@vex714: yeah you can temper steel so the blade is the hardest part while the spine or tang remains soft so it can flex and take impacts, otherwise the whole knife could shatter. It's mostly on high end custom knives though.

@Doomguy666: That makes sense. Another lesson from a wizard with knives. The more you know.

I was thinking high end blades as being carbon fiber, but to me it doesn't make sense if it's too light. The heavier, the more momentum you build in a strike.