Should I sharpen Benchmade Adamas folder right out of the box?

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Rock49911

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Apr 30, 2023
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I am soon getting a new Benchmade Adamas folder and I am not sure about sharpening it right out of the box. Some say the factory edge is slightly rough and that it is a good thing for bite. Another expert says the factory bevel edge angle is too obtuse and brittle and needs to be slightly modified for optimal blade utilization. Then, others say the factory edge is just fine.

Do any of you change the bevel angle of your knife? I am really not sure about that, doesn’t that go against the knife designers ideas of their perfect knife? I wonder what information I am missing regarding this topic.

I really don’t know, new here to this forum, what are your thoughts?

TIA
 
The Adamas I had came nice and sharp from the factory. Whether it needs to be sharpened or not really depends on your intended use and personal preference. D2 does perform really well with a “toothy” edge and holds it for a long time with normal use. Personally, I usually touch factory edges up because I like my knives to be scalpel sharp.
 
if by "sharpen" you mean remove significant metal and potentially alter the bevel angle, i never do this on a new knife unless it is something like a swiss army knife used for whittling. I'd be surprised if that new adamas was not already sharp, however, everyone has DIFFERENT needs and expectations of their tools. Most brand new knives would do well with a honing on medium-fine grits and then polishing, but this is dependent on what you intend to use the blade for.
 
A) Only change the angle if I am unhappy or am chasing more ...
B) Test the factory edge . ( But in hind sight - most factory edges bite - not all - but a lot )
C) Maybe just strop the edge ?
D) Yeah , most factory edges are very average ( the ones I got ) .
E) You do what you want with your knife ...
 
I generally just use it out of the box, then inevitably I sharpen it soon after. I find it's very rare to get a knife that has an edge I would be totally happy with out of the box.

It depends on how keen I am to reprofile to something thinner, but it is almost always worth it for better performance and edge retention. The lower toughness steels I would be more likely to stay with the same angle, but depends on what you are using your knife for as well (ie. hard use/abuse vs just for slicing etc.)
 
I generally use a knife as is when I get it.
First reason is to see what they thnink of as acceptable. Second is that I can't meaningfully make a change without knowing what I should change.
 
chalby said:
I generally just use it out of the box, then inevitably I sharpen it soon after. I find it's very rare to get a knife that has an edge I would be totally happy with out of the box.

It depends on how keen I am to reprofile to something thinner, but it is almost always worth it for better performance and edge retention. The lower toughness steels I would be more likely to stay with the same angle, but depends on what you are using your knife for as well (ie. hard use/abuse vs just for slicing etc.)
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This
 
Most of the time, especially in mass production like Benchmade, the bevel angle likely has nothing to do with "the designer's idea of their perfect knife". Almost all factory edges are 17-20 degrees per side, and that has probably been determined over time as a good blend of performance and durability. Additionally, these knives are sharpened by low-wage workers on power equipment, so the factory edge is often burned (and uneven) and not a true indicator of how a given steel will perform. Don't hesitate to sharpen it or change the angle if you're unsatisfied, or use it until it needs sharpening if you're happy with it.
 
Ilikesharpstuff said:
Most of the time, especially in mass production like Benchmade, the bevel angle likely has nothing to do with "the designer's idea of their perfect knife". Almost all factory edges are 17-20 degrees per side, and that has probably been determined over time as a good blend of performance and durability. Additionally, these knives are sharpened by low-wage workers on power equipment, so the factory edge is often burned (and uneven) and not a true indicator of how a given steel will perform. Don't hesitate to sharpen it or change the angle if you're unsatisfied, or use it until it needs sharpening if you're happy with it.
Click to expand...
More often than not the bevel angle isn't even the same from one side to the other. I've seen plenty of factory edges where it varied 5°.
 
With the first resharpening, I like to reprofile the blade to a precise, 15 dps angle.

For an EDC, that angle is a good balance between high-performance cutting and durability. Most factory edges will be more obtuse than 15 dps, and that angle will be uneven from side to side -- say 19 degrees on one side and 24 on the other. And power sharpening, like you get from the factory, is going to hold an edge more poorly than the steel is capable of, because power sharpening will usually weaken the steel.

There is quite a bit of variability from factory knife to factory knife, so it's good to see what you are actually dealing with.

Most people here seem to like a rougher, toothier edge. I prefer a more polished edge, say up to 1800 grit.

And it's important to get rid of the residual burr, otherwise you'll quickly lose cutting performance.

Stropping takes a little skill -- but if you can get a clean, burr-free apex off stones, stropping can quickly give you noticeable boost in performance.
 
I like to use the factory edge for a while, to get a benchmark to compare my re-sharpened edge to. I like to see how the blade performs after being sharpened by a guy who does it all day long, using a belt. Then I compare it to the performance after I have knocked down the shoulder, re-profiled and polished freehand. There is a little bit of a competitive element there!

My Benchmades have always had a reasonable edge out of the box, I never got a really bad one. Not pretty or refined, but up to a reasonable standard.
 
Rock49911 said:
I am soon getting a new Benchmade Adamas folder and I am not sure about sharpening it right out of the box. Some say the factory edge is slightly rough and that it is a good thing for bite. Another expert says the factory bevel edge angle is too obtuse and brittle and needs to be slightly modified for optimal blade utilization. Then, others say the factory edge is just fine.

Do any of you change the bevel angle of your knife? I am really not sure about that, doesn’t that go against the knife designers ideas of their perfect knife? I wonder what information I am missing regarding this topic.

I really don’t know, new here to this forum, what are your thoughts?

TIA
Click to expand...

factory edge varies, IME. it is definitely rough IMO.

they never put too low of an edge on factory knives

i always sharpen my knives right out of the box. most of the time i re-profile. i rarely measure the angle.

If you don't sharpen knives or are not confident in sharpening, keep the factory edge until it's dull and then learn how to sharpen.
 
It should be very good edge out of box,toothy....maybe give it few strokes on ceramics,if the burr is still there and youre set
 
Rock49911 said:
I am soon getting a new Benchmade Adamas folder and I am not sure about sharpening it right out of the box. Some say the factory edge is slightly rough and that it is a good thing for bite. Another expert says the factory bevel edge angle is too obtuse and brittle and needs to be slightly modified for optimal blade utilization. Then, others say the factory edge is just fine.

Do any of you change the bevel angle of your knife? I am really not sure about that, doesn’t that go against the knife designers ideas of their perfect knife? I wonder what information I am missing regarding this topic.

I really don’t know, new here to this forum, what are your thoughts?

TIA
Click to expand...
I sharpen every knife I get, right out of the box.
 
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