The Sharpest Factory Edge

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mooredc

Joined
May 31, 2003
Messages
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I'm new to the blades forums and relatively new to knives in general, but I have aquired a Buck 110, Buck Mayo TNT, Benchmade 806, and Chris Reeve Small Classic Sebenza.

Is it just me, or is Buck the only company that knows how to put an excellent factory edge on there knives?

The edge on my relatively expensive Sebenza pales in comparison to either of my Buck knives. I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker to try and get a decent edge on my Sebenza, but with no success [probably operator error]. Any suggestions?
 
I noticed the same. Buck's old blades were hard to sharpen and didn't come very sharp, but the new grind makes them sone of the sharpest production blades out of the box. The new edge angle is very acute and cuts extremely well, and it is a lot easier to put a razor edge back on when they get dull.

I have no experience with the Sebenza, but from what I hear, they typically come scary sharp when new. You probably have a flawed knife which you should send back to the factory to be sharpened.
 
Buck does put a great edge on their blades now, but so do Marbles, Spyderco, and a few others.

I hate to buy a knife and find it dull out of the box.
 
My Sebenza is sharp, but not scary sharp.

When I cut a lose hanging piece of paper, both of my Buck knives cut all the way through with a clean cut. The Sebenza [and Benchmade] will start a cut, but then after an inch or so they start to just tear the paper.

I do not think the Sebenza is a defective knife, its comparable to others I've seen. It just is not scary sharp from the factory like the Bucks are.

Are there better knive sharpeners than the Spyderco Sharpmaker that a novice can use? I follow the instructions from the video, but my results are just not that great. I'm not skilled enough to just use a stone.

Matbe I need to move this out of the Buck forum, but I did want to compliment Buck on the great edge they produce right out of the factory.
 
mooredc,

You may want to consider getting a set of ultra fine sticks that are now available. They will polish the edge even more and give you a razor sharp edge.
 
Mooredc, let me offer this opinion since you say
you are new to knives.

There are basicly two types of edges.....
one is "razor" sharp and is intended for flesh &
whiskers. The other is what I call "working" sharp.
Working sharp is by far the best type of edge due
the fact that it's not as thin as razor sharp ...
at the edge. A thin edge is great for scalpels and
razors where there is little chance of damaging the
edge. However, a really good working edge will be
thick enough to stand up to the pressure generated
at the edge face when cutting in regular duty while
still shaving some hair on your arm.

I gotta tell ya fixing a rolled edge is a real
pain. :eek:
 
spyderco comes the sharpest out of the box..

buck is also sharp but their serrations is dull. bucks serrations sucks, but bucks plain edge is hair shaving sharp.

spyderco and benchmade have the sharpest serrations out of the box.

cold steel is not that sharp, need some sharpening to make them sharp.
 
The Lansky sharpening system is the best way to get a good edge with the proper angle. (For me that is)

Every Buck I own came "scary sharp" with the exception of my Dave Yellowhorse Cuthair I and Chief Hastin Naat'aani that have the chipped flint blades.
(These weren't meant to be sharp. Just pretty)

;)
 
While the Edge 2000 process has vastly improved both the factory edge and the re-sharpening properties of Buck knives, I still have found NO equal to the edge that Bob Dozier puts on the blades from his shop. I realize that we are comparing apples to oranges with respect to a factory knife and a custom knife but the fact remains that Dozier knives come with an edge that is unequalled by ANY manufacturer that I have seen. I don't know how he does it to be truthful but I would say that his knives come almost too sharp. I am truly a Buck fan and 99% of all my knife purchases have the Buck logo on them. Buck knives are way sharp and plenty good for any usage. Spyderco and Chris Reeves are probably the two closest to the Dozier with the Buck right in there since the change in edge geometry. All come shaving sharp but the Dozier is so sharp I would be afraid to even shave with it. Bob manufactures mostly fixed blade knives in D2 steel but he does offer a few folders as well. Thsi fact in no way detracts frm the quality that Buck produces as they offer quality and precision at a much more affordable price. I just wanted to make the statement for the record. I would sure like to see a collaboration between Buck/Dozier.
 
I'd have to say that as far as production knives go, Bucks are the sharpest knives out of the box I've ever seen, and the thinnest edges too. I own 4 Benchmades, 2 Spydercos, and some others, but none were anything like my 110 and 560.
 
mooredc said:
I'm new to the blades forums and relatively new to knives in general, but I have aquired a Buck 110, Buck Mayo TNT, Benchmade 806, and Chris Reeve Small Classic Sebenza.

Is it just me, or is Buck the only company that knows how to put an excellent factory edge on there knives?

The edge on my relatively expensive Sebenza pales in comparison to either of my Buck knives. I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker to try and get a decent edge on my Sebenza, but with no success [probably operator error]. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

The Buck Mayo is indeed one of the sharpest out of the box. However, Benchmades and Sebbies are too - I have had quite a few of both of these knives, so the sample size is fair. Sebbies are finished with a convex edge after being V-ground, so they are a little different. If your Sebbie is not razor sharp, then it may need to go back for sharpening or thinning.

The Benchmades should be blazing sharp, as sharp as the Buck Mayo if the edge is as thin. The 710HS, AFCK M2, 770 family, 735, and 943 have all been nasty sharp.
 
mooredc said:
...Are there better knive sharpeners than the Spyderco Sharpmaker that a novice can use? I follow the instructions from the video, but my results are just not that great. I'm not skilled enough to just use a stone.....
Click to expand...

Okay, I guess it's my turn this time.

The Sharpmaker is about as good as you can get for finished edges, novice or pro. I have an idea you may not be getting down to the edge just yet. The existing angle on the blade is probably greater than 40* and you are still taking material off the secondary bevel.

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Sebbie comes with a convex (rounded to the point) edge that would need to be flattened out to sharpen with the Sharpmaker.

Easiest way to do this is to color the edge with a marker then hit the sharpmaker a few strokes and see where the marker is rubbed off, that is your contact point with the stones. To get a sharp edge, the wear of course needs to be at the blade's edge.

I use a cheap Arkansas stone to reprofile an edge down below 40* (or 30* if appropriate), then the 204 to put a finished edge on a blade.
 
My Buck/Mayo and BM 806D2 were remarkably sharp out of the box, but the sharpest factory edge I've ever had was a Kershaw Random Task Knife in 440V. Simply unbelievable.
 
I bought a 110 a few years ago that was the sharpest knife I ever bought and it is still the sharpest knife I own.
 
Thank you all for the kind comments. We work very Hard here to provide the sharpest edge out of the box. Our E2K studies took a long time and have resulted in a fantastic edge.

I will look into what we can do to improve our serration sharpness out of the box. At 1st thought, it shouldn't be too hard to improve.

Jeff Hubbard
QA Supervisor
 
My Buck 110 was the 2nd sharpest knife for me out of the box. The sharpest was my Buck 110 that I had retrofitted with a BG 42 Blade from Buck.

After that, it's a 3 way tie for me between Cold Steel, Spyderco and Becker. Then, Busse, Chris Reeves (Sebenza) and Swamp Rat Knife Works.

Those are all in descending order. Buck was BY FAR the sharpest. I don't own a Dozier yet.
 
I second what sodak said. I have 2 110's that I upgraded to BG-42. They are both "spooky" sharp and will easily cut a long single strand of hanging hair several times. (probably lengthwise, too!)The hairs on my arm just jump off in terror at the mere sight of the blade.
 
ROM831 said:
Okay, I guess it's my turn this time.

The Sharpmaker is about as good as you can get for finished edges, novice or pro.
Click to expand...


I agree and I've used all the systems out there. The Edge Pro is better for reprofiling but the SharpMaker is the best all around system.

Practice is required to learn to use it effectively.

I've had four Sebenzas and none came sharper than my Buck Mayo 172 or 882 Strider-Buck-Tarani.
 
I printed this thread for my father to read. Edge 2000 or E2k or what we now call Edge 2X was his baby. He knew we could produce consistently a finer edge than we had.

It started with changing how we grind in our fabrication to ensure we had a uniform blade grind and thickness and then altering our sharpening procedures to make sure that the right angle is kept and that the bevel of the edge grind is completely flat. What we found is that if we put a rounded bevel on then it does not keep the edge as long and since you are using a flat stone to resharpen you have to wear down the shoulder created in a rounded edge...blah blah blah

Another key we found is the harder the grinding wheels we use for sharpening the less roll over we experience (as well as if the material is harder it can support a thinner edge so can be sharper still)

This was my dads pet project and I know it makes him very proud to hear folks talk about our knives being hair-poppin sharp.

Thanks for the comments...

cj
 
I own only one Buck knife (so far), an Odyssey. It's extremely sharp, no complaints at all about that. Most of my other knives like for instance a Kershaw Avalanche, Schrade Spitfire, Spyderco Para-Military are also very sharp right out of the box.

Some time ago I bought a small Sebenza and I was disappointed with the sharpness. Okay it was sharp, but certainly not as sharp as the knives mentioned above. I used the Spyderco 204 sharpmaker and I was glad to see that I got it sharper than it was out of the box. But still... although I didn't give up easy I never succeeded in making it as sharp as my other knives.
 
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