singleedged

Singleedged refers to blades that have one sharpened edge and a non-sharpened back. It contrasts with double-edged blades, sharpened on both sides. The cutting edge is produced by beveling the metal on a single side, while the opposite side remains flat or only lightly finished to provide support and balance. As a result the blade’s spine is often thicker toward the back, and the cutting edge runs along most of the blade’s length.

Singleedged blades are common across cultures and blade types. In kitchen tools, many traditional Japanese knives are single-edged, including usuba, yanagiba, and deba, each designed for specific tasks such as vegetable prep, fish work, or heavy chopping. In other contexts, singleedged blades appear in knives and weapons such as kukri knives from Nepal, certain forms of dao from China, and various sabre-type swords.

Because only one edge is sharpened, maintenance focuses on preserving the bevel angle and preventing damage to the unsharpened back during sharpening. Sharpening is usually done on the curved or flat face of the cutting edge, with stones or files, while the back is left intact. Some modern blades use asymmetric grinds to balance rigidity and weight.

Singleedged blades are favored where precise control, strong chopping capability, or easier maintenance of a single bevel is desired. The choice between singleedged and double-edged designs reflects cultural tradition, intended use, and user preference.

See also: double-edged blade, knife, sword, kukri, usuba, yanagiba, dao.