very disappointed

Note about BM's: I rarely see them come with a decent edge. The Grips usually do, but not too many others. When I get really bored at the shop, I sometimes pull out the sharpmaker and clean them up.
Note about the box: Boxes always get ephed up no matter where you go. The main problem is that they are always being shipped in boxes with other boxes! But then, the shear nature of the box is to take the abuse so that the contents might remain unscathed. So don't worry about the box.
Note about the sharpmaker: Kicks a lot of ass. If you have a knifestore near you, many of them offer professional sharpening. (But be sure to request it not be done on a bansander. BM claims that this will harm the heat-treat.) But just pick up the Sharpmaker and learn how to kick ass with it. It's easy.
-KC
 
Knifeclerk said:
If you have a knifestore near you, many of them offer professional sharpening.
Click to expand...
I will trust myself to sharpen a knife and I will trust a manufacturer to resharpen their own knives, but I will not trust anyone in a store or at a knife show unless I see them do another knife properly. I've heard too many stories of how other people have had their knives messed up, with no recourse. Everyone has his own idea of what constitutes proper sharpening, and some of the standards out there will not please a serious collector! :rolleyes:
 
if ya dont wanna buy a sharpmaker or sharpen it yourself i'll sharpen it for ay if ya pay shipping both ways, would take one day.....
 
send it back to BM for a resharpening. knives should shave out of the box.

that said, I've handled customs which aren't sharp out of the box as well.

also, get a sharpmaker. New Graham's prices are good. Let Mike make it up to you...you'll see that NGK are good people!
 
If you plan on having more than one knife get a sharpening set-up! Any knife will get dull even if it is not used--oxidation of the fine edge will see to that. Like Klattman I have never had a knife where the edge couldn't be improved. For instance while my new Dozier was sharper "out of the box" than any other knife I have, the edge was greatly improved in both profile and sharpness following some work on my part. BTW I use a DMT Aligner and a leather strop and get consistently good results.
Greg
 
Well I went ahead and ordered a sharpmaker. I will post again with results after it arrives. Thanks for all the advice and input.
 
koj11...all our knives are new...period. While we do have a showroom, all knives are locked in lighted display cases. BM boxes have a tendency to show wear simply by rubbing against each other in transit. No customer touches a knife unless one of my staff is there. I have seen BM's arrive inhouse that were NEVER sharpened at all...in the raw, so to speak. While BM's QC is above average, flaws slip out from time to time.
Sorry you are not pleased.
Regards, Mike
 
I guess, sharpness out of the box depends on your pickyness. The first a good woodworker will do to a handcrafted chisel that is already handsharpend to a razor edge, is....taking it to a stone and true it. Once you get picky enough, there is no such thing as a knife out of the box that is sharp enough. So you might aswell learn how to sharpen.....and then even your CRKT doesn't have to go for a year without sharpening.

Go with the sharpmaker. If the edge bevel is set correctly, your don't even have to buy the diamond rods. Whether the edgebevel is sharp enough, you can easily test by marking the very edge with a black marker, take a protractor and run the knife down a knife steel or any other hard edge (steel ruler) at slightly less than 20 degrees. If the marker is being abraded at the edge your good to go and sharpeing on the sharpmaker should not take more than a few minutes.
 
Mike,

Thanks for the info. I assumed it was a BM deal, and not your fault. My order for the sharpmaker (and some militec) was through you as well and just placed a few hours ago. I've got some older knives around somewhere to practice on, and am looking forward to trying this myself. Thanks again.

Chad
 
koj11 said:
Mike,

Thanks for the info. I assumed it was a BM deal, and not your fault. My order for the sharpmaker (and some militec) was through you as well and just placed a few hours ago. I've got some older knives around somewhere to practice on, and am looking forward to trying this myself. Thanks again.

Chad
Click to expand...
You got yourself a good setup. Militec is great and gets better with each successive application. Heating the steel with a hair dryer before applying works best. I think you'll find that it takes a long time to reprofile your blade to a thinner edge with the sharpmaker. Some people wrap the ceramic rods in a course grit sandpaper for fast removal of steel. I lay the brown rods on the back of the case to form a traditional bench stone setup for reprofiling. This allow me to apply more pressure and the brown rods perform rather well when pressing hard. Once you get the edge thinned, put the rods in the vee setup and your angles will take care of themselves. Wash your ceramic rods often with abrasive cleanser and a scotchbrite pad, especially when new. Steve Sando has a handy angle calculator for determining angles for freehand sharpening.

angle calc
 
Funny .. I have bought 3 BM knives. 1 Ritter Grip, 1 Mini Ritter Grip and DPT Rant. Both Ritter Grips were litterally hair flinging sharp. I have seen razors that were duller than these babies. The DPT Rant that I bought was however not very sharp. I figures it was just the difference in $40 BM knives and $100 BM knives or in other words: the difference between Red Class and Blue Class BM knives. Either way I have since gotten my DPT Rant quite sharp on my own. Although lately I have been considering selling it and replacing it with a $15 Carbon Steel Mora from Cody Lundins Website. :eek: Seriously... no kidding! :D
 
Secret of Sharpmaker
Starting position:
SpydercoSharpmaker05.jpg

Finishing position:
SpydercoSharpmaker06.jpg

Full set og rods (+ diamond + Ultrafine)
SpydercoSharpmaker03.jpg


Enjoy!

----------------------------
You need diamond rods if you want to be in full control of your edge. If you need just shaving sharp blade - do it on 40. Usually factory edge is between 30 and 40 and 40 works always except KaBar 1217 (50 degree I think). I always put 30 on all my knives so to make it I need diamond rods.
----------------------------

Thanks, Vassili.
 
I get pretty fascinated with the concept of applying an opinion about knife quality to the edge that came from the factory. An edge is a transitory thing to be maintained regularly. I put a good edge on every knife I buy before using it. It's convenient if the bevels are the right angle for my intended use of the knife but the condition of those bevels has always been irrelevant to me. I prefer to sharpen the knife myself to my own standards. I think every knife is dull "out of the box."

Honestly, I think you should view it as irrelevant as well. I don't suggest that because I think you need to sharpen an edge like I do before use, but because knife sharpening is a skill everyone should have - particularly a knife enthusiast like you are becoming. The edge will dull pretty quickly from use anyway. If you can't sharpen it, what will you do then? Now would be the perfect time to dig in and learn something about edges and their maintenance.

If you insist on avoiding it, though, Benchmade offers a free sharpening service. Details are on their web site. I don't know that the results will be any better but there is a good chance they will improve the edge.
 
I wholeheartedly agree with this except, a brand new knife should have a reasonable edge on it. I don't think it's too much to ask of a manufacturer or knifemaker. Many of us use the factory edge until the knife needs sharpening. I know I do. I agree that you would be best served if you learn how to sharpen and keep your knives sharp. You may however want to learn on some old beaters before you work on your new knife.

Thanks for reading.
 
I was a novice. I got the sharpmaker. Looked at the video twice. It is like Esav B. says, now I want to sharpen every kniife in the hood, even my mother in laws...and I can do it. I feel good.
 
Sounds like the best solution would be to find the best buy on a Sharpmaker, get it AND at the same time send the knife back to the factory for a fresh edge. That way you'll know where you should end up with the sharpmaker. They really are easy and the video makes it easier.

Rob
 
I have a 705 and it was shaving sharp new, I think you should send it back to benchmade. Someone else awhile back got one that they said looked like it hadn't even had an edge put on it and they got a sharp one back from benchmade. It's a nice tough little knife. And to keep that sharp edge get the sharpmaker!
 
Just a quick (maybe unrelated) question about sharpening: has anyone taken a Spyderco out of the box when received and been able to make it SHARPER? Mine have ALL been shaving-sharp, right out of the gate. (Never thought I could get it sharper, so I never bothered.)
 
Thanks again for all the help guys! Great pictures and a great link as well. I'm sure all of it will help me. The sharpmaker will be here in a couple days, and I'll let you all know how it goes!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top