Is there a reason to stick with a V-grind over a convex?

S

ShooterMcgavin

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Jan 20, 2008
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I have read many positive things about going to a convex grind on a knife and I understand that lots of people go that route. I have never done this myself. I went out today and bought the things I will need to start learning to convex my edges (mouse pad and many levels of sand paper), but I got to thinking...

Is there a reason I should stick to using a V grind on any of my knives once I learn to do a convex grind? They have all come from the factory with a V grind. Should I put a convex edge on every knife I own now?
 
My Izula came shaving sharp, so I'll wait until it needs sharpening to convex it. I wouldn't convex an edge that is already great. I would wait until it's dull.

mousepad and sandpaped is cheap, really cheap compared to stones. That's why I prefer convex edges.
 
I personally don't care what my edge is anymore, so long as it's sharp.

There'll be those that say that convexed edges are sooooooooo much better than v-ground edges, and vice versa. Doesn't matter as long as you personally know how to properly sharpen your knife.
 
I convex all my blades but that is because I like it that way. I think there are performance benefits of convex over V, but many folks will argue contrary to it. I say go ahead and experiment with a beater knife and see if you like it or not. That what I did and eventually I decided convex was the way to go for me. In the end, it probably wont make much difference either way you go. As long as you are comfortable with the different sharpening and maintenance style associated with each.
 
I like the V because my spyderco sharpmaker is easy to use and easy to pack it up on the go.
 
AKnife said:
I personally don't care what my edge is anymore, so long as it's sharp.

There'll be those that say that convexed edges are sooooooooo much better than v-ground edges, and vice versa. Doesn't matter as long as you personally know how to properly sharpen your knife.
Click to expand...

And there you have it. :D:thumbup:
 
I "personally" prefer a convexed edge over a V grind. I can get my Bravo-1 razor sharp by stropping in on my belt... I haven't been able to do that with my V grinds. I also feel that a convexed edge makes a better slicer. The Bravo is a thick knife but becaues of the convexed edge better than anything else I own.

I do have a question about convexing 1095 so I'll start a new thread on that.
 
The only reason why almost every production knife has a v-grind is because of production time and effort. If a company can shell out a knife faster with a v-grind than a convex they will do it. It is also cheaper becasue the company can just buy one stone to sharpen a knife as opposed to many belts.
 
AKnife said:
I personally don't care what my edge is anymore, so long as it's sharp.

There'll be those that say that convexed edges are sooooooooo much better than v-ground edges, and vice versa. Doesn't matter as long as you personally know how to properly sharpen your knife.
Click to expand...

+1,000,000 :D

When I'm obsessing over the sharpness of my blades I tend to finish with a pasted hanging strop, which puts a slight polished convex on my edge. When I'm maintaining my edge in the field or just doing a quick touch-up, I don't pay any mind to it. On my Condor machetes (which all come with a convex edge) I still sharpen them like any other edge. I figure the variation in angle due to free-handing maintains the convex geometry well enough, and any V-edge that's produced is going to change performance so little as to be irrelevant.

The only time I really care is on a knife with softer steel seeing high impact. A convex seems to help there thanks to the increased support behind the edge to keep it from rolling. :)
 
nemesis5656 said:
The only reason why almost every production knife has a v-grind is because of production time and effort. If a company can shell out a knife faster with a v-grind than a convex they will do it. It is also cheaper becasue the company can just buy one stone to sharpen a knife as opposed to many belts.
Click to expand...

Where do people get this from? I see this popping up all over the place lately. Almost all companies sharpen the same way, from Case to Bark River. On a belt sander. It is still done by hand, and on the same equipment. The only difference is convex is made on a slack belt. Which is easier to do, since there is not a set angle.
 
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I tought about something else: Most of my EDC are flat ground, mostly because the blades are so thin. I don't see myself convexing a thin Opinel.

On the other hand, all my "bushcraft" blades are convex.
 
The steel of the knife should determine what edge geometry is best for it but they all end up with some convexing to them at one point if you hone without a jig or guide.
 
GLOCKCRAZZ said:
I like the V because my spyderco sharpmaker is easy to use and easy to pack it up on the go.
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I think that this hits on an important consideration - ease of sharpening.

I have serious doubts about any claims that convex is superior in performance that V grinds in any meaningful way. I also have doubts about V being better than convex. I believe a good sharp edge will be able to do well regardless of whether it is a V-grind or convex.

My advice: use whichever you personally find the easiest to sharpen - any edge you can keep VERY sharp will out perform an edge that you can't.
 
IMO --

For durability, a full convex can't be beat -- think axe head.

For wood carving a zero edge or micro edge Scandi works best.

For general slicing/cutting, a flat grind with a convex final bevel seems to be superior to anything else.

I just sharpen mine by hand with stones. When you freehand sharpen, first thing that happens is the "shoulder" where the final v-grind and the flat edge of the side of the blade meet gets knocked off and rounded. Eventually,t he entire final bevel gets convexed -- it's just a natural progression due to your hands always wanting to move in arcs, rather than straight lines.
 
I like both types and can sharpen either.If a knife comes convexed I'll keep it that way and visa versa.
 
samhain73 said:
Where do people get this from? I see this popping up all over the place lately. Almost all companies sharpen the same way, from Case to Bark River. On a belt sander. It's just that with most companies the sharpener uses a platen to make the v-bevel, since it's easier to keep the angle. It is still done by hand, and on the same equipment. The only difference is convex is made on a slack belt, and take a bit more finesse due to having to watch the angle instead of it being made by the platen.
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It came from Shon Rowan himself on Chat last Thurs. He was asked if they would produce convex ESEE blades and he indicated that sharpening times were far faster by V-grind. Using a grinder with the platen on also allows the use of jigs that help improve quality control. I think the slack belt method is fine for a custom maker or the individual doing their conversions, but it requires a lot of training and requires free holding the blade during sharpening. On a production basis this can produce safety issues and make quality control more difficult.

Bark River and Fallkniven are among the few companies that not only convex the edge, but do full convex grinds from spine to edge. I am sure that takes some specialized production facilities. They pride their operations on that facet of their product, the production of a convex ground blade, and therefore optimize their facility to produce this. Unless ESEE suddenly decides that convex is the way to go, which has never been brought up by the owners, then it seems unlikely they would specialize the sharpening process to offer convex edges for a limited clientele like myself.

Besides, I can do the conversion in about 40 minutes. Personally, I tend to hybrid my edges by knocking of the bevels, but maintaining a micro-bevel at 20 degrees per side for my RC-6 and 15 degrees per side for my smaller blades. I like this approach, because I think the bevels interfere with slicing and my intuition says that it also facilitates batoning activity. I also like how the convex conversion smooths out and polishes the coating at the bevel/coating transitions. I have gotten used to how a convex edge behaves while carving wood and making fuzzies and for myself I can slice wood more effectively when it is convexed. However, that is a learned style. If all you ever used was v-grinds or scandi, then chances are you will not like how a convex behaves carving wood when you first try it out.

DSC_0025-4.jpg
 
I had read of so many people going to a convex edge... I thought I would hear that convex has all-around advantages. It seems that the concensus is "doesn't matter either way" (of course, as long as you are good at putting that type of edge on your blade). I'm a little let down to hear that, but I will still try it out. I appreciate all the feedback.
 
I generally think that convex performs slightly better most of the time for my uses. But that's not why I convex most of my blades. I do it because it's easier to get them sharp without a bunch of jigs or being super careful with freehand stones. I rarely carry more than the belt I'm wearing and a few scraps of sandpaper for field sharpening. I can practically sharpen blind with a convex, once I've got the angle roughly figured out it's all muscle memory, and the belt-backed sandpaper is super forgiving.

I convex primarily because I find it to be really easy, whether freehand or on a belt sander. If I were doing a zillion knives, then I'd want to use a platen and some sort of jig and do a V grind, to make the results as consistent as possible. Some semi-mass-produced knives DEFINITELY have had some issues with the consistency of their edges.
 
i find a convex performs a bit better but nothing amazing compared to a v i just prefer it as i keep my knives sharp with a strop and that convexes slightly them anyway
 
kgd: Ahh! Finally a pic of a used RAT. Looks like the blade on my RC4. Now I don't feel so bad for wearing off the coating!
 
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