Crk's Factory sharpness

[luke86]

I have the same experience as Anarchy. Factory edges are Meh, but ones coming back from spa or warranty are very sharp.

One thing I will give them credit for is consistent edge grinds. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a perfectly ground edge, that needs a little stropping to bring up the sharpness, than a wonky uneven grind that is hair-popping. CRK makes very few mistakes when grinding edges, other than final sharpness, which most of us have the ability to resolve ourselves.

Uneven grinds are one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to knives. Much more difficult to fix then a slightly less sharp edge imho.

 

[blanco112]

I've purchased two new and both were sharp enough to cut paper, but not screaming sharp. My small sebenza got really sharp quickly with some passes on the white stones, but my insingo's angle was so obtuse it took me probably 45 minutes on the SharpMaker to actually get the edge sharper.

 

[jonnieb27]

None of my CRKs came sharp, spyderco would beat it hands down (southard and paramilitary 2).
Yeah it's a fine grind like mentioned.

I think there is a difference between a properly heat treated, constructed, and ground blade, and one that just happens to be sharp out of the box. The latter is overrated IMHO.

Anyone purchasing either a new or used knife is going to come up against having to sharpen a dull edge, unless they throw their knife away when this happens .

Those who wish for a razor sharp knife out of the box are almost implying they need this because they can't sharpen. I understand some of us are nuts and love to sharpen, even up bevels, change primary angles, etc, but a new knife being sharp initially is one of my least concerns.

And yes, the Sebenzas seem to have lovely even edge grinds, which is far more important than simple sharpness. Granted, the factory edges on my Spydercos can feel very sharp, but under a loupe, this is often due to a slightly rough (toothy) edge. Far more of a pain to fix the uneven grinds a lot of the Spydies seem to come with.


As a carpenter, I'm always used to buying plane blades or chisels that came with a rough grind and bevel only, waiting for the finished edge to be applied by the end user.

 

[Ajack60]

By all accounts, CRK's used to ship razor-sharp until a couple of years ago when something changed. Maybe quality control slipped or there's less time for hand-finishing as production numbers have gone up? Maybe they haven't yet adapted to the newer steels or harder heat treats? Who knows?

What you're suggesting is that CRK has fundamentally changed their philosophy and made a conscious decision to stop shipping hair-popping sharp knives. Then why all the "Be careful...this knife is SHARP! The sharpest thing you've ever seen!! You'll put your eye out!!!" rhetoric? Just tell us "We think the end user should decide how sharp his knife should be; we're leaving edge finishing to you."

No, that's not what I'm suggesting. You're right, things change. Like the saying goes, the only constant there is, is change.
It's like when you go to your favorite restaurant and get your favorite steak cooked to your order. It is perfectly cooked and you can't ask for anything more. This experience continues until one day you get the same steak, same order as times before, but it's not quite as good as all the times before. There's a slight disappointment because something's changed. Then you find out, there's a new cook.

Maybe CRK has a new cook, maybe they rotate cooks. With each person doing the hand sharpening at CRK, there is going to be variations of what each person deems as factory sharp.
That doesn't necessarily mean it's to my expectations. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Emre]

As a carpenter, I'm always used to buying plane blades or chisels that came with a rough grind and bevel only, waiting for the finished edge to be applied by the end user.

Again..

(1) CRK doesn't advertise their knives as having rough edges to be finished by the end-user.

(2) they used to be razor sharp. What happened?

maybe CRK has a new cook, maybe they rotate cooks. With each person doing the hand sharpening at CRK, there is going to be variations of what each person deems as factory sharp. That doesn't necessarily mean it's to my expectations. That's all I'm saying.

Understood. But at least one reason why CRK charges $400-600 for production folders is because of their quality control. Delivering a knife that literally can't cut paper puts their QC into question...and makes you wonder if maybe you've been duped a little.

 

[bhyde]

Again..

(1) CRK doesn't advertise their knives as having rough edges to be finished by the end-user.

(2) they used to be razor sharp. What happened?

Understood. But at least one reason why CRK charges $400-600 for production folders is because of their quality control. Delivering a knife that literally can't cut paper puts their QC into question...and makes you wonder if maybe you've been duped a little.

Have you tried calling them on the matter?
I think I have read the thread over the last few days..but not quite sure if you are in contact with them.