Tired of supersteels

tony281sc2 said:
One of the best balanced steels out there however when you take all factors into consideration. It’s tough, holds an edge plenty good, and isn’t ridiculous to sharpen. Oh and stainless too
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Yeah I love it, it's a great steel for sure and I definitely didn't mean to impugn its honor by denying it supersteel status. I just understand 'supersteel' to only apply to alloys which fundamentally break the traditional steel performance envelope in some way. Like M390 family showing such good wear resistance and corrosion resistance with an appetite for hardness, it's fundamentally different from the traditional understanding of stainless vs carbon steels where stainless generally means buttery in a way.
 
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I'm super stoked right now. I've been experimenting with using and sharpening different steels. My latest sharpening job today was on a Pena X-Series Apache, so Reate heat treated M390. I was kind of dreading it but this time I stuck with the factory edge angle which was in between 21 and 22 degrees per side. I just gave her a whole new edge from 140 grit up to 600 grit on diamonds in about 45 minutes max conservatively. Maybe I've just been focusing on reprofiling all my knives to the optimal angle lately too much and should just go the easy route and match the angle. It sure makes for a whole lot less time spent.

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LimpCroissant said:
I'm super stoked right now. I've been experimenting with using and sharpening different steels. My latest sharpening job today was on a Pena X-Series Apache, so Reate heat treated M390. I was kind of dreading it but this time I stuck with the factory edge angle which was in between 21 and 22 degrees per side. I just gave her a whole new edge from 140 grit up to 600 grit on diamonds in about 45 minutes max conservatively. Maybe I've just been focusing on reprofiling all my knives to the optimal angle lately too much and should just go the easy route and match the angle. It sure makes for a whole lot less time spent.

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The other thing you can do, and it is a long term plan, is gradually make the angle more acute each time you sharpen. I'm not sure how practical that is with a fixed angle system though, depending on what you have.

Consider it minor reprofiling each time you sharpen. It will still be a little bit more time consuming but not as bad as a full reprofile in one go.

Just an idea anyway.
 
I have been using a Wicked Edge sharpener for quite a few years and upgraded to this model a few years ago. It gives me the ability to accurately and easily sharpen any knife. I think the higher end steels are easier to sharpen than very low end steels. I sharpen my knives which are anything from Beta Titanium to H1, M390, S90V, etc. I don't find that much difference in use that I can notice as well as ease of sharpening, other than non-steels and H1. The only time I have a longer sharpening job is when I change angle from the original / previous grind. I usually carry a couple of knives normally; one for general use and one for unforseen emergency which does not get used. I use knives hard at work as a marine technician on a submarine and as a diver. I cut a variety of ropes, nets, firehoses, gaskets, wires, etc. Because I am in and around the ocean constantly, I use an H1 Spyderco a lot and have a L100C model in que to replace it at some point. I also have been using a Mission MPK12 in Beta Titanium which continues to surprise me with it's cutting ability. I did re-angle the blade and put a much finer finish than the original which really made a big difference in cutting ability. I have reall been using this knife hard, for several weeks now, and it is holding up well.

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chalby said:
The other thing you can do, and it is a long term plan, is gradually make the angle more acute each time you sharpen. I'm not sure how practical that is with a fixed angle system though, depending on what you have.

Consider it minor reprofiling each time you sharpen. It will still be a little bit more time consuming but not as bad as a full reprofile in one go.

Just an idea anyway.
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That's a fantastic idea. Each sharpening go back one or two degrees. I think that's what I'll do on this Pena. It's quite a bit too obtuse of an edge for my liking at 22 degrees, but next time I'll get her down to 20, then I suppose the next time I'll go to my sweet spot of 17. I like that. The whole reason I like to go below 20 degrees, besides it slicing like an animal, is so that I can use my Sharpmaker in between big sharpenings at 40 degrees inclusive. I can maintain my edge at 20 degrees on the sharpmaker for a long time before having to reprofile again and it's sooo fast and easy with the sharpmaker if your geometries right. Good call 🍻
 
vjb.knife said:
I have been using a Wicked Edge sharpener for quite a few years and upgraded to this model a few years ago. It gives me the ability to accurately and easily sharpen any knife. I think the higher end steels are easier to sharpen than very low end steels. I sharpen my knives which are anything from Beta Titanium to H1, M390, S90V, etc. I don't find that much difference in use that I can notice as well as ease of sharpening, other than non-steels and H1. The only time I have a longer sharpening job is when I change angle from the original / previous grind. I usually carry a couple of knives normally; one for general use and one for unforseen emergency which does not get used. I use knives hard at work as a marine technicial on a submarine and as a diver. I cut a variety of ropes, nets, firehoses, gaskets, wires, etc. Because I am in and around the ocean constantly, I use an H1 Spyderco a lot and have a L100C model in que to replace it at some point. I also have been using a Mission MPK12 in Beta Titanium which continues to surprise me with it's cutting ability. I did re-angle the blade and put a much finer finish than the original which really made a big difference in cutting ability. I have reall been using this knife hard, for several weeks now, and it is holding up well.

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Yea everyone that I've seen that has a Wicked Edge seems to really like it. I'd love to try one, it looks like a really cool design and built very well. It's cool seeing how each of these companies figured out a way of doing the same thing, each one very different in the way that it gets done. Maybe someday I'll find someone local that will let me check their's out and try it out of curiosity, however I decided on the KME and am going to stick to it for the simple fact that I poured a decent amount of money into it with the thought that I'll be able to sharpen my knives for the rest of my life with it. I may need to get another set of stones or two in that amount of time, but I saw it as a long term investment.

Nice splicing picture! My grandpa used to sail and had some amazing splicing jobs hanging around for different uses. Those Ti Mission knives are cool, always wanted one. I like how the serrations are on the right side of the blade.
 
Basically my favorite steel and music have already been made. I love carbon steel and Classic Rock.
I had a custom Buck 110 made this spring and the blade steel? 5160 baby!
I'll just listen to Led Zeppelin and play with my knife. I can't wait until she shows a patina.
 

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The way I'm kind of seeing it lately is that there really aren't any bad steels, except the old style chinese bullcrap that's made for liners and what not. Once you get above AUS 8, 12C27, 8 or 9cr,420HC, etc., they're all great steels. Just because 420HC needs more attention to keeping a sharp edge than 20cv doesn't mean it's an old haggard out of date steel. They all have their own areas where they excell in, to different degrees. And just because say a folder comes only in 12C27 doesn't mean it's a crappy knife. It just means that you'll need to spend more time with it on the stones, which will probably end up making you more skilled at sharpening furthering this hobby of ours.
 
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