Pet Peeve

AF

AF

Joined
Jan 14, 2000
Messages
6,016
So I'm not buying many CS knives these days. I'm well supplied and I'm put off by the change of ownership and loss of Lynn and Demko.

I recently picked up the Talwar XL and the Oyabun limited. Both are nice but they both have a feature that's been commonplace on their Taiwan-made knives for many years.

Asymmetric edge angles! It drives me nuts. They are consistently off in a major way. I don't mean the width of the edge bevels. No, they take care to make those even so that at a glance they look symmetric. Trickery!

But the angle from side to side is so different that you can easily see it and feel it. Of course when you sharpen you have to make a decision whether to match the 12 degrees on one side and 20 degrees on the other side - I'm just estimating - or sharpen normally and have to remove a ton of steel from the side that was under-sharpened at that low angle. Grind, grind, grind and shrink the bevel on the steep side as you re-center the edge. Then back to the steep side to lower the angle.

Seriously, I don't understand how this factory is so consistently inconsistent! Is it one guy sharpening thousands of knives or do they train workers to suck?

Rant off. I've been around and I've never seen this at such a scale from anywhere else.

I would just add that it's not even consistent for the entire length on one side so you wouldn't be able to match the bevel even if you wanted to. But that's a more minor issue IMO.
 
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Both are current production. I got each for around 50% off which pushed me over the edge (no pun intended).
 
For many years, I’ve seen that their edges are as good or better than most Taiwan production knives. I wonder if you have recent models (with the new logo etch) made after the GSM buyout, because there may be a trend when it comes to lazy finish work.

Historically, and in my experience, cold steel’s Taiwan knives were finished pretty symmetrically.
 
AF,

You are not alone. Several of the last knives I purchased from them, very expensive, high end knives, had edges that I would classify as not so great.
 
These knives were sharp and the bevels were matched pretty well by width, just not by angle. I know this isn't the biggest deal for some but I find it odd that CS seemingly makes an effort to match the bevels in terms of appearance but they're unable to match the angles.
If you've ever sharpened a knife like this, you may have had the experience where on one side you're hitting the shoulder and on the other you're hitting the apex. It's annoying. At least to me.
 
Andy, are the edges ground unevenly <different angles on each side> or is the apex off vertical center? In other words, is the primary not ground in correctly? Sounds like the primary grind might be off. Look at the plunges on both sides to see if they match. Look at the spine top down...does it look wonky and off center?

I know either one is annoying as all get out!

But consider a chisel grind, for the moment.

From a certain viewpoint, it could be regarded as severely jacked up. However it can still cut very well.

Busse <and other makers> deliberately have utilized asymmetrical grinds purposefully to aid in ease of edge maintenance in some of their models. I own a few that I've used and sharpened <as directed> and they're wonderful. But, then again, they are Battle Mistresses and not designed primarily for slicing-- so "steering" the edge thru a cut isn't that big a deal for my usages with that model.

If your sensibilities < or OCD, perhaps :p > will allow it...I'd say embrace it, use it and even it out when you need a good sharpening.

Of course, if the primary is not ground in correctly, that would be more difficult to "fix." It'd require a regrind by a pro like REK or a good bit of "character building" exercise with your benchstones...or maybe you have your own belt grinder and can make quick work of it? Either way, attack it in the best of health with gusto! :)
 
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It's just an asymmetric edge I believe. You make valid points. I just wanted to share my thoughts because I've never seen another manufacturer sharpen like CS does at their Taiwan facility.
 
I’m wondering how the edge widths can be the same yet the angles are different? Those two things are directly related?
 
Weird to see their QC suffering. My experince with the Taiwan made(I wanted to hate them at first,liked Japan/USA Models)has been favorable in the past. I wonder why? Maybe the Pandemic and trained workers are lacking? GSM made them cut their price to them? Can't afford/procure new machines as needed? China sabotaging them? ANTIFA's at GSM regrinding all of them? Maybe everything now for sale is a clone?
 
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