First time with ZDP-189

U

uofaengr

Joined
Jan 9, 2014
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So I've got a brand new ZDP-189 Delica on the way to me, and it will be my first experience with this steel. To those that have used and sharpened it a good bit, do you find it to perform better with a highly polished edge or a toothier edge? What angle do you run yours at and how's the edge retention at angles of 15 dps and less?
 
I put ~10 degree per side bevels on Spyderco's ZDP-189 with a 15 degree microbevel. Works great and holds up fine for the vast majority of tasks. It also makes touching up the edge a breeze, as the bevel is already very thin.

I've found that somewhere in the range of ~4 - 7 microns seems to work best for me. Right off of a Shapton 4000 or the Spyderco Fine stone leaves a longer lasting edge than going to lower grits.
 
That hardness has been reduced over the years to around 62-63.
 
Oh ok...I've seen on some other boards some saying they don't run it less than 20 dps due to fear of it chipping, but I feel it's a disservice to any modern super steel running it that obtuse.
 
uofaengr said:
Oh ok...I've seen on some other boards some saying they don't run it less than 20 dps due to fear of it chipping, but I feel it's a disservice to any modern super steel running it that obtuse.
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My experience has been that I need to run high carbide steels at more obtuse angles or microbevel them. That being said, edges can be ran much more acute than most people give them credit for.
 
I run my zdp delica at 18 dps with my wicked edge finishing with the ceramics and balsa strops (5-3.5 micron). All touch ups are on my sharpmaker (M,F,UF) at 40. When it gets banged up, then it's back to the WE to set the bevel. Stupid sharp. I find the zdp resists chipping as much as the vg10.
 
droptrd said:
I find the zdp resists chipping as much as the vg10.
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ZDP isn't the chip risk people make it out to be, when I first started using it I was worried about it but I quickly came to realize that it's not just a soft use steel.
 
calc said:
ZDP isn't the chip risk people make it out to be, when I first started using it I was worried about it but I quickly came to realize that it's not just a soft use steel.
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No you don't have to baby it.
 
after ruining my zdp endura by opening three cans during an outing, i resolved to sharpen all my knives with at least 25 degrees per side right at the edge (30 per side is more like it.)
 
At the moment I'm running my Delica in ZDP-189 around 12 to 13 dps. That's an estimate. The edge bevels are about 1.8 to 2.0 times as wide as they were from the factory. I don't do anything "hard use" with my blade. I'd never consider opening a can with mine unless it was an emergency. I mostly cut cardboard, tape, packing straps, etc. So far I've had no edge issues. I plan to drop the edge angle further on the next sharpening.

On member here "Unit" has his Stretch in ZDP-180 at 13 degrees inclusive (6.5 dps) and has had no problems with it!

Brian.
 
bgentry said:
At the moment I'm running my Delica in ZDP-189 around 12 to 13 dps. That's an estimate. The edge bevels are about 1.8 to 2.0 times as wide as they were from the factory. I don't do anything "hard use" with my blade. I'd never consider opening a can with mine unless it was an emergency. I mostly cut cardboard, tape, packing straps, etc. So far I've had no edge issues. I plan to drop the edge angle further on the next sharpening.

On member here "Unit" has his Stretch in ZDP-180 at 13 degrees inclusive (6.5 dps) and has had no problems with it!

Brian.
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That's what I like to hear. I got mine yesterday and for some reason it just seems a little higher quality than my last VG-10, tighter lockup and everything, though that doesn't make much sense. Came pretty sharp with uneven bevels averaging I'd say about 16-17 degrees. Broke down a thick corrugated box with ease. I'll probably be going with 15 dps because I'm pretty sure that's going to be about the lowest I'll be able to get.

bgentry, what level of finish do you take yours to?
 
My current round of experiments with this blade was started with a coarse DMT stone (325 mesh) and it cut extremely well. It cut very well. After the edge got noticeably worse, I touched it up on the sharpmaker medium and then fine stones. Initial push cutting sharpness was very high, but it lost it almost immediately (the ability to shave). It's still cutting real world things very well and still cuts phonebook paper decently. I don't think the edge is holding quite as long after this touchup. I'll be going back to the DMT XXC to lower the angle, and finishing with the DMT C, and see how long it lasts after that.

Brian.
 
hank_rearden said:
after ruining my zdp endura by opening three cans during an outing, i resolved to sharpen all my knives with at least 25 degrees per side right at the edge (30 per side is more like it.)
Click to expand...

Not the best solution, once you start to exceed 40 inclusive the geometry of a the bevel becomes so obtuse that edge retention drops off dramatically along with a increased wedging effect that will cause difficulties in cutting tasks.
 
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