Scandi Grind for bushcraft and heavy use

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ClimbinMonkey

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Dec 28, 2013
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So I've been reading around the forums trying to come to a decision on a durable bushcraft and all around outdoor knife. From what I have read, it seems many state the scandi is great for light woodwork but sucks in other uses like foodprep and heavier woodworking. I have a Mora and am partial to the easy to sharpen scandi grind but realize the limiations of a smaller non-full tang blade. I am looking at a BK16, Tops BOB, Condor Bushlore.... I am looking for a multi-purpose outdoors workhorse of a knife (thats also around $150 or less). Something I wouldn't necessarily use for hard batoning, but if I don't have that axe handy then I wouldn't mind turning to this knife.

So the original question, would a scandi grind be less useful in this mulit-use aspect? I saw talk of it "sticking or grabbing" more readily than other grinds, and that I can be less durable than a saber or flat grind.

I would choose a convex grind but I am newish to sharpening and want a simple straight edge that I can bring back to working order easily in the field.

At this point I feel like the BK16 might be the best bet for me as a 1 knife outdoor do it all. If I was to spend some money, anyone have any suggestions on the next step up from the BK, better steel, and micarta handles, etc.? (not a Bark River b/c of convex grind)

Thanks for the help!
 
I would go with the BOB. has worked for me with no problems for years. The bk 16 is nice but for like 50 dollars more the BOB is exceptional value. Also take a look at the Tops dragonfly 4.5 . Both the BOB and Dragonfly have scandi grinds which is great for getting behind wood but a convex edge which makes them durable and sharp. The bushlore, while a good knife, came to me chipped and the steel is WAAAAYYYYY to soft in my opinion it dulls quite quickly. I would recommend the BOB, i think it will suit you well.
 
Sounds good, but I was hoping for thoughts on a non convex edge so I can easily resharpen back to razor sharp. Is a scandi good for heavy duty and all around camp stuff or something else like a saber grind?
 
A Scandi grind can do anything in the right hands. I use my Ivan Campos Scandi in 1070 for everything when camping: food prep, kindling, cutting rope, you name it. The only 'problem' is that it is hair-popping sharp and cuts like a screaming witch, so needs to be wielded with care, like any sharp blade.
 
I am a big fan of both the Scandi and the saber grinds (pretty similar grinds although technically to my understanding a Scandi is a kind of saber but a saber is not necessarily a scandi) for when the knife is going to see usage that tends to be hard on blades and edges. I like how it keeps a lot of steel on the knife, I find them easy to upkeep, and they must give edges more support because I find the edges to be better at holding a general working utility edge than say a hollow grind. I agree for things like fine slicing food prep you lose some performance, but part of that is also because many knives with these grinds tend to have pretty thick blades to begin with and so the blade thickness is partly affecting this as well.

If the knife is going to be used for a lot of food prep but will also see significant utility usage, the grind I really like is the high flat as I think it does a reasonably good job at practically everything. To me, the high flat is kind of the intermediate between a full flat and a saber/Scandi.
 
I strongly prefer convex blades to either sabre or scandi for making shavings and feather sticks.

I also wouldn't worry one little bit about all of the fuss about maintaining a convex blade.

There are 2 issues: the grind of the blade and the shape of the cutting apex. IMO, the wood cutting performance of the convex grind is almost entirely about grind of the blade (way above the apex) and not so much about the apex itself. Which is to say that a convex Opinel with a straight 'V' apex will still do better at making feathersticks than my Mora does. The grind of the Mora "dives" into the grain, making it difficult to control the angle to get nice feathers. This is what is happening way higher than the apex, imo.

There *are* people who sing the praises of a full convex with no angles all the way to apex. This is harder to achieve reliably. IMO, it's not needed to get the benefit of the grind. An easy way to get close to it (this isn't needed but if it helps) is to use a guided rod tool and put a 17 degree back bevel on followed by a 20 degree cutting micro bevel to create a compound apex. If you want to take that one step closer to true convex, strop the blade flat on the strop (or wet/dry paper) to round off the shoulders of the secondary bevel. Just don't get close to the true apex. This is a very easy to reproduce process.

Another trick is to bend a Lansky rod down a bit to that when it sits in the 17 degree slot it moves from 20 to 17ish as you move the rod in. This will reliably give a true convex apex with the need to practice.

But again, a 'V' micro bevel on a convex ground blade is more versatile than full Scandi in my experience.
 
Similar to what pinnah is saying, you can also sharpen your scandi knife normally, then with a strop or even just your belt, strop the edge at a slightly steeper angle which will give the knife a secondary "micro-bevel". This will increase the durability of the edge without drastically affecting the cutting performance.
 
Sounds easy enough. What would you recommend for this double bevel? A short convex, like making this double bevel with a becker? Or a longer convex angle like the scandivex on the TOPS BOB?
 
If you're and inexperienced sharpener your grind will most likely have a slight convex shape to them anyway. Keeping a perfect angle for a flat grind/bevel is one of the challenges of sharpening that come with practice. Honestly getting a blade to be good enough for a "workhorse" knife isn't too difficult.
Getting a razor sharp edge that won't wear down quickly with heavy use is the real challenge. That's all about refinement.
$150 is a pretty generous budget for a knife of that purpose. The only one I can suggest from personal experience is the Esee 4. BK16 is also another favorite for the low price. If you want a scandi you can just get a Mora (cheap as hell but high quality) and test it out before you commit to a more expensive knife.
 
Mora's are pretty sweet easy maintenance blades, they are pretty much what got me started on knives! The Esee 4 or laser strike are def other options im looking at. What you said about my newbie sharpening skills is probably correct, i've got the spiderco sharpmaker (which doesn't allow for much angle variation) and a large, course DMT stone for the initial shaping. I really would like to get a razor edge and keep it, so learning more on refinement sounds like a new topic in which to search the forums. thanks for the help!
 
NP, now keep in mind I'm also a newbie when it comes to sharpening. I can get to razor sharp if I take my time, on average though I get to a rough shave. Pretty much all my attempts leave a convex shape due to slight inconsistencies in angle but it seems to hold well for woodworking.
You'll have to ask the more experienced if razor sharp scandi is any good for heavier use knives like the BK16 or the Esee. After reading up a lot I think I'm going to go without putting a scandi on my Esee4 and get a Mora for my secondary. I want to bring the angle down on the Esee for sure but until I'm consistent on my practice knife I'm holding off on major reshaping.
 
Try using your mora on the heavier stuff. If you need to baton it through some wood just keep away from knots and twisted grain. Better yet, take two seconds and carve a wooden wedge. Tap the knife into the wood just enough to start a split then use the wedge to finish the job.
 
Yes, a scandi grind can be weaker than a "standard" grind.

It can also be stronger...

A lot of people like it for ease of sharpening and low carving angle on woods. Others don't like it because you have to remove more metal while sharpening, and for its behavior cutting other things...

Comparing scandi versus ffg of the same steel, ht, and thickness at the spine the scandi might have a slightly weaker edge due to the low angle of the zero grind, then again, you can sharpen a ffg to equally low angles, in which case the ffg will be thinner behind the edge and weaker. Though for the sake of the question we will assume it has a standard 30-40 degree edge. But, since the scandi retains much more thickness through most of the blade, it should be over all stronger than the comparable ffg in certain tasks.

Of course, generalizing is rarely accurate. And most people call scandi weak only because they are used to really thin scandi knives.
 
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