My new folder got nicked from cutting newspaper--grounds for return?

J

jblane

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
26
I just bought a brand new Al Mar Nomad folder. I love the knife, but yesterday when I decided to test its sharpness by cutting through a newspaper sports section (about 10-15 pages of newspaper), I there was a very noticeable nick in the blade afterwards, which is big enough to catch my fingernail as I run it along the blade. I was surprised that some newspaper could do this to a quality blade in VG-10 steel and was wondering if I should exchange or return the knife (I'm new to knives so don't know if this sort of thing is normal). Even though it arrived very sharp (took off my arm hairs like they weren't even attached to my arm), I'd expect the edge to be able to handle a stack of paper without any visible damage, especially after the first 2-3 cuts. I'm planning on using this knife to cut a lot of cardboard and carpet, so I'm wondering whether it'll hold up.

It would be difficult to get the nick to show up in a photo, but it's easy to see under a light with the naked eye, and it seems to me like if I tried to fix it by re-sharpening I would have to change the shape of the blade (if I wanted to keep the same bevel angle and degree of sharpness). If I was always having to repair nicks it seems like the blade would deteriorate pretty fast. But again, I'm a newby so maybe I'm overreacting to something totally normal.

So should I return the knife? Is it normal for a job like cutting through a section of newspaper to cause nicks? Would another type of steel, say S30V, have better edge retention than the VG-10? Thanks for any advice!
 
That seems really odd...I doesn't seem to me that a good steel should do that :confused:

Was the nick there to start with? Was there a staple or something in the newspaper? Maybe you hit some hard surface or bit of FOD you didn't notice while cutting? What I mean is, maybe there's some other reason that isn't apparent.
 
I would say it was there or you hit something on accident and didn't realize it. If you did somehow ding the edge on newspaper then I would say you have a wire edge that needs to come off. Is the edge folded over or is it a chip or can you describe it better?

And yes S30V would hold an edge better most likely depending on heat treat but VG10 is good and well liked.
 
There definitely weren't any staples. I wondered whether the nick had already been there, but I'm sure I would have noticed it as I spent a lot of time looking at the blade before cutting the newspaper, and I noticed the nick right AFTER doing so. I just inspected the paper again and it looks clean--no metal bits or anything other than paper. It is kind of strange--I think I'll just return the knife. It seems justified, since either the nick was there to begin with, or it was cause by the paper in which chase there must have been some kind of imperfection in the blade. I really like the knife though, and Al Mar has a good rep, so I think I'll go for an exchange and hope the next blade holds out.
 
If it is small enough you can't capture it on camera then I wouldn't waste the time and money on sending it back. Put the money towards a sharpmaker and get a tool that you can fix the problem with and keep your knife sharp all the time.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
If it is small enough you can't capture it on camera then I wouldn't waste the time and money on sending it back. Put the money towards a sharpmaker and get a tool that you can fix the problem with and keep your knife sharp all the time.
Click to expand...

+1
The Sharpmaker is an investment that will make these kinds of problems irrelevant.
 
Definitely not normal, either for Al Mar or for VG10. I've had several Al Mars, including a couple of Nomads. Stil have one that I use much like you will use yours. No problems at all.

I would first suspect a wire edge that you can easily handle yourself with a Sharpmaker or stones if you want to learn to sharpen freehand, as a couple of members have already suggested.
 
If you want to cut cardboard and paper, i would save your knife the hassle and buy a razor knife. I would also recommend the spyderco sharpmaker. You'll need (well not need, but it's useful and easy) to learn how to sharpen, it's a pain to have a dull knife if you use it a lot. But really, don't use the knife on carpet, especially if you payed good money. That's what razor knives are for :-).
 
First off, with cardboard and carpet as the planned activities, let's hope you know how to sharpen that knife.

Secondly, sounds like a wire edge to me. Touch it up on your fine hone and give it another try.
 
The original edge on my S30V Spyderco Sage 2 chipped when I was cutting through small branches. I too suspect that there was a bit of a wire edge because once I touched it up on my Sharpmaker it seems to be much more durable.
 
Another possibility: Most new knives are sharpened on powered belts. Even after power stropping or polishing there can remain small almost invisible micro chips and cracks on a blade edge that were created as a result of the grinding and sharpening process. It has been my albeit limited experience that these sharpening imperfections will show up very soon after a new knife's first few uses. Cardboard and to a lesser extent paper (particularly RECYCLED paper products) have a high level of foreign material within their structure which can be quite abrasive. The fibrous structure of the material being cut can grab onto the edge of a micro chip or tiny crack and absent the full supporting structure of surrounding steel, rip out a small section of the cutting edge. It is annoying and frustrating. The solution is a careful resharpening below the depth of the chip or at least polishing the chip edges to prevent cut material from getting a grip. It is possible the steel's integrity at the very cutting edge has been compromised by friction generated heat or mechanical stresses during machine sharpening. Hand sharpening will expose the hardened steel below as it then becomes the new edge and solve this condition. Just one old dude's suggestion. OldDude1
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the helpful replies. I've been reading up on sharpening and am planning on buying a system (either Sharpmaker or Edgepro) soon. I read about burrs and wire edges and thought this might have been my problem, but I wasn't able to detect one by the methods suggested in what I was reading (running finger along edge, etc.). Also, the nick seemed maybe a bit too big to be caused by that. Anyway, it took some work figuring out how to use the manual focus on my camera, but I was able to get some decent images of the nick on the blade. They could be a bit sharper, but here goes:

4435942306_96d221874f_b.jpg



4435942302_a2a35237c6_b.jpg



The nick is visible, just over 1/3 of the way up the blade. Does that look acceptable, or like something that could be caused by a wire edge? If so I'll just keep the knife and wait until I get my sharpener. Otherwise I'll return (or rather exchange for another Nomad). Still have a few days to decide.
 
Last edited:
OldDude1 nailed it. A factory edge is rarely the best edge. Your first light sharpening will take that edge into the better steel behind it.
 
I've had several factory edges that proved to be weaker than expected. I think that sharpening on a relatively high speed grinding wheel tends to overheat the very tip of the edge. A few sharpening sessions removed all the weak steel and the "good steel" come through.
 
Now that I got the pictures up, maybe I could get some more concrete feedback about the nick. My main worry is that it might be big enough that it would require me to slightly bu noticeably change the shape and profile of the blade if I fix it by sharpening. I really like the breadth of this blade, so I wouldn't want it to become noticeably narrower when I fix the edge. So please take a look at the pics I (belatedly) uploaded, and let me know if you think I'd have to take too much off the edge to fix this nick by sharpening.
 
:barf:Not worth sending back to the company. Hunk of junk like that needs to be disposed of properly. I'll PM my address. (Old joke, but seemed right for this situation.)
 
Greetings jblane: That chip is not, in and of itself, a reason for a complete edge reprofile. It may however be indicative of the integrity of other sections of the factory edge. A quick fix would be to "round out" and polish the chip's entire surface using the edges of a fine or ultra-fine hone ceramic Sharpmaker rod. Using 1500 grit or higher wet/dry sand paper wrapped around a suitably sized nail, bent paper clip or ball point pen refill will also work. This will remove the jagged edges of the chip and make it unlikely to snag or stress and break further. Unfortunately, besides making it smoother, it will also likely make it larger. If the edge was "weak" in that one area it may also be weak in other locations along the factory applied edge. This usually causes me to worry and wait for the next chip to appear. Resharpening the edge, as opposed to reprofiling the edge grind is not a laborious process. This also removes the concern of making the chipped area larger. Resharpening the ENTIRE cutting edge is the way I would go in this situation. It only requires removing steel a small fraction of a millimeter deep along the very edge. It is of course your knife and your decision. OldDude1
 
For myself this wouldn't be a big deal and I would sharpen it out and use it. You could completely take the nick out or you could just touch it up and it will slowly go away over the next few sharpenings.

But seeing as you are new to knives and don't have any sharpening equipment then you might want to send it back if it bothers you. But there is nothing to say the next one won't be similar. However, if you plan on getting more knives and want to have sharp knives then getting some type of sharpening equipment is a good idea and you can take care of it yourself.

Will the store take it back? Will you have to pay shipping both ways or just one? It's up to you if spending the money to send it back is worth it although that is not a terrible chip and you will probably have to fix similar edge damage eventually.
 
Like others have said that's not a chip, cutting paper will also not cause that not even is the blade was made of aluminum. My guess is that the edge came into contact with something and you did not notice, you would be surprised how much this happens.

Don't worry about changing the factory bevel its something you should do anyways. Factory bevels are made quick, fast, and in a hurry, you would be very lucky if they were the same angle per side or even the same angle on one side. Resharpen and enjoy the knife.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I've decided to keep the knife and fix it up as soon as I get some sharpening equipment, which will be soon. I figured I was probably overreacting, but wanted to be sure :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top