how sharp do you keep your knife?

i sharpen my knives until it can shave hair. i dont bother resharpening the edge until i feel it having a hard time cutting through something.
 
I sharpen until it slides through newsprint easily. Then I use it until it starts to annoy me.
 
if I checked to see if my edge was hair-popping every time I checked my edge during the day I would have no hair on my arms and legs--in fact I've had months where that's the case.

Now days I like to pluck a beard hair, and hold it between my thumb and forefinger. If the knife can't dissect or whittle fine strands into the hair using the flesh of my thumb as backing ( or depending on how much pressure it requires to do so ) then I touch it up. Best part about this is that even before it gets to the point where it would cut my thumb before the hair, it is still far sharper than I'll ever really need it to be--plus I don't wind up with bald spots on my arms and legs.

I use to obsess over getting it hair whittling or whatever but I don't find that level of sharpness to be any sharper on a practical basis--if it doesn't actually feel any sharper while cutting stuff what's the point. For that reason I'd say "hair popping" is good enough, my trick is just good to check if it would pop hair without looking like a mange victim. I like to do that more than fuss with strops now days anyway... Raise a burr, knock off a burr, that's it.

I can't leave it alone if I spot some type of dent, roll or burr though. I'm constantly checking for burrs and rolls.
 
Sharp is when slope A & B meet at infinity with no burr, so sharp can be had at any grit. Edge roughness is related to grit and how rough or smooth you like the edge usually depends on cutting skill/technique.

I like smoother cutting with minimal resistance but still some bite so I use a 8000 mesh diamond hone or a 6000 grit waterstone to finish depending on the steel.
 
As sharp as I can get them, close to mirror finish, easier to maintain that way in my experience while at work and needs a touch up I can sharpen on a 600grit diamond Lansky stone.
 
I think it would be better to say that the metal leading to the edge can become too thin to support the edge, as far as I know sharpness is a result of two planes intersecting at a point where the force of the blade is magnified to an extent where it causes a cut.

Further, the reason for differing steels, especially abrasion resistant ones is that the media being cut abrades the edge and causes a separation of the planes, increasing the surface area of the blade and increasing resistance to cutting (dulling)

A knife is simply a force multiplier and by definition cannot be too sharp, however it can be too thin or too thick in the bevel or as a blade.
 
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