Sharpener said my Spiderco Delica VG10 is cheap steel & hard to sharpen

Well. It is "Spiderco" not "Spyderco" to begin with.

Seriously, VG-10 is in the same league with ATS-34, which many custom makers still use.
My hunch is that the OP got a fake one.

Anyway, the OP seems to have a tendency to start a thread and never come back since 2011.
Hopefully, he or she will come back this time.
 
Seems like a troll post...


calldoug said:
Spiderco Delica VG-10
Question; Is Vg-10 cheap Japanese steel

The knife sharpening guy ( does it every day ) who sharpened knife said its cheap japanese steel and that's the best I can do. ( note others tried to sharpen this knife before)
I got very upset and said this is VG-10 do you even know what that is?
He said I sure do its cheap Japanese steel and hard to sharpen and that's about as sharp as you will get it.
Im starting to think he is right.
I bought this new and paid a lot for it thinking I had some great amazing lifetime knife.
I just bought a knife for ten dollars that is much sharper than this.
I also sharpened it on my expensive Spiderco sharpener and could never get it very sharp.
I have aus 8 cold steel knives and $15 high carbon Opinel steel knives that are MUCH sharper than this, actually some are razor sharp.
I am pretty upset, this knife was like $70 or so.
So please tell me what you think.
Click to expand...
 
I don’t think you or your “knife sharpener” know a damn thing. I can get VG-10 scary sharp and it is a good steel, and easy to sharpen. It was the cream of the crop not too long ago.
 
calldoug said:
Spiderco Delica VG-10
Question; Is Vg-10 cheap Japanese steel

So please tell me what you think.
Click to expand...

It isn't cheap, and it takes a VERY fine edge. It is one of the best melt alloys for cutlery steel available. Your sharpening guy is obviously unused to anything beyond standard kitchen knives in 420HC.
 
dsutton24 said:
Whew... give a guy a whet stone and suddenly he's a metallurgist... and he can practice his craft via the interweb!

Despite all the 'sharpener is an idiot' posts, why don't you just call Spyderco? It's entirely possible that you've just got a bad blade. It happens. The worst that happens is that they put an edge on it and call your guy an idiot. Again.

I've got an old Schrade trapper that's as hard as glass, It just won't sharpen. I've also got one of those Imperial sheath knives that had the black and white striped tin handles. A file won't touch it. I've been putting edges on things for fifty years now, and though I might be an idiot, but I can sharpen a knife. :D
Click to expand...

No one is calling the sharpener an idiot because he was unable to sharpen the edge. They are calling him an idiot for saying that vg10 is a crappy steel used in the cheapest knives that will never get sharp because it is so crappy.
 
VG-10 is a fine steel, and one of the easiest to sharpen, IME. That so-called 'knife sharpening guy' clearly doesn't know how to sharpen a knife, saw that it's a Japanese steel, and used that as his excuse for his lack of sharpening ability. It's as simple as that.

It's also easy as pie to resharpen on a Sharpmaker.

Jim
 
calldoug said:
Spiderco Delica VG-10
Question; Is Vg-10 cheap Japanese steel

The knife sharpening guy ( does it every day ) who sharpened knife said its cheap japanese steel and that's the best I can do. ( note others tried to sharpen this knife before)
I got very upset and said this is VG-10 do you even know what that is?
He said I sure do its cheap Japanese steel and hard to sharpen and that's about as sharp as you will get it.
Im starting to think he is right.
I bought this new and paid a lot for it thinking I had some great amazing lifetime knife.
I just bought a knife for ten dollars that is much sharper than this.
I also sharpened it on my expensive Spiderco sharpener and could never get it very sharp.
I have aus 8 cold steel knives and $15 high carbon Opinel steel knives that are MUCH sharper than this, actually some are razor sharp.
I am pretty upset, this knife was like $70 or so.
So please tell me what you think.
Click to expand...
Do you know if you bought a clone? That's one possible explanation.

But more importantly, ask your guy what he's using to sharpen it? I couldn't imagine anything would not work. But maybe your guy sharpens knives on something so low end it only works with softer steel?

Its possible it didn't get heat treated well but I'd doubt that. If another professional can sharpen it for you then the guys full of it for sure.
 
dsutton24 said:
why don't you just call Spyderco
Click to expand...

This. Spyderco will sharpen your knife for $5 S&H. See: https://www.spyderco.com/service-support/warranty-repair/

As has been stated, most likely the sharpener is an idiot who's not used to quality steels, and seems to have a bug up his ass about Japan to boot. It is possible (although unlikely) that either the Delica is counterfeit, or had a bad heat treat or other issues that are affecting the steel. Regardless, Spyderco will sort you out.
 
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I'm also sorely tempted to find a Delica in ZDP-189 or HAP40 for you to take to this "sharpener", to see what his opinion is about those steels...
 
calldoug said:
I got very upset and said this is VG-10 do you even know what that is?
He said I sure do its cheap Japanese steel and hard to sharpen and that's about as sharp as you will get it.
Im starting to think he is right.
I just bought a knife for ten dollars that is much sharper than this.
I have aus 8 cold steel knives and $15 high carbon Opinel steel knives that are MUCH sharper than this, actually some are razor sharp.
So please tell me what you think.
Click to expand...
There are Japanese bladesmith who make $300 gyutos with VG-10. He can grab one with his bare fist if he thinks than can't get sharp.
How sharp a knife is NIB is fairly meaningless - the steel and heat treat mean far more. Because if you use a knife, any knife, it will get dull, but the combination of steel and heat treat will determine how fine (sharp) the knife can get and how long it will hold that edge.

Personally, though I do not sharpen every day and haven't been doing it for decades, my VG-10 nakiri will cut potato and onion thin enough to easily read through. I've taken it to a 12K grit edge with no ill effect.
What most people consider high end kitchen knives starts with VG-10.
I won't say it's the absolute easiest steel to sharpen. With a poor heat treat it has a tendency to burr when sharpening. But it doesn't take me long to get a sharp edge on it.

And in addition to what everybody has said about VG-10, consider that there are very few steels that cannot be made sharp. They just don't keep the edge very well - but certainly long enough to cut a sheet of paper or thumb.
Go back to the guy and ask him what problems he specifically has with VG-10. The answer will tell us either about the steel or him. In the meantime, get a better sharpener - both your set up and the service - and learn to do it yourself.
 
tyyreaun said:
I'm also sorely tempted to find a Delica in ZDP-189 or HAP40 for you to take to this "sharpener", to see what his opinion is about those steels...
Click to expand...

lol, too easy! Give him S110V or 10V. I'd say Maxamet, but I think it's actually pretty easy.
 
Ourorboros said:
There are Japanese bladesmith who make $300 gyutos with VG-10. He can grab one with his bare fist if he thinks than can't get sharp.
How sharp a knife is NIB is fairly meaningless - the steel and heat treat mean far more. Because if you use a knife, any knife, it will get dull, but the combination of steel and heat treat will determine how fine (sharp) the knife can get and how long it will hold that edge.

Personally, though I do not sharpen every day and haven't been doing it for decades, my VG-10 nakiri will cut potato and onion thin enough to easily read through. I've taken it to a 12K grit edge with no ill effect.
What most people consider high end kitchen knives starts with VG-10.
I won't say it's the absolute easiest steel to sharpen. With a poor heat treat it has a tendency to burr when sharpening. But it doesn't take me long to get a sharp edge on it.

And in addition to what everybody has said about VG-10, consider that there are very few steels that cannot be made sharp. They just don't keep the edge very well - but certainly long enough to cut a sheet of paper or thumb.
Go back to the guy and ask him what problems he specifically has with VG-10. The answer will tell us either about the steel or him. In the meantime, get a better sharpener - both your set up and the service - and learn to do it yourself.
Click to expand...

Idk, I’ve seen some “d2” out of China that seems like no matter what you do it just won’t get sharp. The edge just seems to chip and when you go to cut a sheet of paper it feels like you are using a saw.
 
Lapedog said:
Idk, I’ve seen some “d2” out of China that seems like no matter what you do it just won’t get sharp. The edge just seems to chip and when you go to cut a sheet of paper it feels like you are using a saw.
Click to expand...

Gotta find the right angle. If it's chipping out like that, try going more obtuse, or lightening the pressure on the stone (or whatever media you're using).
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Gotta find the right angle. If it's chipping out like that, try going more obtuse, or lightening the pressure on the stone (or whatever media you're using).
Click to expand...

Went all the way up to 23 per side and was using literally no pressure other than the weight of the stone. It was just ghastly stuff. I’ve never seen a steel so bad.
 
SpyderPhreak said:
Gotta find the right angle. If it's chipping out like that, try going more obtuse, or lightening the pressure on the stone (or whatever media you're using).
Click to expand...

Or...
Just don't buy Chinese "D2":rolleyes:

If you need to question the steel by putting the steels name in quotations, then why the hell even bother with it?:D
 
Lapedog said:
Went all the way up to 23 per side and was using literally no pressure other than the weight of the stone. It was just ghastly stuff. I’ve never seen a steel so bad.
Click to expand...

Huh. :confused: Sounds like pig iron, lmao.

Blues Bender said:
Or...
Just don't buy Chinese "D2":rolleyes:

If you need to question the steel by putting the steels name in quotations, then why the hell even bother with it?:D
Click to expand...

Point well taken! :D
 
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