through the rubber easier with less effort. That's how I picture it anyway.

Jack

#10

One of the added features of the "Ethnic series" is the opportunity to see why a blade shape or style might have evolved and endured for many years.

The Chokwe that Clovis sent to me was the first time I'd ever seen or heard of one. The shape was unusual, but some tessting showed advantages. We tried to keep the "modern" version as close to the original as possible.

sal

Creepo · #11

marlinspike wrote:Thin grind vs narrow blade I think is what I'm trying to learn about. I'm trying to know what makes a knife a good cutting tool so I can stop buying based on feel/looks alone. It sounds like you're saying the grind can be thin independant of the blade thickness? How so?

There are a lot of variables in here.

When cutting with a narrow blade, or a narrow portion of it (tip vs. heel) there is only a small part in contact with the material being cut. Rubber is tacky so when cutting through it a smaller area of contact means less drag since there is less knife in contact with the rubber slowing it down.

Thin grinds vary from model to model and even from knife to knife. There are slight variables in individual FFG and the point where the secondary bevel starts.

yablanowitz · #12

The straight edge also helps for that kind of work. Edges with more belly (curve) like the Persian will work better for skinning style tasks, but they want to climb out of the cut on material like that. On wharncliffe or sheepsfoot style blades, the tip will dig in rather than climbing out.

Blerv · #13

It's all geometry and physics. Blade angle and lack of drag (FFG).

The Mentaculous · #14

As mentioned, the thin grind is a major factor, reducing resistance to cutting through material. However, also, as Sal mentioned, I think the blade shape is very conducive to being "powerful cutter" as you said. Some of the most powerful cutters out there are wharncliffe blades, and the Chokwe is almost a wharncliffe shape, with only a bit of belly near the tip being the difference. I personally love this shape, and the Chokwe is one of my favorite knives to use, not just because of the great blade, but the lock and handle shape really fit for me as well. I'd love the see a mini or XL Chokwe someday, because this unique design is a real winner IMO

jzmtl · #15

I think the blade shape is the main reason. The Persian while look wicked, tend to push stuff away under hard cutting, and you need to work against that. Not so much with Chokwe, just like a giant box cutter.