How good do you rate SAKs blade geometry?

I

Iyonk

Joined
Jan 29, 2010
Messages
538
my experience with other knife blades is very limited... so far i mostly use victorinox for everything...

one thing that i notice with my other folder is, even though they're shaving sharp, but sometime the vics seem to cut thing "smoother" or "easier" than those thicker blades...

sometime the saks seem to still cut even though the edge is dull and need sharpening... that only happened when i'm in the field and not near any sharpening tools... i mostly keep my saks scary sharp:D

i'm not talking about the steel hardness or edge holding capability since we the saks lover know that part of the charm of saks is the easy sharpening and excellent corrosion resistant... BUT back to the title... in your own opinion, how do you rate the SAKs blade geometry?


for my self, and my daily need, in my opinion the victorinox blade geometry is MORE than PERFECT... its thin, strong and cut extremely well for some light to medium duty that i face everyday...

now i'm curious with your opinion guys...

feel free to post...

thanks

iyonk...
 
Sak has excellent blade geomatery making it incredible slicer. It gives most my spyderco's run for their money when it comes slicing.
 
SAK full flat grind makes for great slicers while retaining some strength. However, I think Case sodbuster knives make even better slicers with their full hollow grind. Case knives with that profile can be made ridiculously sharp.
 
Sep said:
SAK full flat grind makes for great slicers while retaining some strength. However, I think Case sodbuster knives make even better slicers with their full hollow grind. Case knives with that profile can be made ridiculously sharp.
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I agree with that. Mine is hair popping sharp :D
 
Victorinox blade geometry is great for cutting because of the full flat grind. This is the way amost all pocket knives and most butcher knives used to be ground in the old days. The hordes of working men wh are die hard fans of the Schrade Old Timer series of knives say the same thing about those knives, and they are also flat grind blades.

Since about the early 1980's, knives have too often become cult worship items, that have little to do with the task of cutting. The recent trends of knife design seen to ignore hundreds of years of blade design for people who actually use thier knives for a practical cutting tool.

The advantage of the sak flat grind blades is that they will still be functional when the blade gets a little dull with heavy use. Something not found with the saber grind that has a full material thickness for the top half of the blade, that will add drag iin the material being cut.
 
I like the geometry of my vics as well. These thin blades just perform pretty good when it comes to slicing or finer cutting tasks in general. The only thing that bothers me is the lack of edge retention.
 
I think that the Vic SAK blade is good, but the Opinel is the best. The Sodbuster is very similar to the Opinel, so I would say they are as great as the Opinel (I don't have a Sodbuster, ...yet.).
 
manowar669 said:
I think that the Vic SAK blade is good, but the Opinel is the best. The Sodbuster is very similar to the Opinel, so I would say they are as great as the Opinel (I don't have a Sodbuster, ...yet.).
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Opinel has a very slight convex grind that approximates full flat grind, so its profile is actually slightly fatter (and stronger) than SAK.
 
Sep said:
Opinel has a very slight convex grind that approximates full flat grind, so its profile is actually slightly fatter (and stronger) than SAK.
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That's true, but more belly and the slight recurve of the blade, along with a thinner overall thickness (compared to alox models), and better steel. Opinel wins, especially with a pricetag of around $7. I carry a Vic Soldier, because I love it, and it offers great utility. Combined with a vic Rambler, I'm ready for just about anything. I sometimes carry an Opinel 6 in carbon and Olivewood. Or a BM 530 for a modern defensive dagger.
 
The Victorinox blade geometry is perfect. Since they have such a thin edge they cut and slice so easily. The FFG makes them even better.
 
Iyonk said:
i'm not talking about the steel hardness or edge holding capability since we the saks lover know that part of the charm of saks is the easy sharpening and excellent corrosion resistant... BUT back to the title... in your own opinion, how do you rate the SAKs blade geometry?
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I agree. Victorinox knows something about making a great cutting blade. In fact, I really believe they set the standard. What good is the latest, fashionable super steel if it comes in the form of a blade so thick and obtuse that it's not a good cutter? And regarding the steel itself, it may rub steel nerds the wrong way ( :rolleyes: ), but I truly believe a Victorinox will hold an edge more than long enough for even 98% of the guys who frequent this forum.
 
mnblade said:
I agree. Victorinox knows something about making a great cutting blade. In fact, I really believe they set the standard. What good is the latest, fashionable super steel if it comes in the form of a blade so thick and obtuse that it's not a good cutter? And regarding the steel itself, it may rub steel nerds the wrong way ( :rolleyes: ), but I truly believe a Victorinox will hold an edge more than long enough for even 98% of the guys who frequent this forum.
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An interesting observation: my SAK, used almost daily for mostly light cutting tasks (food, packages etc.) needs sharpening every month or two, mostly, often just a touch-up. Meanwhile, a Leatherman Charge S30v blade, used about as often but on tougher jobs (hard woods, woody vines, some plastics etc.), also lasts about the same length of time before needing attention. That interval could lengthen and I would still have working-sharp edges, but maybe I'm a little obsessive about keepnm sharp.

I think SAKs hold their sharp just fine.
 
I like big belly, and it bothers me sometimes that the drop point has more than the edge. It seems like wasted space sometimes to me. Ideally that blade would have a slight drop point and bigger belly, not a big drop point and a slighter belly. That said, it's still entirely functional as a slicer.
 
Their blade layout is great for 99% of real world tasks , like Zap. I sharpen my SAK's about every two months or sometimes more . To do the half dozen or so in my EDC/work rotation takes about 5 mins on a Spyderco Sharpmaker .

Chris
 
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