Why sharpen over a factory edge

M

mikey_r

Joined
Oct 21, 2021
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Ok, so I just got my new and last forever knife...will I ever get my last one ? I seem to have told my wife, "last knife I promise" many times now.

It came out of the box quite sharp, I am very happy with it. Because this knife is much more expensive than my previous knives, I have been reading what to do and many places I read say I should sharpen it before using it. I never have before, if they were sharp out of the box, I used them and sharpened later. But I read where I should sharpen it now to get rid of the factory edge and put a proper 20-25 degree edge on it. I know that will stay sharp longer than the factory edge out in the field but I only go camping for 3 or 4 days at a time, it will still be sharp after many camping trips with the factory edge. This is a brand new Randall 12-6 Little Bear and quite sharp for a factory edge.

Because of the cost, I am actually a little scared to sharpen it. I figure use it for a few weeks or months first then sharpen it when it needs it, any reason to do it today ? Does it really hurt it, I can't see how it would. Maybe knicks in the blade if I am stupid with it and I won't be. Heck I might not even be able to get it this sharp myself, my knives are always "ok sharp" not "shave sharp" because I just am not that good at it, even though I have been doing it for over 50 years. We may have rain on Monday so this is just a 2 night camping trip and yes, the Randall will be on my belt.
 
mikey_r said:
It came out of the box quite sharp, I am very happy with it. Because this knife is much more expensive than my previous knives, I have been reading what to do and many places I read say I should sharpen it before using it. I never have before, if they were sharp out of the box, I used them and sharpened later. But I read where I should sharpen it now to get rid of the factory edge and put a proper 20-25 degree edge on it. I know that will stay sharp longer than the factory edge out in the field but I only go camping for 3 or 4 days at a time, it will still be sharp after many camping trips with the factory edge. This is a brand new Randall 12-6 Little Bear and quite sharp for a factory edge.
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If the knife is sharp enough for your use, then keep the factory edge. If it's not sharp enough or you don't like the factory angle, then reprofile it. The optimal angle is going to depend on what you use the knife for, the type of steel and the sharpening system you are using. I like most of my pocket knives to be between 18°-20° per side. I like my kitchen knives to be 15°-18° per side. But I also know through a lot of cutting what I like to use for a particular steel and knife.

For reference, I use the Wicked Edge for all of my nice knives and use an angle cube to see what the actual sharpening angle is for a particular knife. I keep all the settings in a Google spreadsheet.

mikey_r said:
Because of the cost, I am actually a little scared to sharpen it. I figure use it for a few weeks or months first then sharpen it when it needs it, any reason to do it today ? Does it really hurt it, I can't see how it would. Maybe knicks in the blade if I am stupid with it and I won't be. Heck I might not even be able to get it this sharp myself, my knives are always "ok sharp" not "shave sharp" because I just am not that good at it, even though I have been doing it for over 50 years. We may have rain on Monday so this is just a 2 night camping trip and yes, the Randall will be on my belt.
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If you're not great with sharpening, buy a guided system and use the hell out of your knives. IMO, there aren't a lot of things more enjoyable in life than using a really nice knife. Unless you seriously abuse a knife, you can get most chips or edge damage out with a good sharpening.
 
Don’t believe everything you read, if it’s to your liking, use it until it needs to be sharpened.
I think one of the biggest reasons that’s implied is that some knives may have a degraded edge from the factory due to machine sharpening. Even then, it doesn’t hurt to use the knife until it needs to be sharpened. It just needs to be sharpened sooner.
 
WELCOME!

I've heard that there is a chance that factory edges could have been overheated during sharpening if they're put on with powered equipment like a belt or something.

I personally have never really felt the need to go over the factory edge with a new purchase as long as its sharp.
 
I also use a Wicked Edge system so I would put the edges and angle that I want on it, unless I was going to collect it.
 
1000$ knife.
big heavy knife.
you caht even reach shaving sharpness.

nuff said.
obvious case.
case closed.
now lemme continue watching Fauda.
thansk
 
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Don't have to immediately sharpen it from the factory. If the factory edge is to your liking and expectations, use it as long as it holds up and then sharpen it to your liking when it needs it.

There may come a time when you decide to alter it to better suit your needs, once you get a feel for how it's working for you. There aren't many factory edges that can't be improved upon in some way. But that's a matter of personal preference and not necessity, most of the time.
 
As long as it cuts what you need to cut continue to use it. When it no longer cuts in a manor which pleases you, sharpen it. At this point or some point in the future you can decide if a change would be advantageous to you.
 
Edges are personal preference. If the factory edge is good enough for you right now; just use it until its not! I have had knives That have held onto their factory edge with some touch ups for a long time (i.e Hogue mini ritter, Bradford Guardian 3.5) and then I have had even expensive knives that the factory edge was left wanting and I immediately put my own edge on there (CRK Sebenza 31).

In general; factory edges are put on with a belt grinder which can cook the edge, reducing edge retention. Add to this that factory grinds are also typically more obtuse (40 degrees or higher inclusive) which can also hamper cutting performance.

That said, a 2 day trip with some light chores with a quality factory edge should be just fine if you are in no rush to replace that factory edge.
 
Thanks to all that replied. A few things, it was not cheap, but a very long ways from $1,000 knife as was said once in this thread, I waited my 5 years for it. I don't find it heavy, its only a 6" blade. I also learned who to ignore here. And yes my sharpening skill are not great even though I have been doing it for 50 years, I always stopped at "good enough" for fear of making it worse.

I am packing up now for the weekend and will take the knife with me on my belt and give it its first use later today around the campsite. I didn't want to start a sharpening thread, but funny thing is I have been looking at guided systems for a while now, starting with Lanksky, Worksharp (since I have their stuff in the wood shop for chisels, plane irons, gouges) and Wicked Sharp. I didn't see a big difference in function between the more expensive Wicked Sharp and the others, but I am thinking of one of those. For reference I have a zillion pocket knives but only 4 fixed blades, my wife jokes I have a pocket knife for every day of the month. So it would be nice to be able to do them all on a guided system.
 
Remember that Randall knives are custom hand made and not always 100 % straight.
Depending on how much exactly, this can be a problem with guided sharpening systems.
 
I typically just leave a factory edge until it gets dull, then resharpen to my preference, in most cases I don't feel the need to redo an edge out of the box.
 
Just to be the contrarian ... I *always* put my own edge on a knife, first thing. Not saying it's the right thing to do, or saying anyone else should, but it's what I do. Kind of a "making it my own" kind of thing. I also find that most manufacturers use too steep of a grind for my purposes, since I'm not chopping wood with my pocket knives. The 20° rule of thumb is outdated for modern super steels. I like 16° or lower, personally. The testing I've seen shows that lower angles actually stay sharp longer, and the blade isn't going to chip if you don't try to cut materials that are harder than the blade.
 
You might consider using an angle guide that clamps to the spine of the blade as an alternative to the various systems that use jigs.
 
mikey_r said:
I am packing up now for the weekend and will take the knife with me on my belt and give it its first use later today around the campsite.
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OP, wishin I was as well, but bringing a small fillet knife for the fish.
 
You should use it for a bit before taking it out on a trip where you are going to be far away from your home.

In some cases, not always, a factory edge can be brittle. It would be a good idea to test it on stuff you anticipate using it on, just to make sure you don't experience any chipping.

It's a lot easier to sharpen those out on a full sized stone than a pocket sharpener.
 
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