Your Sharpest Traditionals

Trout Hound

Trout Hound

Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
694
Hi Everyone,

Which of your traditional knives take and hold the sharpest edges? I have come to place more value on knives that will take a truly sharp edge, and I’d like to know your experiences.

I have one Case Small Texas Jack in CV that seems to have a particularly good heat treat. I can sharpen it on the same stone, using the same technique as other knives, and it takes a noticeably sharper edge. Interestingly, I have other Case CV knives made during the same time period that take only mediocre edges compared to that Texas Jack.

I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s answers.

Thanks!
Trout Hound
 
I appreciate your question as it seems some of my knives will easily take a screaming sharp edge while others I struggle with a little more. I have not been able to nail it down as to a reason why.
I have had really good luck with Buck, Boker, and believe it or not Rough Ryder/Marbles (Pretty sure they come from the same place). They all get really scary sharp consistently.
I mostly have good luck with Case as well, but there are some that it was a little more work to get to take a really keep edge. I like my knives to effortlessly pop the hairs off my arm. I realize that none of them will stay that way long with use, but I like it. 😁
 
These IXL knives are lazer beams. I don't know if it is the steel they were using at the time or the grinds or what, but they get razor sharp easily and stay that way.
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There are many different companies with great steel. These just always stand out to me.
 
Pretty much all of my traditional folding knives have been reprofiled to 10° per side/20° inclusive.
The few I have with CPM154, D2, S30V, and 5160, have been reprofiled to 12 ~ 12.5° per side/24 - 25° inclusive, from 30 to 40° (or even more obtuse) inclusive.
They all hold an edge long enough to do what I need. (The keener the edge angle, the longer the working edge lasts.)
Dry Stropping is usually enough to restore the working edge.

Brands? Rough Rider/Ryder, (offshore) Marbles and Old Timer, Case, Western, GEC (no stainless GEC's in my accumulation) a couple vintage Imperial-Schrade family names, Robeson, Camillus, Buck, Svord Douk Douk, MAM, Svord, Opinel, Victorinox ... honestly, too many makers in my accumulation to list them all.
 
Anything with a straight edge I can get pretty dang sharp. That said my Bladeforums 2021 Barlow, 71 Bull Nose, and 47 viper all have the sharpest edges on them
 
Realistically, the only knives I sharpen regularly are kitchen knives (fixed blade classification in the Traditional sub-forum). Of those Victorinox ones take and hold a nice edge.
 
A lot of my traditional knives are made out of serviceable simple steels that aren't the best at edge holding. A SAK will get screaming sharp with little work, but it won't stay that way for long. Same goes for an Opinel or Case knives (in either carbon or tru-sharp). Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with that since I can give them a quick strop on almost anything and keep going.

However, that takes them out of the running for knives that take and hold the sharpest edge. I've got several in premium steels that fit that bill, though. Just to pick a folder and a fixed blade, I'd go with my Lionsteel Dom and a Canario.

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The three below are among the sharpest of mine. Interestingly, all are in simple carbon steel. With real good heat treat, good carbon steels always seem to take the keenest of edges easily. Case's CV (a modified 1095) in the 1st, 3rd and 4th pics below, and Opinel's 'carbone' in the 2nd pic. All of these have nice thin grinds as well. all of which I later thinned even more behind the edge. The sheepfoot in my Case 6375CV is the thinnest of all, a beautifully thin, high hollow grind on that one. When I thinned out and sharpened up the Opinel, I was able to split grapes tossed at the edge in testing sharpness on that one.
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I bought a Rosecraft Hatchie River Jack in 14C28N and I don't know how they're sharpening them but I will not be able to put the same edge back on that thing. It's like they used lasers on it to sharpen it. I usually gently drag a finger tip across the edge to judge the sharpness and that edge skived off a layer of finger print when I did that. I was a bit shocked. I've always thought Spyderco gave out some dummy sharp edges.
 
Like some of the others, I like to reprofile blades on traditional slipjoints to as small an angle as possible, often essentially eliminating the secondary bevel. The sharpest were usually old Schrade 8OT stockmen.
 
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afishhunter said:
Pretty much all of my traditional folding knives have been reprofiled to 10° per side/20° inclusive.
Click to expand...

afishhunter said:
The keener the edge angle, the longer the working edge lasts.)
Click to expand...

Obsessed with Edges said:
All of these have nice thin grinds as well. all of which I later thinned even more behind the edge.
Click to expand...

rhino said:
, I like to reprofile blades on traditional slipjoints to as small an angle as possible, often essentially eliminating the secondary bevel.
Click to expand...

Geometry cuts.

Dan.
 
These GEC Schrade fire and ice 23 and 43 did for a quick shave on na vacation.
One of my wife's hairs whittled free hanging
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Or maybe one of my opinel. This one is a beard hair whittled. Becssue my wife was not around.
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My 127UH is just plain insane when it comes to being sharp. I have to be careful because I’m afraid if I move the blade too fast it’ll spilt an atom😉

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