Mirror Mirror on the wall, who is the greatest sharpener of them all.

C

Cliff Stamp

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After I started measuring sharpness awhile ago I thought it would be interesting to compare different people along with manufacturers plus the various sharpening services. I am currently compiling a list of the sharpest blades I have seen.

If you are curious as to how you compare, or just want to showcase your amazing skills then drop me an email. I will be sending out identical blades to anyone interested and you can return them to me when you are done. At least two blades will be sent for a consistency check. If you want more that is no problem.

The blades will be standard Olfa blades and thus can be shipped very cheaply so there is no real cost involved on your part. Some will be used so you may have to create a bevel before sharpening. Specify your equipment so I can judge accordingly,if you have power sharpening you get the worst ones. If you just want to showcase your sharpmaker skills you get a fairly new one, etc. .

Sharpness will be determined by a thread cut, cotton slices, plus a few of the common tests (newsprint, tissue paper, etc.), then there will be an edge holding test on 3/8" hemp (push / slice). I'll be sending a couple to Ben Dale, Razor Edge, and a few others, so if you are curious as to how you hold up, or just want to take a shot at the title, then it is just an email away.

-Cliff
 
Hi Cliff. Thats a great idea, I hope you have a few here to participate in the challange. I bought some cheap paring knives at a gunshow [ made in Taiwan} that were sharpened by the dealer on a paper wheel. Good gosh they were scary sharp..! :eek:
 
A couple of points to clarify :

-there is no time limit on this, as blades come in and I get the page up, a similar notice will be on it, so it can evolve

-you can modifiy the blades anyway you want to improve the cutting performance, this won't really effect the thread or cotton cutting significantly, but will make a difference on the rope cutting in some respects

-if I get some really tricked out ones, like a deep hollow grind, rehardening plus full cryo, I'll probably create an open and standard class

-the blades are already really thin, 0.5 mm, so they are easy to sharpen

This is mainly for fun and entertainment, plus of course it has the abilty to be informative, as you can provide a blurb for your method as I will link to your score.

I will be contacting some of the custom makers who are known for extra sharp blades and seeing if they are interested. Anyone else who knows anyone can do this as well and if they are interested just have them contact me and I'll send the blades off.

-Cliff
 
I would do it too, but I would have to give my thanks to Spyderco. I am just the monkey pushing the blade along.
 
Interesting idea, Cliff. I look forward to seeing the results of this - especially the methods used.
 
I would like to be part....but I dont think my method is all that good.(Lansky!)
And for my cheap work blades I ues whats called a (Speedy Sharp)
It really put a nice edge on them, I have even started using it on my BM.
This should be interesting when fin.

Thanks
Zoo
 
I'll go ahead with this just because I respect Cliff and his testing methods. I've always thought I could put a decent edge on a knife and I guess it's about time I learned how bad I am at it. I've got trepidations about going up against some of the fine folks who frequent this place but since it's all in fun, what the hell. Let's give it a go. E-mail on the way.

BTW, I use a Lansky too. No fancy retreats, no major blade reprofiling, no...nothing much at all...can we have different classes for this Cliff? I kind of feel like a guy who picked up a magnetic chess set and has to face Deep Blue in a couple of weeks.
 
ZOO said:
... I dont think my method is all that good.
Click to expand...
One of the more interesting aspects would be to look at the results of the different systems, I am going to try to find some of the cheapest sharpeners I can find and put up some results for them.

-Cliff
 
I got the first round of blades back - Ben Dale. I have not tested them yet, but he automatically gets king of the hill status with the first entry and removing him I would assume is going to be difficult.

-Cliff
 
I can't hold a candle to you guys, so I won't compete. But, if you could post the results somewhere (at least the method and equipment used), that would be great.
 
I can get a blade sharp enough for everyday use but still can't seem to detect a 'burr' at any point. Weel documented (with photos) of the winners method would be great
 
I will be putting up info on the methods used as described by the individuals, with their contact information unless they are opposed to it.

-Cliff
 
If you want to try just send me an email with your mailing address and I send you the blades to sharpen.

-Cliff
 
I'll be looking forward to participating. I'm glad to see it is an open-ended contest. I just boxed and shipped all my knife stuff, so I'll have to wait till I get to Iraq to work on my entry.

Will you have any heart-ache send to an APO?
 
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