[ghostmedic68]

So what do you guys think the best knife grind is for a good survival knife? I admittedly don't know too much about the different grinds. Which knives do you guys have and what kind of grinds do they come with?

For the record, I have a Seal Pup and an ESEE 5 on the way. Can't wait to get back home and do some camping/hiking. This whole desert view is getting a bit old.

 

[pocomoonskyeyes]

So what do you guys think the best knife grind is for a good survival knife? I admittedly don't know too much about the different grinds. Which knives do you guys have and what kind of grinds do they come with?

For the record, I have a Seal Pup and an ESEE 5 on the way. Can't wait to get back home and do some camping/hiking. This whole desert view is getting a bit old.

Hooo Boy. OK I'll step out on a limb here and get ready to be blasted later. Here goes......

IMO a grind is in many ways the same as Blade style and thickness. By that, I mean each has a purpose it excels at. In some cases a Scandi grind is the best, in others a convex is the best, in yet others a sabre grind is ideally suited. Then again a chisel grind is super hard to beat for Planing and Chiseling.

Here are what I consider the 6 "Main" grinds you will find on knives. (There are more believe it or not)

1) Hollow Grind,
2) Flat Grind (AKA Scandi)
3) Sabre Grind
4) Chisel Grind
5) Double bevel Grind
6) Convex Grind

Now you wouldn't want 1 or 2 on a chopper (Too thin at the edge), you wouldn't want 4 on a slicer or skinner (The "Angle" is wrong for that)Or 5 (too thick, causing drag. But good for chopping) Does that mean you couldn't do it? No, you COULD, Just not as efficiently as another grind.

 

[ActionJackson]

I'm a fan of the convex grind although I have every style of grind in my collection. Bark River knives almost always come with a convex grind. It's one of my favorite brands.

 

[WeedWacker]

If it were me, I'd be asking myself which would be the easiest to resharpen. Can you get a hollow grind if you are in the sticks and all you have is a whet stone, can your ability match what you want? I suck at sharpening so I stick with my Smith sharpener (has the carbide and ceramic sharpeners, fits in my pocket). :

 

[WSierra]

I would list myself as among the world's worst knife sharpeners.
Sometimes I make them very sharp.. sometimes I don't.
I have quite a few edged tools... by now they all have 'my grind'.. including the kitchen knives and cleaver.
I suppose my favorite grind is 'simple'.
I use everything from files (axes & hatchets), to stones, to polishing paper.
For me, a simple edge is about all I can manage. I like carbon steel because it will retain an edge for a while. Whatever the edge of a K-Bar is.. that works for me.
Keep us posted!

 

[ghostmedic68]

Excellent responses! Thank you guys. Forums are so helpful. I guess having a grind that easy to sharpen in the sticks is a good idea. A grind that's easy to resharpen on my own is something I haven't considered either. Great points. I'll probably get a small axe to do heavy duty chopping, in addition to my knife so I'll study up on sharpening and grinds now that I know a little more about them. Thanks again!

 

[Drkknight614]

Convex forever and ever.

 

[ghostmedic68]

Convex forever and ever.

So why do you like the convex? What knives do you own that come convexed or did you reprofile them?

 

[SCALPHUNTER]

Flat or Convex grinds are my preferences for my forged "straight blades" as there is less resistence and "drag" when slicing through the meat when skinning game or fish.

 

[MattM]

So why do you like the convex? What knives do you own that come convexed or did you reprofile them?

Convex are generally a very good compromise of sharpness and durability. There's more metal behind the point than on a flat grind, and there's a smaller angle at the point than a secondary bevel grind. However, it requires more skill to maintain (and manufacture, meaning convex knives can cost more).

Here's a good guide to convex grinds, talking about the pros/cons and also the techniques for sharpening, both with and without a strop - I think being able to sharpen it with a hard surfaced object is very important if you plan to use it as a survival knife for bushcraft (stones are much easier to find than sandpaper or an abrasive compound).

 

[sluggyslugworth]

Convex would be my preferred survival knife edge. It's strong, stays sharp and is easy to resharpen with sandpaper and a mouse pad.

 

[klickitat]

Convex would be my preferred survival knife edge. It's strong, stays sharp and is easy to resharpen with sandpaper and a mouse pad.

I have a belt sander with a worn out belt and the backing plate taken off to resharpen. I love your mouse pad idea for in the field. I will have to make one of those up today. Thanks again.

 

[Drkknight614]

What other people said. And yes I own a few knives that are convexed, and they are some of my favorite. I got a bark river gunny, and then the el cheapo but still good and classic opina 8l folder. There easy to get razor sharp and you can get them super sharp compared to other blades. As others said, the edges are stronger and bushcraft chores are not very much at all. Because of the shape it pushes the wood away. Remeber most of your best axes have convexed edges, which helps with splitting. And its super easy to maintain. Mostly you just need a touch up on a leather strop with some compound, if its really dull, put it to the sandpaper for a few mins then touch up the esge on the strop, you back to a hair splitting edge. Sharpening with the strop takes less metal off also, which is why I use it to sharpen all my knives. Yes once you get the hang of free handing you can sharpen any grind with it.

Ps love my barkie lol.

 

[Bush Monkey knives]

Good question...

I prefer scandi and convex bevels for working knives simply because there is more steel behind the working edge. The tools needed to sharpen a scandi are probably more ubiquitous than those needed to sharpen a convex bevel. Sharpening a scandi is about as close to a no brainer operation you can get. I have used both and they are both very functional bevels.

ps I would like to see the coefficient of friction while cutting comparison between the scandi and convex bevels.

 

[ChapNelson]

ps I would like to see the coefficient of friction while cutting comparison between the scandi and convex bevels.

That's an interesting point ... convex would seem to lose in that comparison because the arc from the edge to the flat would be steeper than with a scandi which progresses at a steady 12.5 degrees (for example). I'd be curious to know what grind is used on the winning blades in the cutting competition at Blade for example; the rolling golfball is probably a good test of friction since the edge has to bite a randomly spinning target. I suppose chopping the un braced milk jug full of water horizontally might demonstrate the coefficient of friction as well.

To the OP, I just recently got my first convex grind ... handmade custom, and I love it. It's my new carry knife for deployments. And yesterday I put a scandi grind on a knife I'm making. The convex is scary sharp, and the scandi will be also, which I believe is assisted by not having a secondary bevel - just a straight taper to zero.

 

[WeedWacker]

I have found hollow ground to be the sharpest overall, but difficult to maintain with my skills and it tends to fold since it's not as strong as other grinds. For a self defense knife I would pick this grind (like in my Leek) but go with a scandi on utility knives as I can maintain that one regularly.

 

[pocomoonskyeyes]

Found an illustration with other types of Knife grinds you DON'T commonly see.

From....
http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifeedgetypes.shtml

 

[Drkknight614]

That's an interesting point ... convex would seem to lose in that comparison because the arc from the edge to the flat would be steeper than with a scandi which progresses at a steady 12.5 degrees (for example). I'd be curious to know what grind is used on the winning blades in the cutting competition at Blade for example; the rolling golfball is probably a good test of friction since the edge has to bite a randomly spinning target. I suppose chopping the un braced milk jug full of water horizontally might demonstrate the coefficient of friction as well.

To the OP, I just recently got my first convex grind ... handmade custom, and I love it. It's my new carry knife for deployments. And yesterday I put a scandi grind on a knife I'm making. The convex is scary sharp, and the scandi will be also, which I believe is assisted by not having a secondary bevel - just a straight taper to zero.

This is why these two grinds seem to be the best. There really is no need for a secondary edge and maybe people remove them. You get a sharper knife this way and when cutting theres a lot less drag.

 

[Bush Monkey knives]

It would seem that any micro-bevel would increase the overall force needed to separate material simply because of the increased friction (drag) that a micro-bevel introduces into the equation.

 

[ChapNelson]

Looking through some of the winning knives at the BladeSports cutting championships, there are no micro or secondary bevels. There are a lot of convex edges, which makes a lot of sense since the course of competition requires chopping 2x4s then slicing free standing cardboard, etc. So good steel, with plenty of weight behind the edge but only a single angle seems to be the key.

I'm guessing the secondary bevel design is really a compensation for other factors as its not beneficial to the cut.