Critical of factory grinds

Yo Mama

Yo Mama

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
6,214
I'm growing tired of the youtube commandos that buy a wicked edge, then complain about factory edge like it's the plague if it's off a degree or so. They usually say something like it wasn't worth sending back to the factory, then show a polished edge with no tip.

Anyone notice this? Are factory grinds so bad they render a knife useless? Am I overthinking this? 🙃
 
It is all subjective, and what we are willing to accept.

Uneven factory grinds (bevels) bother me a lot. Not to the point I would send the knife back, as I can fix it myself. I just don't believe I should have to, at the price-point of some of the knives I have purchased that have this issue.

Also, for the love of God - can someone please start providing production shops with sanding belts higher than 100 grit???? That is another thing that bothers me. Again, I can fix it myself - but if I wanted an edge that course, I would have bought a serrated knife. How hard is it to finish an edge with a 400 or 600 grit belt and remove the Grand Canyon sized scars?
 
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There's a big difference between uneven edge and uneven bevel. The latter can be fixed with a little effort, but the former isn't something I can do at home. It's extremely disappointing when I get a knife with primary bevels that are at different angles. No way to get a consistent edge without one side being fatter than the other. And I've have uneven grinds from popular, well respected companies.
 
Some are good and some aren’t so good but usually it’s a starting point where I take over and finish it the way I want it.

I’d rather they leave as much blade as possible than removing 1/8 inch trying to get it even with a power grinder.

I can understand why a collector who only displays their knives would want a nice even grind and pretty edge from the maker but someone who uses their knives should be able to put the edge they want on it at the dps angle they prefer for that particular knife. It’s not that difficult really.
 
I don't mind it too much if the blade arrives sharp(ish)...and all I have to do is remove some edge irregularities or refine it a bit.

Where I draw the line is receiving a knife with an edge which is not ready to work...as a knife. It's got one job, for crying out loud.
 
The last several knives I've bought were evenly ground and hair-popping sharp: Manly Wasp (12C27), Buck Ranger (Copper & Clad 420HC), Spyderco Military (S110V) and GB2 (CPM-M4). At most they had a whisker of a burr, easily remedied.
 
Most of my knives are coming off the forum here. The sellers are doing a better overall job at sharpening then my previous purchases from online stores.

Nevertheless, I own sharpening stones and can fix what I need too. I'm content to save 20% off a knife on the forums here and then touch up the blade if needed.

For the record, I've never bought a knife here or from an online store, got it home, and said, "Jeebus, that is totally F*****".
 
If I look down on a blade from the spine and the tip looks like a chisel grind I have a problem (looking at you Benchmade), otherwise I don’t get too worked up about it.
 
Only time I've noticed an uneven grind is on spyderco pm2s.

One side is always noticeably different than the other.

Every

Single

Time.

They aren't show pieces and they still cut though so whatever
 
Is it the biggest deal in the world? No. So long as it still cuts of course. However for those of us that do sharpen our own knives it can make it far more difficult when you have to either take two different angles into account when you are sharpening, or even more time consuming, you have to take one side of the knife and spend hours depending on the steel to grind it down to match the other angle. This can be extremely time consuming and the result is going to look odd where one side has a really wide edge bevel compared to the other.

Some factory edges are better than others and some factory grinds are better than others. I try not to mind too much if its slightly off on a factory produced knife since I understand that there are tolerances which are naturally going to fluctuate when you are producing tens of thousands of these blades as opposed to someone making a few dozen in a small shop. At the end of the day it is all fixable if you have the right tools for the job and the patience to do it.
 
If the bevel is close to even from side to side I am happy. It is going to spend its life being sharpened on a Spyderco Sharpmaker so it may well not be perfectly angled for that no matter how nicely it’s done.
 
Lesknife said:
Some are good and some aren’t so good but usually it’s a starting point where I take over and finish it the way I want it.

I’d rather they leave as much blade as possible than removing 1/8 inch trying to get it even with a power grinder.
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The missing 1/8 inch is a problem for me. Also rounded off tips. But my biggest problem is a recurve in front of the ricasso. Some look like kukris.
Sometimes I wish I could order knives completely unsharpened .
 
eveled said:
The missing 1/8 inch is a problem for me. Also rounded off tips. But my biggest problem is a recurve in front of the ricasso. Some look like kukris.
Sometimes I wish I could order knives completely unsharpened .
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I agree! I have a 110 that when new from the factory was just barely 3 5/8ths long when others have been 3 7/8ths. I’ve seen one or two that were almost a full 4 inch. And yes the recurve that some have is not what I like or want.
 
I haven't had any issues with bad primary grinds on any of my knives, but the last several Golden-made Spydercos I've received have had asymmetrical edges. Oddly, they were pretty consistent in how they were off: 17ish on one side and 20ish on the other.
 
Blues said:
I don't mind it too much if the blade arrives sharp(ish)...and all I have to do is remove some edge irregularities or refine it a bit.

Where I draw the line is receiving a knife with an edge which is not ready to work...as a knife. It's got one job, for crying out loud.
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I disconcur. For me cutting is only a side job. I mostly need a folding knife for prying, batoning, stabbing car doors, and spine whacking. Or at least that's what YouTube tells me my knife is for.

I haven't had anything truly seriously wrong with any knife I've purchased. At least that this bored and stroked brain can remember. I don't know or care enough about bevels and grinds that unless it is immediately obvious its fine with me.
 
K.O.D. said:
I disconcur. For me cutting is only a side job. I mostly need a folding knife for prying, batoning, stabbing car doors, and spine whacking. Or at least that's what YouTube tells me my knife is for.
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I figure if I didn't have to do it while on SRT, knocking down doors, during search warrants...or while canoeing, backpacking and mountaineering... chances are at this point in time I won't need to. (Somehow, I always forget to baton my folders.)

One should always listen to what the youtubers tell us. Always. They couldn't say it if it wasn't true.

Thanks for the laugh. 👮‍♂️ 😎
 
The Aflac Duck said:
Who even goes to Youtoob for knife advice?
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I respect the opinions of some reviewers, such as Kevin Cleary. It can be useful to catch ergonomic issues or other problems when considering a purchase. One of the reasons I watch (or at least skim) reviews is because they showcase new product. Even if the reviewer is a blithering idiot, seeing the knife in action or just from different angles than what's visible at online retailers can be helpful.
 
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