Short answer: blade shape decides what a knife is good at far more than steel does. Drop point for general and hunting work, clip point for fine tip work, sheepsfoot when you never want to stab anything, tanto for a tip that survives abuse, and a wide belly whenever you are skinning.
Drop point
The spine slopes gently down to meet the edge, putting the tip low and giving it a lot of steel behind it. Strong tip, plenty of belly, controllable.
This is the right answer for almost everybody. If you are buying one fixed blade for hunting and camping, buy a drop point and stop reading.
Clip point
The front third of the spine is clipped away, either straight or concave, leaving a fine, sharp, forward-set tip. Excellent for piercing and detail work, much easier to break than a drop point. This is the classic bowie profile.
Sheepsfoot
Straight edge, spine that curves down to meet it, effectively no point at all. Designed so a sailor could cut a rope on a pitching deck without stabbing the deck or himself. Superb for controlled cuts on a flat surface, useless for piercing.
Wharncliffe
Similar idea to a sheepsfoot but the spine tapers in a straight line from the handle, giving a fine usable tip with a completely straight edge. The straight edge means every part of the cut has the same geometry, which is why it is a favourite for whittling and detail cutting.
Tanto
A flat main edge meeting a separate angled tip edge at a defined corner. Enormously strong point because there is a lot of steel right behind it. Poor at slicing because the belly is minimal, and harder to sharpen because you effectively have two edges to keep straight.
Skinner
Wide, deeply curved belly, blunt or low tip. Built entirely for long pulling cuts under hide with the sweep of the edge doing the work. The low tip is deliberate: it is trying not to puncture what is on the other side.
Spear point
Symmetrical, tip on the centreline, often double edged. Balanced piercing, limited belly. Common on daggers and on some throwing designs.
Trailing point
The spine sweeps up so the tip sits above the handle line, creating the largest belly of any shape. Superb slicer for fish and hide, weak tip, and a shape that does not sit well in a pocket.
Choosing by job
| One knife for everything | Drop point |
| Field dressing deer | Drop point, 4 inch |
| Skinning | Skinner or trailing point |
| Boxes, cord, work knife | Sheepsfoot or wharncliffe |
| Hard use tip | Tanto |
| Fine detail | Clip point or wharncliffe |
What shape does not fix
A badly heat-treated blade in a perfect shape is still a bad knife. Shape decides what the knife is for; heat treatment decides whether it holds an edge while doing it. Ours run 58 to 60 HRC, which is where a working edge belongs. More on that in the steel comparison.
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