Mirror Finished Blades

V

Vicarious Reality

Joined
Apr 9, 2008
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Why is there next to no high-end common folders with a mirror polished blade? I can read this text in the reflection on my $20-something Spartan Victorinox SAK, and it's beautiful.
Is it because it shows scratches? Is it really that expensive to pay someone to sit with a cloth wheel and buff up 50-150 dollar class blades? A buffed up spyderco military would look freakin' great i think.
I think i'm going to buy a fast screwdriver and do most of my blades by myself.
 
I have an Al Mar Payara that has an almost mirror finish, and I really don't like it. Every time I open it, touch the blade, leaves a fingerprint. Residue from things I cut show up so clearly.
Also its reflective enough to nearly momentarily blind someone with light. I'm considering a few ways to dull the finish.
But a military with a blade finish just like a SAK? I would buy that.

Not everyone likes mirror finish, and I'd even say that bigger then SAK blades might be seen as more "dangerous" by non knife people.
 
You pretty much got it, it shows scratches. You do see polished finishes on gentleman's blades though, of which the SAK is a good example.

I believe the Spyderco Stretch also has a mirror finished blade.
 
Just more time consuming I imagine and hard to get it done correctly without the orange peel affect. I have a hunter/camper/survival knife made by a company in Poland from X15 super steel. Mirror polished and it is perfect. Literally a mirror. Reminds me of the PUMA white hunter in blade style. But I imagine that it was done by hand and something that unless you are a knifemaker per say and not a company would be harder to do just because of the assembly line type of prod. the companies have. keepem sharp
 
I wouldn't have a mirror polished blade on a user as all that will have is it will get scratched up the 1st time you use it.

For safe queens they are fine.
 
I do not like mirror polished blades. It looks.....like a safe queen. A collectible. And leaves smudges etc. However, they have their place in certain knives, like loveless style knives. Even then, I prefer a fine handrubbed satin finish.

For working knives, a nice stonewashed finish is actually quite up my alley, although a satin finish works too.
 
I kept a mirror polish on my working carbon blade Randalls from day one. Yes they show finger prints and scratches more easily, but I've carried them in 90 degree sweated heat and 10 degree snow all day weather without so much as one rust spot or pit. A little patience and some metal polish has kept them in like new condition for over 15 years. I love mirror finishes and wouldn't mind every knife I own being a mirror finish.

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Bill
 
Hitthespot said:
I kept a mirror polish on my working carbon blade Randalls from day one. Yes they show finger prints and scratches more easily, but I've carried them in 90 degree sweated heat and 10 degree snow all day weather without so much as one rust spot or pit. A little patience and some metal polish has kept them in like new condition for over 15 years. I love mirror finishes and wouldn't mind every knife I own being a mirror finish.

model5k.jpg


Bill
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Sweet knife but if I owned it that baby would have an awesome patina on it.:)
 
Mirror polished blade on a Terzuola ATCF user. Scratches don't bother me a bit.
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The blade steel is CPM-154 and it takes a good polish. IIRC mirror polishing a blade is beneficial in that it inhibits rust.
 
I think a lot of people feel they look cheap (me included) as many cheap garbage knives had them. They cost more and are less functional. No real point on user knives which most production knives are
 
A mirror polish is expensive to do.

Beadblast, stonewash, black coatings, etc are all cheaper.

Also, some steels don't take a mirror polish well---D2 for example.
 
I like looking at them, but hate using them. I feel guilty every time I put a scratch on one. Not for me.
 
wongKI said:
You pretty much got it, it shows scratches. You do see polished finishes on gentleman's blades though, of which the SAK is a good example.

I believe the Spyderco Stretch also has a mirror finished blade.
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On the scratch front a coated blade looks worse, so I don't think that's a valid reason. It has to do with more work and pricing, I guess...
 
The mirror finish on my Case trappers have yet to get severely scratched up, and they're my favorites for EDC. My favorite SAK is the same way, there's a few small marks but they're not severely scratched. I think the reasons for it have all been mentioned, it's expensive, time consuming, hard to do with some steels, and a lot of people don't like it. I like it on my slipjoints and some of my smaller fixed blades but I wouldn't want it on my one handers or big bowies or anything like that, it just looks out of place.
 
It's probably because the market doesn't demand it. If there was a lot of demand, there would be a lot of supply.
 
When I get something from someone like Walter Brend I want the hollows mirrored. I know I'm not going to be using the knife and it really makes the grind lines pop. Especially when contrasted with satin flats.
 
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