The lure of scandi... Help! Pros and cons?

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
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Well, two things happened. I finally bought 2 moras, and I've been watching Ray Mears videos. So scandi is definitly on my mind, especially having just placed an order for my "last" custom blade, or at least the next step towards my perfect blade.

So, I love that scandi's melt through wood, but I'm a little concerned about the overall flexibility of the grind when compared to a full flat grind.

What is your pro and con list for scandi blades?

L?
 
I'm in your boat. I've heard lots of good things about them and finally put an order in for a Koster to see what all the hub bub was about. I don't have the knife yet so I can't give you any experienced criticism but the only thing I can see as being a draw back on this design is in the through cutting where the blade passes throught the object.
 
Especially as bushcrafting blades, scandi's outperform pretty much any grind. (Dunno about convex.) But the edge is a bit finer and not as strong, but with a good steel and heat treat it shouldn't be THAT bad. Full flat with a secondary edge is stronger, but doesn't bite on wood so well. And in my experience even a bit dull scandi still bites pretty well due to the thinner grind.
As a Finn I love scandi's, as our native knife, the puukko, has a scandi grind and it was originally meant for especially woodworking.
EDIT:
Oh and I forgot to mention one more pro. Ease of sharpening, I mean with a scandi the sharpening doesn't get any easier. Even a newbie at free hand sharpening can put a really good edge on it.
 
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I use to have a Koster Bushcraft. Had to sell it though since I needed some cash. I too love how the scandi grind goes right through wood like butter.

Still, I don't really like the grind for other tasks, like food prep. I mean it can cut, but just the blade was really thick and with the grind its wedges when you want to cut into something deep.

And while it is easier to keep the sharpening angle, sharpening isn't faster since you end up removing more metal.

Still have moras around though, so it's not like I'm shunning all scandi grind knives.
 
The only thing I don't like about scandi knives is the sharpening...with all of my other knives (convex or full flat with convex bevel) I can just lay it on the strop for a couple of passes, or take it to the belt sander if it's really bad.

With a scandi I have to pull out the stone and sit for quite some time rubbing the blade back and forth.

I like the way it cuts, and if you get a good scandi with a nice high grind, binding isn't a problem.

In my own personal experiments, all edge types have cut equally well after some aclimation. Of course, every edge is a factor of angles and the height of the grind, so saying that all scandi grinds will wedge in a through cut is an invalid statement, just as saying that all convex ground blades cut like lasers.

But if you have a scandi with a nice high grind and a good comfortable handle, they will perform great. Just don't put a ding in the edge or it'll take forever to sharpen out.
 
ziptrickhead said:
I use to have a Koster Bushcraft. Had to sell it though since I needed some cash. I too love how the scandi grind goes right through wood like butter.

Still, I don't really like the grind for other tasks, like food prep. I mean it can cut, but just the blade was really thick and with the grind its wedges when you want to cut into something deep.

And while it is easier to keep the sharpening angle, sharpening isn't faster since you end up removing more metal.

Still have moras around though, so it's not like I'm shunning all scandi grind knives.
Click to expand...


I think that sums it up there. Except the scandi edge is a bit less durable than convex or flatgrind depending on the steel.

Also like he says a lot of the scandi "Bushcraft" knives are too thick IMO, so while they still cut great they slice not so great. I prefer 1/8" or thinner if you are going to slice with it.
 
I think a scandi grind is fantastic for bushcraft type tasks, especially those including woodwork (which are the majority in bushcrafting). Getting away from woodwork, however, I think the scandi leaves a bit to be desired - not in terms of ability, but in terms of longevity. As an example, I used my Enzo Tracker to punch a hole in an Altoids tin so I could make some char cloth, and to open up the hole a bit, I twisted the blade. The edge near the tip was so fragile that it immediately deformed. It wasn't catastrophic or anything, but it took some time to get it right again - all for a task that was fairly basic in terms of a utility knife. A knife with a more utility-based grind would have performed just as well at this task, and would have had no edge deformation.

So basically, I think scandi grinds are fantastic for those tasks in which they are designed to be used, and flawed in those tasks in which they are not. Nothing ground-breaking here - goes back to the old viewpoint of having the correct tool for the job at hand.

In a situation where the blade in hand is the only one available, I find the scandi grind lacking. Sure, it does wonders on wood, but the same tasks can be achieved with a more durable grind and a little more effort or better technique, and you don't have to worry about being careful with the edge while performing tasks other than cutting and slicing.

Just my own 2 cents... hope it helps!
 
Scandis have their place, and I do like them. BUT it isnt my preferred grind choice for doing it all. I agree with the comments about some scandis being too thick (but I think most knives are too thick, maybe because no matter what I'll always make room for a hatchet). I think if you want to do bushcraft and carve spoons etc then you need to try a Scandi. Thankfully moras are so light even if you prefer a thicker knife as your "survival" knife you can always carry a mora too.

For me, scandi always for carving, flat grind for food, and hatchet for everything else.
 
Others have mentioned that sharpening takes a bit longer because there's more metal to remove. Along those same lines-- if you nick or dent the edge, it can take forever to get it out. Even so, all my using (fixed blade) knives are now scandis.
 
Pro's.....They cut awesome and look great.

Con's.....The edges are easily damaged, you have to remove a lot more material when sharpening them than you would with other grinds.
 
siguy said:
The only thing I don't like about scandi knives is the sharpening...with all of my other knives (convex or full flat with convex bevel) I can just lay it on the strop for a couple of passes, or take it to the belt sander if it's really bad.

With a scandi I have to pull out the stone and sit for quite some time rubbing the blade back and forth.
Click to expand...

Try making your own strop out of a nice thick strip of leather. The piece I use is at least 1/4" thick, about 4" by 1.5". Got if for free from the scrap bin at Tandy. With the thicker leather, it doesn't deform when layed on the edge of a table, so you can keep your scandi profile. Ok, so maybe the very, very edge of the blade with be, very slightly convexed, but not to a point that you could possibly notice.

I very rarely take my Scandi's to the stone anymore. It is so much easier to touch them up on the strop on a regular basis.
 
More conventional grinds, in addition to the previously mentioned reasons, are easier to re-profile in the event of edge damage (which a scandi is more prone to). Expect a lot of elbow grease to go into fixing even a minor ding in the blade. I would be leery of using one as my primary knife. But as a secondary knife for woodwork it's fantastic!
 
Scandis are both easy and hard to sharpen. Easy for finding the bevel - it's a no brainer, and anyone can do it. Hard, because you have to remove a LOT of metal to sharpen. If the initial grind wasn't done well, or you have edge damage to remove, then it can take quite a while. They also bind up quickly when cutting. They are an interesting niche in knives - they are thin knives, but the edge angle is not nearly as acute as you would expect.

I much prefer a full flat grind, although a *slight* convex is fine too. I generally use my moras for yard and garden work, cutting plants, sod, etc. They work well for that, and I don't feel bad throwing them away if they get messed up.
 
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