What's the minimum sharpness you're happy with?

[fulloflead]

What's the minimum sharpness you're happy with?

Ever since I learned to properly sharpen a knife I'm not happy unless a blade will at least shave arm-hair easily.

I'm sure there are many people as anal as me about this, but who is willing to settle for a little less?

 

[spyken]

it's got to shave easily and have slicing ability (ie. bite). personally, I like a bit more bit (ie. hair pops away) as opposed to the silent hair shaving ability (more polished edge).

have never managed to sharpen to a "tree-top" level of sharpness or free-hanging hair cutting ability.

for the kitchen, I don't need it to shave but I like it to have more bite, hence a lower grit for the edge.

fulloflead, as you are the sharpening kung-fu master, how is the free-hanging toilet paper test done? damn paper or wet paper? even an rj martin edge I once had couldn't slice dry 2 ply toilet paper cleanly..

 

[Planterz]

Arm hair popping sharp. Cut a paper towel or napkin without tearing it sharp. Slice my finger and don't realize it sharp.

Except for Kershaws, which somehow come out of the box sharp enough to split atoms, I keep mine sharper then they originally came.

I touch them up every couple days more or less to keep them sharp.

 

[fulloflead]

fulloflead, as you are the sharpening kung-fu master, how is the free-hanging toilet paper test done? damn paper or wet paper? even an rj martin edge I once had couldn't slice dry 2 ply toilet paper cleanly..

THANK YOU! But, I don't DO toilet paper.
I just suspend one of my girlfriend's long hairs and cut it in half. It's my favorite test and I stick with that.

Actually, I rarely even think of the TP test as evidenced by the fact that it's missing from my poll.

If I ever test my knives on paper it's only, on occasion, when I'm tossing my junkmail.

 

[Danbo]

I'm not satisfied until I can no longer actually see light reflecting off the edge. If you can see light reflecting off the edge, it's not sharp enough yet. Beyond that, I don't have to have the ultra fine, polished edge. As long as it will dig into my thumbnail as I run it across, I am fine with it.

 

[patrickb]

THANK YOU! But, I don't DO toilet paper.

OK FOL...you don't 'DO' toilet paper nor are you 'INTO' knife storage...picky, picky, picky...aren't we???

Note the sarcasm here, this isn't an attack

 

[Daniel Koster]

light rarely reflects on the convex edges I grind - even at 120 grit. so that's not a good test for me. Though, it will certainly shave at 120 grit....and on up.

Personally, for me, it has to slice paper and cardboard with ease - which is actually sharper than just "shaving sharp". Once it starts to hang up, I'll sharpen again (strop, actually).

I try not to get too crazy about it, though.


but every once in a while, I make one this sharp:

http://www.bladesign.com/blades/kobra4.wmv
(much harder to do than it looks - lots of blades can go deep into a triangle box, but all the way through it with ease? )

 

[Matt Shade]

I CAN do the free hanging toilet paper cut!

There is a trick to it, its not like a paper slice where you have the blade perpendicular to the paper and shove it through. The TP will tear, the trick is to hold the knife point up and edge forwards and swipe at the TP in a downward motion so that only the edge hits the paper. Paper towels are much easier but it can be done


Oh yeah as far as the poll, I said shaving sharp. Anything less bugs the hell out of me but anything more doesn't hold up with the work I need it to do.

 

[Daniel Koster]

great....now we know why Matt spends so much time on the crapper....all this time we thought it was girly mags...or at least horse mags....but noooo.....it's the toilet paper....

just be careful holding that knife over any "sensitive areas", ok?

 

[ColoradoDave]

OK, for a working/utility blade: I like to go directly from sharpening on medium grit to applying a microbevel with fine ceramic. When I can push cut polystyrene packing peanuts fairly cleanly, I'm good. Will shave and push cut paper easily, of course, but still has enough tooth to be a good slicer.

 

[Suerte]

I want it to shave body hair all along the blade's edge.

 

[Daniel Koster]

body hair? like your butt or something?

:barf:

 

[fulloflead]

OK FOL...you don't 'DO' toilet paper nor are you 'INTO' knife storage...picky, picky, picky...aren't we???

Note the sarcasm here, this isn't an attack

That's OK kid, from the looks of your Avatar you're a little young to be hanging out on these forums anyway.

OK, OK. Next time I do the hair test I'll try the TP test.
I just didn't want to get poop on my knives, that's all.

 

[Matt Shade]

Geeze! its not like I invented the TP test, it was a challenge that everyone got into a couple years ago here ya bastids!
The rules don't say ya gotta be takin a crap while ya do it either Its better if the TP aint hangin on the wall anyhow, ya mess up and you've got dry wall work to do

Now, where are you going with that Khukuri Dan ?

 

[Daniel Koster]

into the bathroom, of course!

 

[Crayola]

I usually look at the edge under magnification, slice paper, slice cardboard, and maybe a bit of wood. Looking at the edge helps me make sure there is no burr, and cuttign paper/card/wood shows me if my edge will work on EDC stuff.

 

[Wunderbar]

Must shave arm hair. If not..... :grumpy:

 

[cerulean]

Sometimes I get really obsessed with trying to make a particular knife ultra-sharp. On a knife that I might carry and use a lot though, I don't worry about the sharpness until it seems like the blade's starting to become noticeably dull. So... I'm going to vote for: "As long as it 'feels' sharp."

 

[patrickb]

That's OK kid, from the looks of your Avatar you're a little young to be hanging out on these forums anyway.
OK, OK. Next time I do the hair test I'll try the TP test.
I just didn't want to get poop on my knives, that's all.

Poopie knives...I understand completely! No need to clarify.

RE: the avatar, I'm only 8 months old, but very mature for my age. Graduated early as well

 

[Tio]

I like to keep my Spyder edge Delica hair-shaving sharp, but I can’t sharpen too often, as it takes too long for my forearms to heal.

Darrel