knife nuts that dont sharpen

There isn't a dull knife in my house!
I think most people don't really understand what sharp really means. I'm "The Knife Guy" at my work. Sometimes I'll see an old Buck pouch on a guys belt and ask him about it. They'll say yeah the thing is sharp, and in my mind it's not even close. I usually just keep it to myself because I don't want to hurt people's feelings.
It's really satisfying to be able to sharpen your own knives to levels that most people cant even comprehend.
 
I know a few guys at work that will only buy BM knives because they take advantage of their free sharpening.

I used a lansky for many many years to profile and then a sharpmaker to maintain. I have an edge pro apex, but at least for me it took the "fun" out of sharpening, not sure why maybe it's just too hard to get into a rhythm like I could with the lansky. However, my results were marginally better with the edge pro than the lansky.

I have a worksharp and I love it for kitchen knives, super fast, but I'm not comfortable with it enough to try it on my nice folders.

Sometimes I wonder if even after 30 years I'm still not sharpening right, I can get a very sharp edge, it will glide through phone book paper, but it never lasts that long, cut open a couple boxes and it's no longer super sharp, even with high end steel. Where you read posts from guys that cut up rope, tons of boxes and their edges are still shaving sharp after hundreds of cuts. For awhile I thought I was getting a wire edge etc. but even under a high power loupe it looks fine. Still have more to learn I guess.

One thing I have NEVER been able to get right is stropping. I've watched videos, tried different strops and compounds and I only make the edge "worse". Perhaps it's because I prefer a toothy edge and the strop is made for a high polish edge, so even if I get it "right" it doesn't cut like I want.

I'm always amazed at the guys that can get wicked sharp results off of whetstone sharpening. That to me is the grail of sharpening, no tools, no brackets/clamps, no adapters etc. just a couple stones and some water.
 
ToddM said:
I'm always amazed at the guys that can get wicked sharp results off of whetstone sharpening. That to me is the grail of sharpening, no tools, no brackets/clamps, no adapters etc. just a couple stones and some water.
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I'm not sure if I'll ever get a system because I've always used a stone; it's so satisfying when I get good results because of the same reasons you posted.
Given my bevels always come out to a slight convex and are nowhere near as clean as what a system will give you, but the fact that I can get a shaving sharp edge is good enough for me. Once I get some Suehiro Rika stones I'll buckle down and really try to see how clean I can get it.
 
scottabrandeberry said:
and a couple of years ago a Wicked Edge Pro Pack II and StropMan strops. I have been really enjoying through my collection, seeing how different steels react.
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I've seen Stropman mentioned a few times here. As a beginner with a Sharpmaker (plus diamond rods, no UF) and mostly small blades 3.5" and less, which strop and compounds should I get from Stropman? Should I also be getting the UF Sharpmaker rods?
 
I have always sharpened freehand on various kinds of stones. I am not great at it, but can get an adequate working edge. A year or two ago I got some paper wheels for a bench grinder. I get very good results with that method and the learning curve wasn't too steep.
 
There is a stage for every knife guy I would say. That they don't know how to sharpen. For me that was from age 8-12. By then I practiced and was directed with a wet stone. I sucked for a few years. But by the time I was 18 I could get a shaving sharp edge free hand. Today there is not a dull knife or tool in the house if I can help it.
I see guys on here buying and selling new knives all the time. They use the factory edge and then sell it because they cannot sharpen. I see it all the time. Makes me giggle.
It is also common to see guys buy every sharpener they can and just hack all of them. All I use now is a few grits of sand paper 320-600 and a sharpmaker and strop after that. That's all you need.
 
I'm not very good at sharpening at all. I have a Lansky Croc stick, or whatever its called, I forget. I also have a cheap system similar to the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I use that when I need to get some real sharpening done, otherwise I just use the Lansky, it does a decent enough job. I practice with a wet stone when I can find the time. I'll practice for an hour or better and not make any progress.

I do like my knives to be sharp. A sharp knife is a safe knife.

I work with a fellow who carries a Spyderco Dragonfly, I think. Not really sure, he doesn't say much to anyone and I haven't got too good of a look at at. I would like to assume he keeps it sharp, but from the way he cuts things with it, more like hacking than cutting, it appears to be dull.
 
I consider myself lucky, my old man taught me to sharpen freehand on a whetstone and of course I wasn't a "pro" right away, but with LOTS of practice, i learned, and take pride in my ability to maintain my knives in the "old school" ways. of course as materials have become more advanced, so have sharpening equipment, but I do feel that I have adapted to the new "systems" because of where I started.

all in all, it seems odd to me to own tools and not be able to maintain them....alot like owning a firearm, but not knowing how to disassemble and clean it when necessary.
 
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