Opinions on Scandi for SHTF?

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If you're that worried about it, just go buy yourself a bunch of knives that don't have a scandi grind, and throw away everything you have that does. No more problem.
 
campandtravel said:
Sure, until it gets dull. Then how are you going to sharpen it while living at the shelter you just made in the wilderness? Can you think why I'm wrong? I'm really asking.
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Presume you were smart enough to bring a sharpener with you in your bugout bag if you had time to grab your knife.

In which case sharp enough would be good enough for me.
 
I have heard of using the edge of a car window, I have also heard of using the bottom of a ceramic cup. So I say yes, you can sharpen a scandi, with whatever you can find or with a stone you add to your BOB, again it may wind up being scandi vex after sharpening but it will do in a survival situation. Develop and practice the skills you need.
 
part I

In a real SHTF situation, basic sharpness is gonna be easy with what is available. A coffee cup, Chuck of busted toilet, flattish rock, cinder block, etc. and if my knife is not hair popping scalpel sharp I am not gonna care. Scandi or not.
Is my Knife gonna be sharp enough to cut/stab/injur a person/animal/material to assist in my safety ? Yes.
I like and own all sorts of knives.
My Mora #1, BK15, 5 and 7, Terava140, USMC Kabar, Cold Steel Finn Bear, Gerber strongarm, and cold steel sk5 knives are all quite easy to maintain with just about anything.

Part II

My true prep anxiety for a real SHTF world is if I am doing enough CARDIO and can move my body weight around in a fast and flexible way to avoid the zombies/ flooding/ mudslides/ rioters/ etc....can I go from static to dynamic in an instant ?
My 48 yr old body with a few injuries over they years can still do it, but my body takes ALOT more careful maintenance than my knife ever will.
Best line in the WWZ movie, when Pitt is begging the a familiy to not stay hidden in thier apartment and to leave with him towards safety.....”movement is life”.

EDIT: that second half is off subject a bit. I mean no offense.
 
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Softer temper blade would be easier to sharpen,no matter the grind,but yes in my opinion ffg or slight convex would be easier to maintain on some rock or natural stone found.Super steels in scandi grinds would be near impossible to maintain without specific diamond or sil carbide stones.Simple carbon steels and even stainless tempered around 55rc wouldnt be a problem.
 
lonestar1979 said:
Softer temper blade would be easier to sharpen,no matter the grind,but yes in my opinion ffg or slight convex would be easier to maintain on some rock or natural stone found.Super steels in scandi grinds would be near impossible to maintain without specific diamond or sil carbide stones.Simple carbon steels and even stainless tempered around 55rc wouldnt be a problem.
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Good points. What do you call "super steels?" I used to think there was carbon and stainless. Carbon was easy to sharpen but rusts and stainless doesn't rust but doesn't take an edge. Now I'm learning it's more complicated.
 
I actually learned a lot from this thread and it was (mostly) fun but I'm leaving because I think it's pretty much all been said.
 


not exactly sure what the grind is but he used a rock to repair/renew the edge and was skinning a cape buffalo with it..... ;)
 
Out grandfathers used them in war against soviet union in the back woods frontier with primitive equipment. Yea they pretty good. :)
 
campandtravel said:
That's the reason I posted.
That wouldn't last years either.
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Actually, my DC4 diamond/ceramic stone has "survived" almost a decade...much longer than most here would survive a serious, world-ending crisis. Most knife enthusiasts will have a portable sharpener nearby; it's simply prudent planning and most will last far longer than you expect even with constant use. While a Scandi edge isn't my #1 choice, I could easily maintain it and use it just fine for years with the DC4 stone. You also have to remember, your knife is a tool designed to make other tools and not do everything by itself. The blade design, features, etc. are secondary to the skill and competence of the user. A moron with a Busse is no better off than a skilled user with a Mora.

If you plan to have a knife and no sharpener, it's like having a gun and no ammunition or cleaning supplies.

I've done deployments all over this globe and have always had a few knives with me AND a means to maintain and sharpen them. You blade profile is pretty much pointless for this argument...

But for the sake of your argument, as many asked, what is your SHTF? What is the duration? I've used knives hard for several months without sharpening, but I still prefer a small ceramic rod to touch up the edge; I could do the same with a Scandi. It's just a hardened piece of metal with a specific grind/angle. It's not rocket science and if your Scandi becomes a convex edge over the years, it will still cut and not be useless.

ROCK6
 
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campandtravel said:
I actually learned a lot from this thread and it was (mostly) fun but I'm leaving because I think it's pretty much all been said.
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Go ahead and close it to further replies. That way it will not be resurrected. Or maybe the moderator can close it too.
 
campandtravel said:
Ouces matter. I don't walk around carrying stones. :)
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Then you'll have to repeat the process of finding the right sharpening surface each time and have very inconsistent sharpening experiences. And this will be detrimental to your knife and your cutting success regardless of what grind your knife has. When I find a good tool, I tend to keep it around, especially if it will have repeat uses.

Zieg
 
TLDR after the first page. But I would say this:

If you have to ask this question and SHTF as hard as it would need to for you to need to worry about holding/maintaining the edge for years, you'd be like most other people, already dead. Me included.
 
SHTF scenarios vary from region to region. But the true situations that encompass an entire continent are things like an EMP blast, nuclear attack, biologic attack or plague, super volcano eruption and so forth. These are situations you die from rather quickly regardless of what knife you might have. Can you survive? Possibly. Would the knife edge really matter that much? Nope. It boils down to "we do the best we can with what we've got". Yeah a knife..... but so many other things are more important. The other issue with a knife is usable sharpness versus really sharp or however you define that.
 
22-rimfire said:
SHTF scenarios vary from region to region. But the true situations that encompass an entire continent are things like an EMP blast, nuclear attack, biologic attack or plague, super volcano eruption and so forth. These are situations you die from rather quickly regardless of what knife you might have. Can you survive? Possibly. Would the knife edge really matter that much? Nope. It boils down to "we do the best we can with what we've got". Yeah a knife..... but so many other things are more important. The other issue with a knife is usable sharpness versus really sharp or however you define that.
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I'm going to chop that rolling superheated cloud of ash, or nuclear fallout with my super knife!!!

It will part arround my whirling, flashing razor sharp edge.....
 
Please, no more, close this and let us rest. A real discussion would be what are you practicing to gain experience and wisdom when a survival situation happens, or discussion of what you take in your BOB or trunk gear?
 
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