Best/Worst Factory Edge

Best: Enzo knives from Finland and Mora.
Worst: Glock 78 field knife. Didn't really come with an edge at all but the knife itself is indestructible!

I don't have many knives, and most are pretty cheap so my experience is VERY limited but you've got to start somewhere! I mainly buy blades and make my own handles to keep costs down.
 
The benchmade hunt series I just picked up has the sharpest edge of any of my spydies or zt. I've cut my hand three times in the first two days closing it lightly. Got pisto prove lol
 
I have not seen mention of Marttiini knives. The edges are much sharper and nicer done than Moras and on a consistent basis. They cost a little more, but they are all-around superior knives with superior edges. If you don't believe it, buy a Marttiini and compare. They are also sharper out of the box than Case and Buck knives. I still like Buck, Case, Mora and many others, as I can bring them all up to snuff quickly.

Joe
 
Best: Hands down my Benchmade 710-1403 (I know, surprise). Also Brous T4 and VR-71CF, WE 609.

Spyderco has always been reliable for me.

Mixed: Brous VR-71: Great, except ground too fat towards the tip - had to be reprofiled. ZT 620CF: Piercing tip, poor on the straight edge.

Worst: ZT 560: came totally worthless out of the box. Sent it away for a professional resharpening.
 
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Best:
Spydercos' serrated blades
And Cold Steel knives

Worst:
Ontario knives
Kershaws
 
Worst: Benchmade
Best: Bailey model 2, though that is a custom. Production, Spyderco.
 
Best: Spyderco, Chaves, Three Sisters Forge, CRK

Worst: Buck, Case, Strider, Benchmade, Emerson

While certainly not bad edges, for the most part, multiple samplings from the above manufactures/companies required some edge work out of the box.
 
Best: The edge on any of my customs made by Mr. Bona out of Poland. They have all been properly done at the tip and heel, so I don't have to fix the profile on the first sharpening.
Worst: A custom maker who I will not name. At the tip and on the heel too much metal was taken off. It really annoys me when I have to sharpen for hours by hand to fix mistakes made with power equipment.
 
Although I don't own one Rocksteads are supposed to have the best edges. The Japanese knife sharpener in my city sells them and from looking at them they do seem a cut above.

The nicest edges on any knives I have owned have been on my Mcustas and Hogue knives. Mcustas seem sharper, but Hogues come with a mirror polish.
 
ThePeacent said:
...

Best:
Spydercos' serrated blades
And Cold Steel knives

Worst:
Ontario knives
Kershaws
Click to expand...

Geez, I dunno about the Ontarios now. The sharpest folders I've got out of a box (mind you, all my knives are production) were the the RAT's I've got in AUS-8. They were in fact, a hair sharper than my PM2, to compare FFG folders. The other folder I have are all partial v grind/saber grind/emerson grind jobs so don't reckon are fair comparisons. I can see why your holdout could be scary sharp, though :)
 
Best I have received out of the box have been MCusta and CS. Every one has been pleasantly sharp.
*Honorable mention for kizlyar supreme

Worst by far was HTM. I've had sharper flat head screwdriver tips. Had a barely noticeable ugly obtuse angle, I had to regrind and reprofile before sharpening. Definitely can see why Darrell Ralph left the company due to disappointment regarding quality.

With a new edge I love the knife. Will never buy another from them again though, no matter how much I love the design.
 
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For production,
My Bradford G4 and G5 were good out of the box.
Fallknivens are usually good too. An A1 Pro I got recently was great!
Bark River can be hit or miss.
My Cold Steel 3v recon tanto was superb.
Hinderers were all straight garbage edgewise as was my CRK Inkosi.
Reate Horizon m390 was excellent
Nathan Carothers' Field Knife was the best of both worlds: extremely sharp and even bevels AND .015" behind the edge--a breath of fresh air !
Fiddleback Camp Knife-- I love the knife but the initial edge was laughably pathetic.
Miller Bros-- evenly ground but waaaay too thick behind the edge and not sharp at all as a result. I do enjoy their knives though and have several in 5160, z wear pm and cpm 3v. After a reprofiling, these are excellent knives.
Busse/SwampRat--sometimes quite sharp and sometimes not so much. The behind the edge thickness has a lot to do with that. Great knives and I own and enjoy many. After a reprofile, these knives have been excellent performers and trusted "go-to" tools. That's saying something you know?

That's all I can think of right now
 
spykez said:
Geez, I dunno about the Ontarios now. The sharpest folders I've got out of a box (mind you, all my knives are production) were the the RAT's I've got in AUS-8. They were in fact, a hair sharper than my PM2, to compare FFG folders. The other folder I have are all partial v grind/saber grind/emerson grind jobs so don't reckon are fair comparisons. I can see why your holdout could be scary sharp, though :)
Click to expand...

I'm talking Ontario fixed blades here (SPAX, SP series...) with obtuse edges, thick grinds, uneven bevels and horrible burrs. Their folders, OTOH, have been wonderfully sharpened and as slicey as my Spydercos, being the most notable surprise my AUS8 Utilitac II, came scary sharp and on par with most Spydies and Cold Steel I own

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I had similar experiences with KaBar's folders (Piggyback model) but their fixed blades as well (Potbelly, Parangatang, 1264 Tanto)

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some of the sharpest folders have been budget offerings from major companies with much more expensive lines and models, FWIW
 
My favorite knives, GEC, have in my experience come with pretty mediocre edges. No matter. I can sharpen. ;)
 
I was gifted a Case 500 piece special edition congress 44052 in white delrin. A great example from Case. I was delighted until I opened up the knife blades one by one. The blades were ground until sharpening knicks were missing on three of four blades. The straight coping and sheep foot were recurves as were all the blades to some degree. The blades are all small and were ruined. Since it was a gift knife and a 500 piece special, I won't return it as there's really no point. But I'll never buy another Case knife personally without inspecting it firsthand. No excuse, Case, sorry. ROFL
 
Every new or factory sharpened CRK I've had has had a fantastic edge. I was at a gun show a while back and one vendor had some Busses and Swamp Rats, and the edges on those were downright scary sharp.

I haven't bought a Northwoods with a half-decent edge.
 
Yes as for some of my worst:

I have seen Ontario fixed blades that come duller than a tuna can lid.

Sadly most my CRKs did not come sharp at all. This was despite the little note inside saying they were extremely sharp. Of the CRKs my Inkosi was the worst offender.
 
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