How Do You Like Your Tip?

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I was just looking at an Uli Hennicke knife and it had a sort of strange tip on it, which got me thinking about knife tips.

uli_hennicke_knife.png


I can love almost everything about a knife, but if the tip is not to my liking, I often pass on it. I'll try different steels, wider knives, shorter knives, blades with a belly, but if the tip is not to my liking, it is usually a deal breaker.

Haslinger knives are a case in point. They are beautiful, but too pointed and 'tippy' for me. Does anyone else feel this way?

See Haslinger Knives

Or maybe I just need to open my mind a bit.

k.
 
It actually depends on which knife I'm looking at. I prefer my boning and fillet knives quite pointy tho not so for other knives.
 
That's true. I was thinking more along the lines of a gyuto. But I also like using nakiris without any tip. There is nothing to worry about with that blade.

k.
 
The gyuto in the pic is a little too pointy for my liking lol. Nakiris are great too tho I don't have 1. I use the chinese chopper a lot at home.
 
So it is just aesthetic sfere for you?
Would admit that those kind of tips arent my favourite. Have a MAC damascus gyuto at work and the amount of belly there feels somewhat weird. I prefer more "traditional" - if there is something like that - shapes of gyutos.
I wouldnt buy a knife with that but definitely would use one if it was near! :)
 
I prefer the spine to curve down to the edge (rather than the edge curving up to the spine as pictured).

The geometry of that knife just looks weird to me - way too much belly near the tip. Pass.

James
 
Yeah, that would require a LOT of elbow room to get to the tip of the knife...those kind of tips are only for knives that don't touch the board, IMO.
 
I like the kiritsuke tip. my main knife has this kind of tip and aesthetically it looks cool.
 
:lol2:That would be an interesting thread.. how pointy is too pointy??

I believe it dependes on the knife.. I like parers, utility and other similar very pointy... maybe even Suji's but chefs, debas, kiri's, etc. not so much.

I can go with a pointy kiritsuke as long as it's pulls up a bit at the end.. I am looking at my Watanabe and to me its the perfect combination of Geometry and pointiness... ness!!! :EDance2:
 
Yeah, I didn't care about the Hennicke tip, and I agree with johndoughy that to use that tip would require some very unnatural elbow room.

But what do you guys think about really pointy tips? I think this Haslinger knife is really beautiful (and reasonably priced), and I would consider buying it. But I would also worry about that tip.

haslinger.jpg


I like my tips blunter so I don't have to worry about breaking them or poking something. Btw, this is nothing against Haslinger's work; I really like his knives, but some of his designs don't suit me.

k.
 
Tips like the one the Hennicke knife don't work well for me. Have to elevate my wrist and arm that much to get the tip down to the board, feels unnatural. I think the tip on the Haslinger knife would be awesome on shorter lengths knives (ie. paring or petty) for removing fruit stems and such. Not sure why it's needed or desirable on longer knives.
 
Yeah, I didn't care about the Hennicke tip, and I agree with johndoughy that to use that tip would require some very unnatural elbow room.

But what do you guys think about really pointy tips? I think this Haslinger knife is really beautiful (and reasonably priced), and I would consider buying it. But I would also worry about that tip.

haslinger.jpg


I like my tips blunter so I don't have to worry about breaking them or poking something. Btw, this is nothing against Haslinger's work; I really like his knives, but some of his designs don't suit me.

k.

my yanagi has a pretty freaking thin and pointy tip, and i've never damaged it (and that includes tripping and flinging it into the air and having it embed itself in my wood floor). i wouldn't worry about damaging it. now whether it would work for you, that's not for me to say. definitely a pretty knife, and i like the looks of that handle.
 
A friend of mine broke his tip on a Haslinger, so maybe I have that image in my mind. Regardless, I also have 'pointy' knives, but on workhorse knives, I like them less tippy. My yanagi will get much less use than my 240 Hiro.

k.
 
I dunno, when I am working with the heel area of my knife, I like the clearance a wide blade offers. But toward the tip, I often wish it was thin like a suji. I would love to get my hands on one of those ultra-pointy Haslingers. Where's that passaround again?....
 
As for tips, I tend to prefer a tip that starts low with the spine running into it, as mentioned earlier. In general I like a bit less height at the tip (Sabs, Misono, Masamoto KS), but I find a tip is something that you "get used to" if it's a good design and it can trim out proteins.
One tip that I really don't get is the Mac Original. What were they thinking??? (I still kind of want one).
As for the passaround...I'll get back to you!
PS. The Pierre pass around tip is kind of between tall and pointy, which makes the knife feel more "workhorse-y". At first glance i was unsure, but now it feels very natural and agile.
What do you all think about the Moritaka gyuto tip? I've known a couple of people who find it too low, but I have yet to have the honor of using one.
 
Oh, you mean the tip of my KNIVES. I thought this thread was about something else....
 
Nah, he means a tip...

you know, like "Don't put all your eggs in one basket".
 
I thought he meant, "just the tip, just to see how it feels".
 
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