Are Hawkbills versatile ?

Cool Knifes and as Another said Hawkbills can be very nasty in a fight. I saw a guy get cut pretty bad after work one day 30 or so years ago. The little fellow was a carpet layer and the big olf just wouldn't let it go. A fight started and the carpet layers stopped it Real quick with that hawkbilled knife.

For my money, Hawkbills are worthless for anything with
the exception of trimming roofing materials. They are very
hard to sharpen, stabbing is out and in reality, so is
slashing. The shape of the blade makes it to easy to snag
and hold when you hit bone (skin a few deer or hogs with
one {or try} and you'll see what I mean).
Unless you're a roofer, don't waste your money on one. I
own 3 (I'm hard headed) and they are in a drawer. Taken
out and cleaned and touched up now and then and back in
the drawer they go. Worthless.
Dano

I guess I have to disagree with you.

I've carried hawkbill knives as part of the rotation for about 10 years, 100% as a utility knife with additional thought given to use as a SD tool, including taking training from Steve Tarani in their use.

But back to your comments:
If you can cut roofing materials, why can't it be used to cut other items? -But I agree that while most are not designed to dress game, but what shape is a gut hook?

As for useful weapon, I don't know if you've heard of traditional weapons such as Kukhris and Jamibya? Kukhris may be better know as chopping tools, but Jambiyas are traditional weapons, used for slashing and stabbing. They have reinforced blades because they used to be used to pierce chainmail.

I have several "hawkbills" and while some are specialized, I also carry one in my pocket to handle daily chores.

Hawkbills might work, naturally.

Think about the big cats. They carry several hawkbills in each hand, so to speak. They can cause mean cuts but are primarily for grabbing and pulling prey toward those big teeth. If you had a hawkbill in one hand and a dagger in the other you might have a formable team..

I like a big one -- a brush ax -- for cutting unsupported branches. Where a machete would nick them and push them aside, the hooked blade grabs and cuts. As a weapon, such a tool would be pretty scary. That forward hook could penetrate or could hook and damage the limbs of an attacker. A small hawkbill is awesome for harvesting from the garden or for cutting other light vegetation. It can also cut tough materials like plastic, leather, etc.

To see a pretty realistic "use" of linoleum knives, see the sauna scene of "Eastern Promises." Pretty much a worst case scenario assault with knives: naked, on slick floors, unarmed against multiple attackers with blades. Scary.

An unusual blade shape will do some things very well and others poorly. Hawkbills make terrible general-use utility knives. Try using one with a cutting board, or try cleaning up saw cuts with a hawkbill (I use a very simple Mora as a woodworking knife). Hawkbills are specialized, not versatile.

I definitely prefer more conventional blade types for carry knives.

Respectfully,
Dirty Bob

They fit fine in my roundhouse.

When I was a schoolboy back in the 40's, virtually every boy carried a knife to school. Various types would come into and go out of vogue. Many of the boys worked on farms and the hawk was used for suckering and cutting tobacco plants, so that was the knife that most of the farm boys carried to school. Other kids saw how wicked they looked so the hawkbill became the knife of choice until the boys discovered it was a poor choice for most of the things a boy did with his knife, It didn't whittle worth a damn, useless for mumbly peg and other knife games. Couldn't sharpen a pencil. Worthless for skinning, Couldn't even clean your grubby little fingernails. Didn't take us long to go back to our jack knives and barlows.

I used them to clean my nails and other things.