I work in the technology field, and get lots of trade periodicals mailed to my office. A lot of them come in clear plastic envlopes. Over time, after using different knives to slot open the plastic, I began to notice a difference in how they opened. Some opened smooth & straight nice. Sometimes the blade would drag and rip the plastic not so nice.
I now use this plastic as my sharpening benchmark. I save the plastic, and when I sit down (with my trusty Sharpmaker 204) to sharpen a knife, I use the plastic as my test media. Clean cuts without dragging or snagging the thin plastic are the first step to sharp. When the knife will glide down through the 2 layers of plastic on only its own weight as I lightly hold the end of the handle then its sharp enough!
I now use this plastic as my sharpening benchmark. I save the plastic, and when I sit down (with my trusty Sharpmaker 204) to sharpen a knife, I use the plastic as my test media. Clean cuts without dragging or snagging the thin plastic are the first step to sharp. When the knife will glide down through the 2 layers of plastic on only its own weight as I lightly hold the end of the handle then its sharp enough!
