Sharpness of CRK Project I

J

Joe_knifelover

Joined
Mar 10, 2002
Messages
28
Hi!Everybody. This is my first post on this forum.
I've got my brand new Project I (My first CRK) two weeks ago. Overall speaking, it is a very good knife. It brings me a lot of fun even just holding it & take some good looks.
Regarding sharpness, it is not that sharp as some guys said on this forum. For example, I can only shave a portion of my arm's hair cleanly with at least three touch. But I can do it with MOD CQD Mark I (which I bought in Dec. last year) & some fixed blades of Cold Steel (which I bought eight years ago) with one or two touch only. I don't whether it is my Project I a little bit below average or just I'm too demanding.
Hope the guys on this forum can give me some ideas!
Thank you & Bye!
Joe
 
Welcome to BF. I'm a FNG myself, but that's slowly changing. I don't personally have any of CRK's fixed blades (Mostly Sebenzas), but I might be able to help.
First it's hard to really explain any of what I'm going to say without actually handling your Project, but here it goes.
IMHO, inorder to compare "shaving" sharp, it's only fair to compare knives which have blades of equal thickness and grind. For example a razor blade vs. a 1/4" thick A2 steel blade with a hollow grind.
All things being equal, some grinds will naturally shave easier then others. However, the same grind that shaves very easily may not retain said edge under tough conditions (Flat grind vs. hollow), or be easy to maintain in the field (hollow vs. convex)
There is also the the issue of what the knifes intended purpose is. The project knives are true working knives and sharpness, edge holding & toughness have to be balanced. Thus, although it may not shave out of the box, it may have a tougher edge that just keeps cutting even after your other "shaving" knives are dull and chipped (because the edges are thinner).
With that said, I could be all wrong about Projects not shaving out of the box. I know all my Sebes have been scary sharp out of the box. But then again, it's a 1/4" piece of steel vs. 1/8". I expect the Sebe's thinner profile blade to cut easier (ie. cutting a tomato with your MOD will probably be alot easier then with the CRK).
None the less, if it really bothers you send it back to CRK and they'll make sure you're happy. They have a way of doing that.
Sorry I keep rambling. I hope this helps. Robert
 
I thought it was a hollow grind? :rolleyes: :confused:
I have mostly 2001. Aside from the limited # of flat grinds they released are the rest convex?
 
General, you got me thinking and searching the forum for answers. I looked up some old posts and you have set me straight!! :p
Learn something new everyday!!
 
No problem!:p

Its a hollow ground blade with a convex edge:)


Now a large Sebi made from S30V with the full convex grind... Hmmmm, anyone from CRK listening?:D
 
The edges are ground by hand. They're not all going to be perfect. The factory edge on my small Sebenza was not nearly as good as that of my large, for instance.
Since it's already sharp enough to shave hair (not sure what you mean by 1, 2, and 3 touch?), a little time with a strop might put it up to your expectations.

btw, blade thickness, grind, and edge bevel have nothing to do with sharpness, just cutting ability.
 
My attempt at answering your question:

Hair poping is wholey due to the condition of the actual edge, not the overall grind of the blade. That is the meeting point of either side of the blade. On a razor blade this is extremely fine. Hair is made of protein and has to be sliced by a very fine edge. Due to its construction it also tends to be cut better with the odd micro serration. Hair is quite thick and springy at this level which adds to the problem.

If you look at the bright steel, the primary edge, of your Project you can see that it is convex. This is the best way to retain keenness whilst maintaining some strength behind the actual edge. It also means that at micro hair level there is not quite the depth of actual edge. A better hair popper would a straight aligned burr. On a razor the primary egde has a flat profile. But on a survival knife that is going too fragile. Properties that wipe hair off are also those that on heavier work blunt as they are rolled, chipped or knocked off.

One last reason is that due to the weight of the Project you will hold back when hair popping; as quite rightly you don't want the blade to bite into your flesh.

New Projects have very smooth actual edges, so when they do bite they go deep. Many of my friends think my knives are too sharp and prefer rougher sharp edges that they can control better, well at least have some feedback from. The trick is how you finish the edge: what final stone, grit or polish you use and what profile, flat fine or convex, you decide on. I like the convex type you get from a soft leather strop, which is less of a hair popper than a flat hone.
An axe can be made to shave, as all that it takes is to give the actual edge a hair poppin' finish.

Lastly, I like to go into the field with well polished fine edges as they last longer. They are roughen up through work, can be maintained with a little ceramic steeling, and generally last the duration of the trip without a true sharpening session. Just my way I like driving my knives.

All will be revealed once you get your Project out working where it belongs: in the wild. ;)
 
GREENJACKET nailed and said just about what I would have said. I do not like hair popping edges on my user knives. Sure, they may be great for impressing people under a controlled setting, but try working with a fine edge and you will become disenchanted quickly.

There is, of course, a balance to be struck between sharp and useful. This is where edge geometry comes in. I would rather give up a little bit of slicing and push cutting ability for a sharp edge that will stay that way longer throughout tasks that it will be called upon to perform.
 
CRK uses a simple method to make convex edges on their hollow grind blades. The final edge is made with a hard felt wheel with abrasive compound. The hard felt will deform slightly and form a curved shape where the knife edge contacts the wheel. It will also polish the edge to a very durable mirror finish.

I said it was simple however, the skill level is something I do not have. I belive this was developed by Chris Reeve over a long time period. It is a high speed strop over a very small area.

I have used this method on small wood carving knives which are true flat ground without a secondary bevel,,,,using the sides of the wheel. My wheel was rotating at 200 RPM, not at 1750 or 3600 RPM.

Regards,
FK
 
This is all very true! I was using my Sebi before to cut up some cardboard boxes and it was struggling a little. Shaves fairly well but over polished for this kind of task. My Starmate in CPM 440V with a thicker cross section cut rather better through the cardboard, yet bairly scrape shaves. The razor polished edge is simply not suitable for all tasks...:p !

I just like to have a scary sharp edge on my blades, I see it as a test of my skill rather than a practical need.:p
 
I have both the Project 1 and Shadow IV, and I noticed the same thing. I agree with most everything people have said by way of explanation.
Also try switching hands and then shaving your arm. Sometimes the burr favors one side or the other. I think it has to due with the edge burr and the convex grind, because I have my shadow IV resharpened as a V-grind and it shaves much easier but is really no sharper. On both knives I found that CRK polished the edges so finely that I had to rough them up slightly on the grey stones of the Sypderco sharpmaker, to add a bit more micro serrations and bite. Just use the knife hard and dont worry about shaving with a quarter inch thick hunk 0 steel. :D Its darn sharp. I also have the Mod CQD MK 1 and I know what your talking about. That edge is scary sharp, like a scalpel, but I would not expect it to be able to be pounded through a log to split it and not have damage, like a project 1 can be.
 
Thanks for all the replies. After reading all the explanations, I'm no longer worry whether my Project I is that hair popping sharp. I'll seek a chance to field test the knife in the near future. After that I'll tell you the result. At that time, I think my problem would be how to maintain or restore the edge since I'm not good at knife sharpening.

Joe
 
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