When do you consider your knife needs sharpening?

[Bufford]

When do you consider that your knife needs sharpening? I sharpen whenever I feel the knife sliding rather than slicing. The knife is still quite sharp but scrapes hair off of the arm rather than shaving.
It is still sharp enough that touching up the edge is still quick and easy and can be done with a steel or the ceramic rods. Over time though when the edge doesn't come up so easily then its time to bring up the primary edges again with stones.

 

[ahgar]

for my edc if it won't shave then it gets touched up, either stropped or put to the stone whichever it takes. can't stand a dull knife, later,ahgar

 

[drk1993]

Don't think this what you have in mind but, I have top of the line Henckels kitchen knives and I sharpen them after every use.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

When it doesn't perform it's job to my satisfaction, thinner bladed traditional slipjoints, especially ones with forged blades can keep cutting for a longtime providing you cut materials that don't exceed the steels ability within the parameters of the blades geometry and hardness.

Basically if it can't do what I need it to do, it needs to be sharpened.

 

[Georgian]

My granpa always told me that there is no reason to have a pocket knife "razor" sharp. Thats what you have razors for. If it is too sharp and has a razor edge, then it will be easily dulled, b/c the edge is so fine.

 

[oldrifleman]

I will sharpen mine whenever They don't shave hair, or when ever I get self concience about it not push cutting toilet paper (or what ever the latest test medium is). Steven

 

[Bastid]

I try to strop the knives I carry every week and 1/2 or so just to keep them away from my stones. (Most of my use is pretty light.)

If I do that they usually only need stoning once a year or so unless I have used a knife for more heavy duty work. Then I usually sharpen when I am finished.

 

[longbeachguy]

My standard is pretty low, but it just needs to push cut regular paper. If it sticks at all, or god forbid tears the paper it gets a sharpening.

That's for slipjoints. I hold my Spyderco's, Benchmade's etc to a higher standard. If they can't scare the hair off my arm they get a touch up. I never let them get too much less than scary sharp.

 

[Georgian]

Then everyone here sharpens all their knives to be able to shave with them? I make sure my knives push cut paper, but knives dont have to be as sharp as a razor to cut the hell outta something.

 

[Amos Iron Wolf]

I have some different pieces of stiff leather that I test cut on. I base my edge on how the knife cuts on the "test standard" leather pieces and also using the paper test. Often those knives end up also shaving, but not always. I don't sharpen specifically for a shaving edge, but for performance on what I will most likely use the knife for. If a knife can shave too, that's nice. But I too was told not all knives should be shaving sharp as it can roll the edge when you start doing heavy work. So the bottom line for me is I sharpen when a knife feels like it is loosing a keen working edge to me.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

like most folks here, I touch 'em up as soon as they don't "pop" the hair off my forearm.

My Douk Douk is held to a slightly higher standard though, I touch it up when I realize it would be uncomfortable to shave my face with.

My axes and khuks only have to shave a little bit.