Do you sharpen your knives?

Do you sharpen your knives?

  • Yes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
Yes. Probably more often than they need it, which is borderline nuts. 🤪

Mostly freehand, these days, but I also use the KME system some, too.
 
Grumpy Old Man said:
Do you mean this "guy"
sword-meme4.jpg
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YEAH! You use him too? Small world! 😎
 
Of course, agreed this is an odd thread.

I will admit however that I did send a ZT in for factory sharpening about 10-12 years ago when I butchered a knife with the WorkSharp belts - those will absolutely destroy a knife in no time flat. That thing has collected dust for a decade now.
 
jlauffer said:
Nope, just use them till they won't cut no more then buy a new one
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An acquaintance of mine does that. He says he has about 50 dull knives. Once every month or two he buys a new folder for around $8 (typically a 420 lockback) to $12 (typically 440 assisted linerlock flipper).
 
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I know it's weird but I like to freehand on pocket stones with a loose wrist back and forth real fast a section at a time.

The ceramic side on a dc4 almost gets a kind of slurry but in general just a great progression (does alot of cleaning up and quick) then it's onto my spyderco fine stone, of which one side has been lapped to ultra fine.

Coupled with a strop you get a nice polished enough edge in about 7 minutes flat. I would assume super steels would be double that. In fact I would probably use a diamond progression for those.
 
Spyderco benchstones , Sharpmaker or my Worksharp Ken Onion model.

I have been concentrating on the benchstones to learn how to freehand sharpen my knives.
 
eveled said:
Companies like Benchmade include lifetime sharpening services with your purchase. Shipping is the deal breaker there.
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Out of curiosity, I sent an Emissary 477-1 to Benchmade for sharpening. It was the dullest Benchmade I had at the time. I had not used it or sharpened it. The local dealer shipped it for free. The results:
Code: 
BESS  Condition
 229  Off the dealer's shelf
 208  Sharpened by Benchmade
 173  Stropped 10 strokes per side, plain hanging leather
 167  Stropped another 10 strokes per side

Each BESS score is the average of 21 measurements. There was a burr when the knife came back from Benchmade.
 
Corollary: Does anyone else "double-freehand"?

With the smaller 6" DMT plates, and shorter blades <4", I often lay the plate flat on my left palm and draw the edge across with my right. I actually find this way easier to hit the correct edge angle, as it allows adjustment in multiple planes.

The big 8"-12" plates go on the base, of course.
 
Yes on an Edge pro Pro. I want to use my knives more so I can sharpen more...
 
I free hand on DMT stones or a Norton stone and wet/dry sandpaper. Most of my edges are somewhat convex. What angle I dont really know but it sure does take nice thin shavings off a 2x4. Good enough for me.
 
I found a 2 Zwilling Twin Signature knives at a senior center store of donated stuff. An 8" chefs knife and a 6" Utility/Sandwich knife for 75 cents each. Good find. But both knives were so dull that the edge was almost the same as the back of the knife. More dull than my butter knives. How did they get that way? I know they sell them very sharp originally - so they literally must have used them until they wouldn't cut anything - and then used them for a few more years. Finally they must have just bought new sharp knives to replace them and donated these. So people apparently do use them until really dull and then just buy new knives. Good German steel that sharpened up nice and now the utility sandwich knife is one of my favorite kitchen knives. Pays to be able to sharpen knives.
 
I think what holds some people back is fear of ruining their knife.
Me I do the best I can and more I do the better I get........I agree if you use knives learning to sharpen is important.
Also from what I read here for many it is part of the fun.
A lot of good tips on the forum!
 
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