Intentionally Not Sharp?

[Bob6794]

there is perhaps some truth in this. *most* people are not used to sharp knives.
gave my father-in-law a swiss army knife for christmas. he recently remarked to me how really useful it has been but that he had nicked himself a couple of times because he isnt used to that sharp of a knife. it was right out of the blister pack; i didnt do anything to the edge at all. he isnt a doofus, he was a biology teacher and likes fishing and cooking so he has handled a knife before.

Wouldn't be too surprise if some manufacturers skimp on the sharpening as it seems a lot of people aren't use to a sharp knife and can get away with it. I just handed a friend my Cryo a few days ago to look at, 1min latter I hear a "Oww thats sharp" and hands the knife back to me.

 

[DrPenguin]

Will -

Out of curiosity, was it a new BR, or an older one? Convex edge, I take it?

Honestly I couldn't tell you. It is a green micarta version of the Highland Special. A really nice knife. Everything was good and tight and well fitted. But the edge was a mess. If you looked down the blade you could find flat spots that didn't blend into the normal convex. And toward the last inch or so at the tip the edge was uneven and ragged.

I tried to straighten it out by just stropping it but it was a bit much. I got it what I considered sharp but hadn't made it through the skinning of one deer before it was dead dull. So I just put it in the clamp and started experimenting to see what angle came closest. I settled on a 20 degree per side bevel. It cut a little of the supporting metal away but I ain't worried about it. I stropped it enough to get the shoulder of the bevel rounded off just a tad and called it good. It will take several years of processing deer and restropping to get a true convex back but I am not worried in the least. It is an extremely sharp knife now.

All in all a great knife. But it had issues. I am not a real fan of convex grinds anyway unless you are using the knife to do things I usually don't use one for. If I had it to do over I would probably go with something a bit smaller with a more normal grind. Maybe the BH Frontier First. That is a bit better sized for deer hunting methinks.

Will

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Wouldn't be too surprise if some manufacturers skimp on the sharpening as it seems a lot of people aren't use to a sharp knife and can get away with it. I just handed a friend my Cryo a few days ago to look at, 1min latter I hear a "Oww thats sharp" and hands the knife back to me.

Outside of us knife nuts' expectations, I see a lot of truth in that. I still get a lot of wide-eyed stares when using my own edges in front of family members. One of my sisters won't even touch or handle my knives, nor does she want me to 'sharpen' the knives she uses in the kitchen. She's too afraid of them; to some extent, there's some justification in it. I think the fear of a really sharp edge tends to create 'accidents' for some people who aren't otherwise accustomed to the light touch and steady control needed when using a really sharp knife. I've held off sharpening the knives my parents use, as they're older now and have issues with manual dexterity (arthritis, weak grip) that could be disastrous if their grip slips or they drop a really sharp blade. My mother handles her kitchen knives so very casually, with fingers routinely on the blade's edge, that anything called 'sharp' would draw blood in her hands.


David