How sharp do you like your knives?

M

meldroc

Joined
Jan 17, 2002
Messages
12
That's the question for today. Choices are:

  • Dull as a butter knife
  • Utility edge - can cut paper
  • Shaving sharp
  • Scary sharp
  • Sharp enough to circumcise a flea. :D

Enquiring minds want to know...
 
Depends on the knife. For camping/backpacking big blades, I like a moderate utility edge; I like big blades to maintain a consistant, strong edge. For my edc pocket knife I like it to be sharp engough to shave arm hair.
 
I am going to have to go with as sharp as I can get it for my average EDC, sharp enough to shave hair. I keep by "heavy duty" abuse knife(Buck/Strider Tanto), and hopefully soon a Strider AR, a little less sharp, sharp enough to cut paper, but not shave hair. This is so the edge is a little stronger, and will survive rough use without damage.

Erik
 
I sharpen my knives to be able to shave hair. I like that test. But I have tested angles untill I found that 20" angle works good for my knives...They are razor sharp and stays that way for a long time. On some of my smaller knives I make them SCARY sharp....it it nice to have something that will cut you when you look crosseyed on it...yet it will not keep that sharpness for as long if used on harder stuff.
 
I prefer shving sharp, but I can never get my knives there.

Practice, Practice, Practice....

Cheers,
Gord.
 
I brought my knives to either shaving sharp, or to a utility edge - can cut paper, but still coarse enough that the microserrations are able to do their cool thing.

BTW, how would you describe "scary sharp"? I keep hearing that term, but I don't know how sharp that is.
 
Originally posted by Leemah1
I prefer shving sharp, but I can never get my knives there.

Practice, Practice, Practice....

Cheers,
Gord.
Click to expand...

Get a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Very simple to use, easy to keep the correct angle, and can easily polish an edge to shaving sharp or better.
 
I usually just sharpen my knives with a medium Arkansas stone. That gets the blade very sharp, but leaves a coarser edge that seems to cut better. Sometimes I go to a fine Arkansas stone to finish up, but not often.
 
Let's see if I can 'splain this...
The bigger the knife, generally speaking, the more obtuse the edge angle and the more coarse the stone for the finished edge. From there, I get them as sharp as I can manage. And I only polish the edges of my smallest knives.
They are all sharp, but different types and degrees of sharp. Maybe this makes sense.:rolleyes:
 
The simple answer is this.....
Put a razor edge on all razors and knives that will cut flesh.

Put a utility edge on everything else.

For my pocket knives I prefer a utility edge because I'll be cutting
God know what with it. I don't mind sharpening my knives it's just
not a favorite past time. So I want an edge that will last under abuse.

NONE of my everyday knives will shave hair. ALL of my "other"
use knives will. I use / carry accordingly.
 
I've never had to circumcise a flea before...but in the field, such a situation may come up and I'll need to be prepared. :p

I like really freaking sharp...not "stupid sharp" as Randal Graham called it, but scary sharp.

Robert.
 
Sometimes I like a razor sharp edge...scalpel sharp. For light work.

And others i like a utility edge. Will slice paper,maybe shave...really not necesary. For things like cutting boxes and heavier work.
 
Small fixed blades and folders. . .scary sharp !

Medium and large utility fixed blades. . .somewhere between a utility edge and shaving sharp.

:D
 
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