What materials are really hard on a knife's edge?

[Dingle1911]

Zip ties, cardboard, those wire ties that hold kids toys in the packaging, or any other metal wire.

 

[kamagong]

I agree with the person who answered sandpaper. I have a special POS Smith & Wesson knife for that task. It's about the only thing that knife is good for.

 

[Swedge]

Big 5, a sporting goods store, is advertising an S&W "Extreme Ops" knife, "regularly $59.99" for only $12 on sale. Kamagong's post confirms what I suspected, that they really aren't $60 knives.

 

[THG]

Big 5, a sporting goods store, is advertising an S&W "Extreme Ops" knife, "regularly $59.99" for only $12 on sale. Kamagong's post confirms what I suspected, that they really aren't $60 knives.

Big 5 does that on EVERYTHING. $300 tennis rackets are magically $250 off.

 

[Maarten]

yeah these nylon spannerbands for shipping are nasty too. especially near metal clamps.

You also have kevlar reinforced spanner bands for heavy loads... not good.

Any thing with sandcoating. Boxes filled with glass/metal content...

I wonder how cpm d2 performs on cardboard compared to s30v/vg 10. Might be slightly better due to larger carbonpercentage.

Still one of those on my list..

 

[THG]

I wonder how cpm d2 performs on cardboard compared to s30v/vg 10. Might be slightly better due to larger carbonpercentage.

If D2 is anything like ZDP (in terms of edge retention; I know ZDP has something like 3% carbon), then it holds an edge much longer than VG-10. But it also takes a much longer time to get sharp.

 

[Swedge]

Big 5 does that on EVERYTHING

I wish they did that on ammo. Typically, only a dollar off when they have a sale.

 

[J85909266]

When you have to touch up your S30V blade nightly to keep it at a good sharp edge, you are cutting material that is tough on the blade. Even if it's just a few swipes it still means that you are having to do upkeep to keep that blade sharp. Cardboard is definitely tough on the blade plain and simple. I've gone weeks without having to sharpen or even touch up an S30V blade, but that's without cutting cardboard at all.

That may be true. The entire time I've used knives, from Spydercos, Benchmades, Kershaws to CRK, Striders and Customs, I have had to touch up my edges daily. I may just be hard on my knives.

In response to Vivi: ZDP is it's own animal. I have experienced high deformation in ultra thin edges in other steels.

 

[Tony8179]

That may be true. The entire time I've used knives, from Spydercos, Benchmades, Kershaws to CRK, Striders and Customs, I have had to touch up my edges daily. I may just be hard on my knives.

That's not being hard on your knives. That's called being a workin man!

 

[dextersp1]

Maybe the question should have been: What materials are NOT hard on knives?

 

[Spardoug]

cutting shingles was prolly the worst. I was cutting them across the face cause i dint want to get tar all over my knife. Then i would say TYPAR or house wrap it has fiberglass in it and over the period of 4 hours your blade is dull. for carving i would say brazillian cherry or IPE i could go about 2 minutes when i was carving a design on a knife handle and my knife was dull. frustration

 

[tradja]

I'm surprised that zip ties come up so often, especially with mention of chipping or rolling. The observation above that you apply so much force to cut the zip tie and smack the knife into something else beyond (floor, sidewalk, etc) is a good one.

Zip ties always cut pretty well for me and my knives. It's just plastic, usually tensioned.

Yes, cutting food on ceramic dinner plates, even carefully, always does a number on my edges (and the plate glaze, usually). Glass cutting boards in friend's kitchens too.

 

[OwenM]

I'm surprised that zip ties come up so often, especially with mention of chipping or rolling.

Yeah, especially since they have about zero effect on a knife edge. I don't get that one, either.

Coated manila rope, 3/4" cardboard full of imbedded grit and covered in dirt, bags full of abrasive powder that have to be cut open to be recycled, roofing shingles, low grit sandpaper, cleaning up mortar on brick around window openings, metal baling wire...mostly stuff a pocket knife wasn't the ideal tool for, but all rough on my edges.

 

[thombrogan]

Plastic zipties don't affect any of my pocketknives. Plastic-coated wire ties, though, like the ones used to hold toys in boxes, are pretty good for destroying an edge. I either untie those now or use my wifey's idea and use the cat's nail clippers on 'em.

 

[pvicenzi]

A Kitchen knife going clank clank on a plate or cutting board... Drives me nuts when I hear it and makes me yell, "cut the food not the board."

 

[MValborg]

furry skin, marina rope, dead wood(not all kinds), bone, many finished woods, some live woods. p.s. sometimes you are forced to stick your blade in the ground for lack of a better place/unable to access your sheath or pocket, and this always seems to take the sting out of an edge.

 

[felix7]

Porcelain dinner plates.

Matador-

+1

I also quote accidental rocks contact and tiles.

 

[Vivi]

In response to Vivi: ZDP is it's own animal. I have experienced high deformation in ultra thin edges in other steels.

Can you give a general idea of the geometries and steels in question?

 

[antonio_luiz]

To me the plastic clamshell packs seem to dull the edge of my knives a bit.

I now use scissors or an iSlice (ceramic tip cutter) for clamshell packs as too great a risk of slippage injury from a knife

Ray and sharkskin seem to blunt most knives real quick - they really need blades with 62+ RC

 

[dipbait]

Sausage wrappers.