Too Sharp

[bpeezer]

It is sharp. Hair popping sharp. Phone book paper slicing sharp. But NOT skin cutting sharp. I can run my fingers along the edge and I am sure if I pushed hard enough to get it started it would result in a very clean and deep cut. But the initial pressure required to initiate the cut feels like it would be much higher than the BK13, Case and especially the opinel.

It is not as sharp as it should be, especially at that level of refinement. A blade should be "3 finger sticky", which feels like it instantly sticks or bites into your skin when touching it very lightly. As an example, I like my blade to split my skin and leave micro cuts to know that the edge is good. These edges are sharper than just hair popping or phone book sharp, they are hair whittling or (quite rarely) even HHT sharp.

 

[Spameater12003]

It is not as sharp as it should be, especially at that level of refinement. A blade should be "3 finger sticky", which feels like it instantly sticks or bites into your skin when touching it very lightly. As an example, I like my blade to split my skin and leave micro cuts to know that the edge is good. These edges are sharper than just hair popping or phone book sharp, they are hair whittling or (quite rarely) even HHT sharp.

bpeezer,

I am not on you level of sharpness. I bought a Ken Onion WS and love it. I can't get a knife as sharp as you describe very often but I have tried the three finger test. Other knives I can feel the sharpness with the three fingers but not so with the Higo. And I think you are correct. It is not as sharp as it should be at that refinement. However by many standards it is a sharp knife and won't cut a tomato - very well. Hence it fits the "myth".

BTW, I too use your micro cut test but had to stop. My knives were not sharp enough not to cut with a little pressure sometimes resulting in more blood than was wanted. Your micro cut method is my preferred test of sharpness for the above stated reasons. I can get a knife sharp by paper and hair shaving standards but still have a "dull" knife. If it easily cuts my skin then I know I have a truly sharpened knife.

 

[bpeezer]

bpeezer,

I am not on you level of sharpness. I bought a Ken Onion WS and love it. I can't get a knife as sharp as you describe very often but I have tried the three finger test. Other knives I can feel the sharpness with the three fingers but not so with the Higo. And I think you are correct. It is not as sharp as it should be at that refinement. However by many standards it is a sharp knife and won't cut a tomato - very well. Hence it fits the "myth".

BTW, I too use your micro cut test but had to stop. My knives were not sharp enough not to cut with a little pressure sometimes resulting in more blood than was wanted. Your micro cut method is my preferred test of sharpness for the above stated reasons. I can get a knife sharp by paper and hair shaving standards but still have a "dull" knife. If it easily cuts my skin then I know I have a truly sharpened knife.

Try using lighter pressure, and turning off the TV so you can focus on stropping a little. Paying attention to every stroke will help to keep you from rounding the apex, so you will get a crisp edge at that high level of refinement. Spend some time in the Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment forum and you'll get there in no time

 

[Spameater12003]

Try using lighter pressure, and turning off the TV so you can focus on stropping a little. Paying attention to every stroke will help to keep you from rounding the apex, so you will get a crisp edge at that high level of refinement. Spend some time in the Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment forum and you'll get there in no time

Thanks for the help. I never thought about the "sharpness" of the edge prior to refinement until you mentioned it. Thinking about it for the past few minutes it makes a lot more sense. Need to spend a little more time on the sharp before the strop.

As for turning off the TV while I strop,

 

[Rasco]

Check this out
[video=youtube_share;GTHD2J2za6Y]http://youtu.be/GTHD2J2za6Y[/video]

 

[Freman Bloodglaive]

^I like that.

 

[bpeezer]

As for turning off the TV while I strop,

Haha only for a short time to let you focus on your technique a little

 

[TheChunk91]

Saying a knife is "too sharp" is like saying you have too many bullets, its just bs.

 

[pnsxyr]

I am not an expert at sharpening but I don't think "too sharp" can really exist unless it means the edge is left in a condition that does not match it up well for intended usage (for example, cutting copper wire with a 10 degree angle). More so than "too sharp", I think it's "finished in a fashion that does not match what is being cut or how the user is cutting something".

On most knives, I use an EdgePro and go up to the 3000 grit polishing tape (soon the 10000 Chosera). For most usage, I like that a lot and for push cutting something like paper, it's a wicked performer. BUT, when I want to "saw through" something, I finish closer to 600-1000. That really applies most to general-use kitchen knives, at least for me. For tomatoes, I prefer to use the sawing method in which more coarse micro-serrations are desired (if my terminology is correct). So if I finish certain kitchen knives at around 600, I like it more to cut some foods than if I took it up to 2000 or 3000 (tomatoes included). With that said, I like paring knives finished all the way to 3000, so it is knife-specific. So to me, it's not as much a question of sharp as it is if the finished edge is going to perform the best for the way it is used and what is to be cut, so it's partly personal preference.

 

[Bill1170]

Hearing the knives slam into the tile counter, then scrape across it...

That was my thought at first, so I went and re-watched the video. The "tile" appears to be sheet flooring made to resemble ceramic tile. The edge goes "thunk" when it hits the counter. If it were real tile, the edge would go "tink." Also, the front edge of the counter is a 1 by 4 painted white, held on by exposed screws. I'll bet this was filmed at a craft table in a work space other than a kitchen, or else a very budget-conscious kitchen counter.

I think the guy makes a valid point about polished edges getting accidentally rolled during final refinement.