Factory edge quality is overrated

C

c7m2p3

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Apr 20, 2018
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A lot of ink has been spilled on the question of factory edges but at this point in my own (and I would assume many others here) knife ownership the quality of the factory edge is far less important to me. What really matters is the factory grind. I can throw a far superior edge on a knife than anything coming out of any production factory but what I cannot do is thin out a crappy, thickly ground knife.

If the choice is between a beautiful nearly polished factory edge on a thick knife, or a crappy rough factory edge on a well done, thin tapered grind I am going to take the latter every time. As more companies move into customization of blade steel, handle materials, blade shapes, and even laser engraving, it would be great to see someone come out with the ability to customize the grind type. There are so many intriguing production blades out there that are all but ruined with an overly thick factory grind and it would be great to see more discussion from the knife community shift from what kind of factory edge the knife comes with (which is easily remedied) and move to the factory grind.
 
kobold said:
You cold thin out a blade or have someone do it for you, but if the heat treat is bad then it's really game over.
Click to expand...
I suppose my point is, its far easier to throw a good edge on a well ground knife. Its far more difficult to thin out a poorly or thickly ground knife. Not to mention the tools, skill, and money needed to effectively thin out a knife blade compared to simply putting a new edge on.
 
I think it's a topic because even here, a lot of people can't sharpen.

In the same sense that a brand new car coming with a full tank of gas or not doesn't say how good the car is, you're right it doesn't matter. If I give you a piece of glass from a bottle I shatter sharp enough to slide through paper, is it a quality blade? Yet "it came [shaving, hair whittling, super, etc] sharp" is often one of the main points made on quality. I'm with you there.

The one thing I'll say is it could reflect how well a company does qc and how consistent their manufacturing process is. The edge is after all an important part of the knife. If they can't get that right, where else could they be failing?

I guess I see it as a useful remark, but it shouldn't be a central point or concern.
 
I agree, as a user of my knives I prefer to put the edge I want on it. If they are close that’s a plus but if not I can take care of it. Now if I were displaying my collection in pristine condition I’d want a nice even and shiny edge no matter the degree of the edge. Most of the knives I’ve bought came from the factory in excellent sharp condition and no change necessary but a few had uneven edges and weren’t sharp enough to cut print paper. So I work them over to my liking.
 
Well I bumped the post button before I was finished lol.
I’d like to add that I do believe that a brand new knife should come with a decently sharp edge at least sharp enough to cut print paper. Also an even edge that doesn’t have waves or a recurve on a blade that’s supposed to be straight like on a sheeps foot.
 
Not a big problem to fix , but not a good sign of concern for quality for the maker . :mad:
 
The thickness of the grind is part of the design of a knife, but the edge quality comes down to how much attention the maker put into the knife's production. You can gauge how much care went into production based on the edge, but not the geometry of the grind, which is a decision made by the designer.
 
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