If I dont own a Sebenza.....

A better question is can I be taken seriously as a knife guy if I can't sharpen knives.

I ran into a sebenza user at a knife shop.

I was checking out the diamond stroping compounds on display and testing them with my Gayle Bradley Spydie to see if I could tree top arm hair with 1 micron abrasives.

A curious fellow approached.

And pulled out his Sebenza.

I chet chat with the sebenza user. He let me check out his small Seb. 21with micarta. Sweet blade. But it could use a touch up.
I felt bad because owner told me he doesn't know how to sharpen or strop but owns the highest quality production folder made.

It's like having a favorite book series with a friend bur he tells you he is ilterate.

I gave him some advice and carefully stroped his $500 piece at his request. It didn't take the strop as well due to needing a few passes on a high grit stone or ceramic to straighten out some glints seen in the light on the edge. I explain this to him but he said it felt sharper anyway.

Cool guy, but damn, just seemed brutal.

Owning an awesome knife is irrelevant if one can't sharpen it. How can a person truly appreciate their knife if they can't experience it fully?

It's like having an insanely fast car with no driving skills.

Just a trophy piece.

Ouch.
 
DeadboxHero said:
A better question is can I be taken seriously as a knife guy if I can't sharpen knives.

I ran into a sebenza user at a knife shop.

I was checking out the diamond stroping compounds on display and testing them with my Gayle Bradley Spydie to see if I could tree top arm hair with 1 micron abrasives.

A curious fellow approached.

And pulled out his Sebenza.

I chet chat with the sebenza user. He let me check out his small Seb. 21with micarta. Sweet blade. But it could use a touch up.
I felt bad because owner told me he doesn't know how to sharpen or strop but owns the highest quality production folder made.

It's like having a favorite book series with a friend bur he tells you he is ilterate.

I gave him some advice and carefully stroped his $500 piece at his request. It didn't take the strop as well due to needing a few passes on a high grit stone or ceramic to straighten out some glints seen in the light on the edge. I explain this to him but he said it felt sharper anyway.

Cool guy, but damn, just seemed brutal.

Owning an awesome knife is irrelevant if one can't sharpen it. How can a person truly appreciate their knife if they can't experience it fully?

It's like having an insanely fast car with no driving skills.

Just a trophy piece.

Ouch.
Click to expand...

Now that is snobby. He may have been new to the hobby and still hasn't learned to sharpen. Not cool IMHO, to look down on people for not having skills.
 
Interpret it as you wish. He came to me, he asked me, I helped him. I posted here to share my thoughts and opinions in a thread filled with thoughts and opinions.
 
deadboxhero said:
a better question is can i be taken seriously as a knife guy if i can't sharpen knives.

I ran into a sebenza user at a knife shop.

I was checking out the diamond stroping compounds on display and testing them with my gayle bradley spydie to see if i could tree top arm hair with 1 micron abrasives.

A curious fellow approached.

And pulled out his sebenza.

I chet chat with the sebenza user. He let me check out his small seb. 21with micarta. Sweet blade. But it could use a touch up.
I felt bad because owner told me he doesn't know how to sharpen or strop but owns the highest quality production folder made.

It's like having a favorite book series with a friend bur he tells you he is ilterate.

I gave him some advice and carefully stroped his $500 piece at his request. It didn't take the strop as well due to needing a few passes on a high grit stone or ceramic to straighten out some glints seen in the light on the edge. I explain this to him but he said it felt sharper anyway.

Cool guy, but damn, just seemed brutal.

Owning an awesome knife is irrelevant if one can't sharpen it. How can a person truly appreciate their knife if they can't experience it fully?

It's like having an insanely fast car with no driving skills.

Just a trophy piece.

Ouch.
Click to expand...

bur bur
 
Don't worry what others think. It's better to have a serious knife and have noone know about it, than be taken seriously on the internet!
 
You are a "whatever guy" when you have knowledge, wisdom, and experience in that subject. I'm not a bike guy because I have expensive bikes, I'm a bike guy because I'm a bike geek and have been for a long time. Experience lead me to the gear, but gear does not make the enthusiast you cannot pay to make people take you seriously.
 
DeadboxHero said:
A better question is can I be taken seriously as a knife guy if I can't sharpen knives.

I ran into a sebenza user at a knife shop.

I was checking out the diamond stroping compounds on display and testing them with my Gayle Bradley Spydie to see if I could tree top arm hair with 1 micron abrasives.

A curious fellow approached.

And pulled out his Sebenza.

I chet chat with the sebenza user. He let me check out his small Seb. 21with micarta. Sweet blade. But it could use a touch up.
I felt bad because owner told me he doesn't know how to sharpen or strop but owns the highest quality production folder made.

It's like having a favorite book series with a friend bur he tells you he is ilterate.

I gave him some advice and carefully stroped his $500 piece at his request. It didn't take the strop as well due to needing a few passes on a high grit stone or ceramic to straighten out some glints seen in the light on the edge. I explain this to him but he said it felt sharper anyway.

Cool guy, but damn, just seemed brutal.

Owning an awesome knife is irrelevant if one can't sharpen it. How can a person truly appreciate their knife if they can't experience it fully?

It's like having an insanely fast car with no driving skills.

Just a trophy piece.

Ouch.
Click to expand...

Meh, I tend to agree with you here. I didn't feel you were trying to be arrogant about it but I guess you might have tricked me. hehe. ;) To me, it's not a matter of looking down upon someone who is not proficient at sharpening....not at all. It's just the recognition that that is a very relevant and rewarding part of the "knife hobby", and anyone who is not a practiced sharpener is missing out on one of the more rewarding aspects of what we do. But if you haven't embarked on the sharpening journey or the "darkside" as Chuck likes to call it then don't despair; rather rejoice, because there is much fun and a greater appreciation of knives ahead.
 
The "serious" knife world seems to be a small group. Most people don't know who Chris Reeve is - they will tell you it was the guy who played Superman.

That said, if you are serious about the hobby, it's worth it to pick one up used off the forums just to try it out. You can always resell it and recover most of what you paid for it.

Do I think it gives you "respect" in the knife world? Absolutely not - there are many knives I have never owned after 25+ years of collecting - Busse, Randall, Emerson, etc.
 
I hope not. I will never buy one (unless I hit a 100+ mil Powerball). I have never held one. I did see a pic of one on the interweb once. Plus, I'd rather have a Jarbenza.
 
Everyone needs to experience a Sebenza.
And, a Spyderco and a Emerson folder.
rolf
 
DeadboxHero said:
A better question is can I be taken seriously as a knife guy if I can't sharpen knives.

I ran into a sebenza user at a knife shop.

I was checking out the diamond stroping compounds on display and testing them with my Gayle Bradley Spydie to see if I could tree top arm hair with 1 micron abrasives.

A curious fellow approached.

And pulled out his Sebenza.

I chet chat with the sebenza user. He let me check out his small Seb. 21with micarta. Sweet blade. But it could use a touch up.
I felt bad because owner told me he doesn't know how to sharpen or strop but owns the highest quality production folder made.

It's like having a favorite book series with a friend bur he tells you he is ilterate.

I gave him some advice and carefully stroped his $500 piece at his request. It didn't take the strop as well due to needing a few passes on a high grit stone or ceramic to straighten out some glints seen in the light on the edge. I explain this to him but he said it felt sharper anyway.

Cool guy, but damn, just seemed brutal.

Owning an awesome knife is irrelevant if one can't sharpen it. How can a person truly appreciate their knife if they can't experience it fully?

It's like having an insanely fast car with no driving skills.

Just a trophy piece.

Ouch.
Click to expand...

No, that's like owning an insanely fast car but not being able to service it once it breaks down or being able to replace a part when one needs replacing. The know how required for car maintenance or knife maintenance is not required to be a knife or car enthusiast. You could pay for someone to sharpen your knives and repair your car and still get the same enjoyment out of driving/using your knives as someone who does the maintenance them selves.

I don't blame him for not trying to sharpen his sebenza, free hand sharpening has a bit of a learning curve at first and I scratched the hell out of my blades when I started initially. I'm still pretty bad but i'm able to maintain a working edge with the skills and equipment I have now on my carbon steel blades.

To answer the original poster's question, to be a knife guy in my book, just knowing how and why something like a sebenza is more expensive and a better tool than a Chinese made kershaw is enough. (or at least able to debate the finer points if they are in disagreement of my previous statement)
 
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Surfingringo said:
Meh, I tend to agree with you here. I didn't feel you were trying to be arrogant about it but I guess you might have tricked me. hehe. ;) To me, it's not a matter of looking down upon someone who is not proficient at sharpening....not at all. It's just the recognition that that is a very relevant and rewarding part of the "knife hobby", and anyone who is not a practiced sharpener is missing out on one of the more rewarding aspects of what we do. But if you haven't embarked on the sharpening journey or the "darkside" as Chuck likes to call it then don't despair; rather rejoice, because there is much fun and a greater appreciation of knives ahead.
Click to expand...

I strongly agree.I know lots of people who use knives until the edge is so bad it has to be re-profiled.It is because they lack sharpening equipment...and have tried on nearly useless devices and had poor results.So they give up.Then they chuck the blade in a drawer and get another cheapie!
All they need is a little education...then they can make better choices.Once they get a decent stone or sharpmaker or whatever it is fun to watch them progress to the guy with bald patches on his arm.The journey and the art of sharpening is very enjoyable...for some.
I have met those who just don't think it worth their time and they pay a pro to do it for them.I don't look down on these people but I strongly feel they are missing out.
Heck, obsessing over the edge and using a microscope to check the apex is very fun for me!I have some very strong lens sets that allow for a decent bevel view while working.The 100x microscope setting does not lie for the final evaluation.Every mistake is clear!!!

But like any other interest...there are varying levels of interest in various aspects.But edge maintenance seems fundamental to actually using knives...and very important to really experience the differences between various steels.

But that's just my opinion.
 
cistercian said:
I strongly agree.I know lots of people who use knives until the edge is so bad it has to be re-profiled.It is because they lack sharpening equipment...and have tried on nearly useless devices and had poor results.So they give up.Then they chuck the blade in a drawer and get another cheapie!
All they need is a little education...then they can make better choices.Once they get a decent stone or sharpmaker or whatever it is fun to watch them progress to the guy with bald patches on his arm.The journey and the art of sharpening is very enjoyable...for some.
I have met those who just don't think it worth their time and they pay a pro to do it for them.I don't look down on these people but I strongly feel they are missing out.
Heck, obsessing over the edge and using a microscope to check the apex is very fun for me!I have some very strong lens sets that allow for a decent bevel view while working.The 100x microscope setting does not lie for the final evaluation.Every mistake is clear!!!

But like any other interest...there are varying levels of interest in various aspects.But edge maintenance seems fundamental to actually using knives...and very important to really experience the differences between various steels.

But that's just my opinion.
Click to expand...

No argument. But I won't look down on any person who can't sharpen. I have been sharpening knives since I was child(my folks had a farm) but I didn't know what sharp was until I started here in BF.

I will not sharpen a knife for a knife guy who refuses to try to learn to sharpen though.
 
Yep.I don't look down on them.Everybody has their own set of abilities...I can't dance very well at all for example.
The list of things I can't do superbly is long...very long!

I did not know what sharp was either. This forum is an absolute goldmine of knowledge!
 
I carry a sebenza and most people don't know about. It is usually inside my pocket and it only see the light of day when it needs to be used.
I can keep it sharp enough but what was bothering me was that i never dissassembled one; then post it in the forum got some good suggestions and learned to do it.
This added to my appreciation of the knife as well made, long lasting tool.
 
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