Huge bevel on a Strider SnG..Help!

stuff_things

stuff_things

Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
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Hey members, just a quick question and hopefully some input and good news. I just bought an SnG (got it today) from the exchange, and the bevel is huge. I mean it's about 4 times wider than the factory bevel. The pictures didn't really show this in the post, and knowing this I would have held onto my old SnG. My question is: can anything be done about this..or would it take away too much metal from the blade? Are there positives to having such a monster bevel? And lastly, is anyone here willing to give her a new grind if it comes to that?

I appreciate any and all input. Will post pics if necessary but imagine a 16 degree angle along the belly and ending with what I would consider a 10 degree tip. Its sharp but unnecessarily big. Thanks again!
 
I've heard good things about Razor Edge, and the work I've seen done looked really good.

However, going with a more obtuse edge, you will lose some steel. If it's too much or not is up to you. Personally, I think all those 10 degree inclusive (exaggeration) mirror polished edges look silly, and don't give any advantage over a properly sharpened knife.

Quite frankly, I can whittle hair just fine with a 40 degree inclusive edge that was sharpened on a spyderco medium ceramic stone/rod. Whittling hair is just showing off though:p
 
stuff_things said:
I appreciate any and all input. Will post pics if necessary but imagine a 16 degree angle along the belly and ending with what I would consider a 10 degree tip. Its sharp but unnecessarily big. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Sounds like someone took an edge pro(or similar) to it, and they didn't know what they were doing. I've seen many like this, and have bought a couple here like that, though not quite as severe as yours.
You may want to send it back if you can(and if the edge wasn't disclosed in add). Other than that I would sharpen at 18 to 20 per side, and then hit it at that after every use for a while. You won't get to the apex for a long while, but it will toughen it up a bit at least. You'll already have a good back bevel going,lol. I guess that's not very funny to you, sorry.
I did this on one and the edge is holding up so far, but I haven't used it hard. I just tried what I thought would help. Maybe someone will know more than I about what to do if you keep it.
Good luck.
 
stuff_things said:
Hey members, just a quick question and hopefully some input and good news. I just bought an SnG (got it today) from the exchange, and the bevel is huge. I mean it's about 4 times wider than the factory bevel. The pictures didn't really show this in the post, and knowing this I would have held onto my old SnG. My question is: can anything be done about this..or would it take away too much metal from the blade? Are there positives to having such a monster bevel? And lastly, is anyone here willing to give her a new grind if it comes to that?

I appreciate any and all input. Will post pics if necessary but imagine a 16 degree angle along the belly and ending with what I would consider a 10 degree tip. Its sharp but unnecessarily big. Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Can you post up pics? Maybe I can help. Also, it would be helpful to know what the existing angles are if you have a way to measure them (or send measurements w/ a micrometer). Either way a regrind should fix it right up but it would give me a better idea if I can see pics =)
 
What grind type is it? I had a hollow ground strider and because the blade thickness increased toward the tip the bevel got very wide, and using a consistant sharpening angle. I finally just had Big Chris do a regrind to a full flat.
 
Blues Bender said:
I've heard good things about Razor Edge, and the work I've seen done looked really good.

However, going with a more obtuse edge, you will lose some steel. If it's too much or not is up to you. Personally, I think all those 10 degree inclusive (exaggeration) mirror polished edges look silly, and don't give any advantage over a properly sharpened knife.

Quite frankly, I can whittle hair just fine with a 40 degree inclusive edge that was sharpened on a spyderco medium ceramic stone/rod. Whittling hair is just showing off though:p
Click to expand...

Razoredgeknives does a great job, but I would think you would want to sharpen your knife, not dull it... Is that what this is about?

I have to say I don't quite understand what the OP is complaining about... Is he complaining that his knife is too sharp? 15° per side is barely OK, and 10° per side is great, especially for the tip (that usually sucks rocks by being duller than the main edge)...: I use 10° per side in all my big 9-10" choppers with no problems, and I could go lower on pure slicers... I would think that on a folder that would be adequate...
¸
Is he complaining that the bevel's exposed side is too tall? Well that's not the fault of the sharpening angle: It means his knife is too thick in geometry. At least the tall bevel is helping get some sharpness out of it, even if this exposes the knife's poor geometry... It's way better than having a knife that requires effort to cut, and then slips abruptly and injures you, right?...

Blues Bender said:
Quite frankly, I can whittle hair just fine with a 40 degree inclusive edge that was sharpened on a spyderco medium ceramic stone/rod. Whittling hair is just showing off though:p
Click to expand...

"Whittling" hair gives absolutely no indication of a knife's slicing performance... I'm actually saying the truth when this was pointed out to me by a high school buddy, and I never saw anything since that demonstrated this high school wisdom wrong... A 40 degrees inclusive edge is basically something that shouldn't be used at all, whittling hair or not, and it doesn't matter if that's how they all come from the box... Most makers who offer such edges obviously don't care if the edge performance is crap, and that whatever little bit of performance you can get at 40° inclusive is gone so quickly you barely have time to use it a few times... All they care about is that their edges are not portrayed as "weak" by someone who breaks knives on purpose...

If you want to send your knives to a professional sharpener to make them duller, I have to say I now wonder what this hobby is about...

Gaston
 
I never stated I wanted a "duller knife ". Where is the sense in that? Nor am I complaining about the knife being too sharp. I'm worried about the performance and most of all the durability of the edge. What is the point of having a bevel as wide/tall as it is? This is the core of my post. I have knives that don't require much more than 20 degree per side to perform just fine and touch ups are cake.

Bottom line is I'm worried about damaging the $3** knife I just purchased. No need for flaunting your uber knife- knowledge man, just trying to get some input.
 
I'll post pics tomorrow to clear up the confusion. Again it's an SnG, of course it's got a fat blade on it. Also, I am not knocking the gentleman who sold me the knife; the overall condition is fantastic and he was great to deal with. Everyone have a safe night. :)
 
Gavin S. said:
What grind type is it? I had a hollow ground strider and because the blade thickness increased toward the tip the bevel got very wide, and using a consistant sharpening angle. I finally just had Big Chris do a regrind to a full flat.
Click to expand...

It's not full flat, more like 3/4. And yea the consistency I am sure is there as it does get wider closer to the tip. I use my knives as intended and with such an exposed part of steel I worry about chipping or nicks, etc..thanks!
 
Gaston444 said:
*snip*...whatever little bit of performance you can get at 40° inclusive is gone so quickly you barely have time to use it a few times...*snip*
Click to expand...

A 40 inclusive edge will hold its edge a bit longer than a very thin edge. I thinner edge will cut better, but it won't hold up quite as long. And if as thin as the OP's it can chip or roll more easily.
I'm a retired Butcher/Meat Cutter that had to teach many. I kept mine at around 35 inclusive, but may go down to 30 on a knife that wasn't used much for boning. If I went any lower I would have to use the steel more often to straighten the edge back out.
 
JR88FAN said:
I am slightly confused by the issue (how does the SnG perform? Is this a cosmetic issue for you?) but, if you are not confortable with the bevel height I highly recommend sending it to Josh for a regrind.

Read here if you are interested in the results:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1298868-Initial-Impressions-Strider-SMF-Re-Grind
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Its not cosmetic; I don't care too much about how it looks. Like ken44 said, I am worried about chipping or rolling the edge. It seems vulnerable compared to a 36-40 degree inclusive edge. I'll read your write up when I have a minute JR88FAN.
 
Gaston444 said:
Razoredgeknives does a great job, but I would think you would want to sharpen your knife, not dull it... Is that what this is about?

I have to say I don't quite understand what the OP is complaining about... Is he complaining that his knife is too sharp? 15° per side is barely OK, and 10° per side is great, especially for the tip (that usually sucks rocks by being duller than the main edge)...: I use 10° per side in all my big 9-10" choppers with no problems, and I could go lower on pure slicers... I would think that on a folder that would be adequate...
¸
Is he complaining that the bevel's exposed side is too tall? Well that's not the fault of the sharpening angle: It means his knife is too thick in geometry. At least the tall bevel is helping get some sharpness out of it, even if this exposes the knife's poor geometry... It's way better than having a knife that requires effort to cut, and then slips abruptly and injures you, right?...



"Whittling" hair gives absolutely no indication of a knife's slicing performance... I'm actually saying the truth when this was pointed out to me by a high school buddy, and I never saw anything since that demonstrated this high school wisdom wrong... A 40 degrees inclusive edge is basically something that shouldn't be used at all, whittling hair or not, and it doesn't matter if that's how they all come from the box... Most makers who offer such edges obviously don't care if the edge performance is crap, and that whatever little bit of performance you can get at 40° inclusive is gone so quickly you barely have time to use it a few times... All they care about is that their edges are not portrayed as "weak" by someone who breaks knives on purpose...

If you want to send your knives to a professional sharpener to make them duller, I have to say I now wonder what this hobby is about...

Gaston
Click to expand...

You must enjoy putting words in people's mouths...
 
Blues Bender said:
You must enjoy putting words in people's mouths...
Click to expand...

Agreed man! I think I'll use it 'as is' right now. If it works without hurting itself, great! But if it seems to roll, chip and nick or otherwise seem weak, I'll be contacting the people you have recommended. I work in the oil field (unfortunately it's dying) and the demand is usually pretty high for a knife that can perform a variety of cutting tasks. More so than slicing fruit or opening letters, the knives I take out there are put to the test. Can't wait to get a Sebenza out there lol. I appreciate all of your guys' input. Stay safe! Happy 4th!
 
If the bevel is 4 times as wide as factory, then someone must have sharpened it to a smaller angle to make it slice better by giving it a thinner profile behind the edge.

If you have it reground to bring the bevel height down to factory, you'll just be removing metal and making it less of a slicer, relatively speaking. And you don't know if the reground is sufficient to prevent chipping.

I would use it as is. When it chips, then that will give you the minimum amount of steel that needs to be removed. You might be surprised and see that the knife doesn't chip or roll as is; not that I'm guaranteeing it won't but it's just a possibility. Two of the sharpening books I read have stated that they haven't found any knife compromised by thinning aggressively.
 
stuff_things said:
Thanks for the reply. Its not cosmetic; I don't care too much about how it looks. Like ken44 said, I am worried about chipping or rolling the edge. It seems vulnerable compared to a 36-40 degree inclusive edge. I'll read your write up when I have a minute JR88FAN.
Click to expand...

Strider HT is as good as it gets, not sure what the steel is on your SnG, but I am guessing S30?

My SMF is 154. Josh recommended 15DPS and my worry was exactly that, micro chipping.

I can safely say at this point, and I have used the regrind long enough, that micro chipping is not an issue...
(I accidently bashed the blade against concrete and zero happened)

I have maintained Josh's edge only with a strop, and I have used the knife a ton and hard since it came back.

Zero issues except I had to get used to the huge increase in slicing ability!!
 
JR88FAN said:
Strider HT is as good as it gets, not sure what the steel is on your SnG, but I am guessing S30?

My SMF is 154. Josh recommended 15DPS and my worry was exactly that, micro chipping.

I can safely say at this point, and I have used the regrind long enough, that micro chipping is not an issue...
(I accidently bashed the blade against concrete and zero happened)

I have maintained Josh's edge only with a strop, and I have used the knife a ton and hard since it came back.

Zero issues except I had to get used to the huge increase in slicing ability!!
Click to expand...

It's Alex, correct? I just read your write up on your SMF. Blown away. Absolutely brilliant capabilities from that knife! That is what I want. I probably made this entire inquiry more confusing than it needed to be (story of my life) but your SMF is the model and goal I am trying to achieve. I want to be able to pull my knife out of my pocket and not worry about damaging the pretty (pun) thin edge I have on it currently. And yes my steel is s30. It will glide thru paper, but once it nears the junction of belly and tip, it loses all slicing ability. The edge is actually asymmetrical as well and looks different on each side--the junction I mean. I believe the previous owner used a wicked edge and the belly is fantastic, but the bevel is just off. Thanks man.
 
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^^^I am glad my thread helped!

I loved my SMF before the regrind, but it's just on a whole other level for slicing capibility now.

I have lost nothing and gained so much as far as performance goes (I don't use it to smash through Cinder blocks)

Get in touch with Josh, you will find him to be of exceptional charachter and knowledge......
 
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