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best and worst to sharpen
- Thread starter audiopile
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,746
I don't think the CPM process makes the steels any easier to sharpen, like S90V is worse to sharpen than most steels. Then again, it's not too bad, either. CPM process does improve grindability of the bar stock though.
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2002
- Messages
- 10,317
I don't have a clue, after a while, I taped it shut and threw it away. No sense giving it to anyone else and didn't want it to cut the garbage collectors.
It really is the only "knife" that I gave up on.
Actually imo S90v is a pleasure to sharpen. With diamond lansky stones I sharpened up my wife's Mini Manix 2 CF with ease. You can easily see the grinding progression and the burr was cake to remove with the 1000 grit ultra fine stone. Next time I'll use the belt sander with 15 micron belt/leather belt with compound and I'm sure it will be even easier. Spyderco's S90v sure gets wicked sharp after stropping.
On the other hand, Gerber stainless steel from around 1990 was the worst to sharpen. Just when you thought you were done a huge flap of burr would form, so big you could snap it off with your fingers. If you removed it, the edge underneath would be serrated and dull, if you left it the edge would feel like cotton because the flap would wrap around and act like a cushion. Horrendous.
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On the other hand, Gerber stainless steel from around 1990 was the worst to sharpen. Just when you thought you were done a huge flap of burr would form, so big you could snap it off with your fingers. If you removed it, the edge underneath would be serrated and dull, if you left it the edge would feel like cotton because the flap would wrap around and act like a cushion. Horrendous.
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- Joined
- Dec 30, 2008
- Messages
- 4,567
154cm and also aus8. Burrs are a pain in the butt with softer steel!
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2005
- Messages
- 2,402
My Benchmade Rift in 154CM is a pleasure to sharpen, then again it tested at 61 RC so it certainly isn't soft. Underhardened, I believe most any steel can be a PITA to sharpen.
Mike
gak, i sharpened a lot of gerbers back in the 90's and never had a bit of trouble. most guys that could sharpen their knives did have problems but they were doing it by hand. the paper wheels are the best way to sharpen any gerber. the gator was the most popular model and i sharpened a lot of them.
My Endura 4 ZDP-189 came pretty sharp, but not quite sharp enough for this obsessive compulsive knife nut, so I tried to "touch it up".
I have a range of DMT sharpening stones and even with those, I ended up with rounded edge that was about as sharp as a butter knife.
Patience is the key, and I did get frustrated with this steel. That just proves though how damn tough it is. It's something like RH 67, and not as brittle as you'd expect with such hardness.
- Joined
- May 30, 2007
- Messages
- 2,397
surprises me i have a WW2 Catt 225Q fixed blade that i can get pretty darn sharp, and i struggle with some knives. nothing like the old carbon steel blades:thumbup:
ivan
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2009
- Messages
- 13,240
I find that, the larger the knife, the harder it is to resharpen. I have no problem geting a hair popping edge on my SAKs but my KaBar USMC takes me a long time to get sharpened.
There is no rhyme or reason to it.
I had a Pakistani fixed blade that I could not get sharp. I have some China stuff that gets scary, and one blade on a Remington Large Stockman made in China gives me fits!
Can't really get my CRKT M16-03Z to take and keep much of an edge.
I've got a Japanese Stainless blade here that just a few very light passes with a pocket steel has gotten wicked.
OVERALL Carbon is easiest and SS hardest. But that's not carved in stone.
I had a Pakistani fixed blade that I could not get sharp. I have some China stuff that gets scary, and one blade on a Remington Large Stockman made in China gives me fits!
Can't really get my CRKT M16-03Z to take and keep much of an edge.
I've got a Japanese Stainless blade here that just a few very light passes with a pocket steel has gotten wicked.
OVERALL Carbon is easiest and SS hardest. But that's not carved in stone.
I have a little Buck Hartsook that rides with me everyday on duty. I have such a nice polished edge on it now that it will cut anything I throw at it. The Bos heat treat coupled with the thin S30v steel is fantastic. A total replacement for a sak blade if thats your thing.
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2005
- Messages
- 4,527
I like a toothy edge so I live by diamond with brief touchups on a sypderco Sharpmaker. Another positive of diamond hones IMO is that they stay flat and last forever- I have a set of 3 small DMT sharpeners that I have used thousands of times and they still work.
Easiest knife for me to sharpen was our Opinels, and the hardest was Cold Steel Bushman. I was blown away by the ease of Junglee Safari Junior in AUS 8 as a good solid worker for special mention (a good company when they nailed QC but were dangerous the rest of the time from what I was).
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2001
- Messages
- 2,450
The easiest to sharpen for me are the ones with small included angles and softer steels, like Vic SAKs. The worst for me was a Gerber LST. I think it had a bad heat treatment, because absolutely nothing I did would get it sharper than a butter knife. Also, some of my ZDP-189 blades are a challenge, but that's just because I'm not using a diamond hone.
- Mark
- Mark