do you like false top edges?

J

jley

Joined
Mar 20, 2008
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I find that I prefer single edge blades. I'm partial to hunting knives, but even if I'm carrying a knife for self-defense, I still like single edge.

I notice though that a lot of self-defense knives have false top edges. Is this mostly to keep the weight of the knife down? why not just get a single edge?
 
A "false top edge" is actually a swedge. It can be ground very thinly just short of being sharpened. I prefer a swedge on many of my blades. While it does have a use for penetrating purposes, it is also very useful for utility- poking out splinters from skin, boring tiny holes, as a makeshift toothpick, impromptu knife throwing :D, much more.

N.

www.dozierknives.com/forum
 
I find them generally useless. If one needs a finer point, then why not use a blade with a... fine point?

I do think they are often aesthetically pleasing, however.
 
On fixed blades the false edge helps to balance and reduce the total weight

On folding knives I perfer false edges because it cuts more efficiently
 
I suppose a false edge does add physical character to a knife.
Take for instance the generic Spyderco Police, without its "swedge" - it's just not the Police in appearence.
But having a false edge on something like a bowie is probably more in line with defensive knives.
And it's no secret that serious knife fighting practitioners prefer sharpened "false edges"!
We do need to ask the Marines why the k-bar since WW2, has always had a shapened false edge; as do their current Ontario knife bayonets.
The oddest thing to find is for a manufacturer to come out with a single edge dagger/spearpoint in order to circumnavigate certain laws pertaining to daggers.
Recall the Applegate Fairbarn Folder/fixed blade dagger that came in a V-grind?
Sure a V-grind increases cutting utility but it's no longer a true fighting knife.
But I suppose it was intended for "the hunting" crowd.
The last time I checked the definition, a dagger is synonymous with having two working edges!
 
I don't like them. That is exactly the reason I haven't gotten an S1 or A1... the blade size and steel is great (I know because I have an F1) but the swedge is not. I am not much into battoning but swedges are hell on battons. The suck up a lot of the energy and it doesn't transfer very well to the piece of wood being splitted. I wish they would do a knife the size of the S1 but with the blade shape of the F1.
Mikel
 
Mikel_24 said:
I don't like them. That is exactly the reason I haven't gotten an S1 or A1... the blade size and steel is great (I know because I have an F1) but the swedge is not. I am not much into battoning but swedges are hell on battons. The suck up a lot of the energy and it doesn't transfer very well to the piece of wood being splitted. I wish they would do a knife the size of the S1 but with the blade shape of the F1.
Mikel
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Exactly! I want an S-1 but that swedge sucks. I wish they had a larger F-1.
 
In my opinion, it adds to the weakness of the point.

As long as the knife is not primarily a stabbing tool, they don't have much of a use.

I guess some people like the looks of them, but I don't find much use in them.
 
Mikel_24 said:
I don't like them. That is exactly the reason I haven't gotten an S1 or A1... the blade size and steel is great (I know because I have an F1) but the swedge is not.
Mikel
Click to expand...


What is an S1 or A1? Make of knife? can you direct me to where I can learn about this model?
 
monkfish4 said:
In my opinion, it adds to the weakness of the point.

As long as the knife is not primarily a stabbing tool, they don't have much of a use.
Click to expand...

Actually, I've heard talk that says single-edges can be superior for stabbing because of point tip strength. A single edge is less likely to break the tip if it strikes anything hard during a stab. And the little extra weight facilitates the stab strike.
 
For som reason I just don't like the way they look. If it is there, there is some little voice that tells me the edge should be sharp.

Darn those voices anyway!
 
jley said:
What is an S1 or A1? Make of knife? can you direct me to where I can learn about this model?
Click to expand...

Sure buddy! No problem...

F1, S1 and A1 are knives from the Swedish maker Fallkniven. They are like the little brother, the middle sized one and the bigger one. The three of them have kraton rubber-like handles (sometimes micarta, but it is veeeery expensive) and you can have them with leather sheats (two models) or a nylon one. They are made of laminated steel (think sandwitch!) where the ouside is made of 420 and the core of VG10. The harder core gives you outstanding edge retention while the softer core gives you toughness. The S1 and A1 (medium sized and biggest one) have pretty much the same blade shape (saber convex grind with swedge) while the F1 has a more traditional looking blade shape with a full convex grind.

I once read that if you stay long enough here on Bladeforums... you will end up buying at least an F1. Truer words where never spoken... :D :D

I hope that helps,
Mikel

PD: The F1, S1 and A1 are the most popular models from Fallkniven... but there is a bunch of other knives out there from that maker.
 
I consider a sharpened false edge to be a feature of a fighting knife (for example, a Bowie or Kbar), and an unsharpened swedge to be primarily a cosmetic feature that suggests a tactical purpose. I don't need either of those on my knives and prefer for them to look less tactical. Some knives are designed with an unsharpened swedge with the understanding that many buyers can and will sharpen it, depending on their particular legal environment or whether they care about legalities. This possiblilty is sometimes specifically mentioned in the knife's marketing literature.

On a traditional multi-blade pocket knife, the swedges can help the blades fit together when folded and enhance the grip ergonomics, so there is more of a non-tactical purpose in that case.
 
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