Frustration and dismay

A

Artilary6

Joined
Oct 2, 2007
Messages
132
OK. I stopped coming to this forum simply because I moved on to other hobbies for a while, but I came back to share something.
I sharpened my GB 7" nice and sharp with a 15.5 (correction-21deg) per side edge on it with the edgepro apex. I eventually got around to actually using the knife in the kitchen one day for cooking, as all out kitchen knives are dull as hell.
I began slicing some chicken on a plastic cutting board, taking care not to put too much pressure on the edge as I didn't want to dull the knife. After some chopping (rolling motion and not banging) and some basic slicing, my task was over. I took a look at the edge real quick and was shocked to see that some major major rolling of the edge all along where it had been used had occured, seriously dulling the knife along that entire area.
This knife, for some reason, edge rolled and dulled in a very unexpected way by doing very simple, light duty kitchen chopping over a plastic cutting board. I paid $300 for this knife, I love the way the knife looks, feels and I can't feast my eyes enough on that sexy sheath. It feels rock solid and everything about it was screaming at me to buy it the day I first saw it in a knife store while on vacation. I am just really dissapointed that such a really nice knife, supposedly intended for military har use/combat work can't handle some kitchen duty over a plastic cutting board without serious dulling. I will need to give the knife a fairly healthy sharpening to bring the edge back, but you know what, I lost the heart to do so. I just left it dull.
I expect people to throw crap at me over this and call me a green beret hater or whatever, but I am being totally honest with no kind of lame agenda here. Anyway, if someone has anything to offer on what happened, such as an argument as to why the knife dulled and that its normal for it to do that or something, then i'd like to hear it.
I expect something like, "Artilary6, you are the problem and are an idiot. The GB knife is perfectly fine".
Sorry if I have a bit of a sour attitude, but please try to understand that I am actually a little heartbroken over this. I know it sounds stupid and there are certainly much more important things in my life to me than a knife, but I really liked the knife and was willing to overlook previous issues I had with it, such as the tip snapping off etc. and I rekindled my love for it. Then this happened.

-Ryan

EDITED: edited to correct edge angle. I checked my edge pro and its on the yellow dot for 21deg. Thats what was used to sharpen the knife. I profiled the whole edge with that angle.
 
Strange, I have over 30 stainless steel knives that have never shown anything of that sort when used in the way the OP described.
 
nothing against you or your abilities but it almost sounds like you did not remove the edge burr after sharpening.

I have used s30v from CRK as well as many other makes in the kitchen and have not experienced such edge deformation under light use.

Try sharpening it agin and strop the edge on an old belt when you are done and check for a burr. If a burr is present continue till it is removed. This hopefully will produce a more durable edge. Good luck

All the best,
Jason
 
send it off to crk. they will fix it for you.

this is one of a gazillion reasons i do not sharpen my own knives. i only buy knives that have free sharpening.
 
I agree with Biggerjon. Send it to CRK. Mabybe a soft one slipped through. I have heard nothing but good things about thier customer service.
 
Hello, I have 14 of CRK one piece knives. I have used several of them, only one has the edge nicked up a little. Its my tanto I. I was using it to clear saplings for a deer blind, maybe I hit a couple rocks, who knows, but upon looking at it, I figure the nicks will be gone after a couple sharpenings. I have heard about knives having a "wire edge", but have not witnessed it. I have also heard of people re-profiling their knife edge, which I would advise against as CRK designs his knives from top to bottom and HE knows what is best for them, but if someone is paying a couple hundred $$$ for a knife, they can do what they want with it, just my 2-cents. I have delt with CRK and there Customer Service is the BEST I have ever delt with. Heather will take care of you. Give them a call, or email them like I did and they will take care of you. Let us know what they say !!!
 
I had issues like this with my sebenza. I just stoped using it. I dont think calling them will do any good. Its the steel.
 
Don't know what happened here, and not trying to bust on O/P.

My experience with stainless in general and S30V in particular, is that it tends not to roll. If anything it wants to chip, but not roll. I would actually prefer the rolling, as it's way easier to correct - as with most tool steels or INFI.

I'm actually pretty happy with CRK's S30V in my Sebenzas. Don't have any large S30V knives though, so can't really comment on that.

Sorry you had a problem.

I would definitely look to CRK to address the problem if I were you, even if just out of curiosity.
 
I agree you should contact CRK. They know what questions to ask, what actions to suggest, and if necessary what they can do for you. Look at the responses you're getting here. Frankly, some of them are simply ignorant. You have thought this through too well to have to listen to that.

Personally, I have One-pieces in A2 and Sebenzas in BG-42, with only my relatively light use Mnandi in S30V, so I can't tell you anything aobut the steel from experience. What you're describing does sound something like a wire edge, but as you looked at it, you should have been able to tell the difference. A wire edge would be a very narrow rolled area. You could try to steel it lightly. If this restores it, a wire edge it is.

Call CRK, they will know much better than all of us.
 
rackness said:
nothing against you or your abilities but it almost sounds like you did not remove the edge burr after sharpening.

I have used s30v from CRK as well as many other makes in the kitchen and have not experienced such edge deformation under light use.

Try sharpening it agin and strop the edge on an old belt when you are done and check for a burr. If a burr is present continue till it is removed. This hopefully will produce a more durable edge. Good luck

All the best,
Jason
Click to expand...

What he said!:thumbup:
 
It took me a long time (learning curve) to figure out how to keep an s30V Sebenza sharp with both the Apex and the Sharpmaker.

S30 is so tough, that even a very small burr edge can roll back and forth for a very long time when using the white stones on the Sharpmaker. It takes a very light, yet consistent stroke to eventually break that edge. By constantly looking at the stones, you can see when that edge breaks.

Incidentally, stropping stainless, especially S30V is daunting, as it tends not to break that edge off at all, at least in my experience. Leather and chromium oxide is better suited toward carbon steels.

Don't give up on CRK just yet. They do make great knives!
 
rackness said:
nothing against you or your abilities but it almost sounds like you did not remove the edge burr after sharpening.

I have used s30v from CRK as well as many other makes in the kitchen and have not experienced such edge deformation under light use.

Try sharpening it agin and strop the edge on an old belt when you are done and check for a burr. If a burr is present continue till it is removed. This hopefully will produce a more durable edge. Good luck

All the best,
Jason
Click to expand...

Plus 1
 
I have a number of CRK one-piece - never used them in the kitchen though. I have a block full of Wusthof for that...(most of these are pretty dull) - I usually use a plastic cutting board too....even though they recommend wood.
Plastic (especially cutting boards) screws an edge up pretty quick...call CRK they'll set you right.
 
Barry H said:
S30 is so tough, that even a very small burr edge can roll back and forth for a very long time when using the white stones on the Sharpmaker. It takes a very light, yet consistent stroke to eventually break that edge. By constantly looking at the stones, you can see when that edge breaks.
Click to expand...

Barry, which S30V knives have you sharpened and had this experience with?
 
It sounds like there could be a burr still on the edge but I presume your able to tell if that was the case or not.

Did steeling or stropping the knife bring the edge back ?

I agree that you would expect the knife to keep the edge better than you experienced.
A roling motion even on a soft chopping board could do that to the edge though, as mentioned wood is also kinder than plastic.
Try doing some chopping and see how that effects the edge.
I dont actually use my GB at all but I did use my Pacifc a fair bit and had no real issues with edge retention, not like you have had any way.

It could be you just got a lemon ? I'd give CRK a shout and see what they say about it.
 
Artilary6 said:
So this is being written off as a sharpening issue?
Click to expand...

I may be wrong but this sounds more like a semi-annual opportunity to complain...

Artilary6 said:
You could bring a sack full of $10 knives with you and have enough to use as tent stakes, repel down cliffs, throw at critters in attempt to hunt, break a few for fun when bored, AND baton your damn firewood all for the cost of a single GB. Oh, throw in a GPS tracking unit to go with all that for under $300 bucks. Or, you can buy a single GB and have it SPLODE in your face.
Click to expand...
 
Vivi said:
Barry, which S30V knives have you sharpened and had this experience with?
Click to expand...

Back when the stuff first came out and CRK and Strider and alot of the other manufactures and custom guys started converting to it, I jumped on the band wagon in a big way. I thought that it was the new grail steel out there~~it is good!.

But I initially had been using a heavy hand on the Sharpmaker. You ought to be able to feel the edge roll with drawing the edge backwards across a thumb nail. And sometimes, you can align the edge, so it seems that it's straight, but when you use it on something heavy, or maybe a cutting board, you'll find that you've rolled the edge. I use the white stones on the Sharpmaker, so I can see the metal coming off the burr. Once the burr is off, it's much easier to maintain. I've since lightened my stroke and it works much better for me now.
 
Hmmm... There seems to be a "theme" RE: the CRK GB....
IMHO the "test" itself does not matter...what matters is what the various knives do in the SAME test...
However... I have NEVER had any knife do what this one did on the cutting board....
Has ANYONE heard an explanation from CRK?
doc



The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy. Florence Shinn (1871-1940)
 
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