Hair said:
Boats- I disagree with the link you posted. It claims convex grinds are the hardest to produce. Actually, they are the easiest. Flat grinds are the hardest, with hollow grinds in the middle. The slack-belt portion of the grinder does all of the work, making a convex grind far harder to mess up than a hollow of flat grind. A flat grind is the hardest to get right.
Much of the rest of the article is incorrect as well, such as the effective lives of flat and convex grinds. Their convex diagram shows material being removed from the entire blade, thus making it thinner over time. This is correct. What is incorrect is that they say it will cut the same forever- it actually starts to cut better at the cost of strength. And their flat ground diagram only has material being removed from the bevel. Why does the writer feel it is impossible to remove material from the primary grind of a flat ground blade?
And to say that a convex blade is simply better or a more efficient cutter than a flat or hollow grind is just plain ignorant.
Sorry for the rant, but with so much misinformation in that article, I was expecting it to be in the Wall Street Journal.
The shapening tips are useful, but hardly new.
Geez. Take it easy on an old guy. I wrote that FAQ many years ago, back when I was filled with major convex fervor, and when there was close to no information easily found on the Internet, for people interesting in convex grinds. I agree now that convex grinds are not an all-inclusive “better grind”. They are very useful for certain types of cuts, but so are most other grinds.
I do still stand by my words though, that convex grinds are the hardest to produce, but would prefer to add the word “properly” to that statement. I have owned a lot of full convex grinds, both from production and custom makers. I’ve seen quite a large percentage of badly ground full convex blades. Maybe it’s just a lost art, or maybe many makers just stink at making knives, but they seem to find it a great challenge to get the convex ground at a proper curvature. I can buy 3 full convex blades, of the same exact model, and receive 3 knives with entirely different cutting characteristics, and often having very lopsided grinds. That does not happen when you purchase 3 Spyderco Military knives or 3 Benchmade 710 knives. At least not in my experience.
Also, I don’t remember ever saying that “it will cut the same forever”. I did notice that I stated cutting ability as cutting “just as well after years of use, as it will when brand new”. My statement may not be very specific, but I would hardly call it false or misinformation. Definitely not worthy of your scorn.
As far as your nitpicking goes on the sharpening of flat ground blades, maybe I didn’t cover the topic exhaustively enough for you. But to be truthful, the average person never grinds the primary grind of their average flat ground blade, with their average V-ground edge. When was the last time you heard of anybody on Bladeforums, other than maybe Cliff, thinning the primary grind of their Spyderco Military or Benchmade 710? It may increase cutting efficiency, but most people have neither the tools nor the time to do the job effectively, and really wouldn’t be pleased with the aesthetic results. They sharpen the edge, when it is dull, and that’s about it. It is only the unusual knife user, or specific craftsman, that removes material from the primary grind of a flat ground blade. You can definitely make an argument for more unusual flat grinds, like scandi grinds, but again, my writing on the topic was hardly exhaustive enough to cover such esoteric subjects. It was simply intended as a quick convex grind FAQ, not an encyclopedia on knife grinds.
I’m glad you liked my “nothing new” sharpening tips. Convex grinds were truly nothing new back then, but the sharpening information was quite new to many people, who had no clue as to how to sharpen a full convex grind.
As an aside, I did ask a number of forum members (including Cliff, who gave no response), as well as knife makers, for their input on the FAQ. Unfortunately, I only received a total of 2 comments for changes, which I made adjustments for. I can no longer edit that website, as I know longer own the space. I do however, have a somewhat updated version of the FAQ at a different URL. I will attempt to take the time to make a few adjustments, and clarify a few points.
Until you develop the courage to write something of your own, and have your balls ripped off when somebody else doesn't like your writing, you'll just have to live with mine. This is the reason that I don't post here much anymore. Too many elitist knife users, and argumentative A-holes.
