Sharpening Benchmade's

G

gurban

Joined
Jun 28, 2006
Messages
16
Hey fellas, new to the world of knives and this forum. I was looking for some guidance on properly sharpening a Benchmade. I have a lansky-style sharpener and was curious on what angle to utilize and any additional info that may be helpful. Thanks
 
I have a benchmade stryker that I use for EDC. I was just looking for some basic maintenance sharpening advice.
 
If the steel responds the same way as my ATS-34 AFCK, then don't expect too much. Just make sure the edges meet and you'll have a functional edge. The primary grind is not promising, but it looks like Benchmade has thinned the edge over the years. But really you aren't going to bust a lung doing EDC work like cutting regular cardboard with even the worst tactical knife compared to a more optimized blade profile.

I was able to sharpen a recent Mini-Grip and 530 in 440C at 30 degree edge, matching the factory edge. With the 530 I put a 40 degree microbevel on it as it was for a friend for whom I sharpen maybe twice a year.

You can get an idea of how thick my AFCK from this picture. Notice the width of the edge bevel. The AFCK is at 15 degrees per side while the Military came with about a 12-13 per side degree edge. It is about 2.5 times as thick as the Military.

spyderco1.jpg
 
For a general knife, shaping the primary edge at 15 degrees and then sharpened as needed at 20, makes a very durable edge which should take most every cutting including light metals. If you are tuning more towards a cutting tool and cutting metals very light then you can move towards a 10 degree primary edge with a 15 degree secondary. This isn't as low as is optimal, but it is hard to go lower on most production knives as the actual grind on the knife is too thick.

-Cliff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top