Convex, Full Flat, or Flat Grind for the win? Let's put these Knife Grinds to the Food Release Test!
3,832
Published 2023-10-22
In this video we're diving into the world of knife geometry and its impact on the food release of a knife. The cross sectional geometry is very important for the cutting feel and performance of a knife. It might even outshine the steel and heat treatment.
We've handpicked a bunch of blades from our Meesterslijpers inventory, each with a distinct cross-section geometry and grind, to discover which one reigns supreme in the food-release arena.
Before you swipe that credit card for a new knife, remember to check its thickness at the spine and its geometry. The grind of a knife can spill the beans on its performance before you even slice a tomato.
There are more grinds than there are ways to julienne a carrot,
but we've narrowed it down to three grinds that we see most in our inventory:
Full Flat Grind
Flat Grind
and Convex Grind.
Let’s see which of these three grinds will give you the best food release on a
knife, shall we? Enjoy the video!
All Comments (21)
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Great video!!!
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"letting go sometimes is the only thing to hold on to." gold
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Highly informative. Appreciate you taking the time to demonstrate these different grinds. Many thanks.
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This vid was one of best vids u ever made🫡 Very good pictures ,u can actually see how stuff stick/ cut. Love ur vids ,best knife content to me on yt easily. More educational videos we need. Thank u for this ,super steezy shirt bro!
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What great video. An absolute endorsement for the convex grind 🙌👌🏻
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I switched to making mostly only convex grind years ago. Never looked back. Great video.
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That wooden placard is amazing.
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Great video, brother! Very informative. If you ever revisit this topic, I would love to see you throw in a classic asymmetrical gyuto like a Misono or Masahiro or Kikuichi. Nearly full flat on the left side for guidance and penetration, and notably convex on the right side for food release. Add on a perfect 80/20 edge and you get near single bevel cutting performance with great release in an easy to maintain package.
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I have a Denka nakiri that has been with me to work for a year and I’m just about ready to thin it down now. I’m trying to preserve its clamshell grind so I’ve been practicing it on a beater. I find that the clamshell is best with knives that are incredibly thin to protect their edge. The Denka already happened to have one out of the box, and I think the reason is because the 65 HRC makes it so brittle. If this little project of mine works out, I think I’ll try it on some of my other thin knives.
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An awesome video, which is fun to watch with a lot of educational elements and food for thought. Much appreciate your time and contribution to the knife community. I applaud you! Just a thought. Have you tested different bevel polish finishes to see if a different finish makes a difference in food release? Something like 1K vs 6K synth finish vs your lovely Uchi finish? Does it make any difference at all or is it just an eye candy? What do you think?
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Great video about food release on three different grinds (full flat, flat, and convex grinds) and also perfect for choosing four different vegetables (Carrot, Cucumber, Sweet Potato, and Tomato). Food release depends on grind type, blade thickness, and blade height. Convex grind, minimum blade thickness (above the heel) 3.5-4 mm, and minimum blade height 48-50 mm. To reduce stiction, add a tsuchime finish to the top of the blade and brushed vertical lines to the bottom of the blade. Have you tried a Wakui Shirogami #2 Tsuchime Gyuto? It seems to be a functional knife.
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The best is single bevel with a convex grind for food release like in the picture in the video
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Can confidently say that the Takamura R2 is convex grind. I own one and I've reached the point where I had to thin it and noticed that the grind wasn't flat as the stone wouldn't hit the bevel flush and it had a slight curve
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Best would be flat grind on holding side and convex bevel on food release side? If right-handed the left side would be flat and the right side would be convex, correct? I liked and subscribed, nice content!
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I use a 1x30 belt sander with a platen so I believe that creates a full flat grind bevel. How would you create a flat grind bevel/scandi/hallow/S grind?
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That Homura Guren is one sexy knife.
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Now I know why you recommend the Kaeru 😎 It doesn't seem very thin, but does it really matter ? Aren't most "good" knives slightly convex and/or s-grind, even though it's not specified ?
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Is that JNS knife one of the SLD core knives? I'm intrigued by the results and I'm thinking a couple of convex knives might be good to have. I have a Fujiwara nakiri but I've never really taken notice of the food release. I'll have to test it out. Do you know of any existing list for makers and the grinds of their knives? That would be a really helpful thing if it were out there.
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Hold on a second! This particular knife Takamura Sg2 Migaki has a full subtile convex grind! Eventhough yeah, it's a laser type, not so much for food release, but performance oriented. Damascus type of knives will also increase food friction. I hate them. I sold my new Shigeki Tanaka 240mm because of this after fiew weeks 😟 Fujiwara Nashiji type of knife, is an extreme convex bevel which helps with food release, but almost splits the product, and reduces cutting performance. It acts exactly like a 100euro Tojiro Conclusion, no such thing as perfect knife. It comes down to personal preference, food release oriented (thick, convex) with reduced cutting performance, or Thin full V or subtile full convex for cutting performance, but less food release.
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Just to understand the ratings: 100% would be all slices of all food items falling right off, and 50 % would be every second slice? Also, what did you do with all the cut food? Hope, you didn't just throw it all away. Thanks for the answers.
