Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Hunting Knife Blade - Flat v. Scandi

The opposite of a hollow grind. Mine is a Marble's from around 2001. Bark River currently makes them, and probably others.

http://www.barkriverknives.com/index/canoe/

I think a scandi with a bit of convex is the best. Scandi offers a gradual point, and I think that adds strength. A bit of convex on the edge comes from freehand sharpening or stropping. I think this combo offers the best wear.
Of course any grind is better with quality steels. Steel composition has great impact on wear resistance, micro chipping, and corrosion.
CPM3V or 4V, CPM S35vn, Elmax, and other quality allows a good point, and of course the proper anneal for a given steel.
Companies like Bark River mentioned have some excellent choices.

Three different bevels done on a belt grinder with two blade sides similar.
Concave==push blade against round wheel.
Flat==push blade against a flat platen
Convex==push the blade against a slack belt.

Scandi grind edge/bevel is a one sided grind

Mix and match primary, secondary and final bevels as you wish.

Made knives for 37 years now, both flat and hollow ground. Both will cut, and cut well, if the edge geometry is right. Choice of blade steel, proper heat treat/temper and finish work count for much more than flat, hollow or scandi ground.

Dillonbuck, a belt knife carried afield may be needed to do many different things. Hence, the thicker blade for all around use. But for the actual butchering, a thinner blade is the easiest to use. And if you're near your butchering blades, you won't need to press your belt knife into use for things you hadn't planned on. Still, a thinner blade will get you through most situations and will certainly make most tasks easier. But since a belt knife may have to be applied to use in heavier duty ..... the thicker blade is just "insurance" it's less likely to break. If you ever get caught outside, perhaps in inclement weather, and your knife breaks, you're in deep doo-doo! The 1/8" is a sort of compromise, really.

I was questioning the .030, that's utility knife thickness.
I guess Havalon?

Out of curiosity I just ran a Vernier caliper over the two professional-style boners I have, to measure the blade thickness at the thickest part (the back, near where it enters the handle). The flexible Swibo came in right on 0.050". The rigid-bladed Victorinox Fibrox, and for that matter its skinner counterpart, came in at 0.075. I actually prefer the Swibo for boning.

Edited to add: my Helle Eggen is about .123" - near enough to 1/8".

I work with materials that go from .0005 to about .6525.
Pretty good at rough guessing, 1/8 is close to normal for edc type use.
Most indoor knives would be less.