Preferred blade grinds, hollow, flat, compound, etc.

Workingsloth777

Workingsloth777

Joined
Mar 10, 2019
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I have just noticed recently that my Buck 110 slim pro is getting more pocket time than a lot of my other (nicer) knives. So I asked myself why?
Is it the nice micarta handle? No
The Carry ability? No
The Paul Bos heat treated s30v blade? No, but close
The very nice slicey hollow grind? Yes!

So I'd love to hear what your favorite blade grind is and why?
Obviously mine is the hollow grind, I don't use my blades for anything that would be considered "hard" use so being very thin behind the edge is more of an advantage for me while possibly being a disadvantage for someone who needs that extra durability.
I also love how it keeps that same thickness behind the edge a lot longer through the years of sharpening than for instance a flat grind that slowly gets thicker.

I might also add that I like how a hollow grind plays with the light reflecting from it.

Thx,
Workingsloth777
 
Ditto with the hollow grind for most of the same reasons.
 
I love good hollow grind blades for the same reasons, too.

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Since I got into CRK I have to admit that hollow grind is my preferred but a full flat grind is also fine for me
 
I do prefer a hollow grind (my Gayle Bradley 2 comes to mind as my favorite). There is something about the feel of the CRK hollow grind between your fingertips. Somehow when I'm sharpening mine I find there is something very tactile about that grind right behind the edge. A thin, hollow grind is very suitable for my needs, and I seem to keep the tip more in tact than I have on say a PM2.

The FFG on my Shiro is also a thing of beauty.

Conversely, I don't like convex grinds in the slightest. They remind me of something amature , something from high school shop class.
 
Most of my knives have flat ground variations, but I do like hollow grinds quite a bit. A flat/hollow compound grind could be interesting in a tanto style like the 0055.
 
Therom said:
Since I got into CRK I have to admit that hollow grind is my preferred but a full flat grind is also fine for me
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I will have to echo this statement. :)
 
Full flat. Doesn’t get bound up like hollow ground blades do while chopping.
 
As a maker I do both hollow grinds and full flat grinds.

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Full flat grind:

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Hollow ground:

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Either can be slicey as heck if ground properly:

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I would guesstimate I sell 2-3 to 1 of full flat grinds to hollow grinds. I until recently have always personally carried a full flat grind. The last three years I carried a hollow ground blade, kinda a prototype deal. I really liked that little camel bone knife in the first pic, bottom row second from the left. Since it wasn't sold yet I kept it. Ya can do that if ya make em and they ain't sold yet. Really liking it, so back to full flat grind as an EDC.

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I prefer a very high hollow grind with a thin edge and reasonably thin stock. I also like FFGs.

I've never believed the theory that hollow grinds bind appreciably worse at the grind shoulder than a comparable flat grind, as the difference in inclusive angle at the shoulder is a few degrees and you make up for it by having substantially less material in the way of the cut medium throughout the rest of the blade.
 
marrenmiller said:
I prefer a very high hollow grind with a thin edge and reasonably thin stock. I also like FFGs.

I've never believed the theory that hollow grinds bind appreciably worse at the grind shoulder than a comparable flat grind, as the difference in inclusive angle at the shoulder is a few degrees and you make up for it by having substantially less material in the way of the cut medium throughout the rest of the blade.
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I believe the theory because I’ve tested the theory. I only mentioned chopping, and hollow ground blades do bind more than full flat while chopping wood.

Hollow ground blades split the wood, then the flat sticks. Full flat cleanly chops it. Get a couple of choppers and try it.
 
AntDog said:
I believe the theory because I’ve tested the theory. I only mentioned chopping, and hollow ground blades do bind more than full flat while chopping wood.

Hollow ground blades split the wood, then the flat sticks. Full flat cleanly chops it. Get a couple of choppers and try it.
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But did you test it with the same height of grinds for each blade? If the full flat grind has a taller grind than a saber hollow, that doesn't make for a valid comparison. Plus it needs to be the same thickness stock and behind the edge. I've never seen anyone test this with identically set up knives.

I would argue splitting wood is an uncommon task to do with a folding knife, and those are the only kinds of knives I tend to carry for EDC, so I'll never observe what you're referring to.

Plus, who hollow grinds a chopping knife???
 
MMHW, for one. There are tons of others.

If you want to test it with some folders, cut some cheese. You’ll see what I’m talking about.
 
AntDog said:
MMHW, for one. There are tons of others.

If you want to test it with some folders, cut some cheese. You’ll see what I’m talking about.
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I cut all manner of material with folders, including cheese and other food, and still have never seen what you're referring to. If someone does a test with identical knives, hollow and flat ground with the same grind height, and can measurably show a difference then I'll believe it.
 
Horses for courses.

I like different skis for different snow. I like different footwear for different activities. I like different grinds for different tasks.

I own more Buck knives than any other brand. The beauty of their new (as of 2000 - man I'm getting old) grind is how thin it is behind the edge. That's cool. But IMO, the blades are generally too thick and the shoulders on the grind are too sharp and they hang up.

I have a Buck 110 and a few other hollow grind knives that I've "flattened" on a course stone. Generally what this means is thinning the blade stock and convexing the shoulder of the grind. What I've found is that a flattened hollow grind slices non-separating mediums (cardboard, potatoes, apples) much better than non-flattened hollow grinds.

For general EDC use, I like thinner, flatter blades. A full flat grind, a flattened hollow grind (e.g., one of my flattened Bucks), or a flat convex blade (e.g., an Opinel) are all good.

For working with wood, I like something that is thicker behind the edge and convexed near the edge.'

For bushcraft stuff, I like a convexed saber grind.

For a general camp knife, I like a thin convexed saber grind but could live with a full flat grind.
 
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