Are bad slicers *really* bad slicers?

[WValtakis]

Carrots are my test as well If it shoots across the cutting board the knife is probably either getting sold or reground

~Chip

 

[singularity35]

I find my cheapo kitchen knife slices better, even when dull, than my ZT301 at hair splitting sharpness.

I'm really not surprised though.

 

[Mecha]

Carrots are my test as well If it shoots across the cutting board the knife is probably either getting sold or reground

~Chip

That's a good test, and funny also.

 

[WValtakis]

That's a good test, and funny also.

As if you need a test...all your knives I've handled have been WICKED slicers .

~Chip

 

[Mecha]

As if you need a test...all your knives I've handled have been WICKED slicers .

~Chip

Even the big one? X] My test is to slice through a slab or three of thick leather, veg and oil tanned, held in the hand like a sheet of paper. It should keep slicing through without being a pain in the arse. Then plane off some wood from the corners of a 2x4, without the knife wanting to dig down deep and bind up.

 

[Pomsbz]

I did a test with these two knives yesterday. The SAK has a stock 20dps edge. The Roundhead has a custom 15dps edge. Both were popping arm hair before I started. I cut up a cardboard box to slivers alternating between the knives.

The Roundhead with the thinner angled edge (15dps) required double the physical effort for each cut. Double. It's thicker behind the edge. Says it all really for the OP's question and this is comparing two thin FFG blades. I've done a hollow grind (thin folding blade - LM Charge - 20dps) vs a FFG (thicker fixie - Chen Duty 1 - 20dps) with the same test and it was embarrassing just how much better the thicker fixie cut through that cardboard.

 

[Scott321]

IMO, it depends on what you are cutting. If the media wedges your blade, the thinner the stock the better. Some examples for me include cutting styrofoam shipping containers, cutting think cardboard e.g. 1/4", or even cutting think blocks of cheese. Someone suggested cutting a raw potato, but I don't eat potatoes often.

Additionally, thicker handles tend to make hard cuts seem easier by spreading the force over a large portion of your hand.

 

[HST]

“Bad Slicers” I’m going with user error or dull edge. Usually one causes the other more often than not.

 

[Bill1170]

Fat carrots are a great kitchen test of slicing ability. My thinnest santoku can easily push cut four fat carrots at once. It is thin overall as well as very thin behind the edge. Awesome performance. Thin wins.

 

[SV-97]

I read a paper on the science behind cutting once; there it said that geometry Accounts for about 30% of cutting ability

 

[gadgetgeek]

“Bad Slicers” I’m going with user error or dull edge. Usually one causes the other more often than not.

Its fine if you want to be contrary, that is the point of the discussion. But you'll need to show your work a little more, otherwise being contrary is all you have.

 

[buffalo01]

The angle on the secondary bevel is definitely one factor, which as you say, we can change, thankfully.

But the primary grind matter too. A lot.

Put a 15 degree edge on a Delica and a 15 degree edge on an XM18 Spanto and I'm pretty sure I know which one will slice better.

Hit the nail on the head there.
A thick blade/grind may slice great at firs but if you have to cut deep into something such as rubber or an apple, it will tend to wedge it apart instead of easily cut through it.

 

[stabman]

Hit the nail on the head there.
A thick blade/grind may slice great at firs but if you have to cut deep into something such as rubber or an apple, it will tend to wedge it apart instead of easily cut through it.

I'll make sure to use a thin knife next time I have to cut a rubber apple.

 

[DocJD]

I find thick carrots (inch or bigger around) a good measure of a slicer, they are hard enough that they will chip off if there is too much resistance, and they are a real world medium for grading a knife. If a knife can do good food prep, then it will generally preform any precision task well. That is not to say that every knife needs to cleanly cut carrots, but it gives me a data point that is useful.

OK , so now carrots are the new standard measure for knives but it's still bodies for katanas ?

 

[katanas]

Yes, I do favor a nice body on a female and.....Oh, you meant the SWORD. Sorry. By the way, we now need a thread comparing carrot cutting abilities of both folding and fixed blades in order to evaluate our purchases. Using a cutting board would be a good start. Then, of course, there is the distinction between slicing and chopping to deal with. This could get complicated.

 

[buffalo01]

I'll make sure to use a thin knife next time I have to cut a rubber apple.

Hey they are the only thing more annoying to open than blisterpacks haha

 

[Bill1170]

OK , so now carrots are the new standard measure for knives but it's still bodies for katanas ?

Of course. Who doesn’t want to own a “five carrot blade”?

 

[Dr Heelhook]

The more your knife looks like a (good) kitchen/chef's knife, the better it's going to slice. The angle sharpness of the primary and secondary (if there is one) bevels, the thinness of the blade, the width of the blade (a wider blade allows for an even sharper bevel angle) are all factors that create less drag while slicing.