How quickly dull knives at using?

R

ric75

Joined
Jun 2, 2017
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109
Hi,

How quickly dull knives at using?

Both knives had the factory edge with maybe a quick touchup.

Could slice paper easily.

A Spyderco Dragonfly H1 plain edge was used to open one bag of concrete power/sand --> dull, i could even feel the burr.

After a few minutes one the sharpmaker the edge was back.


Spyderco Para 3 S30V plain.

I was carving a wood stick I found in the forest, feels quite soft, 1/2 inch thick, for 10 minutes.

After that paper slicing was difficult.

Is it really that quick and easy to loose the sharp edge?

Bye ric
 
I have found that factory edges on many production knives, while sharp, can be a little fragile, possibly from the heat from powered sharpeners.

I have a ZT 0566 Elmax that came very sharp but after using it to cut down a few cardboard boxes I noticed the edge had a lot of micro-chips. So I set about creating a fresh, non-chipped edge with a diamond plate and refined it a bit using water stones. It has cut plenty of cardboard boxes since then and I even used it to chop off some smaller branches while clearing debris from a downed tree. It still cuts through paper with no effort and no snags.

So it may be the factory edge that is causing you problems. Give it a good sharpening and your own edge and I bet they'll hold up better. Though H1 is a fairly soft steel, more prized for its utter resistance to rust and corrosion than for its edge-holding.
 
Most factory edges are not only way to broad - 40-50° plus a microbevel in many cases, but the overall consistency of angle holding is terrible. And jc57 jc57 many are also compromised by high heat when originally ground.

A thin ground edge finished off cleanly should cut/whittle wood/cut carboard etc for a number of uses before it will stop slicing paper.

Exceptions possibly in your case - double layer bags of concrete are very abrasive and might actually dull a knife in a few uses. A stick picked up and whittled on might also dull your knife quickly if it has embedded dirt. When using a chain saw close to the ground, if you hit dirt for even an instant the cutters will dull noticeably.
 
In my experience, factory edges stink. Almost every knife, (and every knife I own) can benefit from a maximum 15 deg. per side reprofile. Manufacturers have to consider avg. Joe Bag o' Donuts consumer not maintaining their knives, and thus "dumbing down" their edges for the masses.

If you buy/use fairly expensive knives, you should be getting a feel for what works and what doesn't, and experiment with different things. Manufacturers put out lowest common denominator edges, and if you are on a knife enthusiast website, you should be seeking above that.

So, thin it down brah! Enjoy your knife for it's cutting ability.
 
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