how sharp is sharp

[mlawson]

Inspired by the thread about the wal-mart kid. (hope he is younger than 20) first got to bear in mind these are the same people that when asked to look at the ruger 10/22 they hand you the 12g, anyway. How sharp is sharp? I try to freehand sharpen all my knives with my 12 doller set of sharpening stones that i bought out of SMKW. What angle is the best? i have heard alot about what angle works the best for a sharp knife. for protection purposes i would asume that the sharper the better any thoughts on that? how do i become better at free hand sharpening because right now i can sharpen one knife in a few minutes, or it could take a few hours.

 

[tonybigthumbs]

http://www.bladeforums.com/features/faqsharp.shtml

Did you read this? its a really good guide on sharpening
by Joe Talmadge.



I've never used freehand, because i know i would be useless at it, maybe the FAQ will help you.

 

[VampyreWolf]

I learned freehand at a very early age(5th bday was my first knife) and have continiued to refine the skill. I can shave leg hair on a 500grit stone. 800 is still needed for a clean shave though. About 30deg for most of mine, run a couple at 40 for durability.

I can spend 30min watching TV to sharpen, I can spend 5min at coffee break to touch up, or I can spend 3hrs out in the woods with a stone.

I have the spyderco 204, but still prefer to do freehand. Easier to pack into a day bag, and cheaper.

 

[DEA]

i judge my knives finished when i can shave hairs without feeling any resistance

but i find that sort of edge doesn't last very long on my edc when i use it to cut steak

 

[Quiet Storm]

If a knife shaves, it's performing well IMO.

I maintain shaving edges on my knives with a small ceramic hone and by stropping. I own an Arkansas stone with two grits, but since I never let my knives get really dull I don't need the stone to bring the blades back to shaving sharp.
As of yet, I'm not very good at sharpening with a stone (freehand), so keeping 'em reasonably sharp to just have to touch them up from time to time the way to go for me.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Here's a different test of sharp, take one of those foam ear plugs like you get at walmart for shooting and loud noises(like weedwacking), and try to make a clean slice, a razor sharp knife will slice right through it anything less will just compress it with out slicing through. Try it.