Practical use of acute apex EDC knife?

A

alongoria

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Hello gentlemen. This post asking for your input is a bit ironic because I think I know the answer for me. My question is do you have a practical need/use of an acute apex EDC knife? "VERY sharp" edge. Maybe polished bevels depending on use.
Best regards and God bless.
 
Depends on what you mean by acute, but I prefer very sharp acute edges on all my knives and EDC especially. Knives are for cutting so the sharper and more acute the better as long as the steel and heat treat can support the geometry. So I try to go as acute as I can before I start seeing issues such as chipping or deformation. I don’t use knives to pry or instead of a screwdriver, so the use matters. I don’t baby knives, but I also think knives are cutting tools.
 
Understood. I should have been more specific. Less than 30 deg inclusive?
I freehand sharpen and low angle bevel passes on sharpening medium starts getting difficult. This is all just a WAG, because I don't think I've ever actually measured edge bevel angles, lol.
With the sharpening materials I have, I can get "hair whittling" sharpness with most of my knives. I like this level of sharpness, but there are only a couple of practical use cases for me.
 
I tend to sharpen somewhere 15 to 18 degrees per side with a micro bevel added. The exceptions being choppers or a bigger knife I may use a bit rougher, then I may go around to 20 degrees per side.

For over 90% of my uses a good toothy edge works way better and lasts way longer than a polished edge at whatever angle you use. I rarely use anything over a 600 grit stone.

Most of the newer steels (and older ones if they are heat treated properly) can handle lower angles if you are using them to cut stuff.
 
alongoria said:
do you have a practical need/use of an acute apex EDC knife?
Click to expand...

So, yes. Now I ask, do you have a practical use for an obtuse apex on an EDC knife? I would have a much harder time finding a way to say yes to that one.
 
I prefer super thin edges to super acute edge angles.

My needle pointy and thin Alan Folts Spew -- 0.009 inches BTE, 0.9 inch stock and full distal taper -- is super useful for sewing and tag removal.

My Bluntcut Rex 121 wharnie -- 0.007 inches BTE, 0.7 inch stock, full distal taper and 70 Rc -- is my go-to package opening knife. It really does cut like a laser. Fun to use. Not a chopper.
 
Twindog said:
I prefer super thin edges to super acute edge angles.

My needle pointy and thin Alan Folts Spew -- 0.009 inches BTE, 0.9 inch stock and full distal taper -- is super useful for sewing and tag removal.

My Bluntcut Rex 121 wharnie -- 0.007 inches BTE, 0.7 inch stock, full distal taper and 70 Rc -- is my go-to package opening knife. It really does cut like a laser. Fun to use. Not a chopper.
Click to expand...

Wow, you like thick knives!!!
-unless you mean .090" and .070" ?
:0
 
I used to sharpen at about 18 dps and put a micro bevel on but I’ve since went to 20 dps and a 19 dps microbevel.
 
alongoria said:
Understood. I should have been more specific. Less than 30 deg inclusive?
I freehand sharpen and low angle bevel passes on sharpening medium starts getting difficult. This is all just a WAG, because I don't think I've ever actually measured edge bevel angles, lol.
With the sharpening materials I have, I can get "hair whittling" sharpness with most of my knives. I like this level of sharpness, but there are only a couple of practical use cases for me.
Click to expand...
See we have to acknowledge that when free hand sharpening speaking of precise angles is just fantasy land. Unless you are sharpening on a guided system or maybe something like sharpmaker you have no idea what your angle actually is especially since with free hand sharpening your edge is convex with compound angle of unknown degrees. No way around it with free hand sharpening. If you have access to a guided system with precise angle adjustment try it, it is an eye opening experience.
 
alongoria said:
Hello gentlemen. This post asking for your input is a bit ironic because I think I know the answer for me. My question is do you have a practical need/use of an acute apex EDC knife? "VERY sharp" edge. Maybe polished bevels depending on use.
Best regards and God bless.
Click to expand...
As an electrician I use my EDC at least 5 times a day and hundreds of times If I am busting open boxes doing a large lighting retrofit and I prefer A razor sharp Spyderco Delica Super Gold " Yeah I know I wasn't suppose to use this one Lol"
sharpened at about 17 dps then finished with a mirror polish. The mirror polish serves no purpose for my work other than the Wow! factor from my co workers but Man can I tell the difference hair popping edge compared to typical factory edge, any lesser than scary sharp actually slows me down. "Very sharp" EDC's work for me because I enjoy sharpening knives but I wouldn't suggest for someone doesn't have that skill set.
 
sharp_edge said:
Definitely not the thinner the better.
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I mean this could be parsed ad nauseam. Just for the blade stock side of it, for EDC, is thinner than 1/4" better? Probably, for most people. What about thinner than 3/16"? Probably. What about 5/32", 1/8", 3/32", still going to have people answering yes to those, albeit probably fewer. But nobody is going to truthfully say that thinner than .01" is better. Because steel that thin is going to bend and snap with light pressure. So "the thinner the better", I agree, is false as an absolute statement, because the thinnest, theoretically, is zero, which means no knife at all. Same thing applies to edge angle, and thickness behind the edge.
 
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