Poll: Preferred Blade Finish

[marthinus]

When you say satin I take it a hand rubbed satin polish. That is a sign of effort.
Getting all those vertical grind marks out and none left when you look “through” the satin....beautiful.

 

[J85909266]

I like a high polish stone wash, but it honestly depends on the knife.

 

[Dr Heelhook]

I like a properly made mirror polish because the surface is smoother and easier to keep clean and dry.

And no, it obviously doesn't attract scratches or finger prints anymore than any other uncoated finish, the scratches are just more visible on a mirror polish. If the blade scratches, it scratches and you have to live with it, but then again I don't think the risk of scratching your blade should be all that high if you don't abuse it.

I think the reason why some people are suspicious about a mirror polish is because it can be a pretty easy way to put a smooth finish on a cheap blade by just buffing the hell out of it on a machine wheel, but it doesn't have to be like that.

 

[sharp_edge]

hinderer is the king of blade finishes. I like all the finishes of his blades and handles.

 

[not2sharp]

I like a nice mirror finish. I feel that it is easier to clean and protects the blade better. Then when there is corrosion it is relatively simple to polish the problem area.

n2s

 

[sharp_edge]

I like a high polish stone wash, but it honestly depends on the knife.

Like the one on Cold Steel voyager Aus8？

 

[TRfromMT]

IMO "Blood and Gore " is more a failure of maintenance / hygiene than an actual finish on steel .

Maybe "Natural Patina " might have been a better alternative for the poll .

Ha! Agreed. It was more of a "blood of my enemies" thing

I should have added Patina. That's one of my favorites!

 

[Wolverine666]

My top 3 include satin , stonewashed and DLC. Depends on the knife and my mood. But Satin is my first choice.

 

[timberweasel]

No vote. I think it depends on the knife. Variety is the spice of life

 

[joeldworkin307]

Dull, matte satin. I like my steel to look like steel.

 

[herisson]

No hesitation here, it's mirror polished. So much easier to keep nice and clean (even high carbon low alloy steels). I understand it's difficult with high hardness steels. But I'd pay the premium if I'm really in love with the knife.
Here one of my favorite kitchen knives : K tip gyuto by John Kapnisis (on BF's Blade Makers Forum). Bog oak handle and AEB-L blade. A pleasure to use and a no-nonsense performer in the kitchen.

 

[comis]

I think for rough or outdoor use, I do prefer stonewashed. Otherwise, it will depend on the knife and where it's used.

 

[metaphoricalsimile]

I voted "other" cause my favorite is that reflective, polished stonewash finish that's common on Taichung Spyderco knives and Maxamet models from Spyderco's Golden factory.

Same. My BD1N Manix LW came with this finish and I find it just absolutely hypnotic. For most knife stuff I'm function > form, but this finish is just so attractive to me that I'm more excited about a knife that has it. I wonder if the Manix 2 LW is the cheapest model that comes with this finish?

 

[cbach8tw]

Stonewashed because it does hide small scratches and not a coated blade fan either.

 

[cbach8tw]

What would call the finish on a Fiddleback knife? Not really a finish but a pattern added? Looks like the old carbon teel kitchen knives with a pattern. Also like a natural patina developed on a carbon blade. A pattern to where you can see hamon is nice too.

 

[Knives&Lint]

I vote stonewashed, but for me that includes Acid-stonewashed and stonewash applied to DLC/black coatings (aka blackwash) as well. Those are just the perfect finish IMO for user knives because they look great out of the box and throughout the life of the knife.

I do admire polished though on some knives, and I also really like it when the finish is switched up with different finishes on the grind and flats.

 

[Jsega51]

When you say satin I take it a hand rubbed satin polish. That is a sign of effort.
Getting all those vertical grind marks out and none left when you look “through” the satin....beautiful.

This was my thought as a collector of custom knives. Hand sanding through the grits to get that flawless hand rubbed satin is a lot of work for makers and you can absolutely tell when it’s not correct. When it’s spot on, gorgeous! Same goes for mirror polish, do it right or not at all.

Then again, bloodied up means I’ve done my job in the woods, so that’s my vote in this poll!

 

[rpttrsn]

I chose stone washed only if SS. Satin for non SS due to a smoother surface and less pron to rust and easier to clean if it does rust a bit from lack of care.

 

[Evan Mattherson]

I’d probably pick a natural patina, I think it’s really intriguing how the patina can tell the story of a knife and what it was used for. On top of this, I quite like how each patina is unique.

 

[BillZee]

1. DLC
2. Any coating on D2 to help prevent rust.
3. Stone washed
4. Satin
High polish always dulls with use.