HG 55 Sharpness

[gcgcgc]

Hello,

A couple of months ago, I received my first Busse, an HG55 (CG).

I was wondering how sharp these generally come, and, if it's below average, if you recommend mailing it back (I know the customer service is top notch).

Because of its size, I hoped this knife to be very useful for camping and chores around the house. However, it has difficulty cutting paper and certainly cannot push cut it.

My question is this: is this "normal" in that the knife was not intended to do these tasks? Or, is this abnormal? In which case, do you recommend I mail it back or try to work out myself?

Thank you :thumbup:

 

[steelnut]

I have had a few that were not razor sharp.
Sometimes it is a wire edge that can be taken care of with a few swipes on a butchers steel or ceramic stick.

Busse will certainly make it bleed air for you if you ask

 

[Kougera]

I would do it myself.. Saves you time and you practice your sharpening skills The old mousepad and sandpaper would work great. Just get WetOrDry sandpaper sheets from 200 grit up to 1200 or 1500 and convex it. Check out http://www.youtube.com/user/knivesandstuff (the sharpening tutorial) for guidance! Good luck!

 

[hector81]

try stropping.
I've recieved some blades (not busses) that were not really sharp out of the box, but after stropping they were razor sharp. maybe it's the burr, and after removing it, it's gonna be sharp!

 

[Gerberblades]

Every HG55 I have received is dull. Maybe because of the CBT.

 

[gcgcgc]

Every HG55 I have received is dull. Maybe because of the CBT.

Yikes, did sharpening/the sandpaper method work?

Thanks for all the help and thoughts everyone :thumbup:

 

[RoNNiE]

I have 3 of them,,, an LE , Mil.Overrun,,,and a CG ,,,,,,,, none of them will split hairs,,,,but plenty sharp enough for camp chores cutting paper,,,push cutting ,,,,,,, and making sure violent crackheads (Zombies) have a real bad day !!!!!! Strop em or use a steel, if you hafta ...... just polish the factory edge,,,for that lil extra zing. Mine are all still as received from Busse,,,,, . :thumbup:

 

[GregS]

Yikes, did sharpening/the sandpaper method work?

Thanks for all the help and thoughts everyone :thumbup:

Ceramic steel. The sandpaper method is for convex edges and works very well, but you would need to reprofile the blades edge. As is from Busse (edge wise), a ceramic steel and a strop is ideal.... atleast thats what Busse recommends on their website. Build up a wire with the ceramic steel, and strop it off.

 

[Liu Kang]

the one I got back from Horton, I think I cut myself just wiping some oil on the handles... But that's not really factory...

 

[MustardMan]

Every single Busse I own came dull as a butter knife.

My Swamp Rats have generally been pretty sharp from the shop, and the Scrap Yards decent but not as consistent.

However, I only own three or four from each company, so it's not a very large sample size - certainly not statistically significant, but an interesting observation.


I figure it's good practice for my sharpening skills, which aren't exactly top-notch.

Edit: Actually, now that I count it up, it's a few more than 3-4 from each company. I gotta stop buying knives

 

[Maqua]

I recently used a Sharpmaker on my SFNOLE (about 5 minutes work) and it is absurdly sharp now. But yeah, some Busses are shipped dull as leaf springs.

 

[mikeymoto]

You shoulda bought an LE!

 

[junoir]

My le came hair splitting sharp.

 

[gcgcgc]

You shoulda bought an LE!

I wish!!! Someday!

Thanks for all the advice everyone :thumbup:

 

[banana-clip]

My LE is pretty dang sharp

 

[shunsui]

A lot of new knives have trouble with newsprint, but if you try a heavier paper like 20 pound printer paper or heavy junk mail flyers you might find there's an edge hiding there.

 

[fishface5]

huh, just pulled out my HG55 and shaved a spot on my arm bare in one pass.

 

[JWBirch]

Edge sharpness is (usually) very good, but edge thickness may give difficulty in cutting efficiently. But if you're in harms way you may need these more for busting through and getting into stuff, chopping and hacking... more so than cutting strapping and the kinds of things that you may carry a folder for.
So, in that regard, Jerry and the shop provide an edge that can withstand great abuse out of the box, with lots of room to remove metal if you so desire. Like haircuts, you can take it off, you can't put it back on. And, perhaps better yet, you have the metal in place to put on a super-fine convex edge, without paying the increased cost it would take to get that edge from the shop.

Or at least that's me looking on the bright side. opinions may vary.