Scandi VS Saber | LTWK GNS Test and Review 

I am a custom knifemaker and I found that both types of grind The scandi Grind and the sabre grind are both useful in bushcrafting. But moreover I found that the use of the tool and the Hand of the user who has maybe more skills with a knife then another person will have an effect on how the night performs.

You hit the nail on the head. I have the Sabre and it’s great for the typical camp task, it can handle the usual wood processing required for typical fire and camp setup work then it performs well at food processing, that’s why I selected the Sabre grind.

OK, let's talk straight. The scandi grind performs well in the wood crafting/carving dept, no quibble. The sabre grind is not as good, but not by much, but is much better where cutting, slicing, meat processing, food prep generally is concerned, while the scandi grind can also do these but not as well, so for now they are neck-and-neck. Now comes the crunch. When it comes to sharpening in the field, the sabre grind is in a different league! A few quick strokes of the ultra narrow secondary grind, and your edge is back and good to go. With the scandi grind, the sharpening process is much more complicated, and needing much more skill, and equipment. The reason for this is that the sharpening stroke has to be exactly flat to the zero grind FOR THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE CUTTING EDGE! This is very difficult to do, even with the right equipment and a lot of practice and skill. To do this in the field with minimalist equipment is going to result in one or two problems. 1. Firstly, one could over-grind the cutting edge or change the angle, as one approaches the blade curve (this is very common). So your edge geometry now becomes variable with the front portion towards the tip developing a secondary bevel (like a sabre grind). The more you sharpen it the wider the secondary bevel becomes. 2. Then, one might also (especially if working on your knee) make little errors and bite into the grind line at the shoulder. This then looks awful, and changes this grind line asymmetrically over its length. Over time it happens that the shoulder almost disappears altogether, giving one almost a convex blade shape. In the hands of a highly skilled user who is aware of these issues, the importance of the issues reduces, especially if that user does all their sharpening at home (or in the workshop), under ideal conditions. The sabre grind is much more forgiving and will be so much easier to maintain efficiency in the field. Personally, I actually prefer the hollow grind, which has the advantages of the sabre grind, but will be easier to maintain over a longer period because of its slightly hollow shape. By the way, those that say hollow grind blades are "weak" are somewhat mistaken. If strength is needed the hollow grind just needs to be a bit deeper so it looks narrow like a scandi grind, except is slightly narrower just above the secondary bevel. It will depend on what the intended purpose of the knife is. That has been my take on the issue.

Great video....I think a true scandi has a simple pro that seems to be over looked and that's the ease of sharpening thanks to the simplicity of just laying the knife along the visible grind. Easy to follow and no guess work. So to me easier to sharpen back to a factory edge. To me it seems the pro to a saber grind is just the durability and a bit more strength overall thanks to a bit more steel behind the edge. So to me its really down to just knowing your equipment and using it right, knowing its strengths and weaknesses. Then you can make it work with either or really about anything. Thanks for the informative video, I think those tests actually show pretty dang well the pros and cons pretty well. I would say your feathering technique needs to change between grind types I.E the angle you hold the blade. I think you would have found quite different results and may have preferred the scandi but at the same time you displayed you can make the saber work just fine. Maybe not what you ment but definitly worked out to display you can make either work pretty freakin well. Thanks again and great video.

Scandi over bite= Human over bite. It's all user comfort level and skill.

I've found that a Saber grind is great choice for a general purpose belt knife, it's a tough, durable, versatile cutting edge that won't chip or roll on you. I do love my scandi grinds for bushcraft & wood crafting. I've also learned that a zero degree scandi grind is a delicate edge and can be damaged fairly easy when working with gnarly, knotty hardwoods. LT Wright also makes their Genesis knife in a saber grind but they are kind of rare, I picked one from the Knife Connection last year and have been using it as my main carry knife. I usually just keep a small scandi like my Enzo Elver or one of my Mora knives in my pack for woodworking.

Been using knives of various profiles for over 50 years. In my experience, using knives of equal steel quality/hardness/etc, a Scandi grind hole it's edge the best and is the easiest to resharpen - especially in the field. A Mora Companion HD is currently my go to for heading out into the woods. I know it'll do everything I ask of it. Oddly enough, while I've managed to break the top off two sabre ground and one flat ground blade, I've never broken a Mora... I find feather sticks a useful skill building technique, but rarely use them for fire starting. Because I live where it's very dry most of the year I usually use a Dakota fire pit and a pile of small shavings to start my fires. Also usually use a lighter, but practice with flint& steel and ferro rods to stay in practice. That being said, I enjoyed your video.

I couldn’t make up my mind and got both. Awesome, awesome design and fantastic handle comfort. One thing you didn’t try was batoning with both, and there is where the saber grind works better in my option. I still can’t decide between the two and love having both.

I just received a GNS saber grind,, bought it for a general purpose hunting knife and I like the visual appearance of the saber grind best... well done video,, enjoyed it :)

I chose the saber grind because I read a few sources that claim the cutting edge of the saber grind is a bit more durable because of the secondary bevel. Not sure how true that is, but I’m sure either will suit the carrier very well.

I️ always said the saber is a great all around grind especially for those just starting out. I️ carry a pocket knife the Enzo Borka 90 flat grind in n690co and a 4-4.25 in scandi fixed blade. The flat grind is awesome for camp/food prep and the scandi for Bushcraft. Takes a little bit but once you get the feel for scandi I️ think the excel at feather sticking but it’s a learned skill where as it’s really easy to pick up the saber and feather stick. Great video as always.

So I'm not really a "bushcrafter" - just an old Boy Scout. The scandi grind concept was kind of new to me until a few months ago. I will say this first: I've never used a scandi ground knife for anythng at all. The discussion about scandi vs. sabre seems to me to be a lot like the discussion of so-called "micro-bevels" on cabinetmaker tools - chisels and plane irons. If I think about it from the perspective of what I understand "bushcrafting" to be, a scandi grind looks like it would be easier to sharpen "free-hand" since the edge bevel is much wider than a sabre ground edge, so it's easier to maintain that angle on your stone. However, to get a really exquisitely sharp edge on a scandi ground blade and still keep the true scandi grind, you really need to remove a great deal more steel. I suspect that the bushcrafters that aren't VERY skilled at free-hand sharpening in the field are in truth putting a secondary bevel on their scandi ground knives in the field and turning them into micro-beveled or "sabre" ground knives. Perhaps when they go home, they then put their scandi ground knives on a table or a supported whetstone and reprofiling to get the true scandi grind back, I don't know. No offense meant here, I think the tests shown in this video were pretty meaningless - would have liked to see some batoning perhaps, but also I'm not sure that would have made the comparison more meaningful. I think things like making feather sticks is more about skill/practice and edge sharpeness than it is about the specific blade/edge profile/type. WIth that said, I am glad you posted this video. In any event, I will be buying a scandi ground knife soon - probably a $20 Mora - in part to check them out for myself from a performance perspective, but MOSTLY as a way to help myself learn and practice free-hand sharpening.

Very happy with my saber GNS. ..also very happy with my scandi grind Mora Garberg

Interesting results, In my experience I find that the saber is more useful in general uses. The results of the pressure test and rocking test resulted in a very contradictory finding since typically the 25 degree scandi edge does not penetrate into a static piece as well as the saber 18 - 20 degree edge. The scandi edge will push the wood side ways and not penetrate as deep. This is where you get the scandi over bite effect due to the higher angle. Its also why the saber grind is much better than a scandi at batoning. I completely agree that the scandi is a great bushcraft grind. I also found that its horrible at food prep.

Feathersticking comes down to technique and the angle you approach the material. People accustomed to scandi grinds will have a harder time feathersticking with a saber. They will miss the edge and just slide over the wood. The angle of the primary bevel also makes a difference. For example, you could have a scandi with a 35 degree bevel and a saber with a 20 degree bevel. That saber will probably cut soft material better. Then you could have a 25 degree scandi and a 25 degree saber that cut very similarly.

I think the misconception about scandi not doing good feathers is all about muscle memory. I've been a Mora guy for a long time & switching to flat or saber, I have to remember to raise the spine of the blade away from the cutting surface, ever so slightly, to account for the angle of the bevel. If I don't the blade will skate off hardwoods, because i'm not contacting the actual edge properly. Going back to scandi, I have to drop my wrist so the whole bevel is laying flat on the cutting surface. Scandi hogs off wood better than anything else I've used, but my old hands prefer using a hatchet for brute forcing through a limb. That said, I'm a recent convert to LT Wright & am having a tough time deciding between my convex Genesis & Saber GNS, both in 3V. I think the Genesis handle is my personal preference, but the GNS is a better blade profile for notches & detail work. I wish I drank the Kool-Aid years ago. I would've saved a lot of money. Thanks for the vid!

Very well shot comparison video! Can never see enough LT action, thanks so much.

Great video I just love knives lol. I change between several of my blades and grinds when I go camping. From flat, scandi, saber and at times hallow. All of them seem to take a little time to get used to when I switch from one to the othe except the scandi. I can pick up a scandi and work with right away. Now the hallow grind is the most difficult one to work with when I switch from one grind to another. The flat and the saber take a little while but not too long. Once comfortable I find the flat and saber to be the best for all around use when I look at everything I might do in a weekend camping. Cutting, carving, notching, feathers, chopping, batoning, press cutting, food prep, game processing and blade maintenance. This is what I find with my use. I love those knives.

Good one! Just bring a decent pocketknife to do foodprep.

Scandi is a man’s grind sabre is for women, nuff said

When day hiking or lightweight overnight I carry a Guardian 5.5 in elmax, but for bushy primitive overnights I take 2, maybe 3 blades.. lately its a LT Forest River for wood crafty stuff and a Guardian 6 in 3v (or a TKC 6.5 in 3v) for hard use chopping/batoning/etc. I’ll also take a Guardian 4 in m390 for cleaning game, but its not really necessary as the LT handles that well too. Half of it is just for fun, the reality is the LT Forest River or Genesis would take care of everything just fine, but its a toss up… which is more work, carrying 2+ blades, or honing dings out of a scandi? The alternative is to carry only a scandi that has been stropped to a slight convex for durability.

As always, it depends. Scandi & flat grinds are great for woodworking, food prep and fine work. But if you want a general purpose knife, that would serve you well if you found yourself needing to operate in the wilderness...sabre 💁

A saber grind is better for blade lengths over around 6". 6" and under, a scandi if usually a better option. Of course, it all depends on the primary use of the blade.

Great video Jude! You’ve got me very excited about my first LTW knife I’m gonna get in a couple months. Looking at the genesis scandi right now but haven’t decided 100% on all the details yet.

I don't like either grind. I use a shallow full blade convex grind with a 24 deg nano-bevel. It's so shallow in fact that if you don't look at it closely, it looks flat. It carves wood better than the sabre, but has more control than the scandi, but what it does better than either of the other two is slicing juicy things like meat, tomatoes, onions and taters. Also, I don't take my edges beyond an 800 G finish, other than knocking the burr off with a 2400 G stone. The microscopic serrations at that degree of finish shear through wood and rope fibres with no effort, but keep the edge from blunting quicker than a full 2400 G, or even an 1800 G, finish.

Nobody wants to deal with scandi maintenance saber gets sharp quicker with more durability and ease of labor when honing and sharpening. Scandi edge is better suited for scalpels and skinning and kitchen applications but if im out in the woods or something I like durability. I bring just a finishing sharpener on trips and do my honing at home. I'm also not a fan of rolled or folded edges so I opt for saber for grunt work and scandi in the kitchen

Scandi grind any day every day.

Good test. Buy both of them. Thanks for showing us. Take care.

Scandi is amazing...you have to use less pressure..saber doesn’t cut as well...and once you get the hang of a scandi it is the best bc it does it all...and it in the long run is SO simple to keep the same grind while sharpening...just keep it honed and it will last a while

When doing feathers with scandi you need to go from left to right using the length of the blade. I can do very thin feather this way.

No regular person would ever tell the difference when using either knife they will both do whatever you need them to do. The difference is sl slight it doesnt even matter when using both.

My vid on the G3 , I use my ofitw genesis to feather showing differences in the sheer size of the blade compared to the regular sized genesis. I feathered a bundle of paper thin feathers with the scandi in about 1.5 seconds lol. It’s a learning curve . I prefer scandi over saber because I do a lot of wood carving , notching and such. It’s far superior to the saber on wood working by far for myself. Great vid ,brother.

My fav is convex

New subscriber and great comparison! I have the saber grind and love it. I'm a hunter and processed two deer with it last season. Good cutting ability and used it all the time in camp this summer.

I'm rocking a Mora with a full tang and black carbon blade, with Scandi grind.

I have the saber grind, I love it. Nothing wrong with the scandi grind but I prefer saber for my needs. LT makes works of art! Fantastic blades!

Scandi forever. Much easier and faster to sharpen and sharpness lasts for a satisfactory time for me.

Could you say that the overbite of Scandigrind is somehow linked to the blade thickness? Tradinitionell scanidinavien knive designs have blades about 2mm thick, wich slice pretty good.

I have the GNS in scandi and the LT Wright Outback in sabre. I agree with just about everything in your conclusion. I’d much rather slice an onion or tomato with a sabre, but make a spoon or bow drill with a scandi. They can both cut onions and make spoons, but the blade profile definitely favors certain tasks.

For bushcraft I always go scandi. Sabre is more of a general knife to me.

You gave me some serious Stu Macher flashbacks with that knife. Scandi fan.

10:35 I love the old man voice.

The bite should be much closer between the two of them If you put a polished shallow con vexed edge on the saber ground blade, at least in my experience.

2:10 give the focus button the good old reach around

Use the tip of the knife with your scandi knife and you will do super fine curls

Trouble with all these beautiful 150 dollar 3-4" general purpose bush blades is I can do all the same things with a 12 dollar carbon mora robust. Mora is actually more functional than 90% of the bush blades in the 50-150 price range. Hell I can do all the same stuff except maybe extensive batoning with a 15 dollar Opinel no8. I get far more use out of my robust than I do out of my ESEE or any of the other 100+ dollar knives I've bought before I began to figure out what I was doing precisely because it was 12 dollars. Even my garberg is too expensive to go beat the hell out of it when one of the 5 robusts I bought off of ebay for 60 dollars will work just as well. Don't get me wrong, these are great knives and I love how they look and many are quite functional, but is that really what you want in the bush? I want a workhorse, a brute, a tool. Something I can abuse and modify and regrind and lose and not really worry about it. Why should a sharpened bit of metal cost more than a good framing hammer or a decent pair of pliers or any other simple tool? Some of these bush blades cost more than high end simple tools like Knipex. As a piece of art I get it, but by definition bush knives are function first and form dead last. For a pocket knife, yea, absolutely, I see the point of burning a few bills. It's like wearing a 1000 dollar watch. A 300 dollar microtech OTF or ZT flipper is jewelry with a function. And I have my high polish ultratech 75 tanto in elmax that I slip in the pocket of a freshly tailored suit because it's an eye catcher, it's the same reason I always bring a pair of 40 dollar gars to any formal gathering; it shows you have some taste and some flash, but you have balance to maintain function and restraint to avoid being gauche. I have it because its an easy way to make an impression. But who matters in the woods?

Saber is much easier to sharpen in the field. Scandi take much longer to sharpen correctly. With the saber you can easily improvise, like using the bottom of a ceramic plate or mug, or fine sandpaper/diamond rod, or ? If the angles are similar, the Scandi will be a stronger cutting edge, with more cutting friction due to the blade thickness (wedge effect) while cutting a dense material such as wood. The saber edge will be better for detail work. Either or...

I'd choose the sabre grind over the scandi grind for durability and versatility.

I like to do woodworking and your video was helpful. Very well done! Thanks.

I like your Reviews! I’m gonna subscribe because you’re concise, succinct and keep it relevant with wasting too much time. I appreciate your logical, well spoken thoughts. Dr. Dave

Great video, I’ve always been a scandi grind man and have considering a sabre grind blade. I think I will get a sabre grind knife. Can I add that you said that both came with a factory edge. Usually the factory edge on flat grinds, sabre grinds etc. are usually a “v” edge which are terrible. Sharpen it to a convex edge on your own sharpening stones and I think you’ll find a noticeable difference in the cutter performance of the sabre grind. 👍🏻

Good vid review between the different grinds. Just a thought. In my mind it is much easier to hone/sharpen the Scandi vs a saber. Perhaps a review demonstrating the ease of sharpening the two grinds???

There is not much difference between Sandi & Sabre blades when doing bush-craft. The match point is the toughness of blade points on doing stabbing. Why? Low grind line means giving more supporting the blade point, due to providing more coverage for the point.

Just found your channel. Thanks for making it. I believe I will be getting an LT Wright soon..not sure yet which one but the GNS with a sabre blade is looking awfully tempting! I own a Gransfors Bruk wildlife hatchet I use for more of the forest "tasks" so perhaps a sabre blade would be the way to go....thanks again...Later!

Nice comparison and much appreciated! Have you experienced different edge retention by the two grinds? Recently I've been chopping and debranching with my true scandi Garberg (no secondary bevel) and it gets dull quite soon (and by dull I mean it can't slice through paper). So I was wondering if a sabre/flat grind with secondary bevel would have better edge retention. I know a hatchet should be used for those tasks but sometimes I just like to go outside with just my knife.

Great video very good info! I like flat grind! TX! Keep up the great videos!

Hey brother what do ya think ...GNS OR GENESIS..? I'm finally gonna get an lt but I'm really struggling with choosing but also there is hardly nothing to pick from. I got big mitts so if I do get a gns I need liners even the GENESIS needs liners imo. All the coolest colors are sold out ...That said I'm almost tempted to buy the Larry Robert's edition its got white liners and I love the mouse 🐁 symbol and history LOL. I also am considering the Benchmade bushcrafter, I've always wanted one . When ya can only buy one its very hard to choose.

You could have stopped the comparison at 3:40. For me that was "the test" for the differences between the two grinds. I have a GNS and a Lagom both in scandi grind & both are favorites of mine. Most of my other knives are flat or saber ground and for me it's great to have both grinds. I prefer the flat or saber grind but I've learned to control the bite of the Scandi. I've also found that LT's scandi is not delicate and his 01 is one of my favorite knife metals. It's very easily maintained and very tough. My next LT knife will probably be another Scandi. maybe in A2 if he makes a scandi in that material. There's no one better in the biz for that edge. Thanks for the video! Quick suggestion - I'd love to see a comparison of LT's 01, A2 and 3V for edge retention, hard use and for maintenance (i.e. just stroping) & resharpening (with stones or diamonds).

Jonathan Deering knives are great also

The way I look at it is this: if you have a scandi grind knife, you’ll need two knives. If you have the sabre grind, you won’t. Scandi is a master of one task, and the sabre is a jack of all master of none.

First press was Saber, second was Scandi. On review he says first was Scandi?

Scandi grinds rule for wood working. Way easy to sharpen than saber grind. Micro bevels on Scandi grinds suck. I have never found a saber grind that would carve wood half as good as a scandi.

Hey Jude🙂 great review man. I didn’t think the saber would do that well. Especially with feathers.

@2:25 Scandi grind is physically sharper and stronger, it can handle batoning and other tasks needed for survival much better than other, weaker, grinds. while still being sharp enough to outperform thicker, stronger, grinds. it's overall much more superior ... that is if you know how to use it. This man used his other knife that same as the scandi, and to get the correct results that just not how it works. Not that it takes skill to use a scandi, really, just that it takes practice to learn how not to "overbite" as he calls it ... "Overbite" appears to be the result of not using the blade properly ... as I can fether a stick with my scandi very well and just as fast as he did with the saber.

Lol I just used my scandi ground whittling knife to remove callouses off my feet. Lucky I didn't get any overbite.

You can’t judge a knife because you can’t feather stick.

The hammock owner is right behind you...

So how about Saber GNS and Scandi Genesis for options?

I own both and you are spot on 😁

You should check out Dulo knives he will make any blade you want outta almost any steel you want...amazing craftsmanship and for $100 less than 99% of knife makers...he even works with dye steels like k390..65hrc...vanadis4E..62hrc...somehow amazing edge retention and toughness...vanadis8 m390...etc

scandi 4 the win

Good test, I need to test a chisel edge on a feather stick before making a conclusion. Thanks ps band saw blade for feathers is another test.

Hey if you ever want to sell that scandi GNS on your guy.

I have the Scandinavian grind one. So i am biest. But LT makes amazing knives. Great video vid

Was that Alvin, Simon or Theodore talking during the 4x parts?

Excellent video my friend,im buying the Enzo trapper knife and I can't make my mind up between Scandi and flat grind.Also I'm a Scandinavian knife fan, any advice would be much appreciated.Stay safe.

Out of curiousity, where do you live? I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a gary wines bushcrafter. I have a few mora's but all my other knives are saber. I just want a "higher end" scandi.

Great job.

It is all about edge angle. 25 degree saber will cut better than 30 degree skandi.

U couldnt use a better stick for feather sticking?

Busted, you cut all the way through intentionally and you even try it a couple times without success when making your feather sticks

Great video

Nice video, but we all know that the great plainsman beats them both hands down Jude. Especially when it comes to batoning giant gnarly logs with it.

OK First knife will be............ saber grind. Thank you very much.

A scandi grind is a wood hog, but with a little practice and skill building, it can handle fine shaving work just fine. It just takes some getting used to. On wood, it excels, but on other materials, it does not perform as well as a saber, in general. I love my scandi on wood..I do a lot of carving, and nothing else compares, but if you want a general use blade that you can also use for food prep, then ya, buy a saber grind or full flat. If you want a knife primarily for wood work, the scandi is the better option, although a well executed convex grind does pretty damned good as well.

enjoyed the video. The GNS is probably my favorite knife. I have the saber grind in O1 steel. Will be getting the scandi grind in A2. I have come to roughly the same conclusion with the same grind types. Each works differently at different tasks. I wonder if the different steel types will affect the grinds.Probably only noticeable in edge retention. I always take two knives when I go on extended trips in the woods. I think the GNS in both grinds will accomplish everything I need done. Keep up the good work. Cheers from Idaho.

Saber is better for preping meat,scandi all day out doors.

My HAMMOCK!!! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Dude u need to put that tip down your pushing at a power cut ,slow down and work the edges you dont have the fence to feather so you trash it get some training

You call it "overbite", I call it "pilot error".

It's your skills that suck not the blade !

Goofball!

come back when you learn how to use a knife properly