What is, "slightly dulled but still shaving sharp?"

L

Lavan

Joined
Nov 8, 2000
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I can't even COUNT the articles I read in knife rags that keep saying that the new Ultra-edge Plutonium-9X folder "made 753 cuts through the suspension cable of the Golden Gate Bridge before slipping a bit but then needed a slight touchup to complete the task and was slightly dulled but still shaving sharp"

HUH?

This do not compute!

I can simply cut on a ceramic dinner plate instead of a cutting board and ...zzzippp... the SHAVING EDGE is but a MEMORY!

Maybe it's time to adjust the editorial oversight a tad.

:D:D:D
 
If you start with an edge that will tree-top, i.e. catch and cut through a free-standing hair without touching the skin, you can dull it slightly to where it will no longer tree-top but will still shave easily. ;)
 
Ankerson said:
I am confused on that one. :confused:
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Shaving by dragging across the skin is not as sharp, as when the edge will ping hairs off without touching the skin. When the edge is moved on the skin it will catch the hair and cut it, when it's super sharp it will do it without need of "catching" the hair then cutting it as it pulls tight.
In other words there's a whole lot less resistance offered by a free standing hair.
 
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jill jackson said:
Shaving by dragging across the skin is not as sharp, as when the edge will ping hairs off without touching the skin. When the edge is moved on the skin it will catch the hair and cut it, when it's super sharp it will do it without need of "catching" the hair then cutting it as it pulls tight.
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You mean hair popping sharp. :D

It was just a term I hadn't heard before.
 
Yeah, as the above posters mention, "shaving sharp" isn't the sharpest a knife can get. A more rigorous test for sharpness is the hanging hair test, where you hold a peice of hair by the end, and drag it into the edge. A sharp edge would catch and cut the hair in two.

What the magazines mean is that the blade is no longer hair-popping sharp, but can still shave.
 
cotdt said:
Yeah, as the above posters mention, "shaving sharp" isn't the sharpest a knife can get. A more rigorous test for sharpness is the hanging hair test, where you hold a peice of hair by the end, and drag it into the edge. A sharp edge would catch and cut the hair in two.

What the magazines mean is that the blade is no longer hair-popping sharp, but can still shave.
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As long as my folders will shave hair they are fine.

Field knives, as long as they can cut paper cleanly they are sharp enough.
 
As mentioned above they’re just speaking in terms of different degree’s of sharpness.

For example lets say yesterday was 110 degree’s, and today was 105 degree’s, it wouldn’t be strange to say something like its slightly cooled but very hot. it’s the same thing with the statement slightly dulled but still shaving sharp.
 
Remind me to stay far, far away from Oakley sunglasses. Plutonium is extremely toxic as well as radioactive. ;)
 
Lavan said:
slightly dulled but still shaving sharp"

HUH?

This do not compute!
Click to expand...
Does compute perfectly. If one is even semi-good at sharpening. Because shaving sharp isn't that hard to achieve. Let me try to put it in numbers for you. hopefully that'll compute better :)

For the blade to start shave 1200 grit abrasive is enough. Some report that they can achieve even hair whittling sharpness with 1200 grit. I wan't able to accomplish that feat, but with natural aoto whetstone which is 2-3K grit I could sharpen few blades to hair whittling sharpness.
After that one most likely would use 5K, 8k, 10K, 12K stones(can skip 1-2 in that sequence) and then there are microabrasive films, powders and sprays.

I finish thinner blades with 0.25mic diamond spray loaded strops, or 100 000 grit, and I know a few people who go to 0.1 mic, donno what grit that is, most likely above 150, 000.

So, simplest explanation is the blade is duller than its original state, but still shaving sharp. E.g. stopped whittling hair, but still shaves.

All of my kitchen knives, and light cutters get sharpened long before shaving becomes a question...
 
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