Need help finding a draw knife

[Timberwolf]

Are flexible draw knives a good thing or a bad thing? I was looking for a small draw knife (never used a draw knife) to use with some hardwoods (cherry for my first effort). I saw Flexcut had a 3" and 5" one. Price was favorable, but then I read closer and both say "flexible blade" that can help follow the contours of the piece. Suddenly, that doesn't make sense to me. Makes me think "weak" blade. Will it hold its original shape? Is it more of a toy, just for small jobs and softer woods? Will it hold up?

Or am I better off with a traditional rigid blade?  at a steeper price (or a used one if I can find one)?

I don't have a good feeling about many of the Flexcut knives to begin with. Maybe I am just prejudiced. The only ones I would use would be the knives with fixed blades. The rest, like those with the interchangeable blades, seem like they are for lightweight carving.

Can anyone help me out?

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I have a Flexcut drawknife that sees little use...I prefer one of the smaller { around 6" or 8" } vintage drawknives...I also have the small vintage Jennings and prefer it over the Flexcut, only because of the way it comes to hand...I don't really care for the straight handles on the Flexcut. Not putting the brand down...I have lots of their carving tools...they are razor sharp out of the box and they hold their edge very well...I would check Ebay and see what is available....Search with the word "Vintage"...

[AHill]

Project at hand is a set of large cherry kitchen utensils that I need to shape out of a large pieces of stock.

For small stuff like that, I wouldn't use a drawknife.  I'd stick to a carving knife (e.g. a Sloyd type knife) and a spokeshave.  A shallow carving gouge is also extremely useful for the bowl part of spoons.

[wood2woodknot]

For small stuff like that, I wouldn't use a draw knife.  I'd stick to a carving knife (e.g. a Sloyd type knife) and a spoke shave.  A shallow carving gouge is also extremely useful for the bowl part of spoons.

Thanks. A lot of suggestions here.
Already have a spoon gouge and several other gouges, carving chisels and bench chisels that I used on the first spoon and spatula. Need something heavy for shaping this one so still leaning toward a small draw knife if I can find one. Don't like the ones with the straight across handles, nor the ones with the big, round knobby handles. Also shying away from the ones with adjustable or folding handles - I've had too many "adjustable" tools that give way unexpectedly when pressure is on or that you can't keep tight. Looking for just a good old fashioned one with bent handles and smaller grips - that doesn't cost any arm and a leg. Might even use one of my rasps in the meantime for some of the transitions.

[AHill]

I highly recommend Barr draw knives. His stuff is all forged and very well-built. I have his chair maker's version and it's a 6-1/2" draw knife. He also makes a 6" carver's draw knife, which might suit you better. I've heard good things about Lie-Nielsen's draw knives, but it doesn't appear that they make them anymore, since they are no longer offered on their website. Narex also makes a 6" draw knife, which might be worth looking at since it's about half the cost of the others. Highland Woodworking offers Barr, Narex, and Lie-Nielsen draw knives. It's hard to find draw knives smaller than 6", since they are really intended for roughing out spindles and such.

[Winterwood]

LN will make draw knives but they will be more expensive, about $225 (From $170). The price of the special high performance steel cut by high pressure water knives was raised so LN has to charge more. Also they will make them in batches.  Private buyers (as opposed to tool sellers like Highland Woodworking) will need to get on a waiting list.

[Admiral]

From time to time I find the smaller knives (lower one in the pic below), and always buy them; last one I found was a few months ago and it was snatched up quickly.... you do have to sharpen them however.... mostly German manufacture, at least the ones I've found.