Educate me on the Scandi grind

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pedicabdriver

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Nov 29, 2007
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Does a Scandi edge cut better than a conventionally ground blade, or is it popular for bushcraft/outdoor stuff just because it's easier to maintain and sharpen? I can understand why it cuts so well on a thinner knife like a Mora, but I'd imagine it would be more wedge-like and likelier to bind when used on blades in the 3-4mm thickness range.
 
There are trade off's to every blade grind, scandi grinds are great for cutting wood (bushcrafting and other outdoor tasks)but would be a bad choice for cutting heavy plastic or cardboard. They are easy to sharpen because you just lay it on the bevel and grind but that really dosen't make it easy. It can take some time to grind a bevel of that size and for some reason seems best done with waterstones or sandpaper over glass.
 
The scandi grind gives you a very fine edge that cuts splendidly but may be prone to rolling or chipping with improper use.
 
Scandi edges don't cut any better than any other style grind. I suppose they can be easy to sharpen freehand with a flat stone, though this isn't necessarily an advantage bushcrafting/outdoor stuff. The association with bushcrafting is made because Scandi grinds are used on Mora knives, which enjoy a significant association with bushcrafting, and Mora knives are also associated with Mors Kochanski, a large figure among bushcraft enthusiasts.

Scandi grinds work well on thinner knives such as Moras for several reasons. One, they are inexpensive to manufacture. Two, they allow for thin blades to maintain more lateral stiffness since minimal amount of steel is ground away, which also translates to cost savings (durable knife made with thin stock). A contributing factor is that Scandi knives have little, if any, secondary bevel. This translates to a more acute edge bevel for more efficient cutting, often outcutting full flat or hollow grind blades, which may have less acute edge bevels.

I don't know that Scandi grinds are particularly good at cutting wood, and bad for cutting plastic or cardboard. The latter has more to do with overall blade thickness and edge acuteness, which is unrelated to the style of grind. And I've not seen any proof of the former. I don't think wood cares what style grind is used, as long as it's sharp.

I think Scandi grinds are not any more prone to rolling and chipping than any other kind of grind. That has to do more with steel hardness than grind style. If anything, Scandi grinds may be more durable. For example, let's say you have two blades made of the same steel, 1" wide, and the same thickness, .125". One has a full flat grind to a zero edge, the other a Scandi grind (which is essentially a simple single edge bevel with a zero edge, in this case, lets say a bevel .250" wide). Both knives would be sharp. Yet, the Scandi grind would have significantly more material behind the edge than the full flat grind, translating to more durability, ability to withstand fracture and deformation. With the given dimensions, the Scandi knife would have an edge bevel of about 29 degrees, the full flat grind with zero edge would have an angle of less than 10 degrees, and most of the blade would be thinner except at the spine.

One could make that full flat grind more durable by not using a zero edge, but a thicker edge bevel and less acute edge angle. Most full flat grind blades are actually made this way. But the thicker the edge bevel, the greater the edge angle, the less efficient cutting ability. And if it is to be made more durable than the Scandi, the edge bevel will have to be made correspondingly thicker, and less acute than the Scandi. The advantages of full flat grind start to quickly drop off.
 
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Why is it that everytime someone asks about something and one person gives his or her personal experience that is positive, 10 other people come in and bash it?



Outdoors fanatic, thats a poor and uneducated answer.
 
Shecky - great explanation - belongs in a book / manual on knife edges. When I bought my first full flat grind I was surprised at how "blunt" it seemed (Spydie Manix) after all the raving about the flat grind by all the knife enthusiasts out there. Closer examination showed exactly what you describe in your last paragraph. I have a couple of Scandi grind knives and they cut beautifully.
 
AfterTFD said:
The scandi grind gives you a very fine edge that cuts splendidly but may be prone to rolling or chipping with improper use.
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That would depend on the steel used. I have Scandi knives made from carbon steels and no matter how hard I chop wood with it, it doesn't chip or roll (to the naked eye).

Like the above poster mentioned, Scandi grinds work great for thinner knives, and are cheaper to make.

Outdoors Fanatic said:
Scandi grinds are poor excuses for a proper grinding. A hollow, flat or convex grind are way superior.
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Die.
 
cotdt said:
That would depend on the steel used. I have Scandi knives made from carbon steels and no matter how hard I chop wood with it, it doesn't chip or roll (to the naked eye).

Like the above poster mentioned, Scandi grinds work great for thinner knives, and are cheaper to make.



Die.
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Oh, how mature... It's my goddamn opnion (based on several years out in the woods using a crapload of blades).
 
shecky said:
Scandi edges don't cut any better than any other style grind...

...A contributing factor is that Scandi knives have little, if any, secondary bevel. This translates to a more acute edge bevel for more efficient cutting, often outcutting full flat or hollow grind blades, which may have less acute edge bevels.
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I liked your description a lot, but it kind of seemed like you contradicted yourself. Right?

I agree with everything accept that first sentence. In my experience, as well as those who have taught me, our consensus is that scandi grinds do in fact cut through common outdoor materials better -wood specifically (I cant really comment on plastic).
 
The problem with the blanket statement about Scandi edges cutting better is that it is repeated without understanding why this may be so.

Having little or no secondary edge bevel is a significant key here. This is sometimes referred to as a "zero edge". Moras come with a zero edge out of the box, one of the few knives that do, and as such, have an advantage over many other grind styles with secondary edge bevels, when the decently acute edge angle and thin blade stock of the Mora is factored in. At least until the other styles are reprofiled.

Keep in mind, it's entirely possible to have a Scandi grind blade that isn't all that great a cutter. Take my example 1" wide blade with a .250" wide Scandi edge bevel, but this time make it from 1/4" stock. The edge bevel would now be a significantly less acute 60 degrees. And the thicker stock will have more trouble moving through material. IOW, it's not such a good cutter, even though it has a Scandi grind.

Other things to consider. Any edge bevel can be sharp. Even a 90 degree angle. But to be an efficient cutter, being sharp is just part of the equation. The edge bevel also has to be sufficiently thin and acute. Being sufficiently thin and acute also aids in sharpening and is not limited to Scandi edges. It just helps that Mora knives come that way from the factory.
 
cotdt said:
That would depend on the steel used. I have Scandi knives made from carbon steels and no matter how hard I chop wood with it, it doesn't chip or roll (to the naked eye).
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Of course there are many influential factors. I'm not making the statement that all scandi ground fail horribly in all uses. I very much love the scandi grind. It is a better choice for my uses than either a hollow or "normal" flat grind.
 
cotdt said:
That would depend on the steel used. I have Scandi knives made from carbon steels and no matter how hard I chop wood with it, it doesn't chip or roll (to the naked eye).
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The angle is important, too. The only Scandi's I have are Moras and I believe those are ground at ~10deg per side. That's pretty acute. One would think that something with that acute an edge would cut well, and mine cut REALLY well. But that acute an edge isn't too hard to roll, I've certainly done it.

Like the above poster mentioned, Scandi grinds work great for thinner knives, and are cheaper to make.
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Yep, helps with the binding problem, and fewer grinding steps.
 
The edge of scandi grind has less steel around the sides, making it more efficient at cutting and allowing narrower angle when slicing (such as whittling). Just use common sense please.

Yes it's superior compared to convex or any other as bushcrafter. Why? Because I've used them since child.
 
The Scandi, or kata-kiri-ba, is my fav FB blade style. It's strong, sharp and ez to sharpen.
 
A.L. said:
The edge of scandi grind has less steel around the sides, making it more efficient at cutting and allowing narrower angle when slicing (such as whittling). Just use common sense please.
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And if I took my Mora 780 and put a back bevel on it (aka knocked off the shoulders) so there was even *less* steel behind the edge? Imagine a Krein regrind. :eek:

So what you're saying is, a full flat primary grind with a very small (measure the width of the knife where it transitions from primary to edge grind) acute edge grind is even better, because it certainly has much less steel around the sides I assure you.

Yes it's superior compared to convex or any other as bushcrafter. Why? Because I've used them since child.
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No, that means it works better for you because of familiarity, not that it's "superior".

I like to think that Scandi's work well on wood because they tend to have acute edges, and they're easy to sharpen so it's easy to put a fine, polished edge on then. And acute, polished edges work best on wood. I also think there's something about the really broad edge bevels that helps you find the "right" angle to cut....
 
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