Scandi Grind Knives ... Why ?

[Longstrider]

I see so many people using Scandi grind knives it amazes me. Why use a Scandi as your stalking/gralloching blade when the design is just so wrong for the job ? If you want to know what type of blade you should use on meat look at what a true professional uses and take a look at your butchers' knives ... FLAT grind, secondary bevel, and a easy blade to make penetrative cuts with into meat.

Scandi's have their place .. as Bushcraft tools for shaving wood. Not cutting deep into wood, but carving off thin shavings as if making 'feather sticks'. Other than that they are, of course, an absolute doddle to make. Hell, you could train a pigeon to grind a Scandi, but that doesn't mean it's the right knife for the job, they're just far easier to make.

Give me a good high sabre grind, or better still a full flat grind, with a small secondary bevel any day.

 

[User00040]

Because Mora.

Cheap, hence replaceable and abundant.

Easy to sharpen.

Plastic handle and sheath come in bright colours, 'stainless' blade ticks a box.

 

[Acm]

I see so many people using Scandi grind knives it amazes me. Why use a Scandi as your stalking/gralloching blade when the design is just so wrong for the job ? If you want to know what type of blade you should use on meat look at what a true professional uses and take a look at your butchers' knives ... FLAT grind, secondary bevel, and a easy blade to make penetrative cuts with into meat.

Scandi's have their place .. as Bushcraft tools for shaving wood. Not cutting deep into wood, but carving off thin shavings as if making 'feather sticks'. Other than that they are, of course, an absolute doddle to make. Hell, you could train a pigeon to grind a Scandi, but that doesn't mean it's the right knife for the job, they're just far easier to make.

Give me a good high sabre grind, or better still a full flat grind, with a small secondary bevel any day.

I know your a knowledgeable chap when it comes to knives, which I respect. But if you see a lot of people using a tool for a job, completing that job to a fine standard and who are also happy with their tool then I’d say it’s not the wrong tool for the job.
Obviously it originates in Scandinavia, where they know a thing or too about hunting and living outdoors. Use what you like, but there’s no need to tell a man his tool is wrong if he’s using it to good effect.

 

[Acm]

Plus emberleaf make a particularly nice one

 

[Mungo]

I'm not really sure what the problem is - but strong feelings about grinds seem common.

I have both Scandi and flat ground knives. I can't say I am able to notice a difference between them when using them as a stalking knife. They both cut skin, meat and my own fingers as well as I need them to.

I do notice a difference when using them for bushcraft - the flat grinds are harder to use for some bushcraft tasks.

So I'd actually say that the Scandis are the (very marginally) more general purpose.

 

[YoungGun]

Because Mora.

Cheap, hence replaceable and abundant.

Easy to sharpen.

Plastic handle and sheath come in bright colours, 'stainless' blade ticks a box.

This - use them till they go blunt and then put a secondary bevel on it (hope this makes sense as knives are not my area of expertise)

 

[bogtrotter]

Why not!
Cheap, easy to sharpen and in my opinion ideal as a stalking knife.
Not maybe ideal as a butchering knife. but as a stalking knife yes.
What do you require of a stalking knife a knife to bleed and slit the stomach so that you can gralloch thats all a great
many of us need from a stalking knife the rest of the work is done back at the larder some will tunnel the back passage at the time of gralloch though many of us do that back at the larder, either way a knife with a scandi grind will
complete the operation just fine.

 

[Utectok]

I see so many people using Scandi grind knives it amazes me. Why use a Scandi as your stalking/gralloching blade when the design is just so wrong for the job ? If you want to know what type of blade you should use on meat look at what a true professional uses and take a look at your butchers' knives ... FLAT grind, secondary bevel, and a easy blade to make penetrative cuts with into meat.

Scandi's have their place .. as Bushcraft tools for shaving wood. Not cutting deep into wood, but carving off thin shavings as if making 'feather sticks'. Other than that they are, of course, an absolute doddle to make. Hell, you could train a pigeon to grind a Scandi, but that doesn't mean it's the right knife for the job, they're just far easier to make.

Give me a good high sabre grind, or better still a full flat grind, with a small secondary bevel any day.

Plus flat grind and hollow ground look so much cooler

 

[User00040]

This - use them till they go blunt and then put a secondary bevel on it (hope this makes sense as knives are not my area of expertise)

Used to do it properly with a sharpening stone and strop but now just use a bench grinder

 

[finnbear270]

Used to do it properly with a sharpening stone and strop but now just use a bench grinder

I sharpen my knives with an onion!

 

[Jax]

I’m a scandi convert after having a knife built by Danum with this grind. Razor sharp with enough grunt to go through chests of smaller deer or create an impromptu Hazel stick for walking or carrying deer out. What’s not to like for a stalking knife.

when it comes time to butcher is when the victorinox knives come out.

 

[NoIDeer]

When do you cut meat stalking and gralloching? I only cut skin, membranes, pipes, tendons and rib cartilage. My butchery knives stay at home.

 

[1894]

I prefer knapped flint it’s a simple matter to take a hammer to it when the edge is gone.

Seriously I did once use a flint to gralloch a roe buck. I shot it in the height of a summer’s day and realised I didn’t have a knife. I couldn’t flatten the mouth of a case as the ground was too soft. In desperation I picked up a flint. It was like a razor and sliced through the abdomen easily. I wondered when the last time an ancestor of mine did that - 3,000 years ago?

 

[Mungo]

Now what REALLY annoys me is any outdoor knife that won’t throw a decent shower of sparks from a ferro rod!

As has been said - anything capable of holding an edge will work as a gralloch and basic field knife, provided you keep it sharp.

 

[YoungGun]

Used to do it properly with a sharpening stone and strop but now just use a bench grinder

That's the way - do mine on a wetsone and then finish on a strop with a bit of compound.

 

[muddy42]

This is the best and quickest way to sharpen a scandi



Yes a flat grind is good and very sharp and I prefer it for butchery work where the extra sharpness and delicacy is needed.

But I find I can damage a flat grind knife in the field on bone and ribcage. I like scandi for this because they are tough and strong enough to chop feet, neck and ribcage. You dont need a super sharp knife for gralloching, most will do.

each to their own though!

 

[zambezi]

Scandis are the (very marginally) more general purpose.

I think that is true.

Certainly both my scandis and my flat/seconday bevel knives are equally sharp and capable of gralloch or other precision work.

But I could not press the skinny secondary bevel blades into heavier work.

 

[User00036]

Scandi grinds usually more short wide & curved than flat grinds. The best shape for skinning. Stronger for knuckling & chopping.

 

[Utectok]

It amazes me why people need a scandi grind to deal with the tough problems of cutting of deer legs head and so forth. Basically in my experience if it's difficult you're doing it wrong! Scandi grinds are great for real levering taking blows for splitting and so forth but completely unnecessary to take apart a deer, although they do the job fine im sure as any half decent knife will.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Seriously I did once use a flint to gralloch a roe buck. I shot it in the height of a summer’s day and realised I didn’t have a knife. In desperation I picked up a flint. It was like a razor and sliced through the abdomen easily. I wondered when the last time an ancestor of mine did that - 3,000 years ago?

Probably far more recently but as of writing I can't recall when DSCL1 was introduced.

K