The utility knife that I like & use a lot in these conditions is the Japanese Kiridashi which is shaped like a skew chisel. It has the cutting edge at quite an angle to the handle so that you can hold the knife at 30° or so to the cutting board & present a dead straight edge directly onto the board. I make miniature ceramic sculptures in porcelain. I make my own little chisels from the spring steel bristles that street-sweepers drop in the gutter. I have quite a lot of them since things go bad when a tool gets blunt & you keep working. So I like to have several tools sharpened up before I start & discard the one I am using as soon as it starts to dull. There are two blade shapes that I use almost to the exclusion of all others. They are the kiridashi & the wharncliffe.
your one of the few that shares the appreciation for the Spyderco Dialex as i do. It was my first "high end" (relative to me) folder i've bought. love the grip angle on it and your explanation of handle to blade orientation was spot on. makes great food prep folder (if you consider a folder for food prep lol)
Unless you're chopping herbs or something, it matters very little how much of the edge contacts the cutting board. Afterall, you're not cutting the cutting board, you're cutting food... Most of which is sufficiently thick, enough at least to fill the gap between the part of the knife edge that contacts the board, and the part that doesn't. Food has to get under the edge of the knife, So as long as some part of the blade edge contacts the board, a simple slicing motion will draw the food along the edge until the point where the edge contacts the board.
That is true, no doubt. Despite the small differences, I think the Wharny (and the regular Delica for that matter) will be perfectly sufficient for most kitchen/cutting board tasks.
Funny how It says I work in a warehouse in the descriptions of this knife. I actually work in a kitchen. I cut a lot of cardboard and banding, etc. Anyway, now it looks like I need to make a food cutting vid with this knife. Yes, on a cutting board. Git 'er done.
If I were to take a stab at guessing why Spyderco decided to go with this blade shape, I'd say that it is heavily influenced by the rising popularity of the pikal style knife used for self defense. The main concept with pikal techniques is that the knife is held in the reverse grip allowing for cutting to occur with a pulling motion vs pushing as occurs when held in a normal grip. The WC shape is more conducive to that style of defensive knife use. A true pikal style knife would employ a concave blade shape.
I hope the Spyderco Delica 4 Wharncliffe demand keeps it in production, though I find it overpriced for what you get. Maybe, I would find an Endura 4, at the current pricing, to be a more attractive option. I have a couple Yojimbo 2 knives that seem to work well in the folding Wharncliffe role. When it comes to opening boxes, maybe the best option is a box cutter. I carry a Milwaukee 48-22-1902 Fastback II Flip Utility Knife With Storage (Amazon ASIN B00D0YR9A2). It has a pocket clip and extra blades. I strop and maintain the blades rather than throw them away.
The utility knife that I like & use a lot in these conditions is the Japanese Kiridashi which is shaped like a skew chisel. It has the cutting edge at quite an angle to the handle so that you can hold the knife at 30° or so to the cutting board & present a dead straight edge directly onto the board. I make miniature ceramic sculptures in porcelain. I make my own little chisels from the spring steel bristles that street-sweepers drop in the gutter. I have quite a lot of them since things go bad when a tool gets blunt & you keep working. So I like to have several tools sharpened up before I start & discard the one I am using as soon as it starts to dull. There are two blade shapes that I use almost to the exclusion of all others. They are the kiridashi & the wharncliffe.
That is a pretty cool and unique hobby you have there. Seems that Wharncliffes have served you well!
Aww I wish the junior would come back
You brought up a great point(no pun intended) . The ouroboros is a good flat cutting blade too. I love my Delica Warhncliff
I'm ready for some sprint runs in different steel on this model. It's a great utility knife, as is the standard model Delica.
I agree! And a harder steel would probably provide some extra tip strength. I have a solid history of breaking tips on Wharncliffes lol.
I love the knife, I've got a deep carry clip and some g10 scales coming it will be perfect
Yeah, custom scales would be great!
Good info, you think they will do sprint runs of the WC Delica?
Hey there! Yes, I think so. Sprints and permanent runs of different colors and steels. I think the design will be popular, so why not?
Great demo!
Thanks bud, I appreciate it!
your one of the few that shares the appreciation for the Spyderco Dialex as i do. It was my first "high end" (relative to me) folder i've bought. love the grip angle on it and your explanation of handle to blade orientation was spot on. makes great food prep folder (if you consider a folder for food prep lol)
Haha it's such a smart design. I would love to see an S30V sprint run in Carbon fiber or something. Bring back the Junior!
My favorite slicer!
Definitely does the job!
Good stuff man!!
Thanks again!
Good point well made.atb paddy
Thanks, much appreciated! Glad you enjoyed it!
Unless you're chopping herbs or something, it matters very little how much of the edge contacts the cutting board. Afterall, you're not cutting the cutting board, you're cutting food... Most of which is sufficiently thick, enough at least to fill the gap between the part of the knife edge that contacts the board, and the part that doesn't. Food has to get under the edge of the knife, So as long as some part of the blade edge contacts the board, a simple slicing motion will draw the food along the edge until the point where the edge contacts the board.
That is true, no doubt. Despite the small differences, I think the Wharny (and the regular Delica for that matter) will be perfectly sufficient for most kitchen/cutting board tasks.
Funny how It says I work in a warehouse in the descriptions of this knife. I actually work in a kitchen. I cut a lot of cardboard and banding, etc. Anyway, now it looks like I need to make a food cutting vid with this knife. Yes, on a cutting board. Git 'er done.
Yeah, I would love to see that. You make it, I'll link to it for sure. It would be great to see how it's done!
If I were to take a stab at guessing why Spyderco decided to go with this blade shape, I'd say that it is heavily influenced by the rising popularity of the pikal style knife used for self defense. The main concept with pikal techniques is that the knife is held in the reverse grip allowing for cutting to occur with a pulling motion vs pushing as occurs when held in a normal grip. The WC shape is more conducive to that style of defensive knife use. A true pikal style knife would employ a concave blade shape.
Agreed, and it certainly helps that it's a versatile knife with good EDC application as well.
Thanks for your comment: great point!
Use the right tool for the job.
I hope the Spyderco Delica 4 Wharncliffe demand keeps it in production, though I find it overpriced for what you get. Maybe, I would find an Endura 4, at the current pricing, to be a more attractive option. I have a couple Yojimbo 2 knives that seem to work well in the folding Wharncliffe role. When it comes to opening boxes, maybe the best option is a box cutter. I carry a Milwaukee 48-22-1902 Fastback II Flip Utility Knife With Storage (Amazon ASIN B00D0YR9A2). It has a pocket clip and extra blades. I strop and maintain the blades rather than throw them away.
Yep, and I bet we'll get an Endura wharncliffe eventually!