Does anyone sharpen new Spyderco knives?

[duller]

Hi

Is there a reason to sharpen an already sharp knife? Or to put it another way, how sharp is sharp enough?

My Spyderco is sharp out of the box. It will cut hair on my arm.

I have an Edge Pro sharpener with 3,000 grit tape. The last time I used it, on a different knife, the polish tape it put a real gleam on the edge that made it quite distinctive from the satin finish on the blade.

Do you pro's, who know so much about all this stuff, sharpen a knife like a Spyderco, that is already pretty sharp out of the box?

Or do you prefer to use it and dull it, first?

BTW, my instinct is to leave well enough alone. Which is why I'm wondering if the experts on this forum would dive right in and make it even sharper, right out of the box?

 

[HoB]

I not a pro but I like the edge Spyderco puts on their knives factory vise, quite aggressive though. I use it till it needs resharpening then I rebevel it to 12 deg per side and depending on mood may put a microbevel at 15 deg on it. The microbevel will come during resharpening anyways. It is not so much that it is sharper, but it is thinner and cuts better, and it is easier to maintain.

 

[thombrogan]

I don't think the pros would resharpen the knife until it's dull, but I usually do. Cutting with a thin, highly polished edge is such a joy that I'll deny myself the pleasures of a scary sharp Kershaw or Spyderco edge that's toothier.

 

[mycroftt]

I am not a pro and I do not play one on TV, but I don't sharpen a knife until it needs it. My folding knives are all users and I like a toothy edge so I never polish the edge.

 

[richard j]

a while back i was sent a new needs work which was shaving sharp out of the box but thats not good enough for me. i had to touch it up on my cardboard buffing wheel to make it scarry sharp. i have been sharpening knives since i was in high school but i dont know if you consider that enough experience to be called expert.

 

[ashtxsniper]

I usually reprofile and sharpen them within the first day.

 

[Ben Dover]

I don't think the pros would resharpen the knife until it's dull, but I usually do. Cutting with a thin, highly polished edge is such a joy that I'll deny myself the pleasures of a scary sharp Kershaw or Spyderco edge that's toothier.

+1
I love the feel of cutting with a highly polished, razor sharp knife. Even if it's a "big ol' honkin" C.S. Survival Rescue Knife!

 

[Vivi]

I usually reprofile and sharpen them within the first day.

Likewise.

If I'm just going to use it and see how I like it, I'll strop the edge some to make it even sharper. As soon as I know for sure it's a keeper though, the bevels are taken down to a more acute angle. Spyderco puts out a great edge that's thinner than most companies will use on their knives, but they can still be thinner for my particular uses.

 

[gunmike1]

Most of my new knives get a quick sharpness check, maybe a few quick cuts, then get pounded into my DMT XX Coarse for a good rebevelling and sharpening. If I am being lazy the knife might get a couple days of carry before I rebevel it, but generally I have an extreme urge to pound my new knives into the D8XX to make them my own. The exception to that rule are my Tom Krein regrinds, as his 120 grit edges tree top your arm hair and slice with the best of them. They last a long time, too.

Mike

 

[KeithAM]

It all depends on what kind of edge it comes with. If it comes reasonably thin and sharp, I'll use it as is for a while. Most need to be re-whatevered. I like the way an edge looks when done on the Edge Pro with the 3000 tape.

 

[NEKI]

like Vivi says, as soon as I think its a keeper, I go to work on the shoulder portion of the single edge bevel most new knives come with. Mainly, for easy maintanance sharpening away from home. I carry a gatco on the keychain and somtimes strop on my wallet.

 

[FoxholeAtheist]

I will usually sharpen one fairly soon after getting it, just because I like to. Might take the angle down to a bit less than 15 per side so that using my Sharpmaker for touch-ups is easy.

(off topic) Neki, are there any decent knife shops in Pensacola these days? I might like to hunt around if/when I get back home for a visit.

 

[Jeff Clark]

I don't consider any factory edge to be dependable. They are all done on a limited schedule which pushes most to be done with power tools. These can leave edges that are weakened. If they are done by hand they are still done relatively fast. This means that a limited amount of material was removed when the factory edge was created. If the machining process that created the blade left hard or stressed material underlying the edge it will not be removed by minimalist factory honing. For a solid, dependable edge (and one that is optimally sharp) it needs to immediately be redone.