What is your opinion on recurve

T

thegeek574

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Sep 3, 2010
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Hey,
I have been looking around on the forums a lot more lately, and I seem to see a lot of people who are down on recurve. What is the problem? is it not as easy to use? not as easy to sharpen? cuts worse? are we just tired of it? i might be completly off the rails, and so tell me if i should not be allowed on the internet.:D
Steven
 
The only recurve I own presently is my 710, and I dig it ..... Great slicer, and easy to sharpen, in my opinion.... All around exceptional knife!:thumbup:
 
I'll answer a question with a question: Besides looks, why?

I have one knife w/ it and several w/o. It seems to serve no purpose whatsoever for general use yet makes sharpening more difficult (if not more expensive) in that I needed to purchase special recurve stones for my Wicked Edge.
 
No recurves for me. Seem to be more of a hassle than a benefit. I'm sure they have their uses, like serrations, but I've gotten this far without either and I'm doing fine.
 
Don't find them useful and I do find them somewhat more time consuming to sharpen. My first choice for a useful edge is the continuous gentle curve that Spyderco uses on some of their models. They're easy to cut with and easy to maintain.
 
I apologize for the repost. I did not realize that there was a very recent thread. *facepalm*
guess i gotta put a benchmade 710 on the list....
 
I was only kidding. The threads roll so fast that sometimes you can't keep up. Sometimes search is your best friend.

As for recurves I have no problem with them and like them very much. I am in the minority but recurves are my friends. :p
 
I don't understand why people hate them. I mean, sure, they are a bit harder to sharpen but they pack plenty of bite when cutting stuff. The recurve allows for "more" curves (that is to say more acutely changing angles) without forcing the tip to deviate too much from the center line
 
to each his own, i like a blade with belly but not recurved. i wont buy a blade style i dont like and have had recuved blades and didnt like them, some do so id say try one. its one thing i dont like about ZT/ kershaw is most or a large number of there blades are recurved and i dont like a recurve. i can say the same thing about a couple other types of grinds as well. i wont get into all my likes and dislikes but there personal choices and what i like or dont like is just that, personal choice/preference.
 
love the looks, hate the sharpening. how do you sharpen recurves on a benchstone? the stone is wider than the recurve...
 
thegeek574 said:
Hey,
I have been looking around on the forums a lot more lately, and I seem to see a lot of people who are down on recurve. What is the problem? is it not as easy to use? not as easy to sharpen? cuts worse? are we just tired of it? i might be completly off the rails, and so tell me if i should not be allowed on the internet.:D
Steven
Click to expand...

Sharpening is the biggest problem I have with recurves. I like to sharpen on flat stones, and you just can't do that with recurves.
 
Can't say that I'm a fan of recurves. The sharpening issue does it for me, and I have found no advantage in cutting the stuff I carry a knife to cut. I carried a 710 and a Vapor II (the small one) for a while. Also, an Outdoor Edge Impulse. All fine knives, and all knives I sold because of the recurve. The only recurve I currently have is a Cold Steel Kukri machete, and I sharpen it on a belt sander w/ 1" wide belts. The curve is quite large and the belts just wrap right around.
 
I don't really get it having more "cutting power". I do in theory, but not in practice. I cut all sorts of stuff just fine with a razor sharp wharncliffe with no curve at all. Goes through just about everything with no trouble.

I can understand for some very specific types of cutting. Like cutting some sort of loose material, the recurve can keep it on the blade instead of sliding off, if you can picture what I mean. Like cutting a seat belt. I can imagine if you don't get a good cut in with your traditional shaped blade, your blade would slide through the first half then come out without cutting all of it. A hawkbill or recurve would "trap" the material down in the lowest point of the recurve, allowing you to cut it longer....

That said, most recurves we are discussing are on blades in the 3-4" range, giving you a very small portion of recurve. And I just really don't see the benefit. With a straight up hawkbill, or very large, recurved knife it makes more sense. The downsides seem to outweight the plus in my book.

That said, to each his own.
 
Only recurve knife I have is a scallion and I find it very functional on that size blade. As for sharpening, I can see it would be a problem for freehand.
 
I have a couple of knives that were partially serrated when I bought them. I came to dislike the combo edges so I ground the serrated section down creating a recurve blade where the serrations were and a normal shaped edge toward the tip. I also have one folder that has a very slight recurve where the flat section of the blade usually is. I've found this shape to be very useful. There is enough recurve to hold rope or string on the edge longer but not enough recurve to hinder sharpening. I have an Edge Pro sharpener that uses 1" wide, 6" long stones. These stones sharpen the slight recurve perfectly. More dramatic recurves need the 1/2" wide stones and they work great at getting into recurved blades. They are flat stones by definition but the edges will round a little as you use them which is really what you want. I also have a DMT stone fine grit stone for recurves. I bought some DMT coarse flexi-sharp and glued it to a piece of wood I carved to a curved shape like the DMT recurve stone. It works great.

So, IMO recurve does hold material on the edge better for rope and such and with the proper sharpening equipment sharpening them is no problem. Therefore it is each to his own. I prefer, if I had to limit myself to one choice a standard clip point blade with a slight recurve at the heel (or flat section) of the blade. That seems to provide a little of both worlds. If you are going into the woods or somewhere you want a small pocket sharpener there are lots of choices that will work. A short ceramic steel is great for a quick touch up.

Jack
 
Recurves work! :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:

But there all about slicing.





I agree they don't add much cutting power to a small blade.

On bigger blades they make for very effiecent slicers.








Big Mike
 
vicbastige said:
I'll answer a question with a question: Besides looks, why?

I have one knife w/ it and several w/o. It seems to serve no purpose whatsoever for general use yet makes sharpening more difficult (if not more expensive) in that I needed to purchase special recurve stones for my Wicked Edge.
Click to expand...

You mean like for the ZT300 you would need recurve stones to sharpen it?
 
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