Do you need a bragging edge on your EDC?

With how sue happy people are these days I worry about even loaning a sharp knife to some people. I've always said that sharp knives were safer but I wonder sometimes. I think when they expect to have to really push a knife because they are used to severely dull ones, that it sets them up for an accident when they push a severely sharp one like it was one of theirs and it zips right through what they are cutting and bites them in the process.

I've actually loaned my knife to people that felt the edge and cut themself with it while I stood there and watched. Others have felt it and handed it back to me scared of it though. I prefer the latter but why do people do that when you hand them a knife? I actually tell them, "now this is sharp" and they still do that like they don't believe me or something. Anyway, thats why I quit loaning my good 'bragging' one.
 
My EDC is a Chinook II and it is bragging sharp & easy to keep that way with my Sharpmaker. OTOH, one of my favorite fixed blades is my CS SRK. I had to reluctantly admit yesterday that I cannot make my SRK shaving sharp using the Sharpmaker. I did manage to get a shaving edge on it but it was with a cheap V sharpener & I basically ended up reprofiling the edge in order to do it. However, anything less than shaveable was unacceptable to me :rolleyes:
 
Every knife I carry has a shaving edge. I generally carry 2 knives; one for EDC chores and one for SD. I try not to use the SD knife for utility work unless it is absolutely necessary. The other knife is my general utility knife. My utility knife must have a great edge, but I'm not as picky when compared to my SD knives. I set the initial edge of my knives using an EdgePro and use a Sharpmaker afterwards. I actually just got done reprofiling a folder down to 15 degress per side then mirror polishing the blade up to 4K grit. It's possible to have an impressive edge to show off that is also good for work.
 
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:D

See the test protocol here.

I don't rate myself as a sharpener. I read with awe the accounts by people like WadeF who can split a single hair, or slice a sheet of toilet paper cleanly. I prefer a paper-slicing, thumbnail-catching, hair-scraping utility edge.

maximus otter
 
Nice work there Maximus - is that a vintage Carbon V Trailmaster you've got there? Tough (at least for me) to get a blade like that shaving sharp because it's so thick...
 
I live on a farm, and a lot of the stuff I cut around the place is hard on edges. I’ve long since decided on an efficient edge on my EDC, because a bragging edge just doesn’t last long enough—and repairing it takes too long.
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Aye, mate, but the sheep are larfin behind yer back.

:D
 
I prefer a grabby edge. I'll put on a highly polished edge every now and then just because. But I think a grabby edge is a sharper edge. I just disagree a highly polished edge is a sharper one.
 
STR said:
I've always said that sharp knives were safer but I wonder sometimes.
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Yeah, this implies that the person knows what they are doing, and that dull knives just cause greater fatigue and more force to be used and thus don't have the same control. However in the hands of an inexperienced user, a very sharp blade can easily lead to serious injury fast, especially if they are used to very dull ones. I loaned a Spyderco Temperance awhile back to a friend who used it to cut a piece of Alder by holding the wood with his thumb and pressing it into the blade. The knife went through the wood and into his thumb with no effort, he was not used to that level of cutting ability.

-Cliff
 
If you never have to loan your knife to the less educated, I'd say go as sharp as your heart desires. I'll admit that I like to show off (although I don't sharpen my knife often enough to show off all the time). Just last week, I was cutting free standing bunches of dried up weeds while hiking. Showing off is fun.

But if your knife ever touches the hands of someone who: 1) Tests the sharpness by putting their finger on the blade. 2) Peels an apple/orange/whatever in a pull stroke toward their other hand. 3) Doesn't understand how sharp a knife can get... You may want to reconsider.
 
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