Shiny knives.

I have quite a few mirror polished blades.
Actually quite a few GOOD mirror polished blades. Once you take a liking to that kind of blade you'll notice that not all mirror blades are done well.
 
Uggh,

I just got an A.G. Russell ATS 34 lock back in G-10 with a mirror finished blade. I really like the knife, but can't stand the finish.

My problem is the blade always gets thumprints on it. The prints really detract from what is otherwise a visually pleasing knife. As I carry this every day, It is really annoying.

My two cents...

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-j-
Boise, Idaho


 
I like the theory. Shinny knives cause less drag when its pulled through the material being cut. Need a lot of care to keep it looking good though.
 
Aside from the visual aspect, the smoother the blade is the less prone to corrosion it will be.


Mike
 
I have a few shiny knives which I like and use in everyday carry. But at the end of the day, I really spend quite a few minutes cleaning off all the thumbprints. Shiny finishes really do not lend themselves well to being used and still look good.

But when all's said and done, only my Spyderco Delica, made from G-2, ever rusted in my pocket. And that was mainly at the edge where I had left a roughly finished edge. The rest of the stuff (SAK, AMK Quicksilver, and now, my new Gerber-Paul
smile.gif
) seem to be just fine.
 
You know, the thumbprints are there irrespective of the finish; just more visible on high polished blades.

smile.gif
Brandon

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I've got the schizophrenic blues
No I don't
Yes I do...
 
Hello,


Polished blades are ok,,,but for Hard use wilderness blades they just look dang Ugly after you use them hard. Also very costly and a pain to refinish.

My .02

Allen
 
I'll probably get shot for saying this....but I don't like mirror finished blades.
Unless they are to the point of being almost flawless, I think they make an otherwise beautiful piece look "cheap".
It has been my experience that a mirror polished blade will rust/tarnish more quickly than a satin finished blade, assuming both are unprotected. In my way of thinking there is no place on a mirror polished blade to hold oils, waxes, or other protectants. Whereas a satin blade has many tiny scratches that will hold the protectant and ensure it's there to do it's job. I suppose one could argue the opposite concerning contaminates such as blood or other things that could damage a blade too. That's what is so nice about the forums......there's room for all opinions!

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Ed Caffrey
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.caffreyknives.com
 
I would say that the original Spyderco Moran is an excellent example of a good mirror polish.

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Tea drinker and hellraiser from Northern Sweden, above the arctic circle.

 
If I had been given the option, every knife I own would have a mirror-polished blade.
Hope you heard that, Les and Sal. Although I understand the "tactical" reasons behind the black and duller finishes, I'm rarely involved in covert missions out here on the farm.
 
My three daily carry production knives have a satin finish. My custom collection consists of 16 fixed blades. Most are forged carbon steel with a satin or smooth grey finish. I don't normally like mirror finishes. They look awful after being used hard, and the polished, refined look is not what I am normally interested in.

However, I did recently purchase two mirror finished hunters in CPM-154 made by GenO Denning. They are perfect in everyway. Although I probably would have prefered his satin finish, I fell in love with these two knives at a show and took them home. I doubt there will be too many mirror finished knives in my future, but a mirror finish done very well speaks very highly of the skill and committment of the maker.

Paracelsus

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 05-13-2000).]
 
It depends. On utility knives I don't care what the finish is, but smooth does seem to easier to care for, at least with the carbon steels which is what the majority of my knives are. The Swiss Army knives are shiny and they would look funny if they were anything else, and the Case pocket knives also seem to traditionally have a shiny finish. I have a couple of later US made Boker pocket knives which have a pretty humble smooth finish, but since one started out as a junker it's hard to tell if it came from the factory like that or if someone tried to polish it on a buffing wheel. The mirror polish on a couple of older pocket knives is very well done, which looks elegant showing thru the discoloration.
 
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