I would like a knife that is nice and sharp, stays that way for a long time and can be re-sharpened fairly easy with a Sharpmaker (with diamond hones).
But my actual question is broader... What does determine the edge-retention on a knife... I have made a list... Please comment or complete my list.
-Use of the knife: opening letters or carving wood... the kind and amount of use.
-Blade geometry: what is the overall form of the blade (hawkbill, clippoint, wharncliff...). Wich form suits wich use?
-Grind: How is the edge itself designed? Serrated or plain? Flat grind or Chisel or...? I know serrated holds a longer edge... wich grind supports the edge best... I suppose it is hollow grind...
-Hardening of the steel/heat treatment: I understand that next to the type of steel used, it's heat treatment is also very important. What are the pro and cons of hardening very hard? What about differential heat treating, a softer center and harder edge...?
-The kind of steel used: Stainless or not (Carbonsteel should be better). S90V will probaly outperform AUS-6. I this the most imporatant factor?
-Edge-coating: does a coating on the edge itself favor the edge retention... More general, is a coating a good thing for a knife? The new high tech coatings would be very hard and such... won't they chip or crack?
Cliff Stamp states the wear resistance is not that important for edge retention but that the hardness of the edge is. Can we say as a ground rule: The sharper your edge is, the fewer it will last? Can razor-sharp and low maintenance be joined?
Lastly, if you have any knife in particular that seems to be both very sharp and having a nice edge-retention, please tell me.
But my actual question is broader... What does determine the edge-retention on a knife... I have made a list... Please comment or complete my list.
-Use of the knife: opening letters or carving wood... the kind and amount of use.
-Blade geometry: what is the overall form of the blade (hawkbill, clippoint, wharncliff...). Wich form suits wich use?
-Grind: How is the edge itself designed? Serrated or plain? Flat grind or Chisel or...? I know serrated holds a longer edge... wich grind supports the edge best... I suppose it is hollow grind...
-Hardening of the steel/heat treatment: I understand that next to the type of steel used, it's heat treatment is also very important. What are the pro and cons of hardening very hard? What about differential heat treating, a softer center and harder edge...?
-The kind of steel used: Stainless or not (Carbonsteel should be better). S90V will probaly outperform AUS-6. I this the most imporatant factor?
-Edge-coating: does a coating on the edge itself favor the edge retention... More general, is a coating a good thing for a knife? The new high tech coatings would be very hard and such... won't they chip or crack?
Cliff Stamp states the wear resistance is not that important for edge retention but that the hardness of the edge is. Can we say as a ground rule: The sharper your edge is, the fewer it will last? Can razor-sharp and low maintenance be joined?
Lastly, if you have any knife in particular that seems to be both very sharp and having a nice edge-retention, please tell me.