Does H1 Suck?

A

Airsoftgun99

Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
120
I sharpened my H1 Salt Dragonfly to the best of my abilities. I sharpened my 420HC Leatherman Wave as sharp as I can get it. The paper test comes and my Leatherman slices like it is its job. As for my Spyderco, it barely slices. Wtf? My dragonfly never came hair popping sharp out of the box. Nor did my Leatherman. What's up with this? Btw, I use a cheap sharpener that everyone despises of: Smith's Pocket Pal. You know, the six dollar one on amazon you always see.
 
Drag-through sharpeners are horrible. They do more damage than good.

H1 does not suck. A plain edge H1 blade doesn't have the most fantastic of edge retention, but gets as sharp as any knife can.
 
Oddly enough, I found my plain H1 Tasman responds unusually well to those pull through carbide sharpeners. But it is a bit of a weird steel that behaves unusually compared to other exotic steels. Not too much trouble getting a very keen edge using other methods like ceramic or diamond rods.
 
I've carried a serrated Tasman for over 4 years and use it more than any knife I own. It's no paper cutter but I can touch it up to slice paper like any plain edge.
The problem is your sharpener.
 
Try using the bottom of a coffee cup. I have no trouble getting my H1 Ladybug sharp using a variety of methods, though as Shecky said, it is odd in how it responds at times. Pull through sharpeners have their place, but if you're not getting good results with it, that is the most likely cause.
 
I find that while H1 is on the softer side and tends not to push-cut as well as other steels, it very easily takes a terrifying slicing edge that I can only describe as a "meat-cutting edge". It just has a ton of bite to it when used with a slicing action, and sharpens easily. As others have mentioned, the problem is the sharpener. There's a reason people despise those--they just don't produce the results that other methods do, and often do more bad than good.
 
The Tasman salt I used to have is the only spyderco knife I have owned that I did not like. It came out of the box not as sharp as my others and I was never able to get it sharp as I like so after a few weeks I sold it.
 
Just sold my only H1, but it would shave after use on the Sharpmaker. Can't really ask for more than that.
 
I sharpen my salt on any readily available abrasive.

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My plain edge model doesn't hold a razor edge for very long, but it sharpens up easy on most hard/rough objects.
 
Airsoftgun99 said:
Is it worth getting a 70 dollar sharpening system when I can only have a few knives?
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Owning a knife is just half of it. Any knife steel will dull and when it does your knife is not(as) safe to use. As soon as you realize that you can always reshapren any of your blades quickly and easily you'll no longer be hesitant to use them. I'd also recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It's idiot proof and it will put a great working edge back on relatively quickly. Use it as instructed and touch up the microbevel. Guided rod systems like the Wicked Edge are more appropriate for re-profiling an edge, or changing it's bevel angle. I wouldn't bother setting up a knife in a system like that if I just want to touch it up, assuming I owned a Sharpmaker that is. The Lansky guided rod system is a much cheaper alternative to the Wicked Edge. It is painfully slow to use, but if you're careful and patient it does produce nicely polished edges.
 
Airsoftgun99 said:
Is it worth getting a 70 dollar sharpening system when I can only have a few knives?
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Possibly, no. What you need is something that can't really be bought. It's ultimately experience that will allow you to sharpen a knife, with just about any method. Fancy sharpening systems generally give you, more than anything else, a good recipe. That's a step in the right direction, knowing how to sharpen a knife. What experience and keen observation will get you is the knowledge of why a knife gets sharp when you sharpen it. When you have that knowledge under your belt, anything from a pull through carbide sharpener, to a freehand stone, to a diamond hone will yield good results. Because you will know what to do with the tool you use, and exactly how to use it.
 
Airsoftgun99 said:
Is it worth getting a 70 dollar sharpening system when I can only have a few knives?
Click to expand...

The Sharpmaker isn't $70. Regardless of how many knives you own, you need to learn how to properly sharpen a knife. You have knives in the kitchen yes? Dull knives are unsafe knives.
 
Airsoftgun99 said:
Is it worth getting a 70 dollar sharpening system when I can only have a few knives?
Click to expand...

If you own knives then you should learn to sharpen them, regardless of the number of knives you own. oi... I can't tell you the number of cheap sharpening systems that I've tried from wally world and they just are inadequate. Eventually I got a Sharpmaker, and it's the best $50 that I've spent in a while.

If you don't want to pay ~$50 for a Sharpmaker then get a Lansky 4 Rod Turn Box. It's about $17 and you can get by pretty well with it. It's what I used until I got my Sharpmaker.
 
It's worth investing in good sharpening gear, but it's really not necessary to spend a fortune to have a good setup. Something like this is a good basic combo stone. Or even cheaper, a combination of this stone and this one would work well in tandem. If you REALLY want to go cheap then a small glass plate (for a flat surface) and a selection of sandpaper in various grits will do the job well enough.
 
I bought this Smiths 3 in 1 way before I knew the sharpmaker existed. I think it was $15. The diamond plate works well for establishing the initial edge and the rods do the rest. I use it in conjunction with my trusty two sided stone I've had for many years. I use it as a step between the plate and rods. The stone is where most of the sharpening gets done.
Total investment was around $25 and handles most of my needs. Just don't use he carbide pull through on the Smiths unless you want to trash your edge. I actually removed the bits to kill any temptation.
Good luck.
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i can get my h1 knives super sharp!!! i actually find it very easy to sharpen. you need to get a sharpmaker. it is possibly the best $60 you can spend as a new knife collector.
 
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