Experiences with hawkbills?

[BEER_IS_COOL]

Been recently carrying a Dragonfly with a serrated hawkbill. This has really been growing on me. It is easier to do draw cuts and the curved blade shape helps trap material. I think this definitely stands out in my collection.

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

[Roefisher]

When I first started into Spyderco knives, I couldn't wait to get the stainless steel handled Harpy because the blade was so different looking. But, with the exception of cutting some fishing lines at the river and paracord rope at home, I never really had much use for it which was a pity because it was a really cool knife.

One thing the hawkbill blade certainly did for me was to cut line and rope exceptionally well.

Mark

[ladybug93]

i had a ladybug hawkbill that i really like a lot. personally, i don't find the blade style versatile enough to carry as my only blade or primary blade, so i only. array a small one for certain tasks and occasions. they are very handy to have in a small form factor like the lb or df.

[wrdwrght]

Hawkbills are the cat’s meow for cutting material, especially material you have gathered, with a single yank. Think gardening.

[LeDe]

I was not sure about the hawkbill so I got a DF first. Not versatile but I like it and carry it a fair bit next to a PE blade or a SAK. Probably not a rationale choice but a fun one.
Now it convinced me to buy a Tasman Salt which I am thinking may work well as my spearfishing knife.

[JD Spydo]

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.

[kobold]

I like mine in the garden. A weed destroyer and a good harvester.

[elena86]

My ladyhawk is incredibly capable when it comes to opening packages. I never imagined that. I love all my hawkbills but the most iconic for me is the SS SE Harpy. That being said my most carried lately is the Dragonhawk. I love the lil sucker.

[skeeg11]

Hawkbills are great for draw cuts where surface contact with something like a cutting board is not necessary, but I find it less versatile than a wharnie. The one application where it does absolutely shine for me is for outliner cuts when filleting fish. Simply blunt the tip of the hawkbill to keep it from piercing through the skin from underneath so that it guides the blade edge from underneath.

[JD Spydo]

My ladyhawk is incredibly capable when it comes to opening packages. I never imagined that. I love all my hawkbills but the most iconic for me is the SS SE Harpy. That being said my most carried lately is the Dragonhawk. I love the lil sucker.

The Harpy is probably my ultimate favorite multi-use Hawkbill out of the Spyderco line up. I just wish they would bring back the G-10 Harpy which to this day was the best one I ever owned and used. I carried/EDCed a G-10 HARPY for about 8 years until someone stole it from me . It was one of my favorites from the ATS-55 era of Spyderco blades.

The G-10 Harpy would be a huge sales chart buster if they would bring it back along with a premium blade steel like XHP. It was a Forum favorite for a long time. I would also love to see a G-10 handled version of the SPYDERHAWK as well.

[z1r]

And probably my favorite, til I lost it:

[Coastal]

The Tasman Salt is great in the garden, but I replaced it in that niche with the Matriarch 2, which is even better IMO. It's bigger and the s-curve edge works really well for draw cuts on weeds and vines. Honestly I don't use either knife for any other task.

[olywa]

I've seen those Byrd hawkbills as low as $22 during this great Wharncliffe & SE sell-off that we are the beneficiaries of.

[im25feetup]

I had just been wondering about using a SE Dragonfly Hawkbill for field dressing deer or small game. Any experiences with that sort of thing?

[skeeg11]

I've seen those Byrd hawkbills as low as $22 during this great Wharncliffe & SE sell-off that we are the beneficiaries of.

This knife is so outstanding, it makes considering a serrated salt hawkbill version very difficult. Corrosion or rust? Who cares.....I'll just buy more at that price. IMHO, except for corrosion resistance, performance is at least as good. (perhaps a mite bit less tough if that's a consideration)

[vivi]

When I first started into Spyderco knives, I couldn't wait to get the stainless steel handled Harpy because the blade was so different looking. But, with the exception of cutting some fishing lines at the river and paracord rope at home, I never really had much use for it which was a pity because it was a really cool knife.

One thing the hawkbill blade certainly did for me was to cut line and rope exceptionally well.

Mark

Pretty much my experience too.

Tasman Salt was my first salt knife. First hawkbill. First SE Spyderco I bought.

Figured I could try out a lot of new design characteristics in one purchase.

Didn't really do much for me better than a regular blade shape.

Glad I tried it, but I never carry it these days.

[LineCableTech]

One of the essential functions at my job are to cut away rubberized heat shrink off of large cable connectors. Hawkbill blade comes in handy for this.

[JD Spydo]

I will go on record saying that about my love and usage of Spyderco Hawkbill folders is mainly confined to the use of serrated models. I will admit that I have hardly no use at all for a plain edged Hawkbill other than a collector piece. Because the plain edged Harpy and Spyderhawk models both are quite rare actually.

My love of Hawkbills is indeed pretty much confined to the use of serrated models. I find that a full Spyderedged Hawkbill is 20 times more useful than a plain edged version. As far as gardening chores I would also say "The Bigger, The Better". I pretty much only use a full SE Spyderhawk for most of my gardening applications.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Tasman Salt is one of my favorites in the garden or on the boat and is always along on a camping trip

[aicolainen]

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.