Thanks for your questions guys!
It's true that I put a little "franglais" in the ads.
So, we're going to clarify all that, it's really not complicated and it's good to know.
To put it simply, the "grind" is the bevel of the blade.
The grind is a very important concept in cutlery, especially when we want to talk about the quality of the sharpening of a blade.
Often, we have the tendency to look only at the edge of the blade, which is quite judicious. Who would buy a knife that doesn't cut?
If the sharpening is super important, the whole of the cutting part of the blade (the lateral part located just after the edge), is just as important.
This bet is called grind or "grind" in English.
It is the bevelling (or the "grind"), which makes the blade thin enough to be able to slice.
Sometimes I am asked to specify the thickness behind the thread
Again, the question makes a lot of sense since the thinner a blade is, the sharper it will be. Perfect, so "go for a thin blade"!
Not so easy, because a thin blade is also more flexible and fragile.
It is not uncommon to return from a hike with a damaged blade after trying to cut a small branch or simply having dropped your knife.
This is why it is necessary to consider from the start the use that you are going to give to your knife.
Suddenly the grind (or the "grind"), as well as the type of steel, the material of the handle, the shape, the size will largely determine the capacities of your knife.
We believe a knife should be durable, sturdy and suitable. The same goes for the properties of his blade.
Alright, now for a bit of practice: we have seen that the grind determines the fineness of the blade just behind its edge.
We will try to find together the right method to deduce the quality of the edge and the resistance to the tasks that our knife is capable of performing.
The different grinds you will find.
"Flat grind" or flat grind
This is by far the most common type of grind and it's a safe bet that you have to identify it even in your kitchen. The sharpening is flat and starts from the edge to go to the top of the blade. The sharpening can stop roughly in the middle of the blade, it is then a "saber grind" (American) or "saber grind (English).
Or even to the back of the blade, we then speak of integral grinding.
The flat grind has advantages: a very neat appearance, relatively easy to produce and very solid.
The disadvantage is that the blade is relatively thick behind the edge. Compared to a hollow blade. The difference in thickness resulting from too frequent sharpening (not to exceed a few hundred sharpenings), will gradually become annoying.
Hollow grind or concave (or hollow)
You guessed it, it's a hollow grind. We sharpen hollow in the traditional way by bringing the blade against a large rotating grinding wheel.
The advantage of a "hollow grind" is that the blade can be made extremely thin. It's not for nothing that all straight razors have a concave edge. Another advantage is that a hollow grind blade can be sharpened more often without the blade behind the cutting edge becoming proportionately too thick.
The disadvantage of a hollow grind is that the blade becomes more fragile. Since the metal is thinner behind the wire, the blade may break. Another disadvantage if the blade is relatively thicker: starting the cut is easy and then the blade gets stuck at the back of the blade.
Scandi grind or Scandinavian grind
As its name suggests, the "scandi grind" comes from Scandinavia. It is a broad secondary edge, clean and unadorned.
The great thing about a scandi is that it's easy to make and sharpen. It is a very pleasant grind for woodworking because the blade is relatively thick, very solid and therefore supports rough use.
A scandi, however, can be less valuable when the blade is sharpened too thin and becomes brittle. Another disadvantage is that the quality of your sharpening is visible on its wide cutting edge. If you make a small mistake or do not take care of the sharpening finish, it will be directly visible on the blade. And also during the use of the knife, if it chips accidentally, you will have to remove a lot of material before catching the blade.
Convex grind or domed grind
The convex grind is a grind that may seem quite strange. Instead of being hollow, the shape of the blade is domed. The blade is sharpened on a flexible sharpening belt, which gives it this special shape. The particularity of a convex blade is that it does not present a secondary angle but the sharpening goes to the edge of the blade.
A convex grind has some important advantages: if done well, a convex blade can have a stronger cutting edge while remaining flexible thanks to the absence of angles. It is the excellent combination of solidity and sharpness.
It also has disadvantages. It is difficult to achieve a good convex grind industrially. As a result, quality convex knives are often more expensive because they require a lot of manual work. This difficulty is also found for the owner of the knife, when he wants to sharpen it. Polishing such a blade is quite easy but restoring its sharpness on a sharpening stone is more difficult. Even if with a little practice it is ultimately not that difficult, it can be a major obstacle.
Grind and type of steel
If you sharpen a very thin knife to cut remarkably well, it must be very hard steel. If the knife must be able to withstand a little rough use, the steel must on the contrary not be too hard so as not to break at the first opportunity because it will be more flexible. The balance between these two properties is essential for a knife to work optimally.
And now ? Go to our shop , you will be able to identify the blade, the grind and the model that will make the best companion for you.
We offer you unique hand-shaped pieces, made with quality treated and hardened steels such as N690, N690Co, ELmax, Sleipner, 12C27, 80CrV2....