Factory Edge Idea

Area FiftyOne said:
No one complains about getting axes/hatchets that require work on the edge. They all do. Knifes should be the same. I don't remember getting ANY production or custom that had an edge that pleased me. I had to work on ALL the knives I got. I find it a pleasant task to sharpen them to a polished consistent edge.
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This is a valid concern. I was looking at the axes in the local Sears, and none of them had edges I'd consider usable off the shelf. Leonard Lee's book on sharpening explains how to prepare a chisel or plane for use after it's purchased, and I've had to lap every chisel I have, though admittedly it's only 3, before cutting wood. Most machetes come with an edge started, but if one wants to cut light vegetation, which is one of their primary uses, they'll nearly all need work to be able to do it effectively.

Knives without an edge bevel from the factory might be a bit cheaper, but I dare say they don't spend much on them anyway in most cases. It's kind of a shame, as the bad rap many knife companies get with some users is solely due to the initial edge, or lack there of, and could be remedied by spending a little more on them, or by permitting the user to apply their own. I have to say, there is something about knowing I'd be the absolute first to use the knife, would get maximum life from the blade, and could tailor it exactly the way I want. I get the feeling this is why some people make their own knives in the first place.
 
bashing and insults apart, I have received blades w/o edge from a manufacturer known for deliberately making their blades without a sharp edge, Windlass Steelcrafts.
They make in India all kinds of swords, axes, daggers, etc. and they can be purchased without an edge, to put on one yourself (or leave blunt for training or practice purposes) or with a sharp edge put on by some of their distributors and dealers (Atlanta Cutlery, Kult Of Athena, Swords Of The East etc.) for an additional fee.

So yes, some manufacturers (and Windlass is a big one, and OEM for some US Based companies like Cold Steel) do sell and release blades without a usable edge.
 
India has some strange laws about knives. If you attempt to purchase a knife from India you will find that it is NOT sharpened. I purchased a knife blank in 440C from India and it was not sharpened. It was not a problem for me. It took a nice edge just like 440C should. It was nicely made with a nice finish and consistent bevels and made a great knife.
 
Jammer Six said:
So, everyone is unhappy with factory edges.

Has any manufacturer offered a knife with no edge? Just the knife, thinned, maybe ground down to shape, maybe the grinding done, but no edge?

The the customer could put whatever edge he or she wanted on it, right out of the box.
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Or, just keep it as a Folding butter knife, Sweet!
 
A knife with no edge, sounds like a safer world for everyone! Just kidding, I love my factory edges, especially when they come razor sharp, and if they have a crappy edge, just takes a little time getting it the way I like. I like sharpening. Some places do offer no edge, but it is rare.
 
This worked great for me, right out of the box! The edge angle is about 180 degrees inclusive.
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But a bit more seriously, either a factory is putting a perfect edge on a knife as one of their selling points, or they're putting on a good enough edge - in which case the cost savings for labor wouldn't be significant. I don't find it easier to touch up a blunt edge than I do an okay factory edge. That said, I maintain my knives with a well-functioning edge instead of a perfectly even, symmetric, mirror polished edge. To each, their own.
 
:) I bought a $7 "Ozark Trail Parang " at the WalleyMart a short while ago . Even though I'm over 65 and look it , they asked if I was over 16 :p. The machete was actually "slow child safe" it was so dull . Blunt trauma and pressure cuts at best . Maybe this is done on purpose for liability concerns o_O? Fun grinding project for me but pity the fool who bought this thing and expected it to be functional :mad:!
 
Jammer Six said:
Thanks. It's the internet. Fools are everywhere.
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This is SO true! I have found at least one pretty much everyplace I have looked. Sometimes multiples in the same place! It's a target-rich environment.

So back on topic, what did you think of my well reasoned refutation of your original premise that "Everyone is unhappy with factory edges?" Though I will admit, universal statements can be disproved by a single counter-example, so it was pretty easy. But I even took it further and postulated that MOST people are in fact happy with factory edges. Now if you wanted to further qualify your sample group - perhaps saying "a lot of Bladeforums members" - then you might have a harder case to disprove.

So let's assume that your premise instead, is "I have been thinking that there may be enough people who prefer to put their own edge bevel on knives, that there may be a market for a company to intentionally produce knives in a "ready to sharpen" state, and even market them that way. What does everyone else think of my clever thought?"

My brilliant reply, in that case is... "Maybe for a niche market, but I bet it would fizzle out because sharpeners can put their own edges on sharpened knives already, and you immediately lose the rest of the market that would actually prefer a somewhat sharp knife."
 
marcinek said:
That claim is demonstrably untrue.
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Most factory edges are crap 40-50 degrees inclusive "wedges", convexed edges often being thinner but no sharper, and all require enormous effort to cut anything not propped up against a board... Just because most people have no idea what real sharpness is does not make it any less true that everyone who knows is not happy with them...

This is the SOG Fatcat, apparently the most expensive SOG offer, often described as amazingly sharp (I even heard the term "Atom splitting" and "stupid sharp" in describing its Seki-applied bevel)...

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This is what it looks like when it actually is sharp (my own, done over by REK)...:

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And no, the edge is in no way fragile... Your guess which one will get any work done faster... Or I should say, at all... And please don't bring in fancy feather sticks to demonstrate the factory edge is not a joke...

Gaston
 
Jammer Six said:
So, everyone is unhappy with factory edges.

Has any manufacturer offered a knife with no edge? Just the knife, thinned, maybe ground down to shape, maybe the grinding done, but no edge?

The the customer could put whatever edge he or she wanted on it, right out of the box.
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There is just such a company: They concentrate on giving you a thin 0.020" edge base, and expect you to put a proper edge on it yourself.

They are called Randall Made Knives.

Gaston
 
I hate to keep alluding to this kooky nut, but this jammer character acts (tone, demeanor, obvious direction of OPs, literally thinks he's 'Schooling' others, etc.) an awful lot like Alewn - an infamous spirit that shows up here at the forums towards the end of each season of Alone, quickly gets banned, and comes back under new identities; only differences this time around is there's no season of Alone on the air, and he's actually staying knife specific.

^That's a long sentence.
 
sfrigon1 said:
Not sure how you have stayed calm through all this but hat's off to you jammer
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Wow, you hit a nerve with one short sentence. I bow in your general direction!

Back on topic, I would have thought it would be more common. It's certainly common on certain edged tools, and I would have thought true knife aficionados would want to start with their own edge, for exactly the same reasons.
 
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