Bevels And Blades: Understanding Your Options

While the blade length and steel type used in Bowie knives greatly affects their cutting characteristics, the same can be said of their blade grind. The blade grind is the technical term for the shape of the blade from spine to edge. It will affect how you sharpen the knife and how frequently you're required to sharpen it with use. The blade grind also affects what type of uses to which the knife can realistically be put.

Flat Bevel: The flat bevel is the slimmest of all the bevel types. It is also probably the most easily produced. However, just because it can be produced simply, that does not meant they are right for all situations. Take stock of your cutting and usage needs to determine if this type of bevel will be right for you. A flat bevel is simply a straight angle that runs directly from the edge of the blade to the cutting edge, with no curvature in either direction.

The chisel ground Bowie knives are ideal for those who need a sharp edge that's easy to restore. In fact, if you're using your Bowie knife for rugged work, the ease with which you can sharpen a chisel edge sometimes outweighs the inherent fragility of this blade. This bevel is one-sided and is very easy to get back into shape if it is damaged. It pulls to the sharpened side when you make long cuts.

Concave: A concave bevel is exactly the opposite of a convex bevel. Where the convex bevel bows out, the concave bevel bows inward. This offers less resistance during a cut, and can lead to a sharper knife blade. However, it can also make an edge more brittle and more easily damaged. In addition, a concave grind can often take a secondary bevel at the very bottom, which can add additional cutting power to your knife.

Multi-Bevel: A multi-bevel for a Bowie knife is exactly what it sounds like. This means that the profile of your blade edge will have different bevels throughout its length. These are the most difficult bevels to produce and usually require the help of a specialized sharpener that uses rods. However, these can also be the most beneficial bevel, depending on your usage needs.