Multi-grind knives, useful edge/s or sharpening nightmare?

Firestrike

Firestrike

Joined
Dec 23, 2012
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Someone please educate me on this.

It seems that multigrind knives are becoming more available in more knives, my 1st though when I saw the Tom Brown Tracker years ago was "what a pain in the arse to sharpen that will be." Now I am seeing it on more and more fixed blades and several folders, some that are very high end knives with very complicated looking grinds.

So are they useful, or just a sharpening nightmare?

If you like them please post pics of yours.
 
I think it's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. When you try to be good at everything you end up not doing anything particularly well. The worst is those Striders.
 
They are silly. But people seem to like them, so, as the youngsters say, "Whatevs."

I am particularly amused by the multigrind "survival" type knives that are virtually unsharpenable in the field.
 
It's more novelty than function, as far as I can tell. That the Spyderco Double Bevel is on sale / clearance pretty much everywhere tells a lot about how much demand there is for them as well.

It was neat and cool on custom knives that rot in a case, but for users... Nah. The only compound grind knife that I like is the Microtech DOC, and that still isn't really a particularly practical knife.
 
I think what it comes down to is so many people these days are buying knives to look at and never use. Perhaps envelope opening so they can say they use it but no more than that. (Not my cup of tea but to each their own). Since they never really get used, they almost never need sharpening and the multi grind is perhaps more visually appealing to some rather than a simple grind. I personally prefer simple lines on knives, cars too for that matter. I like all the curves to be on the wifey : )
 
Yeah, someone asked me to sharpen a Tom Brown Tracker for them once, and I couldn't turn it down fast enough. A gimmick through and through and not worth my headache.
 
So far the consensus has backed up what I already thought...to sum it up in one word "useless."
 
Variations in the primary grind and edge angle can make sense in some contexts, but they're usually much harder to detect visually than in most knives with "art grinds". :D
 
I would love a Grimsmo Norseman if not for odd complex grind.

I think complex grind knives are just stupid. Granted, I've never owned one, but they look weird and I'm sure are a nightmare to sharpen.
 
Kiku Matsuda' s grinds are functional as well as quite appealing, to my eye anyway.
Check them out at Japanese knife direct.com
 
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Form over function.

Now, if you find a knife with a nice-looking grind that doesn't hinder the usability, you're good to go. About the most complex grind I own is a tanto-tipped knife or 3. The secondary point is useful, in a few situations. I do own one knife that is all about the looks, and it almost never makes it into my pocket for use. Just doesn't do anything well, at all.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Variations in the primary grind and edge angle can make sense in some contexts, but they're usually much harder to detect visually than in most knives with "art grinds". :D
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Yup. I had Scott Gossman thin the edge on my scrapyard 711. I told him to put the edge on that he would use. He thinned the flat and the tapered it up through the belly so the tip was the original,wide, factory grind. IMO it's the perfect compound grind for that type of knife. "Art grinds" is a good way to describe the sharpening nightmares that we see on some knives.
 
Daniel Dorn said:
Form over function.

Now, if you find a knife with a nice-looking grind that doesn't hinder the usability, you're good to go. About the most complex grind I own is a tanto-tipped knife or 3. The secondary point is useful, in a few situations. I do own one knife that is all about the looks, and it almost never makes it into my pocket for use. Just doesn't do anything well, at all.
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Tantos are the only multi-grinds I've found useful - and boy are they. Americanized tantos have great puncturing power and tip strength (depending on the make and model, of course), and the secondary tip is great for precise drawing cuts - having two straight edges also allows one to have a fine primary edge and a more robust secondary edge. Really cool stuff.
 
Comeuppance said:
Tantos are the only multi-grinds I've found useful - and boy are they. Americanized tantos have great puncturing power and tip strength (depending on the make and model, of course), and the secondary tip is great for precise drawing cuts - having two straight edges also allows one to have a fine primary edge and a more robust secondary edge. Really cool stuff.
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I find Tantos without any form of recurve relatively easy to sharpen as well.
 
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