To scandi or not to scandi, that is the question...

[Brommeland]

Hi folks,

My primary playin' in the woods knives are all either FFG or convex ground. My only experience with scandi ground knives is with Moras - which do what they do remarkably well. I have a guy who is offering me a killer deal on a scandi ground LT Wright Genesis. My current favorite knife is a Genesis in FFG and I truly love the classic Kephart design. However, I also usually keep a Mora in my pack for the times in which a scandi comes in handy - usually making fuzz sticks or carving up a piece of wood for whatever purpose it is needed.

So, I have a question for y'all: Is the scandi ground Genesis going to do anything better in terms of camping/bushcraft tasks than a simple Mora? (I guess what I mean is this: while it takes very little provocation to get me to buy another knife, I've already got more knives than I know what to do with.) Is there any real performance difference between an 1/8" A2 scandi blade from LT Wright and a carbon steel Mora other than edge retention?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

[JV3]

i'd say no...i have several far more expensive scandi knives (spyderco bushcraftuk, battle creek knives creekster, esee rb3, etc.) but my favorite knife over all of them is still the lowly mora 510.

 

[LukeTheSpook]

If it's a killer deal then buy that joker. Lt wright makes some amazing woods knives. Especially in the scandi grind.

 

[pinnah]

I've ended up conveying both of my Moras. I like this better than either full flat or scandi.

YMMV

 

[Brommeland]

Lt wright makes some amazing woods knives. Especially in the scandi grind.

I've already got a Genesis in FFG, and I agree with you - his knives show a subtle genius that becomes apparent the more you use 'em....

Having said that, is a scandi Genesis gonna do anything that a Mora won't? (I seldom use a scandi at present for much other than the few tasks listed in my original post).

Even with a killer deal, I'm not sure that I would use it enough to justify the purchase. On the other hand, sometimes I find something new to be an improvement over what I am already using and end up liking it even better.....

What to do?

 

[tek77]

I have the same problem every time I want to buy another scandi grind knife.

Here's the difference ( only if you intend to push your knife beyond it's normal use limits):
1. mora doesn't have a full tang (in case you gave to baton)
2. Other knives use more peformant steel

 

[Sacramento Johnson]

Hi,
I have been experimenting with different grinds recently (FF, Scandi, highflat/sabre, hollow), to see how various grinds (and blade thicknesses) handle a variety of tasks. Have been getting some pleasant surpizes from all this. I suggest getting the scandi version of the LT if you can swing it financially and run it through some unusual paces. Like you said, you may find it excels at something you weren't expecting. (And it's good to have knife options!)

 

[Insipid Moniker]

I'll give the standard Bladeforums answer. If you have the money free and it's a great deal, go ahead and buy it. Put it through it's paces and see if you like the Scandi or FFG better. Then you can pick up a gold membership and sell the one you don't like as much, probably at little or no loss since his work is fairly sought after.

 

[neeman]

Be aware

The Moras come with a zero or close to zero Scandi grind (a micro secondary bevel)

Many of the knives sold as Scandi are infact a Scandi with a convexed secondary edge
And they cut quite differently from the Mora grind
I take my Blind/Battle Horse to the waterstones to grind them down to near a zero grind
A lot of work
TOPS are even worse about their "Scandi" grinds, cause they are really no more than a short saber grind

 

[Brommeland]

Be aware

The Moras come with a zero or close to zero Scandi grind (a micro secondary bevel)

Many of the knives sold as Scandi are infact a Scandi with a convexed secondary edge
And they cut quite differently from the Mora grind
I take my Blind/Battle Horse to the waterstones to grind them down to near a zero grind
A lot of work
TOPS are even worse about their "Scandi" grinds, cause they are really no more than a short saber grind

Roger that. Thanks for the reminder - I've spent a ton of time fixing factory grinds myself....

 

[Brommeland]

Thanks to all for taking the time to respond. Many of the posts have been quite helpful in giving me a "reality check" (Buying another knife always sounds like a good idea at first glance.

I've spend some time playing with knives that I already own and my conclusion is this: A scandi won't do anything that a good convex grind cannot do, and I have a ton of convex grind knives already. Furthermore, as Neeman pointed out, a lot of scandis are not a true zero grind. My Moras are, and they cut circles around most other scandis that I've compared 'em to.

I honestly do not know if the scandi Genesis would be an improvement over a Mora because I have not handled one (but my FFG Genesis is perfect!), but I am not gonna spend the cash to find out when I seldom use a scandi anyway.

Bottom line: I already have the best knives possible for my personal applications, so I'm gonna pass on the scandi grind Genesis. (I will probably buy another one in FFG, however, as a spare).

Thanks again for all of the input.

 

[Mannlicher]

well, you have heard 'yes', and you have heard 'no', and also several inbetween equivications. About the only thing left is to buy a good Scandi blade, (and that means a knife other than a cheap Mora), and try it for yourself. Never hurts to get some hands on personal experience, and use that to make decisions on.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Be aware

The Moras come with a zero or close to zero Scandi grind (a micro secondary bevel)

Many of the knives sold as Scandi are infact a Scandi with a convexed secondary edge
And they cut quite differently from the Mora grind
I take my Blind/Battle Horse to the waterstones to grind them down to near a zero grind
A lot of work
TOPS are even worse about their "Scandi" grinds, cause they are really no more than a short saber grind

Many very different shapes are called "Scandi." So much so that it has lost any useful meaning that it ever had. When first "invented" by British bushcrafters, it meant a low saber grind, flat primary grind, and no secondary bevel. I sure does not mean Scandinavian.

 

[neeman]

Many very different shapes are called "Scandi." So much so that it has lost any useful meaning that it ever had. When first "invented" by British bushcrafters, it meant a low saber grind, flat primary grind, and no secondary bevel. I sure does not mean Scandinavian.

The blades from Rosslini, Helle, Mora, and Brusletto are all low saber grind, flat primary grind, and no secondary bevel.
I do not believe they grind their knives because of a British invention

 

[baldtaco-II]

The blades from Rosslini, Helle, Mora, and Brusletto are all low saber grind, flat primary grind, and no secondary bevel.
I do not believe they grind their knives because of a British invention

We don't have to.

Your observations and what Thomas said are not incompatible.

Of the Scandinavian knives, both of the “whetted through” [“low saber grind, flat primary grind, and no secondary bevel”] and the “really no more than a short saber grind” types, it was only the former type that sprung up all trendy here and got dubbed the “Scandi grind”.

On that, “Scandi” did have a useful and specific meaning. It was less of a beakfulful than whetted through saber grind, and conveyed that the whetting of the primary grind was done flat. It could be used to differentiate between those and other types of saber grind found on Scandinavian knives.

With the bucket category we have now that people are calling “Scandi”, with extra bevels that may or may not be done flat, we have a situation in which a knife could easily be of a “Scandinavian type saber grind” but still not strictly qualify as a “Scandi”. Hence the claim that it has lost any useful meaning that it ever had.