Spyderco Bladesports Knife

[Cliff Stamp]

I love my comp blade, but it is not really good for much outside of competition

Why not?

[unit]

It lacks any point or belly which I find useful components of any blade I use around camp. Perhaps some would like to have one of these in the woods, but it is not my first choice.

Older competition knives often had a more conventional blade shape, but I think as competition has evolved most have found that a cleaver that puts MOST of that allowable length down on each chop is preferred.

In case anyone is curious, here is the profile of the competition blade I am talking about:


And here is the profile of the knife I prefer in the woods:


All personal preference of course...YMMV.

[hunterseeker5]

Meh I got back and forth. The cleaver that is a bladesports knife might make a great "big knife" for outdoor work, but what you seem to suggest wanting a different tip and handle for is what I use my "little knife" for. Basically when I'm outdoors I want one massive knife and one smaller one for carving. I guess ultimately its not as strictly purposeful as it could be to have a cleaver, but the pedigree is undeniable and its what draws "us" to it.

[Cliff Stamp]

It lacks any point or belly which I find useful components of any blade I use around camp.

Yes, point style tends to be fairly polarizing with a lot of people. There are those that prefer the square top though for general utility, the Razel is a popular knife of that style. I would tend to prefer more of an actual tip in general as well in most cases. The curious thing about the current ABS knives is that they are very similar to parangs which have the same square tip profile. There isn't a concern there in regards to lack of a point as they are usually of such length that it isn't practical. It also has durability and utility advantages as well, though it is more for rougher work like using the tip as a mini-spade and similar.

[unit]

Meh I got back and forth. The cleaver that is a bladesports knife might make a great "big knife" for outdoor work, but what you seem to suggest wanting a different tip and handle for is what I use my "little knife" for. Basically when I'm outdoors I want one massive knife and one smaller one for carving. I guess ultimately its not as strictly purposeful as it could be to have a cleaver, but the pedigree is undeniable and its what draws "us" to it.

Right on. I always carry a second knife for smaller tasks, but it is MUCH smaller (a FFG Delica G-10 usually). This knife handles all the very delicate tasks I might have (including splinter removal). On the other end of the spectrum, I want a knife that can chop, split, shave (wood), and if need have a strong pointy tip that can pierce a can, or bore a hole (such as a divot for friction fire).

I think it would be a shame to try and use a Delica for those "heavier" tasks. It would also be silly to try and carry my field knife in my pocket

I could perhaps use the tip of the comp knife to surgically remove splinters, but it could get pretty messy (that is a partial joke...in a pinch, it probably would work though), but simply put there are limits to the jobs that can be practical with a knife as it grows larger and heavier.

I attempted to justify the purchase of a BSI knife by claiming to self that it could go camping with me. It was a lie. As soon as I heaved this heavy cleaver, I realized what I knew all along...that it was designed and built for a very narrow purpose. What is more, as soon as I started using it for that purpose, I was entirely satisfied to enjoy it in that capacity!

I wish Spyderco would make a comp chopper. But when you think about what is involved, the knife will be quite expensive and I am not sure how many people will enjoy it for what it is...vs how many people will buy it with unreasonable expectations, and possibly damage it and then complain.

Let us not forget that a true competition knife is optimized (not unlike a race car) to perform. And like anything truly built for speed, a certain amount of durability was sacrificed in the name of speed/performance. Most are ground to a thickness behind the edge that is on par with or less than many production folders.