Anyone else beginning to like nightmare grinds?

I think the problem is "nightmare grind" essentially is being used as a description for a certain similar style of blade shapes.

I don't think it matters, we all knew what he meant.
 
hardheart said:
I'm going to call it the nightmare tanto from now on.
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Now that's a good suggestion. :thumbup:

Nightmare spearpoints, tantos etc...the only thing it wouldn't account for are nightmare tantos sans the hawkbill shape.
 
The nightmare grind rocks for heavy duty use. I hope to get a few MSC's & DDC's eventually when ive got more funds.
Mall ninja my a$$. Dont knock it till youve tried it.
 
I think this type of blade grind has some practical applications. With the tip left as thick as it is it should hold up as well as a really thick tanto, only with the hollow grind it’s good for slicing too. Personally I’m looking forward to getting one. (Both the ZT and MT.)
 
Quiet Storm said:
I can only imagine how confused you must be when you read about a knife with a "convex-ground clip-point blade" or one with a "flat-ground drop-point blade". :rolleyes:

May I politely suggest that you do a search or ask the knifemakers in Shop Talk and educate yourself on the difference if neither robertmegar's nor my explanation is good enough for you to understand the difference?
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You can do whatever you want. :jerkit: But I am not confused. And I know the difference between "convex-ground clip-point blade" and "flat-ground drop-point". Why did you decide to focus on me? I wasn't the one that posted this thread, I just responded that I like the type/grind/shape of the blade/knife that AM was referring to.

You are going out of your way to try and imply that we are confused about the f*cking knife grind. THAT WASN'T THE POINT OF THE THREAD!!! Do you like that Type/Style/Grind? That's it! If I want to be "educated" on the various types, styles, and grinds out there, I know where to go to look. Thanks.
 
I like them. I believe they are actually called compound grinds, and the term nightmare grinds was coined by Mick, because they are a nightmare to grind.

Flat ground at the tip, hollow ground in the middle, and an upper swedge formed the triangle at the tip. Speaking only of Strider compound or nightmare grinds, they are very sharp and make excellent cutters. The tip is also very beefey. I have several. They also come in a Tanto or recurve blade shape.

Elishewitz custom also offers a compound grind recurve folder in the "pirate" model. http://www.elishewitzknives.com/Knives_Detail_Gallery_Pirate.asp

Like everything else in life, they may not appeal to everyone, but they do perform. They just may not be your cup o java.

For many, a case peanut will be all the knife they'll ever need.

John...:thumbup:
 
NM's are designed to try to do it all in a blade, instead of being a huge compromise in one way or another. Strong tip with a sharp concave section for cutting, as opposed to picking a blade that's either a good cutter, strong, or in between. A NM is both.

But a NM blade is not a blade shape, as has been stated. Most pics shown were of recurve tanto's (one of many types of modified tanto's). The ZT is technically a NM I suppose. The rest aren't.

I'm big on NM recurves. Best of everything in my opinion. Drop point's are cool too. Strider's NM tanto's, though, in my opinion, are slightly proportioned wrong. The primary and secondary edges meet too far from the tip. Makes them stabby, but not as strong at the tip, and the actual part designed for cutting is shorter than, in my opinion, it should be.

Currently EDC'ing either a NM recurve SNG or NM recurve SMF.
 
talonturbo said:
NM's are designed to try to do it all in a blade, instead of being a huge compromise in one way or another. Strong tip with a sharp concave section for cutting, as opposed to picking a blade that's either a good cutter, strong, or in between. A NM is both.
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but that ends up being a compromise itself, much like combo edges
 
hardheart said:
but that ends up being a compromise itself, much like combo edges
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The only compromise is a tip that isn't made for slicing paper and what not. Short of going to extremes, and saying that the ultimate cutter would be a microscopic wire, and the strongest knife would be a piece a rebar, I think it is as close to doing it all as blade designs have gotten.

I can punch the tip through just about anything damge-free, and yet the rest of the blade will shave my hair off. Where's the compromise with the exception of missing out on a sliver-removal tip? I have a HAK for that stuff anyway.
 
talonturbo said:
[...] and yet the rest of the blade will shave my hair off.
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While I don't dispute that the design has its uses, that isn't a good indicator of the knife's cutting abilities. I can shave my hair with my 1/3" stock (yup, that's right...1/3") Tantobrecher.

Tantobrecher.jpg


Of course the knives we're discussing here have much less material behind the edge, and therefore are superior slicers.
 
You're right, good observation. My actual tried and true method of testing a knife's cutting geometry is cutting up shop rags. Even very obtuse edges can shave, I guess this thread was more the advantages of also having a thin hollow ground section for cutting while being "protected" by a much sturdier tip. And in the case of true nightmare grinds, full spine thickness to nearly the tip. There seems to be a growing demand (at least the manufacturers think so) for high quality knives that can take more abuse, including piercing and prying tasks that would snap most tips to one degree or another.

I'd actually love to hear some cutting test results from someone who uses both a Strider NM and a Hinderer Spanto. Those are another example of trying to do it all in a blade, but the rather straight primary portion of the Spanto's blade is less appealing to me than the curves of a Strider recurve for cutting geometry.

The more the angle of attack the blade forms against the object to be cut changes during the cut, the more easily the cut will occur. Playing around with a saw and a piece of wood will quickly prove this.
 
I know it would be a nightmare if I found one in my pocket, too radical for my tastes maybe some stripes would help it looks. ;)
 
Okay, this disagreement behind us, can we all agree to call this the nightmare tanto just for convenience so we can refer to this blade shape in the future?
 
Artfully Martial said:
Okay, this disagreement behind us, can we all agree to call this the nightmare tanto just for convenience so we can refer to this blade shape in the future?
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I would suggest a recurve tanto, as I've seen previously. Calling all of the models pictured on the first page NM grinds would hopefully be with proper credit due, but it would be inaccurate. Some of those modified tanto's or recurve tanto's (more specifically) have the same grind style for the primary edge as the secondary (tip section). Just because they have a hawkbill shaped primary edge doesn't make them a nightmare grind, as the originator of the nightmare grind would define it. A nightmare drop point resembles a NM recurve, and they resemble a NM tanto. Even a NM wharncliff. They all (OK some have a nearly full length section of full thickness instead of being slightly interupted by a swedge) have the full stock triangle in common to reinforce the tip. The recurve tanto's pictured (SnG excepted) are nothing other than tanto's with more "belly" removed. That's why calling the ZT400 a NM is kind off using it loosely, it doesn't really have a larger-than-is-normal-for-a-tanto section of full stock thickness near the tip.

PS: but tanto's are by far the easiest blade shape platform with which to immitate a NM style grind, because there are 2 bevels necessary in the first place. I highly doubt any production knives wiill come up with anything ressembling a NM drop point anytime soon.
 
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