I've been interested in the Drift EDC because it uses Vanax SuperClean steel, which is my favorite steel for an EDC. With a 3 inch blade, the Drift is way smaller than I like. My EDC is a Rukus 610 with a 4.25 inch blade. (It also has a Vanax reblade from Josh.) So I had a chance to buy a used Drift at a good price from a good seller. It was a bit scratched, but good. The edge was so dull it would not slice light notebook paper. But it was an awesome knife, well built, solid and perfectly designed.
The edge had a coarse grind, something close to 200 grit. The point was good. The angle was 18/22 dps. It was 0.020 inches BTE (at the edge shoulders), which is not bad for a factory knife.
I scrubbed the Drift in soap and water. It's totally waterproof. It didn't need oiling. I believe Vanax is the most waterproof stainless steel. It's tougher than most powder stainless steels. (MagnaCut seems to be the best.) Holds an edge for a very long time. And it is a super fine grained steel, which is easy to sharpen and takes a killer edge.
I started with 400 grit diamonds at 20 dps on the Wicked Edge. The 22 degree side took longer to reach an apex and the 18 degree side left a bit of a double bevel, but that will come out with time. The tip on the right side and the heel on the left side took longer than the rest of the edge. I went to 600 grit diamond stones, 800 grit diamond stones, 1200 and 1600 ceramic, 2,000 grit diamonds and .75 and .5 micron CBN strops.
The nice thing about the Wicked Edge is that you end up with a perfect edge bevel, both sides from heel to tip. Perfect V edge.
I didn't go for a polished edge, but I did cut off the burr after every stone, using a very short, very light, edge-leading chop. Removing burrs is really important. At the end, I could feel a slight burr on the right side, so I freehand stropped it off with .5 micron green compound. Now it slices notebook paper with almost no effort and almost no sound. The point is scary sticky.
Feels like my knife, now.
How do the rest of you welcome a used knife into your collection?
The edge bevel is even all the way. The photo makes it look thicker at the heel.
The edge had a coarse grind, something close to 200 grit. The point was good. The angle was 18/22 dps. It was 0.020 inches BTE (at the edge shoulders), which is not bad for a factory knife.
I scrubbed the Drift in soap and water. It's totally waterproof. It didn't need oiling. I believe Vanax is the most waterproof stainless steel. It's tougher than most powder stainless steels. (MagnaCut seems to be the best.) Holds an edge for a very long time. And it is a super fine grained steel, which is easy to sharpen and takes a killer edge.
I started with 400 grit diamonds at 20 dps on the Wicked Edge. The 22 degree side took longer to reach an apex and the 18 degree side left a bit of a double bevel, but that will come out with time. The tip on the right side and the heel on the left side took longer than the rest of the edge. I went to 600 grit diamond stones, 800 grit diamond stones, 1200 and 1600 ceramic, 2,000 grit diamonds and .75 and .5 micron CBN strops.
The nice thing about the Wicked Edge is that you end up with a perfect edge bevel, both sides from heel to tip. Perfect V edge.
I didn't go for a polished edge, but I did cut off the burr after every stone, using a very short, very light, edge-leading chop. Removing burrs is really important. At the end, I could feel a slight burr on the right side, so I freehand stropped it off with .5 micron green compound. Now it slices notebook paper with almost no effort and almost no sound. The point is scary sticky.
Feels like my knife, now.
How do the rest of you welcome a used knife into your collection?
The edge bevel is even all the way. The photo makes it look thicker at the heel.