Knowing the edge angle, is it beneficial?

We say thet the three most important thing with a knife is: edge angle, edge angle and edge angle.

If you do not know your knifes edge angle and change the angle, you so not know where you atarted,myou sonnot know where you landed, and you do not know how long your traveling was - and what can you learn from not knowing what you just have done? You can not even evaluate what you have sone...

If you know your knifes edge angle, lets say 15 DPS - and you like ro change the edge angle, you have a reason (I hope) dor the change,mdor example you like rhe edge to penetrate better. Then you know that you need decrease the degrees so you regrind the edge to 14 DPS = you chjagevthebedge from 30 degrees to 28 degrees. When this is done you evaluate what you have done = you use the knife innthe same material and study how a 28 degree edge workn for you.

This means that you know where you started, you know where you landed, you know how long you have traveled and becouse of this can you evaluate what you hqve sone - ans you can learn from this - and that knowledge are you carrying with you dor ghe rest of your life. You now know the sifferance between. 30 degree total edge and a 28 degree total edge. You will never start from scratch again.

There was no real method to meassure edge angles before - so people did not focus on edge angles. (I now talk about normal knife users - nerds and geeks have been able to meassure edge angles earlyer - but not with precision - for that was scientist equipment necesarry).

My tool Chef, now about 10 years old,mwas the first sharpening tool with a built in protractor and a fixed distance of 28 cm between the cutting edge and the pivot point, this becouse Chef are asjustble for different blade width = the pivot point can slide along the upper part of Chef. Becouse of this function there is allways 28 cm between the cutting edge and the pivot point - and the protractor allways shows the correct degrees.

Then come the Angle Cube that made it possible to meassure the edge angle fast and simple down to about 0,1 degrees per side of the edge. Today other sharpening tools have a built in protractor - and there is not only Angle Cube on the market.

So, yes, in my mind - the edge angle are very important and it is also the plattform for deeper knowing and understanding of how edges work.

To understand what I talk about, by two cheap Mora Knifes. The main edge holds 11 DPS and there is a secondary bevel in 2-3 degrees also (very thin) so the total edge are 26-28 degree. Meassure the angle ao you know the exact angle on the first knife.
Change the other knife up or down 1 DPS - and then use this two knifes in the same piece of wood and whittle innthe wood - and feel the differance in preformance.
If you do this you can also evaluate how long time the knifes hold there sharpness and compare them to eachother - and from that will you learn new things.

You WILL need a aharpening tool for this and a Angle Cube (or similar) - and it is absolutley worth the afford :)

Thomas
 
The fact remains that for most of us, the difference between a 28 degree and 30 degree (included) edge is not going to make a huge difference with what we use a knife for daily.

I own lots of knives, lots of sharpening gear, have used knives in many different locales for many different uses over many decades and not once did I actually require the specific knowledge of my blade edge included angle.

That said, it does bring a certain degree of joy and accomplishment to many who enjoy the pursuit of a fine edge for its own sake, or to the very few where such precision might actually matter.

As you can see from the responses in this thread...opinions vary...even among those with lots of experience.

Me? I support everyone's right to pursue the edge that strikes just the right chord.
 
Blues said:
Me? I support everyone's right to pursue the edge that strikes just the right chord.
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Nice! Yes, for me it's performance and repeatability, and there's more than one way to skin a cat. Also, it may depend on how much time one has to experiment, and how much one must use/maintain the knife on a daily basis.

I find if I get it right the first time (which can be labor intensive and time consuming), it will work properly for years. (I set the angle at the beginning and use tape and a sharpie to label each knife, so I remember what I did.) Therefore, there is no need to revisit the question of the exact angle with any frequency.

Also, if one uses a zero edge and the same knives over and over, there's not much measurement involved there either. So I think there are many pros and cons to various systems. Time for experimentation, time for practical application (including sharpening on the fly), and results determine which mode is going to be most appropriate in the situation.
 
Blues said:
28 degree and 30 degree (included)
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I will admit to listing to the left as I read that and my nose got all wet and then as I read the 30 my nose dried up and I started to get all ADD :)
Involuntary reflex I suppose.
 
annr said:
there's more than one way to skin a cat.
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Well ACTUALLY the text book cat skinning edge geometry is spec'd at 12°, 30 minutes, 5 seconds. Perside obvously ;) :)
Some say zero seconds but they are the full time professional cat skinners.
Suport your local cat skinner :thumbsup:.
 
EdgePal said:
nerds and geeks have been able to measure edge angles earlyer - but not with precision - for that was scientist equipment necesarry).
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DO NOT underestimate the NerdGeekasaurus.
Link>>>> page down to last photo of the protractor made of sheet metal. Purchased at Sears about forty years ago.
It'll come within a full degree or so inclusive.
Close enough for everything but Cat Skinning.
Cat Skinning Is Not A Hobby
Hire A Professional !​
 
Wowbagger said:
I will admit to listing to the left as I read that and my nose got all wet and then as I read the 30 my nose dried up and I started to get all ADD :)
Involuntary reflex I suppose.
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I may be listing shortly as I pulled a tasty cigar out of the long unused humidor and poured myself a nice glass of Laphroaig Quarter Cask.
 
I use a black Sharpie, I can buy a lot of Sharpie's for 300.00

Yes, I like to get to know the edge before I grind on it, otherwise I feel cheap :cool:
 
SteelJunkee said:
yes most of the time they are used for tough camping task and chopping etc...
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I see. Thank you. I had not realized that was a common use case. How long and/or heavy are the knives you are describing? I've seen everything from a Buck 110 to a full-on Bowie called a hunting knife.
 
From there if the edge gets rolled a bit or dinged I put a bit of a micro bevel on the edge to toughen it up a little. If it holds up well I may even thin it more in future sharpening.
Thanks for that ^ Wowbagger. I recently started playing around with edge angles and this was something I was thinking about trying after getting some tiny edge roll. I must read more on Micro beveling.:thumbsup:
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I run machete edges at 15° per side without any issue whatsoever, even when chopping frozen pine knots.
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Same. Also, they just last and last when they zip right through anything being cut. It's when they get stopped in the cut that damage occurs. It's for this reason that I always cut at an angle to the branch when using a machete. If you aren't cutting as much directly perpendicular to the grain it's much easier to sever in one shot first time every time.
 
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