This is sort of a follow-on to a post I put on the "traditional" part of this forum last night. I was/am frustrated at getting some of my knives sharp.
I'm posting here tonight to get a broader variety of opinions.
Disclosure: I do not heavily use any knife I carry now; I work in an office environment. On weekends, in the yard, or camping, etc. they do get used -- but I can't honestly say I use my knives every day, often. Cut up some food, open a box or two here and there, etc. almost every day, but not necessarily. In high school/college, I worked at a market unloading trucks, usually using box cutters. WHen I occasionally couldn't find one, I used the folder my grandfather gave me, which apparently stayed sharp long enough for me to never think about it being dull. Too bad I don't know what became of it.
Fast forward 30 years. Now, the knife bug has bitten
.
The point here is that I can't seem to get a traditional folder to be sharp !!
So, tonight, here was my comparison test. I took a piece of 8x11 computer printer paper, decently thick. I tried slicing the edge with several different knives.
I started with a couple Case slipjoints (SS) that I've spent hours sharpening (a Canoe, a Seahorse Whittler). They do shave, and with the paper, they sliced well. Yeah, I know the rap about SS (vs higher carbon) in a slipjoint, but I know I'm not about to start oiling higher carbon blades, so that's not advice I'm inclined to take.
Then, I went to a couple slipjoints (Case, Frost cheapo) which I've tried to get sharp. They tore the paper pretty well - didn't slice for crap. Actually, the Frost "Steel Warrior" worked better, and I only spent a few mins trying to get it sharp...so that one actually wins in this comparison -- especially for $7.00 (!).
Then, I went to a few Spydercos (a Paramilitary, a Kopa, a Native). They sliced well -- but amazingly better than the slipjoints! They sliced the slices! And I've resharpened each more than once, so they're not factory edges. From the factory, each Spyderco sliced just as well, but after getting dull, they resharpened to factory sharpness with 10 mins of effort, if that.
Finally, I used a couple SAKs. Sliced nearly as well as the Spydercos, and I've resharpened these more often than the Spydies -- but they've gotten sharp very quickly, so I don't care about the maintenance there.
Point is, .... isn't there a nice looking (i.e. wood, jigged, etc.) slipjoint that one can buy sharp, and stays sharp without hours of work? I'm pretty much ready to just stay with the Kopas and SAKs for social situations, and the larger Spydies for when that isn't a factor.
All opins appreciated!
I'm posting here tonight to get a broader variety of opinions.
Disclosure: I do not heavily use any knife I carry now; I work in an office environment. On weekends, in the yard, or camping, etc. they do get used -- but I can't honestly say I use my knives every day, often. Cut up some food, open a box or two here and there, etc. almost every day, but not necessarily. In high school/college, I worked at a market unloading trucks, usually using box cutters. WHen I occasionally couldn't find one, I used the folder my grandfather gave me, which apparently stayed sharp long enough for me to never think about it being dull. Too bad I don't know what became of it.
Fast forward 30 years. Now, the knife bug has bitten
.The point here is that I can't seem to get a traditional folder to be sharp !!
So, tonight, here was my comparison test. I took a piece of 8x11 computer printer paper, decently thick. I tried slicing the edge with several different knives.
I started with a couple Case slipjoints (SS) that I've spent hours sharpening (a Canoe, a Seahorse Whittler). They do shave, and with the paper, they sliced well. Yeah, I know the rap about SS (vs higher carbon) in a slipjoint, but I know I'm not about to start oiling higher carbon blades, so that's not advice I'm inclined to take.
Then, I went to a couple slipjoints (Case, Frost cheapo) which I've tried to get sharp. They tore the paper pretty well - didn't slice for crap. Actually, the Frost "Steel Warrior" worked better, and I only spent a few mins trying to get it sharp...so that one actually wins in this comparison -- especially for $7.00 (!).
Then, I went to a few Spydercos (a Paramilitary, a Kopa, a Native). They sliced well -- but amazingly better than the slipjoints! They sliced the slices! And I've resharpened each more than once, so they're not factory edges. From the factory, each Spyderco sliced just as well, but after getting dull, they resharpened to factory sharpness with 10 mins of effort, if that.
Finally, I used a couple SAKs. Sliced nearly as well as the Spydercos, and I've resharpened these more often than the Spydies -- but they've gotten sharp very quickly, so I don't care about the maintenance there.
Point is, .... isn't there a nice looking (i.e. wood, jigged, etc.) slipjoint that one can buy sharp, and stays sharp without hours of work? I'm pretty much ready to just stay with the Kopas and SAKs for social situations, and the larger Spydies for when that isn't a factor.
All opins appreciated!
