Scandi or flat?

[bb07]

Hi all. I want to get a new knife made but can't seem to decide between a scandi grind or a full flat grind. Currently I have knives in both grinds so I'm completely aware of how each one handles different tasks, but this knife might be my first and last that I ever get made to my specs, so I want to get it right.

I'm looking at this blade as an all around user. There's no specific or single use in mind- anything and everything goes. The two main uses though would be both woodworking and hunting use, skinning, gutting etc, camping and so on.

If you could only afford one custom made knife with the above uses in mind, which grind would you prefer?

 

[mountainm]

I prefer full flat but Scandi is just as serviceable, Duncan of this parish (FGYT) does a "flandi" grind... may be worth having a chat with him if you can't make your mind up.

 

[JonathanD]

If you are going to be hunting/skinning, then full flat for sure. Scandi will chip if contacting bone and is far from the best edge for such tasks, but it can still work if a large amount of care is applied. If you are going to be woodworking, then scandi is the better edge, but full flat will do the job as you become familiar with the edge. Doing both and other tasks, full flat is the best all rounder easily.

 

[sargey]

full flat grind,convex secondary bevel. it's the future. why limit yourself to all the drawbacks of a scandi grind?

cheers, and.

 

[bb07]

Thanks guys. I was leaning towards full flat. Your input was enough to make me decide- full flat it is.

 

[lannyman8]

my perfect blade style would be a mix of the 2 not a full flat but more of an angle than a scandi, as mountainm said a "flandi" would be good i think...

 

[Ogri the trog]

Looks like I'm a little too late to the discussion....

Maybe it would help to look at the methods of sharpening that you are likely to have available when you intend to use your blade.

A scandi needs a flat surface to grind/hone it and so necessitates a stone of some sort - whereas if you have a flat grind with a secondary bevel, a ceramic rod or strop will be sufficient.

You'll be asking what steel is best soon!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Nonsuch]

I have a knife unlike my others which I think is a "high-flat", that is, a huge, fine angled, scandi-type bevel that starts 75% of the way to the back of the blade, then it has a secondary bevel as well. Is this a "Flandi" ?

 

[Frederick89]

I have a knife unlike my others which I think is a "high-flat", that is, a huge, fine angled, scandi-type bevel that starts 75% of the way to the back of the blade, then it has a secondary bevel as well. Is this a "Flandi" ?

Does it have a rombic cross section, with relatively slim back and thicker where the bevels start? From your describtion it could seem so.

 

[Nonsuch]

Does it have a rombic cross section, with relatively slim back and thicker where the bevels start? From your describtion it could seem so.

No it has a parallel-sided blade, then a few mms down from the back the huge bevel starts. If you sliced a very narrow bell-tent in half that's what it looks like.

 

[Frederick89]

I think I got it. Something like the first blade down at left?


Anyway my preference goes to a high scandi grind, combined with the alreay quoted rombic section. Nothing carves and bite wood like this combination. I think other memebers that uses puukkos and Tommis from Joonas Kallioniemi, Jukka Hankala o Pekka Tuominen will confirm. And by the way this is also the preference of big game hunters in Finland.

 

[Amon81]

For me it's scandi for most outdoor tasks. I do like a flat grind for food prep though, I tend to use the Enzo Trapper as my main knife O1 scandi, I then got a flat grind and made a matching set and use the flat only for food prep. Mind you though the scandi sure makes short work of an onion.