Saber Grind vs. Full Height Flat Grind – Which Do You Prefer and Why?

blademik said:
Wow ! Nice knife Jaxx !
Is that a factory finish or is it something you did yourself ? And if you did it yourself, is there a tutorial or How-to anywhere ?
I'm feeling a bit converted !
Click to expand...

This one is factory finished, an original production run satin finished combat grade SFNO, sterile (no logo). :) It's a queen as I wasn't lucky enough to get it for original price, LOL. My user is an LE, love that one too. Great satin finish. (see Post #22) :thumbup:
 
In theory I've always felt the full flat grind was the best choice. Then over decades of use, I've come to a completely different conclusion... My own preference now is for a high saber grind, with a deep hollow grind edge. Relatively few factory fixed blade knives are made this way, so my other first choice is a high flat saber grind, though I will also prefer a low saber grind to a full flat, if it has a deep hollow grind under it, even considering the potentially more efficient full flat grind...

The reason for this radical change of heart is two-fold: First is a functional reason: Most flat blades under 8" are seriously challenged for any chopping power, and, barring a really thick knife like the Odin, a full flat grind makes this "blade lightness" worse...

Second, and this is where my experience with the Odin comes in, a full flat grind like the Odin has no "bearing" surface to "ride on" into the sheath, so you potentially will have ingress and egress scratches all over the blade, not just parts of it: This is worsened by the fact that, since the same flat surface goes all the way to edge, and to the tip, as you pull-out fully and turn the knife the scratches will not even be straight (which looks orders of magnitude worse still), so they will eventually catch the light from any angle... Not only that, but they will be far closer to the edge as well, which means trying to erase them with a quick grain-paralell swipe of sandpaper will make it more likely the sandpaper attempt on a satin finish will damage your edge...

I did not note such bad scratching initially on my stainless Cold Steel Trailmaster, but that rode in a nylon sheath that eventually deformed from prolonged inside the pant carry, and then it was scratchville all over again...

These scratches are really very tiresome to look at on an object that is more than just a tool, especially compared to the sabre grind's narrow flat "bearing area" that not only confines the scratches, but even more importantly tends to keep them more straight-looking given the way the knife "rides" on that limited flat alone, rather than the whole blade: Over time the difference in appearance can get quite large: This is even more so under hard field use, where particles might fall into the sheath... In short, sabre ground blades will age far better look-wise, particularly under hard use that gets stuff into the sheath... I hope some sheaths do better at limiting scratches than the terrible mutilation the Fallkniven sheaths were for years inflicting on the "Northern Lights" series :eek:, even when new and straight from the box (that hugely thick leather was like sandpaper inside)... These have new black sheaths now, and I pray for their owners that they are less "scratchy" than the older beige ones I experienced... Note I wasn't the only one noticing this, and virtually every "Northen Lights" owner experience I have read has mentionned the big scratches they get...

Gaston
 
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Thanks for those lengthy and thorough comments, Gaston. A few things I had not considered...;-)
 
I was just fondling my finger groove SOB in comp finish. Made me realize that comp finish is best with a saber grind. Lots of dimples.
 
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