Aesthetically speaking, what blade grinds excite you.

[Cutlover]

I will admit that aesthetics are very important to me when purchasing a knife. For me, sometimes a really cool looking blade grind can raise an otherwise ordinary knife to a new level.

I know some blade grinds are more practical than others for certain uses, but most of my EDC blades don't get used hard. So, practicality aside for the moment, from a pure aesthetic standpoint, what type of blade grinds are your favorites, and how important are aesthetics to you? Have you ever bought a knife based on just looks even if it's totally impractical? I have.

I like (in order):
Bowie style/clip point
Drop point or spear-ish points
Tanto (traditional more than American)

I also like swedges on all of the above.

Fullers can be cool depending on how they are done.

I like harpoons on a drop point.

As far as bevel grinds, I like saber grinds, and I find full flat grinds kind of boring. I love hollow grinds, they just seem more intricate and appealing to me.

I generally don't do extreme recurves, but it can depend on the overall design.

Of course there can be exceptions to any rule, and it's all subject to change without notice.

I do agree, blade styles are huge for aesthetics. I also like unique handles too, ones that you can't find on many other knives.

My favorite shape would be Bowie/Clip, with Wharncliffe as a close second. I tend to like upswept blades, something about them is cool. Hollow grind is my favorrite grind, though Rockstead and their convexes do look awesome. And lastly, recurve all the way, though only slight.

Recurve gives the blade a nice booty, without being overdone. Makes the blade more dynamic imo, with those smooth, luscious curves

 

[ebidis]

I like a drop point with a high-shoulder primary bevel and a sweeping plunge line:

Rocksteads Shinogizukuri and Honzukuri grinds are still my favorites though

Whichever The Rockstead with the tanto is, it floats my boat.

 

[ebidis]

I'm no Emerson fan, but they don't get nearly the credit they deserve for the quality of their stonewash. IMO, it's tops in the production knife world in terms of aesthetics.

I am an Emerson fan, so take this as you will, but I think they have some of the most well done blade grinds in the production knife world.

 

[nlewman]

I like a slight recurve to my blades, both for use and the simple elegance it posseses. That being said, I once ordered a boker rampage because it looked "badass". Sold it.

 

[ebidis]

I do agree, blade styles are huge for aesthetics. I also like unique handles too, ones that you can't find on many other knives.

My favorite shape would be Bowie/Clip, with Wharncliffe as a close second. I tend to like upswept blades, something about them is cool. Hollow grind is my favorrite grind, though Rockstead and their convexes do look awesome. And lastly, recurve all the way, though only slight.

Recurve gives the blade a nice booty, without being overdone. Makes the blade more dynamic imo, with those smooth, luscious curves

Like I said, I like recurves if they aren't too extreme. If done well they are sexy. like these.

 

[Kwon Kwang]

As far as aesthetics go, I'm a fan of leaf shaped blades (especially as done by Spyderco), American tantos (at least the way Cold Steel does it), traditional tantos and clip points of all sorts and descriptions. When hollow ground, I think they're very nice, but FFG is the most attractive to me. I don't like saber grinds most of the time for either aesthetics or function.

 

[115Italian]

THe emerson cqc8 blade shape has ruined me. That is my favorite. Also the way the bevels are ground has become my favorite. Second would be the spyderco military blade shape, and the full flat grind. I think Emerson knives have some of the best blade grinds and their blades are finished so cleanly and precise.

 

[lemonslush]

This guy

 

[JackstrawIII]

My appreciation of designs, aesthetically speaking, is functionally driven. That is to say that the lines of a truly efficiently designed tool for a particular task usually has a certain beauty of form caused by that perfection of functional refinement. I actually find purely ornamental embellishments off-putting.

I agree 100%. There's so much beauty in the traditional purpose-driven grinds (clip, drop, sheepsfoot, spear, etc) when made and used as intended. To me, simpler is better.

There's a huge obsession with compound grinds and crazy stuff right now, which is fine. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[JackstrawIII]

As far as specific knives, my two favorite shapes are the Large Sebenza 21 and the Wilson Combat Eagle. So simple. So refined.