Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
-
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:23 pm
- Has thanked: 33 times
- Been thanked: 3 times
Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
I'm shopping for a new knife and some that I'm considering have an Asymetric bevel. What are the advantages/disadvantages of it?
-
- Posts: 695
- Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 12:33 pm
- Location: Bay Area, CA
- Has thanked: 28 times
- Been thanked: 28 times
Re: Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
Lefty here. I’ve tried both and for me asymmetric is usually the wrong way 40/60 though I’ve used lefty biased 60/40 too. I don’t notice much difference and don’t think it’s worth worrying about. Either way, you can adjust it while sharpening pretty easily.
The way the overall grind is biased has a bigger impact than the secondary bevel for me. If you have a convex grind, for example, it’s usually more prominent on one side.
The way the overall grind is biased has a bigger impact than the secondary bevel for me. If you have a convex grind, for example, it’s usually more prominent on one side.
-
- Posts: 2657
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:59 pm
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 414 times
-
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:23 pm
- Has thanked: 33 times
- Been thanked: 3 times
-
- Posts: 3707
- Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:27 pm
- Location: British Columbia, Canada
- Has thanked: 197 times
- Been thanked: 528 times
Re: Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
There's a big difference between an asymmetric bevel and an asymmetric grind.
Asymmetric bevels don't really affect how a knife goes through food, but they do affect the nature of the edge, and sometimes, they can provide an edge that feels keener, longer (they can also be easier to sharpen). Several of my knives have slightly asymmetric bevels. I find that it makes sharpening easier and that it can sometimes result in a sturdier edge.
Asymmetric grinds are different. Asymmetric grinds require a bit more consideration and care, and they definitely affect how a knife goes through food, from steering and food release to a sense of accuracy in precisions cuts. It varies widely depending on the knife and the degree of asymmetry.
I actually think it is easier to maintain an asymmetric bevel on a thin 50/50 grind than on an asymmetric grind as a home cook. Because I don't need to sharpen often, I am rarely wearing away a lot of steel. Using an asymmetric grind makes it a little easier to use a very steep bevel on one side of a 50/50 grind, hence providing a little thinning at the edge over time. It also makes burr removal easier and more consistent, as it is usually easier to remove micro burrs with asymmetric strokes (two on one side followed by a single stroke on the other). Yes, this will result in uneven wear of the blade, but that would take place over the course of many years, and it is easily fixed by just thinning the back side if/when necessary. Since I happen to think that the most "precious" part of a good knife is how it is ground directly behind the edge, I would replace a knife at that point, regardless, rather than trying to thin just the edge and expecting it to perform anything like the original after losing over 1mm in height and losing essentially all characteristics of the behind-the-edge feel and original geometry. (For a knife I still treasure, I'd send it off to have the entire grind thinned, and not just the edge, in order to restore the geometry of the blade rather than just creating an wedged axe-grind by thinning just the edge).
Asymmetric bevels don't really affect how a knife goes through food, but they do affect the nature of the edge, and sometimes, they can provide an edge that feels keener, longer (they can also be easier to sharpen). Several of my knives have slightly asymmetric bevels. I find that it makes sharpening easier and that it can sometimes result in a sturdier edge.
Asymmetric grinds are different. Asymmetric grinds require a bit more consideration and care, and they definitely affect how a knife goes through food, from steering and food release to a sense of accuracy in precisions cuts. It varies widely depending on the knife and the degree of asymmetry.
I actually think it is easier to maintain an asymmetric bevel on a thin 50/50 grind than on an asymmetric grind as a home cook. Because I don't need to sharpen often, I am rarely wearing away a lot of steel. Using an asymmetric grind makes it a little easier to use a very steep bevel on one side of a 50/50 grind, hence providing a little thinning at the edge over time. It also makes burr removal easier and more consistent, as it is usually easier to remove micro burrs with asymmetric strokes (two on one side followed by a single stroke on the other). Yes, this will result in uneven wear of the blade, but that would take place over the course of many years, and it is easily fixed by just thinning the back side if/when necessary. Since I happen to think that the most "precious" part of a good knife is how it is ground directly behind the edge, I would replace a knife at that point, regardless, rather than trying to thin just the edge and expecting it to perform anything like the original after losing over 1mm in height and losing essentially all characteristics of the behind-the-edge feel and original geometry. (For a knife I still treasure, I'd send it off to have the entire grind thinned, and not just the edge, in order to restore the geometry of the blade rather than just creating an wedged axe-grind by thinning just the edge).
~Joe
Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
Re: Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
i've owned a misono ux10 and honestly i didn't like it too much. the knife would steer towards one direction while my 50/50 bevel knives just went straight down.
Re: Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
I second this. I think it's more of an issue when the knife is less sharp, I owned a lower-quality VG-10 and couldn't get the asymmetric to go through food like my victoriknox. It could have been the knife's grind, that was the only asymmetric I've used, but that was just my experience.
That being said, the Kanehide PS60 & Misono UX are loved by many on this forum and are asymmetric, so I would take that as a sign that it CAN be good.
Re: Asymetric (60/40) vs Symetric (50/50) Bevel
I don’t think you’ll notice much of a difference between 60/40 and 50/50. I’ve owned knives with more offset bevels and they steer like crazy when cutting tougher ingredients like squash and carrots. Especially when trying to get a nice square dice. Never had a problem with my Kohetsu AS(60/40).