Sharpest slipjoint?

akadave2 said:
The sharpest slipjoints I have seen out of the box have been my Charlows...especially the second run spearpoints. I have also gotten a Case Tiny Trapper that was a near scalpel out of the box. My sharpest after sharpening is either my GEC Hound Tooth or my old Schrade 80T.

People keep saying the Rough Riders come sharp but the Battleaxe congress and my Hawkbill came as dull as my ex wife ;)
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My Sheepsfoot Charlows are the dullest out-of-the-box of any knives I've ever seen: so dull that cutting butter was a challenge! But I am devoted to GEC for other qualities, and I have enjoyed sharpening their beautiful carbon steel. I will continue to buy Charlows when they are available. But GEC brags about their sharpness, and they have a real problem there. I think my first Charlow didn't get the final sharpening. They just missed it. Bill Howard and Co could stand some quality control in this area...

My 01 tool steel Farm & Field knives from GEC have all been wicked sharp. I suppose the 01 is easier to put an edge on, but I haven't had to do much sharpening of the F & F.

My Case stainless steels have been very sharp out of the box. Rarely need to think about sharpening.
 
I don't put much stock in OOB sharpness, unless they are ridiculously dull as most of my Queens have come. The first thing I do with a new knife is sharpen it.

However, I do mind the bevel angle. If the bevel is set to a nice thin angle then I don't have to change it. Changing the edge angle can be time consuming, even with diamond hones. I think Buck still comes with the thinnest edge angle. That makes it easy to give it any bevel I want. I also think Buck is one of the few traditional knife companies which sharpens right out to the point. I like that, too. So many knives come with a thick tip.

And they all get nice and sharp before I'm done.
 
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after Fallkniven U2 everything seems dull,but this one(Wharncliffe) bit me immediately :)
 
I must be lucky because ever single Case knife I've ever got has been amazingly sharp right out of the box. Probably the sharpest was a Yellow CV peanut from the local hardware store. Only issue ever was a loose blade on a Russlock but even that blade was hair popping. I have a RR Elephant Toenail knife that came surprisingly sharp for an inexpensive knife and Ocoee River Whittler.
 
I'll throw in another vote for Rough Riders being sharp out of the box. I recently got a sawcut bone Barlow (my first RR) and was impressed that such an inexpensive knife came out of the box shaving sharp.

My Case knives have been all over the place in terms of sharpness. All have been acceptable, but some have been much sharper than others.
 
knarfeng said:
I don't put much stock in OOB sharpness, unless they are ridiculously dull as most of my Queens have come. The first thing I do with a new knife is sharpen it.
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Well stated, Frank.:thumbup: I can't recall being impressed at how sharp any of my traditional production knives have come. I will say that my Buck knives have been the most consistent, especially when it comes to multiple blades. I've had some knives from other makers that have one blade sharp, but not all of them.

While I feel that knives should come sharp, it's not something I'm going to get upset about. A knife that is getting used needs to be sharpened anyway.


Mine all end up sharp also. Some cut certain materials better than others due to blade thickness or grind, but I would say they are equally sharp.
 
I discovered how sharp a convex grind can be when I was checking out my carbon knives for spots the other day. I wasn't paying attention and my Scagel Fruitport got me good. At first I didn't think of it, no pain, just blood starting to come rapidly out of the tip of my index finger.

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zippofan said:
I discovered how sharp a convex grind can be when I was checking out my carbon knives for spots the other day. I wasn't paying attention and my Scagel Fruitport got me good. At first I didn't think of it, no pain, just blood starting to come rapidly out of the tip of my index finger.
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My Wharncliffe Fruitport is the sharpest production slip joint I've ever owned.
 
protourist said:
Sharpest out of the box so far for me has been my Case CV Trapper.
I do have it on good authority that Queen has been looking into better sharpening for their knives. Stay tuned.
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This, if it pans out, would mean a few new Queen knives for me. I really love the D2. It just needs a thinner grind, and better edge.



A few of my best edges have been from GEC. Few not as sharp as others.


I have a great edge on a S&M Grandady barlow, but only the main, the secondary needed work. The main grind was nice and thin at the edge, so I know they can do it!
 
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I just got a Northwoods Norfolk, I have a pretty high standard for sharpness and mine was stupid sharp when I got it... Opening a new Vietnamese Coffee press put a smile on my face that only a super easy cut can! I'm not sure how the 1095 sharpens yet, but today I needed to cut some cardboard and I didn't have a bigger knife on me, so I used the Norfolk! I cut into it, but after four inches I didn't feel comfortable using the knife because it has such a thin blade. I grabbed a backup knife from the car. No edge damage, blade wasn't scratched!
 
None of them have come with the edge I want.

I think my old Schrades get the absolute sharpest.

I do have a mighty fine edge on my GEC #92 Eureka Jack though.

I sure am getting mighty fond of that knife.
 
Sharpest out of the box for me, Boker. Sharpest after some work, older Cases with carbon steel and thinner grinds. The worst, Queen D2's, always blunt and thickly ground. Takes a good bit with diamond hones to work those down. Good afterwards, but not as sold. I've gotten several newer Cases over the years that were burred, but after burr cleanup would bleed you in an instant.
 
I will have to agree that I've had the best luck with Japanese factory edges. I have limited experience with slipjoints, but my couple of Case knives have come sharp but with very large burrs.
 
MOKI astoundingly sharp.

RR come very keen and do seem to keep it.

Fontenille-Pataud and Chambriard's Sandvik, excellent and it can be tuned up superbly.

CASE stainless generally very good too, their cv less so out of the box.

GEC really quite variable, stainless I find dull and quite hard to get there, surprisingly.

Queen, all over the shop with their D2, but some HAVE arrived sharp. As we know, it can take time to sort it out but it's excellent stuff when you get it there, really worthwhile.

Böker, needed work but very keen quickly, Bulldog, very dull and quite a chore.

We all sharpen knives, we all like our own edge but out of respect for the product, a knife should arrive sharp, no question.
 
Victorinox for years and years. Rough Riders blow me away every time, always nice and sharp out of the box.
I have always found Case to be touch and go but it never bothered me.
 
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