Hollow grinds. Do you like them, or not?

[Steel130]

There seems to be alot of hollow grind dislike. And honestly, I have no problem with them for EDC. I like how hollow grinds because of generally how thin the metal is taken behind the edge. Now I know they are not quite as durable as say a full flat grind. Again for edc I think they are fine. I also have never had any problems with hollow grinds sticking in material being cut. Although I have not cut alot, if any, meat with a hollow grind. Now don't get me wrong, I love nice thin full flat grinds.

Basically what I am trying to say is, a hollow grind won't stop me from buying a knife meant for edc . Thoughts?

 

[Raylas]

A hollow grind won't stop me from buying a knife as EDC, but I much prefer flat, saber, or chisel grinds. Mostly due to durability, I've had a few problems with rolling on hollow grinds, but I'll use them if the knife I want has one.

 

[marcinek]

Gimme a FFG.

 

[upnorth]

Used to have a Ka-Bar Potbelly. Hell of a chopper\slicer for a mid sized F.B.

 

[Goosey]

I like them.

 

[SLiuGraphite]

Hollow grinds are great for EDC knives. Less friction and such when ripping through cardboard and tape.
However, for any sort of hard use outdoorsy knife, an FFG or convex is preferred.
Also, if you intend on sharpening them a lot, hollows may not be the best choice. I've never seen it but the bevel going farther and farther back into the hollow would be hell-a-scary.

 

[Steel130]

Hollow grinds are great for EDC knives. Less friction and such when ripping through cardboard and tape.
However, for any sort of hard use outdoorsy knife, an FFG or convex is preferred.
Also, if you intend on sharpening them a lot, hollows may not be the best choice. I've never seen it but the bevel going farther and farther back into the hollow would be hell-a-scary.

True, but unlike a FFG. You would keep a thinness behind the edge throughout all the sharpening without a reprofile being as necessary. Just food for thought. But definitely FFG at least, for out doors.

 

[Indianbladenoob]

Hollow grinds are great for EDC knives. Less friction and such when ripping through cardboard and tape.
However, for any sort of hard use outdoorsy knife, an FFG or convex is preferred.
Also, if you intend on sharpening them a lot, hollows may not be the best choice. I've never seen it but the bevel going farther and farther back into the hollow would be hell-a-scary.

Learnt THIS the hard way on my Scamp. Salvaged the edge some and it still cuts well but I've lost abt 3.5 mm of blade trying to freehand before I got my Lansky. Oddly, the kit improved my freehand skills.

 

[machine26]

I primarily use hollow grounds for outdoors use. Randall 14, 18, CRK Shadow IV, mountaineer 1, GB, JAB potbelly, etc and have never had any issues. I've even been using a sebbie for lighter wood working tasks with no issue.

 

[archieblue]

As long as a grind is fairly thin I don't care how the maker does it. I do like the idea that a hollow grind through years of sharpening should never reveal a thicker edge. My main stipulation is that a hollow or flat grind needs to be damn close to removing blade stock all the way up to the spine of the blade though (Full Flat or Full Hollow).

 

[MODiFiEDZ]

A hollow grind won't stop me from buying a knife as EDC, but I much prefer flat, saber, or chisel grinds. Mostly due to durability, I've had a few problems with rolling on hollow grinds, but I'll use them if the knife I want has one.

If you have edge rolling its got to do with the bevel angle not the thickness behind the cutting edge. If you get rolling often consider sharpening at a more obtuse angle or using a 25-30* per side microbevel.

 

[Nullity]

Hollow grinds are great for EDC knives. Less friction and such when ripping through cardboard and tape.
However, for any sort of hard use outdoorsy knife, an FFG or convex is preferred.
Also, if you intend on sharpening them a lot, hollows may not be the best choice. I've never seen it but the bevel going farther and farther back into the hollow would be hell-a-scary.

Hollow is good for cardboard? In my experience FFG is much better at cutting through materials, but hollow is better at the initial bite. YMMV.
Also, the tip of a hollow-grind can be made quite stout, unlike most FFG.
Anyway...


I like almost any grind, but it depends on the size, shape, ergonomics, and intended use of the knife/blade.

As archieblue said, hollow can be great for keeping the behind the edge thickness consistent throughout a knife's life.
A hollow grind can also make the blade lighter, which is probably more important in larger blades.
There's also many different ways to grind a hollow-grind, so there's no definitive "hollow is good or bad".

Ultimately, as long as the entire knife is well thought out (Loveless drop-point ), I'll take whatever grind the maker chooses.

 

[james terrio]

I'm not huge on hollow grinds because I simply don't find them necessary. If you honestly sharpen a knife so much that it gets to be too thick to cut well, there's at least one of several problems:
The steel is way too soft.
The blade and/or edge is too thick to begin with.
You don't know how to sharpen, or don't know the difference between honing and sharpening.
You're using your knife far more than anyone I've ever met, including professional butchers.

A hollow grind doesn't address any of that, and only serves to weaken the blade. They do have their place, such as on razors that (hopefully!) never cut anything thicker than a hair.

 

[marthinus]

I think many people have only experienced shallow hollow grinds and have a negative experience as it thickens within the first 1.5cm of the blade. A proper high hollow grind in my experience will outcut a FFG.

Here is an example of a high hollow.

I would have to remove half the blade before any significant edge thickness is experienced.

 

[Jack Black]

I like this one!

Seriously, while I generally prefer FFG, I like hollow-grinds and have quite a lot of knives that are ground that way. They can look really beautiful and dramatic.

 

[goodeyesniper]

love 'em.

that said any grind can be done beautifully, and any can be done horribly. But a properly executed HHG is great.