A Polished Razor Edge is Not Necessary, and It Requires Extra Work

redsquid2

redsquid2

Free-Range Cheese Baby
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Aug 31, 2011
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Since I started using my EDC more, I just touch it up on a Fine diamond plate and leave it at that. I get it hair-popping sharp without using the
"Extra Fine," and without polishing it on leather.

So I am going to just keep doing what I am doing, and see how I like it.

I mostly open packages with it.
 
I agree with you.

I don't care for stropping anymore or extra fine or ultra fine grit (8,000+).

The highest I go for now is the Spyderco white fine ceramic or DMT ceramic.
 
For most EDC uses a fine diamond works perfect, but to discredit a sharper more refined edge doesn't make sense. All edges have their place.

Try stropping with 1 Micron diamond after the fine diamond hone. Just use it to remove the burr with a few light strops. You will be pleasantly surprised at the sharpness and it won't degrade the cutting ability.
 
redsquid2 said:
Since I started using my EDC more, I just touch it up on a Fine diamond plate and leave it at that. I get it hair-popping sharp without using the
"Extra Fine," and without polishing it on leather.

So I am going to just keep doing what I am doing, and see how I like it.

I mostly open packages with it.
Click to expand...
Good.
I mostly sharpen my knives to coarse diamond (325 grit) and no stropping as this gives me a good performing edge. DM
 
I sharpen my knives to different levels depending on use. I don't polish the edge of my BK16 as I've used it to baton wood and taking such time for such a purpose is overkill to a high degree. Same for my HK Plan D...I use it to cut open bags of diatomaceous earth every day and this stuff, while in a powdered form is very abrasive so I go to the Arkansas black/fine and leave it at that...works perfectly for the job. I polish the edge of my favorite EDC BM585 mini-barrage because I like to. It is basically used to open envelopes, boxes, cut plastic wrap, etc...no hard use and I love the way the edge looks and feels when polished.
 
Polishing the edge makes things much easier for me. It doesn't take long at all to get the edge stupid sharp, and after a few days of light use I can touch it up on the strop to take it right back to the same level. Touch ups on the strop are more convenient for me than waterstones, so it doesn't require extra work in the long run :)
 
It's just more work initially... Once you have it there, it's pretty easy to maintain. I mean I have a polished finish on most my knives. It's my no means shiny mirror. But a decent polish from my Spyderco UF benchstone

Sometimes I don't go all the way to way polished. But continued use of the Spyderco UF gets it pretty dang shiny. And I don't have to worry about taking off very much material :)

And stropping using the black and green compound keeps my edges keen without going to the stones very frequently, unless really needed too
 
I laugh when I hear people say " I sharpened this to 30, 000 grit " what a waste of time. Does it stay sharper 30,000 times longer? I go to 1000 diamond and I'm good.
 
It depends on use. I have a boning knife that I sharpen to 120 grit to use as a bread knife. I give a single strop on each side to remove crud and straighten the edge (I think a steel would do the same). The serrated edge works very well for the purpose. I have a Mora 1/0 for woodworking that I sharpen to 1 micron. It works very well for notching wood.
 
Pretty simple - match the edge to the job and to the user.

No point in disparaging a more highly refined edge if the user wants to take the time to achieve it.

No point in disparaging a less refined edge if thats what the user wants.

Every refinement level of sharp has it's place. Even if it's only the pride of being able to achieve a 30,000 grit finish.

Lately I've found that 400 grit on my EP does a great job on cutting paper in the office. But so does 10,000 grit. So the edge on one knife may be 400 and the other 10,000. It's my choice and I'm not wrong with either one.

JMHO,
Allen
 
I actually was looking at a sharpener at REI, and the packaging
said something like: "A toothy edge is really just micro-serrations, which means better sawing ability for a longer time." Something like that.
 
Well in my opinion a lot in the knive "community" is not necessary. A 400$ knive for opening boxes, a simple boxcutter does the job as well. So here I see the same situation, arguing about polished edges is a similar topic. Aren't we all a little knive crazy? :D Merry Christmas.
 
In general, I agree with OP statement/title. Considers it almost as rhetorical.

Sharpening optimization, perhaps we should consider a few variables:
Optimal: time, performance, steel properties, bevel+apex profile (shape + topography), wear/life, look & feel, etc..

Add skills level & OCD == here we are!
 
bluntcut said:
In general, I agree with OP statement/title. Considers it almost as rhetorical.

Sharpening optimization, perhaps we should consider a few variables:
Optimal: time, performance, steel properties, bevel+apex profile (shape + topography), wear/life, look & feel, etc..

Add skills level & OCD == here we are!
Click to expand...

But then we get the real nuts, who actually enjoy sharpening! Then time goes from a negative to a positive, and it throws the whole equation off :D
 
bpeezer said:
But then we get the real nuts, who actually enjoy sharpening! Then time goes from a negative to a positive, and it throws the whole equation off :D
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with you. At first I don't like the idea that I have to sharpen my knives. Because I know I will be at it all night, I do my sharpening after I get off work. Once I'm sharpening a knife I love it. I take all my knives now down to the 2-3k polishing tapes with my EP, just because I can. I just picked up a loupe so sharpening just got a lot more fun.
 
I don't agree because well sharpening is a privilege not a chore :D but on a serious note why not just for practice? You've already got the stones out, hands soaked in water and once you get into it, you have to get all your knives anyway(that just me?). So its not exactly necessary but for another 5-10 min, I mean ... why not?
 
One must experiment. Many ways to "cut" something, and the something to be cut will in larger part determine the best edge treatment. For EDU I agree with the OP, but not as a blanket statement. A rougher edge then he describes will work even better on some chores, and a highly refined edge will work better for other chores. Prepare a series of tests on a bunch of different materials and see what edge prep works best - rope, green wood, free hanging canvas etc etc. Then figure out what will do the job you need doing, and how to get from A to B in a way that you're comfortable with in terms of time and effort.

I take just as much delight in making a nasty aggressive seriously coarse edge as I do making a hair whittling edge (actually find it a little more challenging to do a coarse edge really well than a fine edge).
 
It all depends on what you are cutting and of course the needs and wants of the user.
I put polished edges on culinary & hunters mostly, A bit of a toothy edge can work fine for a EDC.
 
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