Little disappointed in sharpness of GEC knives. Need help.

Jack Black said:
LOL! Very good Al :D :thumbup:
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Well done, Al.

In my opinion a new knife should be sharp enough to cut. That's what most folks buy a knife for. I don't care who made it, it should have a decent edge out of the box.

I'm an older guy and I really don't recall ever getting a new knife that was dull back in the '60s or '70s. They'd be sharp enough to use. When they got dull out came the old Carborundum stone that my dad taught me on.

That being said; anyone who owns and uses knives should take the time to learn how to sharpen them. Whether you do it freehand or use a "system" of some kind, learn how to sharpen your knives. You will never regret it.
 
I would like to add that there is a big difference between sharpening and reprofiling a knife. Sharpening a knife isn't a big deal- refining the edge et al.... But new knives shouldn't have to have the bevels reset, or even ground after purchase. Functionally sharp with a decent grind is all I ask for. To me GEC fails most at sharpening a bevel all the way to the tip of their clip points- once the belly starts I find their grind grts more obtuse. But I find most modern traditional companies have this fault.
 
Vedenant said:
Can anybody enlighten me on why people are willing to tolerate NIB dull knives from some manufacturers and not from others?

Let's say that the OP had posted this on Spyderco/BM sub-forum, instead of getting these "learn to sharpen" replies, he would most likely have gotten "return it for your money back and get another brand" and (esp. with BM) "Their quality is so bad these days!" replies.

IMHO when you buy a knife, you buy something sharp. If you want something to sharpen yourself, buy a wooden spoon and sharpen that with your sharp NIB knife!
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Any traditional is at risk of not being sharp when new. Maybe wrong geometry is a problem. They don't benefit from as much modern manufacturing.

Anyways, I use my knives and expect to sharpen them. I really don't get upset about it from anyone. Prefer some kind of sharp though.
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
I would like to add that there is a big difference between sharpening and reprofiling a knife. Sharpening a knife isn't a big deal- refining the edge et al.... But new knives shouldn't have to have the bevels reset, or even ground after purchase. Functionally sharp with a decent grind is all I ask for. To me GEC fails most at sharpening a bevel all the way to the tip of their clip points- once the belly starts I find their grind grts more obtuse. But I find most modern traditional companies have this fault.
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Agree.
 
In all probability, the traditional slipjoint most of us carry gets more use than any other knife we own. It should be the sharpest knife we own.
 
This has been discussed before. I have had a few more than decent edges. I can't really complain. I have had one or two that needed a tiny bit of work to get sharp.


My love for GEC comes from the fact that they understand proper main grind geometry.

Thin behind the edge.


My GEC edges have been superior to the Queens I have purchased, but more importantly, they have been fat behind the edge!
 
MerryMadMonk said:
sharpguide_zpsfp3hdnra.jpg
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Might I copy that and use it as needed in future posts?
I promise to give credit to the genius who created that lovely flow chart.
 
The latest GEC's are coming sharper from the factory, but nowhere close to my definition of sharp. I have one 15 that was sharpened by a BF member with japanese waterstones to 4000 grit, it had a terrible uneven grind (clip point) from the factory. It's now one of the sharpest knives I own. It took a re-profile to get it right. A strop every once in a while is all it takes to get it scary sharp. Granted they can't take that much time to sharpen but it sure makes it a pleasure to carry and use. Getting it right to begin with is a good starting point.
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
I would like to add that there is a big difference between sharpening and reprofiling a knife. Sharpening a knife isn't a big deal- refining the edge et al.... But new knives shouldn't have to have the bevels reset, or even ground after purchase. Functionally sharp with a decent grind is all I ask for. To me GEC fails most at sharpening a bevel all the way to the tip of their clip points- once the belly starts I find their grind grts more obtuse. But I find most modern traditional companies have this fault.
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I couldn't agree more, that's the most annoying part. From the belly up to the tip takes about 5 times as long to get right than the rest of the edge. But as you said, this problem is pretty much universal. (Maybe that's why I love straight edged knives so much? :))
I just use a waterstone to reprofile the edge the first time (the factory edges are too obtuse for me). But the good thing is that GEC puts a thin (although obtuse) bevel on their knives, so there's not too much to do when reprofiling.
After that it's really easy to maintain it with a pocket stone or strop.
 
99% of my GEC knives came sharp. Get a stone, learn how to use it, it ain't rocket science.:rolleyes:
 
Pipeman said:
99% of my GEC knives came sharp. Get a stone, learn how to use it, it ain't rocket science.:rolleyes:
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Almost all ine were dull enough to drag my finger along the edge while applying pressure and I didn't sustain any cuts. They wouldn't cut 20 lb computer paper. That's pretty bad. Were yours actually sharp?
 
I can remember and I am sure some of the older members on this forum remember when you purchased a pocket knife most of them were not sharp at all. I guess it was understood that anyone getting a knife knew how to sharpen the thing. Factory edges are nice if done right but I never leave a factory edge on a knife. A good Norton stone is just the thing for traditional knives and most other knives.
 
Fanglekai said:
Almost all ine were dull enough to drag my finger along the edge while applying pressure and I didn't sustain any cuts. They wouldn't cut 20 lb computer paper. That's pretty bad. Were yours actually sharp?
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One was dullish the rest were sharp. I guess my question is, why buy a knife if you aren't willing to learn to sharpen it?

Regards

Robin
 
Robin, i take issue with what you say in post # 56. It is not a case of being unwilling to sharpen a blade. It is that you should not have to do this on a brand new knife. I just received 2 # 15's both with Sheepsfoot blade and both blades have uneven, obtuse edge grinds that do not go right to the tip. The rest of the workmanship is quite good so why is it o.k. for the person who does the edge grind to do such a lousy job ? This seems like a 'slap in the face' to the rest of the GEC workers who are trying and succeeding in doing good work.
I agree, all of us here who are knife lovers should be able to sharpen a blade, but after we have used it some, not before you use it.
What other tool do you have to work on when brand new to get it to do it's intended job ?
And, i know you like Rough Rider knives. I bet in part it is because they always come shaving sharp.
kj
 
kootenay joe said:
Robin, i take issue with what you say in post # 56. It is not a case of being unwilling to sharpen a blade. It is that you should not have to do this on a brand new knife. I just received 2 # 15's both with Sheepsfoot blade and both blades have uneven, obtuse edge grinds that do not go right to the tip. The rest of the workmanship is quite good so why is it o.k. for the person who does the edge grind to do such a lousy job ? This seems like a 'slap in the face' to the rest of the GEC workers who are trying and succeeding in doing good work.
I agree, all of us here who are knife lovers should be able to sharpen a blade, but after we have used it some, not before you use it.
What other tool do you have to work on when brand new to get it to do it's intended job ?
And, i know you like Rough Rider knives. I bet in part it is because they always come shaving sharp.
kj
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For me it's simple, If I buy a knife that comes dull, I sharpen it. RR knives are whole different kettle of fish and other than sharp vs not so sharp are Not comparable to GEC knives which are close to handmade. For me, I could care less if GECs come dull, I enjoy sharpening and NO company can really compare to their quality and design IMO.
Regards

Robin
 
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