The Strangest Blades That Actually Work - Between Two Knives

Whether the blade is taken from the pages of history, specialized for certain tasks, or generally just unexpected to behold, these strange looking knife patterns actually offer a lot of utility. Take a quick look at the function behind the forms before you dismiss their weirdness.

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0:00 The Weirdest Blade Shapes that Actually Work

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Kopis Sword image credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

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[arrowheadguys]

Seth V is turning into Frank Zappa right before our eyes.

[mikoyanig]

My friends grandma (from Rankin inlet Nunavut) told me something about the ulu knife that even up until she was a kid in the 1940s that trade coming up that far North was very scarce and the chance that the traders brought steel was even more rare so the people had to make a knife that could do everything because it’s all they could get. Also because in the summer they would go inland to the rocky areas they would make knives out of stone. And when settlers/traders brought iron the Inuit were so used to using rock knives that they made their knife almost identical. Thought I’d let you in on some insider info.

[paulbeck]

I know you have knives to sell but I am always, ways appreciative of the time you devote to explaining the often obtuse nature of the knife world. No dumbing down, nothing patronising, always considered. I appreciate your knowledge, enthusiasm and willingness to share.

[SSCr]

According to my research, the Spyderco Matriarch blade shape originated from the Spyderco Civilian, a fighting knife designed for under cover agents. Spyderco was contacted by some counter-drug department and was asked for a knife that can do maxium amount of damage with minimum amount of training. The Civilian model come with a user warning stating this knife is not for utility work and will not be covered by warrenty if it was damaged during abusive use. It is intended for cutting clothing and flesh, nothing more.
I wish you guys can cover more knife histories and context of the design like this.

[NAH]

Ah the ulu the knife of my people. Well in Yupik, we call it an uluaq (ou-luck.) we mostly use them for food process like splitting fish, cutting meat and vegetables. Originally we used a stone called slate and we grounded to a cutting edge. After contact with the Russians and then Americans we started using metal from broken saw blades, we again grounded/filed the saw blade to a ulu/uluaq like shape. My family still got my grandpa (uppa, ) from the 40s/50s still going strong. Don’t need to worry about rust cause most of the animals we process usually provides the oil from it to prevent rust.
(Edit: Ulu/Uluaq in both the Inupiaq [Inuit, ]and the Yu’pik translate to women’s knife.)

[knifeguy]

Besides Sundays, new knifecenter videos make my week couldn’t put y’all ahead of Christ. Thanks for the super informative vids! Y’all stay safe and sharp God bless!

[jonleif]

I love hearing you guys talk about the matriarch and basically explaining how it's made just to hurt people

[murph]

I’d like for you guys to cover “The Woodsmans Pal” knife. It’s design is unusual yet very usefulI and with a lot of history. For years I’ve used one every time I go camping. I see very little information on them and think it may be a fun knife to cover. Thanks guys for everything you do!

[shawnlizeleatherdale]

having lived in Asia since the 90s, I have seen way more job specific blades than you would ever have time to do a show about. from chopping, harvesting, pruning - the list is endless

[maadurga]

The Matriarch cuts just as badass as it looks. The combination of the reverse S-shaped blade and the SpyderEdge works phenomenally. Kept biting me in the beginning until I learned how to treat it with respect. Probably one of the best knives for self-defence around. Either it, or a quality karambit.

[disposablehero]

A tracker with an ulu seems like an absolute perfect pairing.

[oculophilia]

Hey Robert Russon deserves credit for the design of the Tracker or WSK.

[Bogeyman]

Rob Russon is the original designer of the tracker knife around 1981 he got with tom brown and got wit him over the knife design and well history was made.shout out to rob russon

[abcf]

I've seen the ulu being used very effectively on the show, Life Below Zero. The native people are masters with it.

[HRK]

An Episode about ulu knives and the different techniques using it would be very interesting

[skeetwebster]

I love my tracker. I use it a lot in the woods. It comes with a manual that tells you everything it does. Great knife if you want something between a hatchet and a big knife.

[uuppyy]

Fyi the tracker knife was an idea designed by Robb Russon (which even Tom Brown acknowledged) but he yoinked the design for profit.

Inspired by the JJJacksfilms sentiment, lets credit the creators!

[jorelstaub]

I love the ulu, that one especially, it came shave sharp and even with the hardcore rubber cutting on plexiglass cutting board I do at work it showed only a small amount dulling after a large amount of cutting quickly stropped away

[jamesR]

As a former F16 maintenance technician I appreciate the reference DCA lol those jets are something else

[DualFury]

Tracker is the ultimate knife! Can you guys do an outdoors video showing the uses of the tracker? Specifically DCA showing Seth how to’s like father & son