Fixed Alpha Hunter: What's with the Flaired edge and notch?

[adrock1978]

I find the fixed Alpha Hunter I have hard to beat as a deer hunting/skinning knife. I have a huge gripe though, with the way the back end of the blade flairs out and widens just before the finger groove. Unless I fail to understand its purpose, its a sharpening nightmare. You can never lay it flat on a stone without first assuring you're 1/4 up the blade. Its annoying.

Also, what's the little notch for? Less annoying, but I dont get it.

 

[adrock1978]

Anyone?

 

[Bill Keys]

Ok; the flair is a result of the curved sweeping (in) hollow grind. The geometry is such that even with CNC hollow grinders (which we use) you end up with the "flair" at the back. The flair could be eliminated if the hollow grind were hand ground after machine grinding, but the labor would be extensive. One of the options we have discussed is starting the hollow grind back just a bit farther to eliminate the flair.
As for the small notch, it gives the edgers a starting point to begin hand grinding tghe eddge on; a bit less troublesome than trying to edge into a hilt (without ruining the hilt). If you look at many of the knives we have designed and built for the past 10 years or so, many of them have some sort of notch or choil in them; i.e. the folding Alphas.

Bill Keys
Director of Manufacturing and Engineering
Buck Knives

 

[edbeau]

Thanks, Bill, for the information. Have a few Alphas of my own both fixed and folding.

 

[adrock1978]

Ok; the flair is a result of the curved sweeping (in) hollow grind. The geometry is such that even with CNC hollow grinders (which we use) you end up with the "flair" at the back. The flair could be eliminated if the hollow grind were hand ground after machine grinding, but the labor would be extensive. One of the options we have discussed is starting the hollow grind back just a bit farther to eliminate the flair.
As for the small notch, it gives the edgers a starting point to begin hand grinding tghe eddge on; a bit less troublesome than trying to edge into a hilt (without ruining the hilt). If you look at many of the knives we have designed and built for the past 10 years or so, many of them have some sort of notch or choil in them; i.e. the folding Alphas.

Bill Keys
Director of Manufacturing and Engineering
Buck Knives

Ok, interesting. Its a bit of an inconvenience, but doesn't take much away from an otherwise excellent design. It feels great in hand, and I was able to put a wicked edge on the 420 blade. :thumbup: