Hack Job ofprofessional knife sharpening (opinions)

B

bryceb

Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
5
Hi all,

New to knives and this forum, I recently purchased a glock 81, which came very dull, I took it to a local "professional" to get it sharpened, attached is what I got back, he took alot of steel off, in my opinion. the knife is sharper but i don't think he did a good job at all. I measured and there is about 1/16 of an inch of steel missing through out the length of the blade. What do you all think of the of the quality of the sharpening service? Am I out of line thinking this is a "hack" job? Also, is the knife as pictured a convex grind?

Thanks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60969665@N02/sets/72157626338327254/
 
Last edited:
That's way too thin for a rough use fixed blade. It looks to be 10-15degrees per side

I would suggest everyone to sharpen their own knives. It's taking care of yourself such as putting gas in your car or cooking a meal to enjoy.

You can always rely on someone else but chances are you expected more
 
I agree, I want to learn to sharpen my own knives, but I just got this one and wanted to use it so i got it sharpened, seems like $30 down the drain. what degree angle is best for a blade like mine?
 
I'd say 20-25per side, I do 20 on my 3-4inch fixed blades and Folders, 25 on anything larger than those. A tougher steel will take a more shallow angle and still be able to support it, but the above is my general guidelines

Not all convex are equal, some are thinner and some are thicker even though they don't come in exact degrees
 
Yes that is a bad job, and I suspect there is an appropriate angle on the edge because the grind looks convex, making a lot of shiny steel on the sides, but a higher edge angle. You are right in saying that there was a lot of metal removed. How sharp did it come? Also the grind is sloppy, so yea, sorry but it was a bad job.
 
thanks for the response flyingkiwi, the knife was dull to the touch when I got it, i accidently swiped my hand along the "sharp" part of the blade when I opened the package, luckily it was so dull, i didn't get cut. the sharpened knife is better but still not what i consider sharp, i see people on the internet cut the hair on their arms with a newly sharpened knife, mine just pushes my hair away for the most part. Is the Spyderco Sharpmaker good for beginners, it has to be better than what was done to my knife, right? - thanks in advance FlyingKiwi.

If anyone knows of a good knife sharpener in Madison, WI let me know, or of anyone who gives instructions on sharpening, in the area. The place that "sharpened" my knife offers classes, but after seeing their work, I think I'll pass.
 
bryceb said:
thanks for the response flyingkiwi, the knife was dull to the touch when I got it, i accidently swiped my hand along the "sharp" part of the blade when I opened the package, luckily it was so dull, i didn't get cut. the sharpened knife is better but still not what i consider sharp, i see people on the internet cut the hair on their arms with a newly sharpened knife, mine just pushes my hair away for the most part. Is the Spyderco Sharpmaker good for beginners, it has to be better than what was done to my knife, right? - thanks in advance FlyingKiwi.

.
Click to expand...


The Sharpmaker is good for touching up knives that already have good edge bevels set. It's not so great for reprofiling a knife that has an edge that is too obtuse, (which seems to be the case with about 80% of the factory edges I've seen).

When I was just starting out I had good luck with the Lanski guided system. It has some drawbacks but it worked and it helped me to understand the basics of knife sharpening. The Edgepro is a nicer but more expensive guided system that works well too.

Ultimately the goal should be to learn how to sharpen well freehand, which is how I do all of my knives now. There is alot of good sharpening info to be found here and on youtube, from using stones to convex sharpening with sandpaper. Best thing is to grab a couple cheep knives, do some reading, then just jump in and start practicing. Check back in with the guys here for advice and tips as you progress with your skills. :thumbup:

... When you learn the skill, It's nice to know that you never have to pay someone else to keep your knives sharp!
 
I will reserve comment...the first image looks really bad, but the last images in that set look a bit cleaner.

Regardless, you procured a service that you are not happy with the results (apparently). Your satisfaction is all that matters.

Regarding what I think of the quality of service? It has everything to do with the instructions given, and the desired results. The bevel looks huge and coarse, but what is the actual inclusive angle of the bevel? Is the burr removed? How does the knife perform? And what did it look like prior to the services?

Not trying to be a jerk...I just see a LOT of difference between this:
5555389638_8071368c3e.jpg

and this:
5554803645_0f9bc7e72f.jpg


could be the lighting?

edit to add:

Let me elaborate a bit.

Photos can be un-intentionally deceiving. If the knife grind is REALLY thick, the bevel will still look huge at a respectable angle. Additionally, shaving arm hair is something I expect of my knives, but I know people that use their knives in such a way that shaving is not important (some folks with dedicated choppers could care less about shaving so long as the knife chops well).

Some people get a decent knife that would otherwise make them happy, then they come here and see edges whittling hair and then are disappointed. People new to the knife world need to take note that very few knives (if any) will both put up with the wild abuses of a new user AND cleanly shave hair. Not saying anyone is abusive, just saying that *I* got my first survival knife many years ago and thought it should do everything Rambo did with his...that is fiction.

Would *I* be happy with that knife sharpening job? I doubt it...particularly if it set me back 30 bucks! There are some FANTASTIC guys here that can help you out for far less...just be sure to voice your intentions for this knife so they can tailor an edge to your desires.
 
Last edited:
I'd guess that whatever looks worst, is. Lighting doesn't turn bad sharpening good; just hides the worst bits.

I'd suggest sending the knife to one of the reputable sharpeners like RichardJ, and also learning how to sharpen :) It's useful and quite fun.
 
Hi Unit,
nothing you asked is offensive to me, don't worry. The two pictures you see are the same knife, one had the flash on the camera go off. I am new to knives (other than the kitchen kind) I wanted an all purpose type of knife for outdoor and utility use. I just went in to the shop and wanted the knife sharpened since it was really dull when I purchased it. The knife is sharper but not as sharp as I've seen demonstrated online. I do not know what a burr is, but if you explain that and how I calculate the inclusive angle, I can let you know. The knife's edge was equal to the tang or hilt (i do not know if those are the right terms - the part above the handle before the grind starts) so the knife is thinner now, does that decrease the strength? I wanted to do some yard work with it, now I'm worried it will break after a couple whacks on small branches and the like. Also, how did you insert the pics in your post, I tried but couldn't get it to show, that is why I used a flickr link. The knife was new, if I could figure out how to add a pic to my post I will try to find a picture of a new glock 81 online, if you want to see what it looked like sooner, a google search will populate a good number of images for you.
 
Last edited:
Hi wongKI

thanks for the reply, who is RichardJ and how do I contact him, where can I learn knife sharpening with hands on instruction?
 
I think that the sharpening job is far from a professional job, not to mention charging 39 bucks for that.

Having said that, that knife is still usable and will perform the job it was designed to do.

And I second wonki's suggestion. PM Richard J.
 
hi bryceb. that edge looks nasty from what i can see in the picture. send me an email with your number and i'll call you so we can talk about your knife. it will save us both some typing. rje196021@gmail.com bryceb, how about filling out your profile so others will know a little bit about you?
 
Last edited:
wongKI said:
I'd guess that whatever looks worst, is. Lighting doesn't turn bad sharpening good; just hides the worst bits.

I'd suggest sending the knife to one of the reputable sharpeners like RichardJ, and also learning how to sharpen :) It's useful and quite fun.
Click to expand...

I won't argue with you on that...but that first image near the left side of the image there are what appears to me to be dust or rag particles stuck in an oil coating on the side of the bevel. I have seen this many times in images I take...I wipe the oiled blade down for the image and snap a few...go to post processing and the edge looks like it was put on with a broken cinder block.

Another thing...if you test an edge with your thumb, then look at it with the right lighting, the edge will sometimes appear chipped and damaged when really it is perhaps skin cells and schmutz from your finger tips clinging to the edge.

I am not suggesting that the job is great...but perhaps an image can make it look worse than it is? Ask any professional photographer...they will tell you that a bad image can in fact make a BEAUTIFUL knife look like hell. I am not suggesting at all that this knife is a pristine example though;)

Just saying...

Your last paragraph...spot on!
 
I had a knife professionally sharpened one time. The guy at Bass Pro in Nashville did it. I want to say he was using paper wheels but he scratched my knife all up. It was a polished stainless case that I had been given as a gift. 7 dollars and he scratched it all up. The last time I've ever had someone else sharpen my knife. Evedn if I don't get it sharp it's still not scratched up.
 
Complain to the person who sharpened it about how poor of a job if was, then send it to richardj and let him do it right. Richardj only charges $1 per inch and the quality job he does will definitely impress you.
 
Looks pretty bad, he took his sweet time on the plunge. The bevel near the ricasso looks like a much lower angle because he started there and put more time and pressure into that area. I've sharpened for a couple people before, but never charged. I've recently gotten into sharpening knives for some dudes on youtube. Here is a video of one I did for a guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUu05GFHy7A

If this isn't alright, just let me know.

Funny thing is, the edge is only at 400 grit and stropped, but I guess it kinda looks like a mirror on camera.

If you're going to send your knife to someone for sharpening, find someone here (like Richard J, Knifeknut1013, I think Ankerson used to) to do it for you; they know what they're doing.
 
It was a case with the liner lock, forget what it was called. The guy just had no control of the knife I guess. Scratches everywhere.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top