O mirror polish, mirror polish! wherefore art thou mirror polish?

B

BoCen

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Dec 13, 2025
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I came across this video on the QSP Dolphin and what stood out to me immediately is how it had an old school mirror polished blade. It got me wondering why that's so rare these days? Outside of SAKs there's but a handful of options out there when several decades ago, it was basically all you saw?

How do you guys feel about a mirror polished blade, is that something you'd like to see make a return?
 
I do enjoy a mirror polished blade. I would imagine it's an extra step most don't want to spend the time or money on. Also they typically don't stay that way so maybe makers feel it's a waste of time.
Many things used to have that little touch to make them nicer that no longer do today.
 
I have mirror polished blades, in the past, quite a few of them. They are gonna get scratched in the real world if used. Just gonna. Years ago I switched to a Scotchbrite belt finish on stainless blades. It stays pristine much longer. Ya kinda have to work at it in normal use to scratch it up.
 
In my own very amateurish rubbings, I found modern PM steel to be absurdly more labor intensive than ingot stuff when it comes to mirror polishing. I've always admired Piranha for being able to offer it at such a good price point.
 
Far more expensive to produce, far more time consuming to mirror polish modern super steels versus basic steels of the past, blemishes are much more noticeable...the only positive is that they look good and so do plenty of other options. On steels used more commonly in the past it was also a way to increase corrosion resistance which nearly as much of a problem with modern steels.
 
This is not quite mirror, but not bad for a 1500 grit handrub on 64 HRC Magnacut!
600302276_10103131686068210_3003733656278708527_n.jpg

Softer "normal" knife steels were much easier to mirror finish and the Mirror Finish was what was expected to be on every knife, so many companies did it. Many times, the surface behind the mirror showed left over scratches and stuff, too.
 
I can take it or leave it on a blade. Even scratched, I still prefer a blade to be an obvious stick of metal most of the time as opposed to a primered rocker panel. Satin or stonewashed is just fine. I'm warming up to gloss DLC.

What I miss more are polished bolsters on moderns. I'd just about trade almost every eeeedeeeseee I own for just one Bel Air or Smock in brass and walnut, or nickel and dyed bone. Shiny up the blade, too.
 
Horsewright said:
They are gonna get scratched in the real world if used. Just gonna. a Scotchbrite belt finish on stainless blades stays pristine much longer. Ya kinda have to work at it in normal use to scratch it up.
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With your pardon, Dave, I have reworked your statements so that they apply to a user and not a maker.

But I am firmly in the camp that mirror finish may be cool for a knife that does not get used, but not so much for a knife that actually cuts things. A scratch on a mirror finish stands out like a sore thumb. Pretty much all of my knives have been used. (Can't evaluate the knife if you don't use it.) And I have way too many knives to want to worry about polishing each knife after I've used it for a spell. So a tumbled or scotch-brited finish is the way for me to go.
YMMV
 
Mirror finish all the hammers next.
 
That was friendly sarcasm of course. However this may soften my position a little:

image.jpg
 
High polish is OK for a wall hanger , but a PITA to maintain on a real user .

Used to be thought more important for rust prevention , and some claimed they cut better due to less friction , smoother blade surface .

They can be attractive , in a flashy way , but won't stay that way long if used much . :(
 
I used to make a lot of mirror polished blades.

The problem is that a mirror finish is extremely easy to damage. A bit of sand in a sheath will quickly ruin the finish.

Satin and hand rubbed finishes are better IMO.
 
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