Favorite blade grinds and steel type

This is great seeing the variety of steel and grind favorites out there. I got hooked on convex grinds from owning a Blackjack knife back in 1993. Keep the opinions coming guys. :)
 
I like convex grinds or flat grinds with convex edges. I've been convexing the edges of my SAKs and Old-Timers lately with pretty good results. They both hold edges longer and seem to cut better. And I love Bark River and Opinel knives, both convex ground!

I don't really dis-like any particular grind, though. I recently got to use a Jerry Hossom hollowground (my least favorite grind) with a convex edge, man that thing cut! :eek:

As for steel, I am on a budget most of the time, so I don't have any super steels. I love A-2, it takes forever to dull and is easy to maintain on my Bark Rivers. I would love to see other makers use it (an A-2 Old Timer stockman or Buck 112 would rock!). 1095, 12C27 Sandvic, ATS-55, and 440C have all been good to me, too.
 
Still learning, but in my little experience, I am a convex fan. I haven't tried D-2 yet. So far A2 has impressed me the most for a hard use blade - which is what I carry to the woods. S30V is a great all around steel and corrosion resistance is important to me for an EDC.

Besides Bark River, what production knives come with a convex grind???
 
Marbles knives when brought back in 1997. I don't know if they're still made the same way now. I haven't seen any new models. Old and new Blackjack knives. New Blackjacks check out www.knifeware.com
 
I've allways prefered a flat grind, and carbon steel (52100, O1, A2, etc.) But I have a D2 skinner that has impressed me no end. It is hard to sharpen, but it really does hold it as well. So much for carbon( I know, its not really stainless, but it aint carbon either) I have heard so much about bark river convex knives that I decided to try an experiment. I took a commercial 6" boning knife that has a way too thick profile, and therefor I don't use, and reprofiled it to full convex. It is just plain old stainless, probably 420, or 440A but it stays sharp for a LONG time now. Much longer than Schrade 1095, and it pops back to razor sharp just as easily as the 1095. I guess that stuff about supporting the carbides, which actually do the cutting, allowing them to be easily re-aligned with a couple of wipes with cardboard. If you told me that it was 440C, I wouldn't have any trouble believing it. And even though it is still thick, it cuts with about the same drag as a Mora. I'm going to re-profile a Coldsteel SRK that I made full-flat a long time ago, and see how that does. I think you all owe it to yourself to give full convex a try!
 
The blade profile really depends on what I will be doing with a knife. I use D-2, or A-2 steel almost exclusivelly. I prefere a thin hollow grind for hunting knives. This allows them to cut well and sharpen easily. It also allows the knife to be sharpened many times before changing the edge geometry radically.
A thin flat grind is almost as good, as it takes many sharpenings to start to change the edge geometry. It is a good choice if more strength is needed in a hunting or utility knife.
I put a convex edge on my axes and big chopers. This not only makes them stronger, but keeps them from wedging in wood.

Tom
 
I like flat grinds with convex edges for most things. For steel, I like 52100, L6, and O1 in carbon and S30v, BG42 and VG10 in stainless. I like 3v for machetes.

Todd
 
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