What each category is for, and how the blade is ground and sharpened.
The all-purpose outdoor survival tool. Built with a full tang, a scandi or convex grind, and a blade in the 9–14 cm range for fine control and durability. Designed to be the one knife you'd trust in the wilderness for everything from fire prep to shelter building.
Purpose-built for field-dressing and processing game. Blade shapes favor a sharp, controllable tip and a belly suited to skinning, with blade lengths typically 10–16 cm depending on the task. Balances precision with enough length to handle larger cuts efficiently.
The heavier-duty sibling of the bushcraft knife — longer blades (12–18 cm) and more robust stock built for tasks that need more chopping power. Where a bushcraft knife favors precision, a camp knife favors capability for tougher jobs around a basecamp.
A traditional Scandinavian design — straight-backed, scandi-ground, no guard, and typically 8–12 cm. Simple, slim, and functional by design, the puukko is built to do one job extremely well rather than many jobs adequately.
Compact, foldable, and made for everyday carry. Blade lengths of 6–8 cm keep them discreet and pocketable while still handling the small tasks that come up constantly in daily life.
The "grind" is the cross-section shape of the blade from spine to edge, and it drives how a knife cuts, how strong the edge is, and how easy it is to sharpen. The "edge angle" is the angle at which the final cutting edge meets the steel — a narrower angle cuts more easily but is more delicate, while a wider angle is more durable but cuts with more resistance. General starting points by category (actual specs can vary by model and steel):
The classic choice is a scandi grind: a single flat bevel running from partway up the blade to the edge, with no secondary micro-bevel — easy to sharpen in the field (just lay the whole bevel flat on the stone) and excellent for controlled wood carving. A sabre grind is a common alternative, with the flat bevel starting higher up the blade, leaving more thickness behind the edge for extra strength at some cost to slicing ease. Typical edge angle: 20–25° inclusive (10–12.5° per side) for scandi; 25–30° inclusive (12.5–15° per side) for sabre.
A flat grind tapers evenly from spine to edge; a hollow grind is slightly concave, giving an especially thin, sharp edge — well suited to skinning and delicate field-dressing work. A sabre grind is a sturdier alternative, with the bevel starting higher on the blade for more strength behind the edge, useful on hunting knives that also need to handle heavier field tasks. Typical edge angle: 30–40° inclusive (15–20° per side) for flat/hollow; 30–35° inclusive (15–17.5° per side) for sabre.
Thicker stock and a convex or flat grind add strength behind the edge for chopping and batoning. The rounded convex profile in particular reinforces the edge without adding excessive resistance when cutting. A sabre grind offers a similar strength benefit with a flatter bevel, and is a common choice on camp knives built for harder use. Typical edge angle: 40–50° inclusive (20–25° per side) for convex/flat; 35–40° inclusive (17.5–20° per side) for sabre.
The traditional scandi grind on thin blade stock, historically with no secondary bevel at all (many modern puukkos add a very light micro-bevel to extend edge life). Typical edge angle: 20–25° inclusive (10–12.5° per side), matching the bushcraft category.
Folding blades are typically flat or hollow ground with a distinct secondary bevel for added edge durability on a thinner blade. Typical edge angle: 30–40° inclusive (15–20° per side), suited to the light, varied cutting tasks pocket knives handle day to day.
Both make excellent knives. The difference is in how they behave in the field and how much care they ask for.
| Carbon steel | Stainless steel | |
|---|---|---|
| Edge | Takes a very keen edge and is quick to bring back to sharp | Fine, long-lasting edge; a little slower to sharpen |
| Sharpening in the field | Very easy, with a small stone or a strop | Easy with 14C28N, just takes a little longer |
| Care (oil / rust) | Dry and oil it after use. It darkens (patina) and can rust if left wet | Just dry it after use. Resists rust, even in damp weather |
| Sparks with a ferro rod | Yes, with the 90° spine. It also strikes sparks from natural flint (traditional fire steel) | Yes, with the 90° spine on a ferro rod; it does not strike sparks from natural flint |
| Best for | Bushcraft, heavy outdoor use and people who enjoy looking after their knife | Damp places, the coast, camp cooking and anyone who wants little upkeep |
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