Knife handle shapes - an introduction.

Because I've neglected the knife nerdery a bit lately... Here's an intruduction of the basic shapes the cross-section of a knife handle can take, their advantages and disadvantages as far as I'm concerned (I have, uh, strong opinions about knife handles), and what tasks they are suited for. (There is no "the best", just the right handle for the right person and/or task.) My list is far from comprehensive, and there are plenty of "intermediate" shapes as well as culture-specific ones, but for the start, I'll stick to the simple geometric shapes that are the most common ones world-wide.

( Opinions about handle geometry. )

...you can tell I'm a drop profile person, can't you? XD Anyway.

As always, if you don't know a technical term I'm using or you want to know more about a practical application, just ask!