Hawkbill Blade - Blade Geometry

Hawkbill Blade Info

Description

The Hawkbill or Hawksbill blade is a hook-shaped blade with a concave belly, that is good for cutting textiles, rope or even shrubbery. A lot of marine or sailing knives are made with hawkbill blades for the ease of cutting nylon rope as the blade shape prevents the rope from slipping. Other uses of these shapes of blade include cutting carpet, and even self-defense espcially at close quarters. The Kerambit is a good example of a hawksbill self-defense knife.

While the Hawksbill knife blade has many uses, it also has many disadvantages. Push-cuts and slicing are difficult as the blade shape gets in the way, so the only real use for a hawksbill blade is a draw-cut.

Many major knife companies and custom knifemakers have built at least one hawksbill style knife, though they do not tend to be overly popular. Some of the more popular models would be the Spyderco Harpy/Merlin and the various Kerambit offerings.

Hawkbill Blade Examples