Best/Worst Factory Edge

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knifedude802

Joined
Jul 18, 2014
Messages
171
I just got something in that was as dull as a rock. Truly the most ratchet, mucked up grind I think I've ever seen from a factory edge. I'll not name names here, but I'll say it was from one of the big guys, at the $200 mark. It reminded me of a fantastic edge I got from CRKT of all places. I impulsively bought a M21, not really expecting much from it. It damn near had a mirror edge on it right out of the box, and was easily the sharpest factory edge I've received over the years.

Any manufacturers really surprise you with a good/bad factory edge?
 
Zt, spyderco- great factory edge. Buck- knives are sharp but the grind in not always straight.
 
Best:
Rockstead.
Spyderco Phil Wilson South Fork

Best sharp edge on a low budget:
Mora
 
Cold Steel Ak-47 had the sharpest factory edge I have ever seen. The Cold Steel kobun was downright pathetic. No sharpness whatsoever. Kind of odd that their company had two polar opposites.
 
I think the sharpest I've had were from Kershaw and Spyderco. The worst edges I've seen have been on Queen cutlery blades. Solid knives, terrible edges from the factory.
 
The sharpest factory edge I had/have was either a BM 940-1 or PM2 s90v.
Worst was a BM mini grip 556 dull like a butter knife.
 
Worst? Half of all the Benchmades I've ever purchased (I love you Benchmade, but I have butter knives that are as sharp as the 950 I bought for my cousin).

Best? I've gotten a lot of very sharp new knives in the mail, but the one that surprised me the most was my MKT 187 RMP. It's a goofy moronic design for a too-thick brick of a folding pry-bar with an edge, but I'll give Medford Knife and Tool credit for at least sending it out the door with a screaming edge. That sucker is thick enough to work as a log splitting wedge, but the edge on it new didn't just shave, it made hair on my arm self-destruct out of fear as it approached.
 
Best that I have experience with: Rough Rider, Buck, Colt, Marbles, Taylor-Schrade Old Timer and Uncle Henry, Schrade USA Old Timer and Uncle Henry, Case CV, CRKT

WORST: Cold Steel machetes, based on three examples. More burrs than a porcupine egg, uneven grinds, and rolled edges (or possibly unground edges) in spots. One of the very few knives that the use of a draw through "sharpener" actually improves the edge enough to be able to use a stone on it.

Gerber's "440C" from the late '70's/early 80's. About as sharp as an 8-8-16 concrete block out of the box. Will not take an edge, and what little edge you manage to get vanishes spreading warm butter on fresh toast.
 
Great.....Spydie, Kershaw, Hogue and BM....really great!
Bad.....CKF Sukhoi 2.0. Duller than a butter knife. Was so jacked for that knife and couldn't believe it was DULL......hardly any edge at all. Sent it back and am curious of the outcome.
Joe
 
knifedude802 said:
I just got something in that was as dull as a rock. Truly the most ratchet, mucked up grind I think I've ever seen from a factory edge. I'll not name names here, but I'll say it was from one of the big guys, at the $200 mark. It reminded me of a fantastic edge I got from CRKT of all places. I impulsively bought a M21, not really expecting much from it. It damn near had a mirror edge on it right out of the box, and was easily the sharpest factory edge I've received over the years.

Any manufacturers really surprise you with a good/bad factory edge?
Click to expand...

So, you want us to name names but you won't? How does that make sense?

Anyway, I've had poor edges from most of the major manufacturers. 0560 was not sharp out of box. Benchmades with grind issues and not sharp. I had an Esee 4 with a very lopsided grind. I've also had fantastic edges from all the companies I have named. The next four Esee 4s I have had all had perfect grinds. The worst for me has been CRKT. Poor James Williams. Hopefully they have started sharpening the knives they make with his name on them. The Hissatsu folder and Shinbu were embarrassingly dull. Someone who doesn't know how to sharpen would have thought those knives were utter crap. And that brings me to my next point. I'm not terribly worried about sharpness out of box. I can sharpen a blade. It's not that hard. If you buy a knife to use, it will get dull. You will need to sharpen it. If you buy a knife to collect or look at, it does not need to be sharp because you are not going to use it. The problem almost solves itself! I love sharpening a knife. It is fun and a skill you can learn to do and take pride in.
 
Benchmades take the cake in terms of terrible edges straight out of the box, in my experience.

The couple of Viper knives I've purchased have had really great edges: even, super sharp, and almost polished-looking.
 
craytab said:
So, you want us to name names but you won't? How does that make sense?

Anyway, I've had poor edges from most of the major manufacturers. 0560 was not sharp out of box. Benchmades with grind issues and not sharp. I had an Esee 4 with a very lopsided grind. I've also had fantastic edges from all the companies I have named. The next four Esee 4s I have had all had perfect grinds. The worst for me has been CRKT. Poor James Williams. Hopefully they have started sharpening the knives they make with his name on them. The Hissatsu folder and Shinbu were embarrassingly dull. Someone who doesn't know how to sharpen would have thought those knives were utter crap. And that brings me to my next point. I'm not terribly worried about sharpness out of box. I can sharpen a blade. It's not that hard. If you buy a knife to use, it will get dull. You will need to sharpen it. If you buy a knife to collect or look at, it does not need to be sharp because you are not going to use it. The problem almost solves itself! I love sharpening a knife. It is fun and a skill you can learn to do and take pride in.
Click to expand...

I guess I was more interested in the good than the bad. It's interesting seeing some for both though. Lot of names I didn't expect to see so much.

I almost always change the edge on the knives I get, give it "my edge". I prefer a toothy edge. I don't usually bring anything up to a mirror edge, but they're fun to show off when I do :)

Even though it's an easy fix, its still a bit of a disappointment expecting a razor and getting a butter knife. Makes me feel like no one ever looked at it before tossing it out the door.
 
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Sharpest out of box.....generally speaking....Cold steel (haven't bought production knives in years, so that may not be the case now)

Dullest out of box....EASILY that award goes to Eye Brand, Tree Brand, Solingen knives. They don't have ANY edge on them. I guess they want the buyer to put their own edge on their own knives.
 
As a brand, I think I have been most pleased with Becker's factory edges. Spyderco's can be good but I almost always have to fix them. ESEE factory edges are also very very good.
 
afishhunter said:
Best that I have experience with: Rough Rider, Buck, Colt, Marbles, Taylor-Schrade Old Timer and Uncle Henry, Schrade USA Old Timer and Uncle Henry, Case CV, CRKT

WORST: Cold Steel machetes, based on three examples. More burrs than a porcupine egg, uneven grinds, and rolled edges (or possibly unground edges) in spots. One of the very few knives that the use of a draw through "sharpener" actually improves the edge enough to be able to use a stone on it.

Gerber's "440C" from the late '70's/early 80's. About as sharp as an 8-8-16 concrete block out of the box. Will not take an edge, and what little edge you manage to get vanishes spreading warm butter on fresh toast.
Click to expand...

I was also thinking of Cold Steel's machetes. The edge on my kukri machete was practically nonexistent.
 
Best so far was a SOG Team Leader that I bought a few years ago. Worst so far was the Gerber Order I bought a few months ago.
 
Within recent history, Grayman and Cold Steels seem to come extremely sharp consistently. Emersons come sharp but need some touchup to reach their potential.

The biggest variances seem to be in the ZT's, Benchmades, Bokers, knives of that level. It's hit or miss.

Worst I ever had was a small Gerber Paraframe folder that couldn't have been sharp if I'd sent it to college.
 
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