Chisel edge

For my personal use, I don't really like the chisel edge. Now, for easy sharpening with a stone or even a file in the field, the chisel edge can't be beat.
I usually use a sharpening system though so I don't really have to worry about it that much. The change in cutting geometry isn't worth it for my EDC needs anyway. I do have 1 chisel-ground knife though. It was an experiment for making a shaving razor that a friend wanted to try. Very hard to learn how to shave with in my experience. But once I fugured it out, I have not gotten a closer shave since.
 
RX-79G said:
Why would you have a more acute cutting angle? If it is a 20 degree edge, you could sharpen any type of grind to the same 20 degrees.
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Agreed.

Another note is that the "handedness" argument is often made as a result of an incomplete understanding of chisel functionality. The chisel grind does force some directional orientation on the user, but it depends on the cutting task which side should be up vs. down. When cutting flush the flat side is against the target, but if performing any task where you have to break from the cut you want the bevel side towards the target; the flat cannot effectively turn in the cut.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Agreed.

Another note is that the "handedness" argument is often made as a result of an incomplete understanding of chisel functionality. The chisel grind does force some directional orientation on the user, but it depends on the cutting task which side should be up vs. down. When cutting flush the flat side is against the target, but if performing any task where you have to break from the cut you want the bevel side towards the target; the flat cannot effectively turn in the cut.
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I think Emerson grinds on the left of the blade because that's how we look at knives in pictures. But also because it simply doesn't matter for a tactical knife. You want a vegetable knife to cut in a certain way - but that doesn't matter if all you're slicing is Ninjas, Orcs and Blackulas (or whatever tactical knives are designed to cut.) Then you just need a sharp edge that matches the blade profile.

Personally, I don't care for chisel grind outside the kitchen because I don't want to have to think about what the knife is going to do depending on how I'm cutting (carving left vs. carving right). Given that small downside, I don't see the upside.

Emerson's non-chisel ground blades that are only sharpened on one side make a little more sense to me from an ease of sharpening standpoint.
 
I like some chisel-edged blades. My Spyderco SE blades have chisel edges. I don't like chisel-edged knives that are really thickly-ground, though.

Jim
 
RX-79G said:
Emerson's non-chisel ground blades that are only sharpened on one side make a little more sense to me from an ease of sharpening standpoint.
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I keep on hearing the "ease of sharpening" thing with chisel grinds (with or without relief bevels) but think for a moment--is this really true? I personally don't see how. Removing a burr on a chisel grind generally means you'd then have to lap the flat side in order to keep it an actual chisel grind, and that strikes me as more difficult rather than easier.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I keep on hearing the "ease of sharpening" thing with chisel grinds (with or without relief bevels) but think for a moment--is this really true? I personally don't see how. Removing a burr on a chisel grind generally means you'd then have to lap the flat side in order to keep it an actual chisel grind, and that strikes me as more difficult rather than easier.
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You may have to remove the burr, but you don't have to fully sharpen it.

You could do the same on a symmetrical edge, but after awhile it wouldn't be symmetrical anymore. Single sided blades start off center and stay that way, not matter how much you sharpen.
 
RX-79G said:
You may have to remove the burr, but you don't have to fully sharpen it.

You could do the same on a symmetrical edge, but after awhile it wouldn't be symmetrical anymore. Single sided blades start off center and stay that way, not matter how much you sharpen.
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But you still have to sharpen the same total bevel width. The single bevel grind still has the same total angle and traverses the same total thickness of metal...there's no difference in that respect between double bevel or single bevel knives of equal stock thickness and included angle. You're doing the same amount of sharpening but on one side of the knife rather than both.
 
Place the sandpaper on a hard flat surface and grind forwards - leaving a zero degree on the working edge.

It is half the work. And twice the knife.

Eric
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
But you still have to sharpen the same total bevel width. The single bevel grind still has the same total angle and traverses the same total thickness of metal...there's no difference in that respect between double bevel or single bevel knives of equal stock thickness and included angle. You're doing the same amount of sharpening but on one side of the knife rather than both.
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I agree. It's 10 strokes on two sides or 20 on just one. The main advantage would be in harder to sharpen spots like a curved tip. Angular tanto grinds wouldn't matter.
 
EChoil said:
And it IS easier and quicker to strop up or sharpen. I'm sure some of this is because so much of my experience with them has been in the outdoors. They're what you want when you actually DO end up sharpening on a rock at times.
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My ulus have chisel edges, and they are fine. But this post reminded me of watching old Eskimo ladies sharpening their ulus on rocks when I was a kid during long salmon processing sessions. The ease of sharpening is definitely a major advantage. Though if you have an old ulu that has been sharpened almost to roundness, then reprofiling can be a bear.
 
For certain jobs a Chisel grind is excellent. You want the Flat on the inside of your body where you have control. Some in the Tacticool class like to put them on the viewing side so you can see the edge if your a righty when you view the knife in your right hand.

The Japanese put them on the other side and IMHO that work best this way. Try them out and see for yourself.
 
Well folks as they say the truth is in the pudding. For those familiar with Daniel and his thoughts about the famous maker he respects who also makes chisel grinds. A very respected enforcement academy uses a chisel tanto to show agents the lethality of knives. They take a bullet proof vest, drop the tanto on it and it easily cuts right through! Light saber stuff dude...grind away Daniel ... the force be with you
Don
 
D729 said:
Well folks as they say the truth is in the pudding. For those familiar with Daniel and his thoughts about the famous maker he respects who also makes chisel grinds. A very respected enforcement academy uses a chisel tanto to show agents the lethality of knives. They take a bullet proof vest, drop the tanto on it and it easily cuts right through! Light saber stuff dude...grind away Daniel ... the force be with you
Don
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And for those of us who don't know who Daniel is...
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
For certain jobs a Chisel grind is excellent. You want the Flat on the inside of your body where you have control. Some in the Tacticool class like to put them on the viewing side so you can see the edge if your a righty when you view the knife in your right hand.

The Japanese put them on the other side and IMHO that work best this way. Try them out and see for yourself.
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I agree. I have a Deba made by the Global brand of kitchen knives which sees a lot of use in the kitchen. It makes a slightly scalloped (curved) cut on things like tomatoes which isn't ideal but for processing fish, which is its intended purpose, it is hard to beat.
 
D729 said:
Well folks as they say the truth is in the pudding. For those familiar with Daniel and his thoughts about the famous maker he respects who also makes chisel grinds. A very respected enforcement academy uses a chisel tanto to show agents the lethality of knives. They take a bullet proof vest, drop the tanto on it and it easily cuts right through! Light saber stuff dude...grind away Daniel ... the force be with you
Don
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The truth about knives, or chisel grinds?

Penetration and cutting performance are not unique to Chisel grinds/edges.
 
I wasn't a big fan of chisel grinds.

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I said wasn't. :D

DC
 
D729 said:
Well folks as they say the truth is in the pudding. For those familiar with Daniel and his thoughts about the famous maker he respects who also makes chisel grinds. A very respected enforcement academy uses a chisel tanto to show agents the lethality of knives. They take a bullet proof vest, drop the tanto on it and it easily cuts right through! Light saber stuff dude...grind away Daniel ... the force be with you
Don
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Hard to beat an ice pick in penetrating regular materials. If you randomly drop pointed items at ballistic vests, I'm guessing that heavier pointed items penetrate more.
 
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