How come friends and family seem to have knife with frustating characteristics?

[HeavyHanded]

They'll probably be delighted its sharp in the first place.

For extra $ you could get the gear to thin it out rapidly, a HF belt grinder and some good quality belts - but when doing it for free by hand it would be a labor of love. You'd need the knife for a few to get it done. I've had knives like that, generally a coarser edge lasts a lot better on obtuse edges.

A lot of cheaper cutlery is designed/manufactured by folks with no idea what they're doing.

 

[J Thomas]

They'll probably be delighted its sharp in the first place.

HeavyHanded ... You nailed it! The owner was so excited, "How did you get all the nicks out?, The edge is shiny!, etc. etc." I was happy for him, but trying to explain that down the road it would not be able to be brought to a sharp edge because the shoulder (part right behind the edge) was so wide. He couldn't hear me, too excited. Oh well ... you do what you can. Good news, he wants to learn how to sharpen and hopefully as he learn with his knife he'll better understand through experience what characteristics a sharpener looks for.

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[cbwx34]

cbwx34 - The cutting edge was thin, the shoulder behind the cutting edge was very obtuse (hope I explained that correctly).

The normal, "can it catch on my thumb nail" was not possible because the blade angle was so wide ... I touched up the cutting edge, but know that as soon as that edge is gone someone is going to have a bear of a time thinning out the blade behind the cutting edge.

It helped me understand you can have a crowbar on top and a brittle scalpel on the bottom.

Ah, cool... thanks. Description's fine... still not quite picturing how an edge can be described as obtuse and thick behind the edge yet still be considered thin. But no need to elaborate. (Next time remember pictures for guys like me).

If you don't like power tools... you can do quite a bit with an XXC DMT. It can move some metal. (I'm sure there's similar stones out there). Also, sometimes, even just a little thinning...just do a few minutes per side, then sharpen in an edge, can make a world of difference too.

 

[blade dude]

That's why a smiths pocket pal is part of my setup. For the blades with thumb studs


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[HeavyHanded]

Ah, cool... thanks. Description's fine... still not quite picturing how an edge can be described as obtuse and thick behind the edge yet still be considered thin. But no need to elaborate. (Next time remember pictures for guys like me).

If you don't like power tools... you can do quite a bit with an XXC DMT. It can move some metal. (I'm sure there's similar stones out there). Also, sometimes, even just a little thinning...just do a few minutes per side, then sharpen in an edge, can make a world of difference too.

In bold :thumbup:

Especially on overbuilt kitchen cutlery but really any knife that isn't already worked thin - even a little bit of thinning behind the edge will yield improvement. Mind the plunge line!

Downside is the factory job is often very uneven, hidden by the polish. Once you start thinning it down the cosmetics go to hell with all the high and low spots showing. A powered buffing wheel is essential to clean it up.

The other downside is so few will even recognize it cuts better than just sharpening the edge. It isn't even worth going into detail most of the time, I just tell them to be careful - it'll be safely dulled soon enough.