I do a lot of camping and fishing for my recreation. Up until now I favored multi tools as my knife of choice. The multi tool was and still is a useful knife for general camping and fishing. You can use a multi tools blade for general camp use and the pliers are always great for various activities around camp and for pulling those hooks out fish. The only other tool that I make use of on my multi tool is the screwdriver set. I use the screwdriver set for putting together my hot tent chimney during the colder months of the year.
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Why I Purchased A Fixed Blade Knife
I began thinking about purchasing a good fixed blade knife. I wanted a knife that would be quickly accessible for camp chores, filleting larger fish and cutting up food around camp. The downside of my multi tool is that it is not as easily accessible having to unfold it for use (which isn’t that bad I guess). For cutting food the 3 inch blade does the job but not well and food would always clog up the folding mechanism. As far as filleting fish is concerned, of course the multi tool was not up to the challenge. I brought a separate fillet knife for that job. While the fillet knife does a great job for its intended purpose that is about all its good for, with the exception of cutting up live bait. I wanted a knife that could basically do all of these tasks adequately enough so I wouldn’t need to carry a fillet knife.
Grohmann Knives
So my journey began looking for an all around camp knife. I began shopping around on amazon and began first looking at knives that had a blade size of around 5 inches and wouldn’t break the bank. While I saw a few knives that I liked I couldn’t really settle on one that I wanted to purchase.
I live in Nova Scotia, Canada and I was aware of a famous knife shop located in the seaside town of Pictou NS called Grohmann Knives. They make a unique style knife that became quite popular and who’s design has been copied by other knife companies. Their original #1 was specifically designed as a multi use knife with its strength being an excellent slicer being able to be used in the field as a hunting knife and around camp.
I liked the Grohmann #4 survival knife. This knife is favored by big game hunters the world over. It has a good size blade of around 5 and a half inches which was about the size blade I was looking for. The #4 is basically a scaled up version of the #1. I realize that I don’t really need such a large bladed knife. It is true that much can be accomplished with a slightly smaller blade, however to be honest I just wanted a larger bladed knife. Not a huge knife, but one with a larger blade size. The Grohmann #4 is a larger bladed knife that feels smaller in the hand, if you know what I mean.
On the Grohmann website they have a seconds webpage which features knives that have minor imperfections in the handle. As a result of the imperfections the knives are 50% off their usual price. Most of these imperfections are very minor and so getting a second at 50% off is a deal I liked since these knives are will made so are not cheap.
The only #4 that was featured on the webpage was a carbon with a saber grind. I put in an order for the knife. However, I began doing further research on the other grind that Grohmann offered which was the flat grind. What was the difference between the two grinds?
The Sabre Grind
A sabre has the grind only going partway up the blade. However, a portion of the blade is left unground. This style of grind makes for a strong blade. This blade can take a lot of abuse such as when batoning wood. The Grohmann #4 sabre is used when field dressing large game. It excels at slicing up meat. When batoning wood the style grind helps to split the wood apart.
The Flat Grind
A flat grind is just as the name describes. The entire grind is evenly tapered throughout the knife. The knife can be stronger or weaker depending on the degree of the grind but the knife will not be as strong as in a sabre grind.
The advantage of a flat grind over the sabre is there is less resistance to cutting. This grind works well as a general purpose knife, camp chores, cutting food, and filleting fish (although it can’t match the effectiveness of a good quality fillet knife in this regard).
Other Grinds
Some of the other grinds are chisel grind, hollow, convex and scandi. All these grinds have their advantages and disadvantages.
Why The Grind Matters
The grind of a knife does matter. There is no grind that does everything the best. Some grinds are superior to others for certain uses. It is important to really think about what you will be primarily using your knife for and choose a grind that serves its intended purpose the best.
In my case after doing more research I phoned Grohmann knives and asked if they had any #4 “seconds” in a flat grind. They looked around and found one that was stainless in a flat grind. I switched the sabre grind out with the flat and had it shipped to me.
I am very happy that I chose the knife that suits what I do the best. It will serve me well for general camp duties as well it will also be able to fillet any fish I catch. It is also a lighter weight for carrying than if I had gone with the sabre grind. I think having a fixed blade knife is an important part of any outdoor persons gear kit.