The best way for me to visualize the benefit of a re-curve is the ability to benefit from the belly when pushing the blade (ie stabbing type cuts) or when pulling the blade toward you. When pulling toward you it feeds the material into the belly and cuts deeper.

As an aside, I really like recurve blades. But...one of my favorite folding knives is the Kershaw Shallot. The ZDP-189 version of this knife has steel hard enough that it can only be sharpened by me using my diamond stones and I could not get the 1" wide stones to fit within the recurve portion of the blade. I was stuck using Smith's diamond rod until, out of frustration, I reprofiled out the re-curve. To do a decent job on this knife steel in its recurve blade shape I would ideally have used a spyderco sharpmaker with diamond rods.

recurves and big bellied knives have their places....but i aint in those places so gimmie a fixie and a hatchet!

a very very slight recurve i can stand. not a big fan of the bigger curve.

I have a home made kama and in a million years it wouldn't chop down a tree but as far as bladed weapons, there isn't much that will beat it for bringing a quick end to a one on one scrap. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Geez, everyone has missed a major benefit of recurves: THEY LOOK COOL! You were all thinking it but you wouldn't say it.

definately, the coolness factor is an important decision maker. Its all about intimidation. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

That is a beautiful knife, I love me some recurves

It better be a beautiful knife... I traded a Rodent Waki for it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

What is that one? Is it a Busse?

Yeah it's a Busse - Mr. Mojo. It also has snakeskin micarta handles, which are fairly rare, so that ups the value a little bit. Not that I cared too much about that, as I bought it to beat on.