Must all knives be razor sharp?

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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I know that it is the general rule to have knives "popping sharp".

But recently I began to question this general rule. Surely not all knives must be so sharp that it can split hair.

Some knives, I believe, are not designed to be extraordinarily sharp because their function may differ from blades with different functions.

All knife collectors like to have knives that can shave hair after cutting hanging ropes with ease 300 times.

I am just wondering what would those less-than-popping-sharp knives be?
 
I like having my knives shave as well as the next guy, but I often find that a rougher, yet sharp edge cuts better. Sometimes, a finely honed edge slips off whatever you are cutting rather than biting in and slicing.

Anyway, I still keep a cleanly shaved patch on my arm. Old habits are hard to break.
 
Kitchen knives perform better if the edges are a little rough. I don't mean dull. I mean not a polished edge and not an edge that will shave. These knives should saw not scrape.
 
i've always had a hangup on knife sharpness everything i carry and own has to have as sharp a edge as possible.but a nice edge,same grind,no scratches to blade etc.
 
Has to be wicked sharp, or it sits on the workbench and something else is carried until its up to standards. Knives that I don't carry regularly must be razor sharp too, never know when you might want to use them or let someone borrow one.
 
Like everyone here I like my knives to be crazy sharp but my sharpening skills at this point are weak and even the 204 will not always produce hair shaving results for me.

With that said my EDC doesn't always have that 'crazy edge' on it but it still functions well for what I use it for. (It's never dull but it just hardly ever has that polished edge that others seem to be able to achieve).
 
I really like the "hair popping" edges too, however, when I go hunting I prefer my edge to not be that sharp because that sharp an edge won't cut as long for skinning purposes. Just my two cents!
 
I get them to shaving, then take the corners of the greys on the 204, and pass my edge on at a wider angle... keeps a polished edge, but aggressive bite.
 
For my folders, from the belly to tip are razor sharp and nearer the handle I use coarser stones for a more rough, but still sharp edge. I read about this way of differential sharpening from Joe Talmadge's thread on sharpening a BM 710.

I like Bob Doziers' working level of sharpness on my fixed blades used in the kitchen.

For hackers used in the garden and woods, I like pretty sharp, but not too sharp. Edge seems to last longer.

For Talonite blades I like a very high polished, razor sharp. Works great on fibrous materials.

Good thread Golok.
 
It mostly depends on the steel and how hard it is how sharp I get the knife and If it has a vanadium content to them. As CPM Steels do,If you Sharpen them razor sharp as the softer steel wear's back the vanadium give it more of a rougher cutting edge so I suggest that they are razor edge they stay sharper longer.
 
Except for butter knives all of my knives are extremely sharp. Some are a little rougher and more obtuse, but still extremely sharp. One thing to remember is that uneven sharpness can be dangerous. If you start cutting on a dull spot and build up high pressure trying to get a cut started, you lose control when you slide over to a sharp region. So plan for what you want to cut and sharpen for effect.
 
The basic subject of sharpeness , or the lack thereof , is, to me, a matter
of intended use. Some folk's insist on the flawed notion that ALL cutlery
must be a s sharp as a razor or it isn't sharp at all. That simply is not true.

Each cutting tool , knife or otherwise, needs an edge designed for the task
and based on the blade designed as a support for the edge. Some blades
are better having a superthin steep angled edge , like a razor, to cut delicate
fine material where other edges will need a broader angle to support the edge
in more restiant material and still other edges will need lots of tooth to cut
fiberious material. To sharpen all knife edges to a fine thin razor edge is to
sharpen some wrong. Working knives need a robust edge to last during
the work done. Not all knives are meat slicers or barbers tools.

So from where I stand some of my knives will cut you just looking at them
while others are "duller" for hard daily work. :D
 
it all really depends on what you are using the knife for, if it's mainly push cutting then i'd go with razor sharp if a back and forth motion is required then maybe a little rough
 
I have an old (20 years) Pakistani Buck 110 knockoff (actually it's more the size of the 112) that I keep in the toolbox. When I was a kid, I got the bright idea to "sharpen" it on my Dad's benchgrinder, with the rough stone grinding wheel. Sparks flew! Let me tell you, it's a great way to change the bevel, cause I removed a bunch of metal! However, after a lot of time on a freehand stone, that knife got very sharp. It still shows the "teeth" of the bad high-speed grinding, but it has a rough, almost serrated working edge on it that cuts like crazy, and I never worry about chipping. I save it for rough jobs and beat it up with no regard for breakeage. (I think it only cost $5 in the mid-'80's)
 
Like most knife freaks I used to get a strange itchy feeling if any of my blades wasn't hair popping sharp.

But ever since I plunged my nearly new SRK 3 cm into my left thigh (it was a complete brain fade - wrong tool for the job, cutting towards me etc etc)I haven't been as fastidious about keeping it razor sharp. I know a sharp knife is safer, but absolutely hair popping sharp is too sharp for my requirements and a bit too punishing if you slip.

So unless you are performing surgery, sharp enough for the job at hand is sharp enough eh ?
 
I like to keep all my knives razor sharp anything less is not good enough.When they start to drag it's time to touch up or resharpen!:)
 
I never sharpen my daily carries to be razor sharp. "Shaving sharp" sounds great but it doesn't last too long if you use the knife. I give the blade 18-20 degree bevels, and then finish the very tip with 25-30 degree angle. The knife sharpened this way is "just below" shavng sharp but maintains overall sharpness longer.
When I want to spend lot's of time, I give a blade convex bevels. In my opinion those have the best overall lasting sharpness.
 
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