Hollow vs. Flat

WadeF

WadeF

Joined
Apr 12, 2000
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What is everyone's opinion on a hollow ground blade, say a large sebenza, vs. a full flat grind like a mini-manix or manix? I was always under the impression that a hollow grind was better than just about anything, but it seems this may not be the case from things I've read. What are the pros and cons of a hollow grind and what advantages does a full flat grind have over it?
 
Thats a question thats going to get a lot of different answers. It really depends on what you plan on using the knife for. I personally prefer flat grinds over hollow for their stronger blade characteristics. However when skinning/field dressing I like my Bucks hollow ground blade for its keen edge.

In reality, it's up to you and what you're are comfortable with. There is a lot of hype out there regarding different blade grinds. Some has merit, some does not. Good luck:thumbup:
 
Hollow grinds keep the same geometry through more resharpenings. They excel in shallow slicing. They hang up in many deep cutting situations.

Flat grinds develop a wide shoulder after many sharpenings. They wedge evenly through material but offer somewhat more resistance in shallow cuts than a hollow ground blade.

Which is better depends on your uses for a knife.

I'm partial to flat grinds and convex grinds.
 
Flat ground blades tend to "wander" less than do hollow grinds when cutting some materials .... wood for example, also some non-brittle synthetics. IMO with these materials a bit of binding further up the edge or blade makes controlled cutting easier.
 
In folders, I'm fine with either a flat grind or a hollow one, as long as they are done properly. I like the looks and are more used to flat grinds, though.

In fixed blades, I won't use hollow grinds. I find flat and convex ground knives a lot better for the kind of things I do with my fixed blades. They work better on wood, the edge can take more of a beating. I don't like hollow ground knives for hard use.
 
It really does depend on how the grind is put on. I've seen some pretty thick hollow grinds that were very strong and some very thin hollow grinds, flat, and even convex that would be weaker. For me I like the convex grind because it is very easy for me to maintain and sharpen.
 
I am totally hooked on flat grinds. I do not pry with my blades so I do not need the extra strength of the hollow grind. That is the only advantage of a hollow grind to me. A well sharpened flat grind just sails threw whatever you are cutting without the annoying binding.
 
Redhawk44p,

I think the part you're hooked on is how thin the knife is. I have a hollow-ground knife that is 1/16" thick at spine (lots of flatground knives are that thick at the start of their edges :barf: ) which will cut like demons even when its edge has blown out into its primary grind (stupid kydex :mad: ). Kind of fun watching the edge shimmer over a hone when resharpening it.
 
Full flat grinds flow through materials better in my experience. I also find them much more visually appealing. Since I'm rarely making shallow cuts through anything, I find that flat grinds work better for me. I can never get my hollow ground knives to cut like my full flat ground ones. Same goes for saber, which tend to cut worse than both in my experience. I also understand from research that the full flat grind is the best compromise between the basic grinds, excluding convex, which I still fail to fully grasp the benefits and drawbacks of.
 
I have made one, whole, knife from scratch. One.
I've been USING knives for a looong time though. Plenty long enough to know what I do like, and what I don't like so much.
I could have made mine any way I wanted.
I made a full flat grind. (8" blade)

'Nuff sed ?
 
Longstrider said:
I have made one, whole, knife from scratch. One.
I've been USING knives for a looong time though. Plenty long enough to know what I do like, and what I don't like so much.
I could have made mine any way I wanted.
I made a full flat grind. (8" blade)

'Nuff sed ?
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I can't imagine that thats "nuff sed". While I totally agree with you that a full flat grind is superior to a hollow grind in most cases, the hollow grind has it's place. To many being made for it not to.

Really depends on what you plan on using the knife for, and what you're comfortable with.
 
WadeF said:
What are the pros and cons of a hollow grind and what advantages does a full flat grind have over it?
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There are differences in the grinds, but the main difference that you see from one knife to another tends to be the cross section. You take a Strider sabre/hollow vs a Opinel and it isn't hollow vs flat, it is just think vs thin.

In any case, the main benefits to hollow grinds are the stability in secondary bevel sharpening, the ease of applying very acute edge bevel and a very high strength/weight ratio.

The benefits to flat grinds are that they are stronger in a given stock, much stronger in regards to torques in partial cuts, easier to jig sharpen in many cases, and tend to have less binding issues - though that is dependent on the type of hollow grind.

But again, look at the thickness first and the curvature later.

-Cliff
 
Tarmix101, Sorry chap, did not mean to ruffle your feathers. Perhaps I should have been a little more specific.
I could have made my knife any way I wanted but I chose the flat grind because it's what I prefer to have with me out in the field (more often in the woods) I have hollow ground knives aplenty. Most of them are Bucks, but not all. I've found that they are great for light jobs such as skinning and gutting, but if I want to get the blade deep into a piece of wood (Shelter building and the like) they tend to bind up so much easier than a flat grind. I can do all with a flat grind that I can do with a hollow grind, but the reverse is not true. I chose the flat grind because to me it seems to be simply a damned good all-rounder, and if I've only got one knife to hand, thats what it will need to be.
 
Longstrider said:
Tarmix101, Sorry chap, did not mean to ruffle your feathers. Perhaps I should have been a little more specific.
I could have made my knife any way I wanted but I chose the flat grind because it's what I prefer to have with me out in the field (more often in the woods) I have hollow ground knives aplenty. Most of them are Bucks, but not all. I've found that they are great for light jobs such as skinning and gutting, but if I want to get the blade deep into a piece of wood (Shelter building and the like) they tend to bind up so much easier than a flat grind. I can do all with a flat grind that I can do with a hollow grind, but the reverse is not true. I chose the flat grind because to me it seems to be simply a damned good all-rounder, and if I've only got one knife to hand, thats what it will need to be.
Click to expand...


No need to be sorry. I might have sounded a little more aggressive that I meant it to be:o . And I agree with you completely. IMO a flat grind is a much better "all around" blade grind.
 
For looks, and ease of maintaining a sharp edge bevel, I prefer the high/deep hollow grind. I mean all-the-way-to-the-back-edge high. I believe CRK Sebenzas are almost ground that way. I have an A. G. Russell folder that has achieved the perfect grind for me. Super strength is not an issue for me, and my mundane tasks. It's all about slicing, in my EDC needs. If you can check out the A. G. Russell Gent's Hunter, or the Loveless style Caper Finn, you will see what I'm talking about. YMMV
 
I like hollow grind on knives for the field on game and food prep duty. I like flat for my folders used daily for the grunt work though. Hollow is good for a guy that sharpens his knife a lot.

When someone asks me about what to buy I tell them that if you are one of those that takes the edge of your knife to a stone frequently you'll have a flat grind too thick to do much good inside a year or so doing sharpenings often which leads to the need for major reprofile work of the blade to make it cut as it once did. Hollow grind is more your ticket as it will stay thin up through the years as you hone it down. The draw back is that its not as strong against lateral stresses on the blade but you rarely hear of issues with either grind its the wrong use of the blade that causes the problem.

STR
 
I wonder how much of the hollow grind mystique comes from the custom makers from the '60's needing to sell knives more than spend all day polishing flats on a blade. As belt grinders came into vogue a lot more knives were available hollow ground, and if I take correctly what makers explain (including Engnath and others ) belt grinding blades on a 8" wheel seems to be a preferred method of manufacture in the custom market. The price of automatic CNC controlled dual flat grinding machines being a little out of reach might influence their decision these days, and flat grinding on discs limits the different ways a ricasso can be styled.

So it's more likely the technology came first, then the justification. And like Daniel mentioned, the high hollow grind does keep a sharp edge - because it's a reverse saber grind.

The first maker who can do a reverse saber with flats, that's going to be different.
 
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