How sharp is sharp enough?

knifenut1013 said:
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Its not so much about what the edge will cut but how well the bevel was constructed. How well each abrasive was used and if the resulting edge reflects that.
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knifenut, I highly respect the dedication and effort you put into your edges. I have no doubt you are getting some stellar results. That said, I like to use all my gear. If my edges looked like yours, I would be hesitant to use them. I would feel like it was a shame to dull my 'perfect' edge.
 
I convex to 1500 grit by hand, it's a strange kind of sharp.

The blade on the 2 whizzes through tomatoes, onions, meat and cuts rope, nylon with no issues or much pressure. The hair will come off the arm with it and it passes all the requisite paper tests, hell I even cut though a bunch of cardboard with no great test on my nerves yesterday. But, it is not scary sharp like the deep V grind I used to put on them, then again it doesn't get stupid dull as quick either...

I like what Bladite said though, using common sense as a barometer is pretty good measure of sharp.
 
sqoon said:
I'm horrible at sharpening. Then I got a Spyderco Sharpmaker. I was amazed at how sharp I can get a knife now. It is silly, but I consider a knife really sharp for my taste if it can shave arm hair with ease, and sharp enough if it can slice paper.
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Pretty much the same here with the same sharpener. Some knives I don't go to that length with though. If hard use I don't care if I can shave a gnats scrotal pouch. If I can shave bits of thumbnail off with a hawk, I'm good to go.
 
OREGON FAL'ER said:
Generally I'm happy if I can shave my arm.
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I used to be happy with that. Lots of knives, use them all, need to resharpen.... Sometimes I ran out of arm hair. :D

I'm happy if I can cut free hanging newspaper when I'm done. If I can do it with a push cut instead of a slice, so much the better.

Now my arms have the same amount of hair on them. And I don't look like I have mange on my arms when I'm done sharpening.
 
ok so I'm not gonna waist anymore of my time trying to get my ESKabar scary sharp anymore.

What I'm getting from yous guys is a good working edge is all ya really need. :)
 
Cutting free hanging newspaper with a push cut is scary sharp. :thumbup:

If you have it where it'll shave hair cleanly, you are good to go. There's a definite line between time spent sharpening vs what you end up with.

Nothing I've ever cut complained because I didn't have a mirror polished edge first. :D
 
I just watched a bunch of videos on youtube to learn how to free hand sharpen. And from there it was just practice.
 
I don't know what angle I'm at, but I think it's around 40 - 50 inclusive. I've found that stropping helps maintain the edge.
 
upnorth said:
If I can shave bits of thumbnail off with a hawk, I'm good to go.
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Not me, I want my hawk to whittle hair:D

[youtube]jCwYK_21Er0[/youtube]

I'm just kidding. This is NOT my normal sharpening. I just got into a "discussion" with a friend about whether I could do it. turns out I can...
 
paperairplane said:
knifenut, I highly respect the dedication and effort you put into your edges. I have no doubt you are getting some stellar results. That said, I like to use all my gear. If my edges looked like yours, I would be hesitant to use them. I would feel like it was a shame to dull my 'perfect' edge.
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What I post here is my premium work my EDC or a edge I normally use does not look the same. Often I only finish with stones in the 8k range. That part you quoted relates to every step in the sharpening process. If you only finish with a medium grit that is fine but be sure you are using that grit to full effect and creating a bevel that is uniform in construction.
 
Md 25v said:
Not me, I want my hawk to whittle hair:D

[youtube]jCwYK_21Er0[/youtube]

I'm just kidding. This is NOT my normal sharpening. I just got into a "discussion" with a friend about whether I could do it. turns out I can...
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I consider myself a mediocre to not bad blade sharpener. I don't slave over an edge to get it super perfect, although sometimes I surprise myself with the end result. Different steels, different edge angles etc. I still have much to learn but I get them pretty sharp. I went from the Lansky to the Spyderco Sharp Maker. Both work but the Sharp Maker is less messy and simpler to set up. So when you're kind of simple like me, it works out well. :D
 
Actually, sharpening the hawk like that ended up being a very bad idea. I had a very nice custom blade cover for it, but when I tried to put the cover on the hawk split through the side. There was fifty bucks down the drain.
 
sharpening knives and straight razors is fun! I'm always interested in other people's techniques and tips as well as new methods of sharpening.
 
Sometimes shaving sharp isn't ideal. If its slicing hair off like nothing, the edege is too thin. Use it for a little and it'll go dull. If the edge is kind of toothy and "pops" hair off then thats a little better. That's what I like.
 
Jake Bauer said:
Sometimes shaving sharp isn't ideal. If its slicing hair off like nothing, the edege is too thin. Use it for a little and it'll go dull. If the edge is kind of toothy and "pops" hair off then thats a little better. That's what I like.
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I, too, like a bit sturdier edge on my knives. I want to be able to cut through cardboard all day without trouble and don't need a crazy narrow or polished bevel to accomplish that
 
Jake Bauer said:
Sometimes shaving sharp isn't ideal. If its slicing hair off like nothing, the edege is too thin. Use it for a little and it'll go dull. If the edge is kind of toothy and "pops" hair off then thats a little better. That's what I like.
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Not true at all. A thick edge can be incredibly sharp and can shave effortlessly and even whittle hair like the hawk posted earlier. A thin edge can be quite toothy if left with a coarse finish. You seem to be confusing edge finish with geometry.
 
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