Scary Sharp

[fishface5]

I define "scary" sharp as, if you casually test the edge with your thumb, you cut yourself. If you have to approach the edge with caution, you're appropriately scared, thus = "scary sharp." In my experience shaving sharp isn't scary, but hair-pooping sharp is!

 

[fishface5]

um, I meant hair-POPPING

 

[Ankerson]

If you can push cut newsprint cleanly you have a extremely sharp blade, that edge is also hair popping sharp.

 

[Amaranth]

The sharpest knife out of the box I've ever received was a VG-10 santoku knife made in Seki City. It was "Scary Sharp". It would whittle paper strips as thin as angel hair pasta. Bad analogy, I know, but it would shave a clean patch on your leg or arms with little pressure.

 

[mgordon]

Does this qualify?

 

[harkamus]

Question: I see the terms shaving sharp and hair popping sharp thrown around often. What's the difference? I thought both meant the same thing...a blade sharp enough to shave hair with.

 

[hardheart]

it's how the hair comes off, sometimes it pops up, other times it just sort of wipes off, depends on how you finished the edge.

 

[cotdt]

you can shave arm hair by honing with a coarse-grit stone, but if you try to shave your face with it, don't think happy thoughts!!!

 

[J_Curd]

Both SG2 Kershaw models. Darksider thin already, and once taken to 28-30 degrees inclusive and polished, it is insane. I can push cut newspaper into 10in long hairs. That's sharp in my book.

 

[stitchawl]

"Scary Sharp" was originally a term coined by wood workers who sharpened their tools using different grits of sandpaper and polishing tapes laid on a glass plate. Because of the ability to get (at the time) finer grits than most common sharpening stones, they called their method 'Scary Sharp.'

Today, here in BladeForums, the term really has no definition other than 'sharper than you've ever gotten a blade before!' I think if looking at an edge makes your eyes bleed, it's scary sharp. Anything less is just sharp enough to get the job done!

Stitchawl

 

[Chewy1]

So, after reading through this thread, is Knifenut the king of scary sharp? Not trying to start anything, but just wondering out loud. I've never seen anything like what he has posted in just this thread. I'm very impressed. Or, are there others out there with similar skills, just not the pics that he has?

 

[Roger999]

Does this qualify?

I assume you cut it with the toilet paper on a flat surface, it doesn't take a very sharp knife to be able to do that. The real challenge is cutting it without it laying on a flat surface like this(Nozh2002's video).

[youtube]tgJSPLVF2Wc[/youtube]

 

[cotdt]

Scary sharp is when you gently blow a piece of newspaper into the edge, it cuts through.

 

[Bigfattyt]

We have all heard the term SCARY SHARP when someone is describing a knife. Does any of my Blade of Brothers here on Blade Forum have in their collection a knife that is just that? I would also like to know how this term originated. Many fellow members use this terminology. Could they have cut themselves with such a blade that they are scared to handle it Looking forward to some input !
Thanks

yes and yes!

all my knife edges will jump hair. But I have one I consider scary sharp. It cuts at the lightest touch and is in fact scary to me. It did cut me. Just a bump, and bam to the bone, severed a nerve still have no feeling in the right side of my right thumb. I know it found the bone because I could see a nice bit of it before the blood squirted all over. The edge of the knife got a tiny roll on the edge from my thumb bone.

my other knives jump hair. And I have cut my self many times, with many different knives and I can say that that little knife still scares the shit of me. I am so careful with that little Bas@#$% now.

I made it, and put a much thinner convex than I have on my other knives.

Top one. My first knife I made.

 

[Bigfattyt]

Question: I see the terms shaving sharp and hair popping sharp thrown around often. What's the difference? I thought both meant the same thing...a blade sharp enough to shave hair with.

a lot of blades are sharp enough to shave. Scrape, with a bit of pressure, especially the longer hair on on your arm. When the knife gets sharper, the hair will actually jump or shoot off into the air. the next level up from that is being able to tree top hair, where you don't ever have to make the blade contact your skin. it will shave off above that level.

you can also get an edge sharp enough that you can split a hair, then split the split, then again several times.