The sacrosanct new knife

Q

Quintalito

Joined
Sep 29, 2013
Messages
73
I never thought sharpening a knife would be such a big deal.

But I never thought I would spend $90 on a knife either.

For a lot of you it probably is a ridiculously small amount of money, but for someone like me who has known money with units worth less than a US quarter at some point, it kind of still is a lot of money for a cutting device.

But I did it anyway. It is a casual act, but I was held back by the expected feeling I could get for messing up a somewhat expensive tool just to try and improve it.

Little did I know that the reward would far exceed the risk!

By sharpening my mini griptilian (with some success, might i add :D ) I granted it a soul. Not only did those micro scratches on the bevel make my knife sharper, but they gave it an identity too! It might still have some sharpie on the blade and not be perfectly symmetrical, but it cuts better than ever and it really feels mine!

I probably won't keep a knife untouched that long again.
 
I still have not found the tree with money on it, and sometimes sharpening up a well loved knife is all one needs to get over that feeling of being bummed out with a dullish blade. Congrats!
 
My Grip had a terrible edge from the factory. I was pretty disappointed in it when I got it. With a little work and progression on 3 stones and a leather strop it is now sharp and the bevels are even.

For me $100 or close to it for a knife isn't cheap. I have been carrying Victorinox and Moraknivs for years now so it was a big deal to spend that much on a knife, and I expected a $100 knife to have to a $100 edge on it when I got it.
 
Sometimes, just the act of sharpening a knife is a calming, thoughtful experience in which you can lose yourself.
 
Congratulations on the purchase and your first sharpening. Only once you sharpen the new knife does it become your own.

Editted to add: I think I'm going to make a cup of coffee and touch up my RAT2 right now. Gotta love Sundays ! :)
 
Thanks guys, sharpening definitely is an enjoyable skill to learn.

Collim, i too was utterly disappointed with the factory edges of my grip and mini grip, first for the price and second for everything i had read on benchmade edges (which seemed to change recently). But it might be what got me to sharpen one and trade the other! However i probably won't spend that much money on a knife again, i'd rather have a good surprise when i open an opinel box or have no surprise at all when i open an sak box :)
 
Probably my biggest epiphany in sharpening, was in finally learning that a knife's edge can be a whole lot sharper than what the factory put on it. At one time, I'd just blindly assumed a factory edge was about as sharp as the knife could be, and that was almost always disappointing to some extent (though some can be excellent). After taking that last 'deep breath' and diving into sharpening my own knives, I've never (NEVER) left the edge in worse shape than factory, and almost always improved upon it (with patience and practice). It's the best way I know of, to take a knife that I've not liked or at least felt indifferent to, and turn it into a knife that I love to carry and use. It's well worth the risk, in setting all that fear aside and just doing it; and don't stop working at it, until it's up to your own expectations.


David
 
My edges look nowhere near factory clean, but they cut a hell of a lot better.

Sometimes you just have to use it and let the scuffs become a personality. It's a lot better than trying to maintain a mirror on a user.
 
I also used to think knives were pretty well at their peak from the factory. I have a little 2 dollar paring knife that i love and love to use because i put the edge on it. Also good to know that not the only one who fixes yhe factory bevels as soon as i get home. Used to just feel it and say its sharp. Now when i buy a knife im looking for what needs to be fixed. Congratulations on beginning a wonderful journey. Sometimes a rough road for financially challenged guys like us. I started with a lansky. Then went to a kme. And the chosera hones i drool over now are $279 for the set. But with some improvisation we can make up for the lack of funds. For now i use sandpaper on wooden blanks after the factory diamond hones. Its a deep but rewarding rabbit hole that is sharpening
 
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