Posted by Nik on 11/12/2020 to
Knife Information
Which blade is best for me?
There are a number of different blade styles that knives posses. With there being so many different blades to choose from how do you know which would be the best for your specific intended use? We are going to try to cover that today by presenting a little bit of information on a handful of different blade types.
Clip Point
Clip point styled blades are considered one of the most popular out of the blade types, due to their versatility. This style of blade can generally be found on hunting knives, fixed blades, bowie knives and pocket knives. The back edge of the knife is unsharpened and turns downwards toward the tip of the blade to make the clip. Since the tip is very sharp and thin it makes controlling the blade very easy and great for piercing. Clip points generally have a very respectable "Belly" for tasks that require slicing.
The only real disadvantages to the clip point blade style is the extremely narrow and sharp tip. Because the tip is narrow and sharp it could lead to breaking as the tip isn't exactly the strongest point.
Drop Point
Drop point styled blades are a lot like the clip point in terms of popularity and use. The drop point has a strong point and generously sized belly for slicing tasks. The point is not quite as sharp as the clip point so it's not as useful for piercing. The drop point has a stronger tip and because of this the tip is less likely to break like the clip point. This style of blade can be found on a number of knives because it's so popular. Such as hunting knives, tactical knives, survival knives and swiss army knives.
The only real downside to the drop point blade is that, the tip isn't the sharpest out of the blade types so it isn't quite as useful for piercing.
Spear Point
Spear point has arguably the strongest and best tip for piercing tasks. This style of blade has an extremely strong point that is very easy to control. The blade can also be very sharp especially if it is a double edged spear point. Double edged knives are illegal in many places be sure to check your local knife laws before considering one. Typically this style of blade can be found on throwing knives and survivalist tools. Spear point also holds a small belly for slicing tasks.
Generally the only downside of a spear point is that the belly is quite a bit smaller than the other blade styles so while it can preform slicing tasks almost any other style of blade could do it better. Also the fact that spear point can come in both single edge and the illegal double edge is something to be on the lookout for, you don't want to get in trouble carrying something you shouldn't be.
Tanto Blade
Tanto blade is Japanese in origin and has become a staple for many knife manufacturers. Mainly due to it's popularity and the ability to perform a multitude of tasks. The point on a tanto blade is extremely strong compared to the other blade styles only coming second to the spear point. Because the tip is so strong this type of blade is suited for piercing through tough objects and materials. There are two points on a tanto blade and because of this controlling the point is a bit more difficult than other blade styles. The blade is much less likely to break however because there is so much metal at the tip of the blade.
The negatives of a tanto blade are that controlling the point is a bit more difficult because of it having two tip points. There isn't much of a belly on a tanto blade making it more of a struggle to use it for slicing tasks.
