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Hartsfield?
- Thread starter Lycosa
- Start date
RJ Martin makes a competent blade, but there is no question that the edge sharpness is not even close to a Hartsfield or a Leu. You simply can not compare a rolled "appleseed" shaped edge to an infinity grind. The infinity is vastly sharper. The trick is to make your blade strong enough to hold that edge without chipping. The only guy I know of who is able to pull this off is Hartsfield. I bought six Leu knives this year, and am currently in the middle of abusing them to see how well they hold up to my Hartsfields. There is no question that Pohan is making a superb knife that is superior to Hartsfield in fit and finish. His wrap is better and the grinds more precise. So far, the blades are holding their edge way better than the average knife, and they seem to be on par with the Hartsfield. I just ordered two more of his knives since they are a great value and I know a quality product when I see it. I missed out on the low priced Hartsfield days, so I figured I had better get in on the ground floor with Pohan Leu. He has described to me the painstaking heating process he undertakes, and the outstanding care he takes in finishing his edges. For the amount of effort he puts into these, they are a superb bargain.
The ability of the knife to hold the edge is all in the heat treating process. You can have two knives of A2, but one could be more durable due to the "recipe" the maker used to heat the blade. Prior to heat treating, A2 is very soft. The key is how far from soft you can take your blade during heat treating. The next problem is to understand how far to take it so that the blade is not too brittle. As far a "text book" heating processes, that is what makes one maker's knife better than another's. The guy who does not follow the text book, and comes up with his own recipe that is superior, is the guy who makes the best blade.
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
1. Who are you? Not to be dismissive of your post, but if you are going to deem a Martin blade simply "competent"....and have your comments taken seriously, some CV or at least brief background will help negate any future doubts that you know WTF you are talking about.
2. Have heard of a lot of grinds, but "Infinity grind" is a new one on me....are you talking about a zero ground edge like the japanese do, with no secondary bevel, or something different?
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Take me seriously. When you own multiple examples of all of these blades and use them, you are qualified to compare them. Head to head use and abuse with multiple examples by each maker is the only way to say you are qualified to make the statements I have. You can not intimidate me, and your response tells me a lot more about what YOU actually know about the subject. Zero grind or infinity are the same. I was referring to a term used by someone in a previous post.
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Use them for what?
Going to give you an example.
Have LOTS of knives, and use many of them.....The latest custom that have been carrying is a John W. Smith Large Evolution...before that it was an R.J. Martin Devastator....they can do daily tasks GREAT(cutting blisters, meat, veggies, rope, cardboard, carpet, twine, errant facial hairs), but couldn't definitively tell you about SD, because have never USED them for that.
When it comes to swords, I compete in JSA cutting.....CAN tell you that once Bailey dialed in the geometry/bevel angle that the custom Bradshaw katana he made me is a great cutter and will be my go-to blade for everything except futomaki, because I want to use the thinnest/sharpest blade possible for that cut.
KNOW japanese styled swords, because I have been training and competing with them for 9 years, and know what works for me.....
You have three posts at last count, and no one has stood up yet and said that TJL knows his ass from a hole in the ground....if Pohan wants to vouch for you having some knowledge of what you are talking about, I might listen.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Take three deep breaths and try to relax Steven.
Good stuff Lovett! Keep it coming!
I'm plenty relaxed, Tai.....just trying to find out the quals of TJL, who was sort of flip with his "competent" comment about RJ's blades, of which I happen to have 4, and they have worked superbly....."competent" can really be read as an insult....and an uncalled for one at that.
BTW, and OT, but I picked up an e-nep from Santi....excellent blade.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Garsson, I have dealt with people like you my entire life. "Victory comes with the sword still in the scabbard". A quote from your own page. Sheath your sword, you have already lost the battle.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people, with as much training in your chosen MA discipline, never get close to comprehending what the discipline is all about. Turn off the testosterone, and look at how you are insulting a thousand years of martial arts honor.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people, with as much training in your chosen MA discipline, never get close to comprehending what the discipline is all about. Turn off the testosterone, and look at how you are insulting a thousand years of martial arts honor.
- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 1,774
Uh wow, One thing I know about RJ is his knives are blistering sharp. He is known as the king of sharp in many circles. I've handled a few PH blades at shows. Unless the owners had dulled em down or something I didnt see anything spectacular about the cutting edges. Mostly I would be worried about the sharp edges on the spine or something that might cut a thumb.
Sharpness and cutting ability are very subjective things. Almost always people are comparing apples to grapefruit too.. Unless you have two identical knives and I mean identical, and test them exactly the same with no bias its pretty hard to say which one is superior.. Just my .02
Sharpness and cutting ability are very subjective things. Almost always people are comparing apples to grapefruit too.. Unless you have two identical knives and I mean identical, and test them exactly the same with no bias its pretty hard to say which one is superior.. Just my .02
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
1. That life has lasted how long?
2. I'm married....testosterone production ceased long ago....the nuts have to actually be ATTACHED to your body in order to be productive.
3. There is nothing insulting to my ryu's tradition of seeking truth and clarity in a world filled with nebulous posturing by confronting you for some direct answers(specifically, how do you test your knives, and on what...and who are you, and what is your CV)?....you don't want to answer? Fine....but don't pretend like you are somebody or something if you can't even muster up the ability to directly respond.....I'll not debate you any more, and you can go back to the rock you crawled out from.
Your behavior here is indicating that you would not even be worth a tsuki to the forehead.....you can't beat sense into a daikon, as my sensei would say.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2001
- Messages
- 7,353
TJL,
Your posts currently mark you as a troll. Maybe you are legit. We don't know you, the internet is anonymous. It is normal to establish one's credentials in such a setting.
Your posts currently mark you as a troll. Maybe you are legit. We don't know you, the internet is anonymous. It is normal to establish one's credentials in such a setting.
Put away the prejudice, and let others live. I meant no insult to RJ and his work. When I say competent, I mean it is well executed, and will do the job. There are just sharper blades out there that are more precisely made. When you are as old as I am, you know when you see a bunch of rounded off edges that the maker is cheating a bit on the precision of the grind. Maybe it is an aesthetic thing with RJ, but it hides the quality of work, and often that same work is unable to stand on its own merit and has to be masked by "smoothing" out the edges. Whether he does it for looks or to veil his work, I can not say, but for me personally, a raw edge speaks volumes about a maker's ability, and allows me to know a lot more about the skill of the maker. Regardless, it is physically impossible for an appleseed grind to be sharper than a zero grind with a normal angle.
"Posturing". An interesting quote from your post. From post #1 you have taken an attack posture with me. Great if you are sizing up an opponent. What you need to understand is that I am not an opponent, nor a daikon.
"Posturing". An interesting quote from your post. From post #1 you have taken an attack posture with me. Great if you are sizing up an opponent. What you need to understand is that I am not an opponent, nor a daikon.