favorite grind and advantages

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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I was curious to try and figure out what peoples favorite grinds are for thier field use fixed blade and what they percieve are the advantages of each

Hollow:

Flat:

Convex:

Scandi:

Sabre:

I think that covers the majority of them, thanks:)
 
RescueRiley said:
I was curious to try and figure out what peoples favorite grinds are for thier field use fixed blade and what they percieve are the advantages of each

Hollow:

Flat:

Convex:

Scandi:

Sabre:

I think that covers the majority of them, thanks:)
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You have to distinguish between primary grind and secondary grind.

I prefer a full flat grind (primary grind) with a convex edge (secondary grind).
 
Full convex grind with convexed edge. Durable, easy to maintain and can get just as sharp the day you die of old age, as when it was brand new. Without having to do any extra work.
 
I would say a Scandi would be the easiest to sharpen as there is no guessing with angle, the downside is that you are removing more material overall than with other grinds each time you do sharpen it !!!
A Convex edge always seems one of the sharpest to me and is easy to touch up as long as it does not get too dull !
 
Although I don't own one I'd have to say full convex. Mostly because it looks the coolest.:D
 
I like full flat if I can sharpening it on my sharpmaker, convex otherwise.

I just like have a full flat slide so easily through stuff (think SAK and kitchen knives)
 
I'm an idiot when it comes to convex blades I have my fallkniven f1 I love it but avoid really giving it the workouts I want cause I'm afraid of sharpening it and ruining it.....any help??
 
RescueRiley said:
I'm an idiot when it comes to convex blades I have my fallkniven f1 I love it but avoid really giving it the workouts I want cause I'm afraid of sharpening it and ruining it.....any help??
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Sharpening a convex blade is like sharpening any other blade. Just consider the primary bevel is convexed and remove steel with a stone by a twist, just follow the curvature line. It's a bit like sharpening a scandi grind with the difference you don't keep the bevel angle but reduce gradually the angle from the secondary bevel angle to zero. Then put a secondary bevel at the angle of your choice as for any other blade. On my F1 i put a tiny secondary bevel with a steep angle and the edge retention is very good; no damage even after batoning. Somes passes on a stone and the edge is like new again.
The F1 is a strong knife, it has happened to me to think: "You shouldn't do that" but the knife is still there, with scratches for all damage. Use it fully, it can take it.

dantzk.
 
I favor Scandi edges for general woodsloafing and knocking around. very keen, and excellent for whittling and general utility. I truly love how easy they are to sharpen, and usually on any old river rock that's handy....

I favor convex edges for actual hunting or food prep. it cuts "through" meat and veggies much more effectively than most Scandi grinds. They are easy to maintain, but can be a bearcat when it's really time to get after it and resharpen. Especially if the edge has had any run ins with rocks and such. probably all in all the one I'd choose, if I could only have one....

I tolerate flat grinds, and generally won't deal with a hollow grind, unless it's truly an exceptional knife.

No rules are absolute though. I have two recently purchased chisel ground knives that passed the camping test the last couple of days very well, And I'd always thought they were utterly useless for the outdoors!:eek: Both baton, hack, make fuzz sticks, and clean fish and critters much better than I would have thought. Good luck pulling cook duty with 'em though. fine enough on meat and small veggies, but horrible on potatoes, apples, etc.
 
I'm a scandi supporter for small knives.
Convex for larger ones or striking tools (axe, machetes...)
And whatever the grind, I hate bevels.

One thing people often don't mention about scandi is that those "large bevel" allow you to know instinctively and pretty well where's your edge pointing.
With "small beveled" grind, whatever the primary grind, the bevel grind can be completly different and asymetrical, resulting in deviations when cutting and making the cutting harder.

Plus while large well polished bevels seem to glide in material, it has always seemed to me that the top of small bevel created like a small wedge that would dent into material creating some drag.

In short, I'm not sure if it is scientifically funded, but beveled edge have always seemed to me not half as good as integral ground ones.
 
Scandi. They just carve into wood really well for me and usually don't need reprofiled. All the flat and hollow ground blades I've seen would need some serious work on the benchstones to get their cutting performance where it needs to be, knives like Ontario Spec Plus and TAK1, Buck's fixed blades, Kabars and so on.

It also usually goes that scandi ground knives have the most comfortable handles attatched to them. :)
 
It's much more a matter of cross section for me rather than a matter of grind. A thick high hollw grind will make a good chopper (Gransfors Bruks hatchet) and a thin convex grind will make a good slicer (Opinel).

dantzk.
 
Riley, I'm an idiot when it comes to sharpening in general - every knife with a conventional grind that I have has uneven bevels. They're functional but sloppy.

My Mini Canadian was the first and only convex that I have, so I'm no expert at all. In fact, that's my point - even as a bungling novice I can easily maintain and restore a convex blade If you strop a convex a little after each session of use, you'll rarely need to sharpen it at all. The one time I had to sharpen my Mini C (after lightly damaging the edge), I was AMAZED at how easy it was and how flawless it turned out after just a handful of passes. Look at the Bark RIver instructions linked in a previous post and don't be apprehensive. Also, one of the main attributes of a convex blade is its durability - don't be afraid to get tough with you're Fallkniven.
 
Foilist said:
Riley, I'm an idiot when it comes to sharpening in general - every knife with a conventional grind that I have has uneven bevels. They're functional but sloppy.
Click to expand...


Grab yourself an Okapi :)

they automatically give you an excuse for uneven bevels with their chisel profile .
 
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