Convex or V edge ?

B

boarinator

Joined
Jul 28, 2010
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Which is the better edge to have on a fixed blade hunting/survival knife ? tactical folder ? Convex or V edge ?
 
I think it's which ever one you are best able or most prepared to touch up in the field, or wherever you do your touching-up :) Sometimes, it's just easier to leave a V grind as a V grind. The convex does have some advantages, but it can be a pain to put that first convex on a knife with a V grind.
 
Shooter McG nailed it in my book.

The better edge is the one you can maintain better. Simple as that.
 
From what I've heard, if you can put a convex edge on a knife and maintain it, it's generally superior to a v-grind. That said, most knives are sharpened with a v-grind and they might be simpler to maintain in most cases.
 
Hadji Flip Me Over said:
From what I've heard, if you can put a convex edge on a knife and maintain it, it's generally superior to a v-grind. That said, most knives are sharpened with a v-grind and they might be simpler to maintain in most cases.
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IMHO...that's a myth. I believe that the convex appears superior because it is easier to maintain freehand. V grinds seem inferior to people who sharpen them freehand (unless they are really, really good at it). You have a rig, and a v grind is just as "good" as a convex.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
 
boarinator said:
Which is the better edge to have on a fixed blade hunting/survival knife ? tactical folder ? Convex or V edge ?
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The smooth geometry of a convex edge cuts better than a V bevel. I don't see how that can be argued.

For someone that uses a knife often and finds themselves away from home using the knife it is definitely easier to maintain the convex edge because you don't need to carry around jigs or fixtures.

You can put everything that you need to maintain a convex edge in your wallet.

It is about impossible to have a true V bevel with hand sharpening ....... it will eventually become convexed.

The wide bevel of a Scadi grind allows it to be sharpened easier and they cut incredible in most materials because they come to such a thin edge.
 
Brian Sargent said:
The smooth geometry of a convex edge cuts better than a V bevel. I don't see how that can be argued.

For someone that uses a knife often and finds themselves away from home using the knife it is definitely easier to maintain the convex edge because you don't need to carry around jigs or fixtures.

You can put everything that you need to maintain a convex edge in your wallet.

It is about impossible to have a true V bevel with hand sharpening ....... it will eventually become convexed.

The wide bevel of a Scadi grind allows it to be sharpened easier and they cut incredible in most materials because they come to such a thin edge.
Click to expand...

That's also myth. All you need to maintain a v edge or Scandi grind is some sandpaper and a flat surface. No jigs or fixtures needed. All those Finn, Saami and Laaplanders didn't carry a jig around when living in the Arctic zone.

I maintain both Scandi and convex grinds without any problems. It is really a matter of one's preference.
 
CWL said:
That's also myth. All you need to maintain a v edge or Scandi grind is some sandpaper and a flat surface. No jigs or fixtures needed. All those Finn, Saami and Laaplanders didn't carry a jig around when living in the Arctic zone.

I maintain both Scandi and convex grinds without any problems. It is really a matter of one's preference.
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I also maintain my Scandis with sandpaper. Simple.

I think it is a myth that you can free hand and maintain a perfectly flat V bevel. You will have some amount of convexing to it.

It's safe to say that you didn't really read what I typed.
 
It's just a matter of preference. I like both kinds of edges and probably have equal numbers of knives sharpened each way at this point.

One thing to note about convex edges is that it's just as easy to touch up a convex edge with a pocket stone or flat rock as it is to touch up a traditional V-edge with the same. So, with a convex edge, you don't have to sharpen your knife with the sandpaper-mousepad technique exclusively - when I'm feeling lazy after work and I need to sharpen my convex edged knife, I generally just give it a couple licks on a medium ceramic stone instead of breaking out my assortment of sandpapers and strops. You might even consider this an advantage, but I guess that's one of those YMMV things.
 
boarinator said:
Which is the better edge to have on a fixed blade hunting/survival knife ? tactical folder ? Convex or V edge ?
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It doesnt really matter. The overall geometry with regard to taper, final edge angle, thickness, etc. will play a much bigger role than just "convex" or "flat". This in turn is dictated by what you want the knife to do.
 
Brian Sargent said:
The smooth geometry of a convex edge cuts better than a V bevel. I don't see how that can be argued.

For someone that uses a knife often and finds themselves away from home using the knife it is definitely easier to maintain the convex edge because you don't need to carry around jigs or fixtures.

You can put everything that you need to maintain a convex edge in your wallet.

It is about impossible to have a true V bevel with hand sharpening ....... it will eventually become convexed.

The wide bevel of a Scadi grind allows it to be sharpened easier and they cut incredible in most materials because they come to such a thin edge.
Click to expand...
I don't see how it can be argued either, since it doesn't. A v-bevel converted to convex cuts more easily because steel was removed to convex the edge, so it is thinner. A thinner v-bevel does the same.

I can put a credit card sized sharpening plate in my wallet, or some sandpaper. I can maintain a v-bevel with it.

Scandi grinds do not have thinner edges than v-bevels with the same final included angle. In fact, the v-bevel knife is thinner behind the edge because the primary bevel is much more acute.
 
It's all good. I prefer convex grinds for my outdoor knives, just because I find them to be easier to sharpen.
 
I will say, I like the look of a convex full grind. What do you want the knife to do? Hunter/survival: skinning, quartering, batoning? Tactical folder: edc, weapon, rough utility? I basically use a flat and very slight convex interchangably, depending on whether I last sharpened with stones or my belt sander.
 
hardheart said:
I don't see how it can be argued either, since it doesn't. A v-bevel converted to convex cuts more easily because steel was removed to convex the edge, so it is thinner. A thinner v-bevel does the same.

I can put a credit card sized sharpening plate in my wallet, or some sandpaper. I can maintain a v-bevel with it.

Scandi grinds do not have thinner edges than v-bevels with the same final included angle. In fact, the v-bevel knife is thinner behind the edge because the primary bevel is much more acute.
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I disagree.

I never mentioned converting a V to convex.

If two edges are basically the same thickness .... the shoulder of the V bevel impedes the cut more than the smooth transition of the convex geometry.

Don't think that you really read what I wrote either.

Yeah, your V bevel is easy to maintain with your sharpening plate but being that you cant hold it perfectly flat you no longer have a true V bevel.

It will slowly become convexed.


I do agree with your comment about the scandi though.
 
But it's not an intentional convex bevel, and a shallow enough convex acts like a flat bevel.
 
Brian Sargent said:
I disagree.

I never mentioned converting a V to convex.

If two edges are basically the same thickness .... the shoulder of the V bevel impedes the cut more than the smooth transition of the convex geometry.

Don't think that you really read what I wrote either.

Yeah, your V bevel is easy to maintain with your sharpening plate but being that you cant hold it perfectly flat you no longer have a true V bevel.

It will slowly become convexed.


I do agree with your comment about the scandi though.
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Tf the two edges are the same thickness with different geometry behind them, then they do not have the same sharpening angle. A convex grind is thinner than a v-bevel for the same final included angle. That is the difference.

Do you have any force measurements showing a difference between v-bevels and convex? There is precious little friction at the transition between edge and primary grind.

After numerous delays, my planned CATRA experiment is moving forward again, albeit with some adjustments. We will be testing different angles, grit finishes, thicknesses, etc, but I cannot include convex edges until I get a consensus on how to apply it. I asked about it right here on BF and we didn't get far. When the amount of convexity can be easily measured and equally applied by many, then we can get better data. As for now, my fully convexed edges don't appear to work any differently in regular cutting than my v-bevels, even though applied with jigs or clamp systems.
 
Generally I convex everything except for the scandi grinds which I buy for the purpose of the grind. Much better for carving - I tend to keep them short though - 3" and under usually ( though I do have a couple of big Hankala Tommis :))
 
I do not see anything special in convex. I have got only one knife with convex - F1. I believe it is a nice knife, but not because of the grind - mostly because of the steel, build and the size. And I do not have any problem sharpening and maintaining appropriate grinds on the rest of my knives freehand. That includes scandi grind on the Mora I use working with wood. And if it gets sharper than some other knifes - it is because of the steel and the HT, not because of the grind.
So I do not think any of the myths are true. ;)
 
i like a convex edge. on the chisel grind knives i make i put a half convex edge on them. they tend to be more durable.

on biggeset part of the fixed blade and some folders i sharpen i put a convex on them.
 
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