Wondering what everyones idea of what is "Practical" sharp?

The sharper the knife, the safer. For me, the question is not one of practical sharpness, but rather one of practical refinement. I keep all my knives shaving sharp, and I think that's an absolute necessity. The standard I use is a fairly universal one: will it cleanly cut newsprint? But I don't always take them up to the pinnacle of refinement. For example, I never use micron pastes or stuff like that to get the edge ultra-refined. Finishing on the Spyderco Ultrafine stone and stropping for a bit on a Strop Block and my old jeans will give me a very refined edge.

That said, I've heard that taking an edge to the pinnacle of refinement makes it last longer, but I've never tried. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll get a AA-grade granite surface plate and some lapping sheets and some sub-1 micron pastes, but... that would just be for my own poops and giggles. :D
 
about the sharpness from "out of the box" is the best for me. about spyderco from the box sharpness. the edge lasts. i cut lots of cardboard and run from a ceramic ultra fine through DMT pastes on the strop. i get a crazy sharp mirror polished edge , but it actually folds over when i cut cardboard. and i cut lots of cardboard every day ! so for ME. out the box sharpness. however i love the idea of having an insanely sharp knife.
 
I like my edges to cleanly cut newsprint and shave hair.

I'd like to thank all those who have shared sharpening tips on the forum. Because you have shared this great information, my skill and efficiency of sharpening knives has greatly improved over the last couple of years.

Ric
 
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