I differ with some of the testers in this regard. Push cutting with a highly polished edge is fun. It will tell you how a given steel will perform with a given bevel, heat treat, and edge finish. So far so good. Here is where I have a problem with it. Push cutting is usefully for testing, planning wood. chisels, chippers, axes and anything that is used by pushing straight down into the material being cut. trouble is, this is not how we normally use a knife. Sure it is used for ABS style test on rope cutting. but this is just a test. With a given set of parameters. It has nothing to do with every day use. A knife is Norman used heal to tip. exactly the way we normally sharpen one. Even though small carbide firm matrix steels will hold a polished edge well, and show good results in push cuts in many different materials, many fail miserably in real use. 420, aus6 are two that come to mind. As do 440-a, and 440-c. when working in the real world, the slightest slip or slide along the cutting edge of a tough material will wipe the guilt edge right off these steels. When using a steel with larger carbides, especially when sharpened correctly for the steel, the performance can be greatly enhanced. D-2 fo instance. When sharpened on a 12300 grit diamond hone, will be hair popping sharp. It will not perform the push cut all that well on rope for very long. It will however make one hell of a hunting knife. A polished edge just slides over tallowy hide and sinew when it gets the least bit contaminated with same. A toothy edge will cut like a laser. In fact, you have to be careful not to slip and ruin the hide if you want to save it. Accidentally run the edge across a bone with aus-8 aus6 aus4 440-a, 440-b, and you had better have a sharpener handy right now! You wont have a problem with d-2 Ats-34, 154-cm. It will bite into the bone, and unless heavy side load pressure is used, remain sharp. Carbides form micro cutting teeth. When the smiths make damascus, the rave about it. Just how fantast all the micro saw teeth are. Now that all their damascus blades have gotten too expensive to use in the hunting fields, It isn't used in the advertisement so much any more. but let the subject come up when discussing stain resistant steels, All of a sudden only the push test counts. "BS" Being given big time! And for what it's worth. These are not stainless steels in the first place. They are high carbon, and in some cases high speed steels, with elements added to render them more stain resistant. Unless you simply want a knife with a shiny edge, that you can impress your friends with just how well it shaves, use a steel with larger carbides that the lower grade stainless steels. They can perform real work. Not just parlor tricks with rope, and cardboard. For what it's worth, when going to a show, especially a gun show where the majority of customers don't know all that much about knives, I apply a polished edge. The folks go nuts over the way they shave!! I even supply paper for them to play with. Push cuts look impressive, as does hair popping sharpness. These are parlor tricks my friends! If a real user, or hunter is buying a knife, I then sharpen it on a very worn 800 grit diamaon hone, or a semi worn 1200 grit diamond hone. They are dangerous sharp. They still split hair, and slice thin paper very well, but not a good push cut. The other thing they mond will is cut the hell out of the un-lucky son of a gun the buyer hands it to who just has to try shaving with it. Thats why the polish edge for show. I got tired of having people bleed on my table, and running my table cloth. That and they would some times get mad at me for having such a sharp knife one the table! Pushing is for shopping carts. Knives are for cutting and slicing. Not cleaving! Mike
