Armory Sponsor
Posted: 1/3/2017 4:46:25 PM EDT
|
alrighty...complete noob here to the blade world so forgive me in advance for whatever stupid questions I throw your way.
I have owned a handful of knives in my time, but have never really invested the time in taking care of them or sharpening them properly. I've always bought cheap, and replaced rather than bought quality and kept. So now I'm left here with a pile of shi*y dull knives. Last year when Kershaw came out with their autos, I snagged one (Launch 1) because I thought it seemed to be a good deal in comparison to the others I had seen. Once I got it, thoroughly impressed, I started to research higher end knives. It has the CPM154 blade, which from what I've read is arguably at the top of the list for edge retention and hardness. From the factory the blade seemed to be sharp, but not AS sharp as it could be. So after a few weeks I sent it back into Kershaw to have them sharpen it for me (during my research I found out they do it for free). When it came back it didnt seem much more sharp than it was originally. Long story short, maybe I'm unreasonable but despite supposedly having one of the best edge retention blades steels available, I feel as if it needs to be sharpened every couple of months. Maybe the stuff I'm cutting is more aggressive than the rest of the world? What would you guys recommend? How can I keep a nice edge on this thing without having to send it to Kershaw every other month? I'm in the market for a new EDC auto (higher end this time), but am afraid I'm going to end up with another $200 paperweight. TIA |
|
Wicked Edge Pro Pack 1, then upgrade later if you want.
May seem like an expensive up front cost, but well worth every penny and your knives will be razor sharp all the time. If you're like me, you'll end up sharpening it the moment it seems to be dulling lol. Even then, just a stropping sometimes brings it back. Buy once, cry once. 
I'm sure others will be along to say the Spyderco Sharp maker, but I can assure you, it wont be nearly as sharp as after you run it through this. Oh, keep looking into different steel's some will give you more edge retention, but may seem harder to sharpen on some of the other sharpening systems. Or, you'll find some steels that take an edge really quick and is real sharp for a short time but dulls quickly. I personally like S30V. M4 Steel is supposed to be outstanding as well if you're looking for a work horse, but make sure it's a coated blade or you oil it up so it doesn't rust. |
|
Quoted:
What would you guys recommend? How can I keep a nice edge on this thing without having to send it to Kershaw every other month? I'm in the market for a new EDC auto (higher end this time), but am afraid I'm going to end up with another $200 paperweight. TIA We all have to start out somewhere and while I'm not an expert, I have a few Arkansas stones--one being a Dan's Whetstone Tri-Hone, I also have a Lansky Deluxe set (guided) and I have a ceramic V block with fine and coarse rods. All three can put a hair shaving edge on my knives, but they're not as elegant as the Wicked Edge system above, or the Apex, or even the Ken Onion ed. Work Sharp, but they do work. Actually, I've had the ceramic rods going back to college graduation in '84 when my family bought me a Henckel 10" Chef's knife almost 33 years ago. It works really well on all but the hardest steels and I was just using it the other day. The Lansky is nice, but a bit more involved and then there are the Arkansas oil stones which are famous, but free-handing is an acquired skill and you should practice on beater knives first. Oil stones are also a bit messier to use, so keep that in mind. Given all of the above, I'm going to be looking at some 6"/8" diamond stones from DMT, Smiths or even Eze Lap, just because I have a couple of knives in S110v and ZDP-189 and those are hard steels. One still has to do things by hand, but what the hell...they're just another tool in the tool box, right? If you're not into sharpening your blades to the Nth degree (and by that I mean putting a perfect bevel on a blade and then polishing that bevel to a mirror finish, so that you can read newsprint on the bevel when the blade is tilted on a newspaper,) then any of the above, with a bit of practice, can get your blades very sharp and can even re profile a damaged, or dull blade, with a bit of elbow grease and some time. Chris |
|
I used to suck at sharpening knives. Ive used the clamp system such as the lansky, but often it doesn't repeat its grip on the blade and the angle is different each time. Two things I recommend. One is a nice double sided strop with black compound on one side, and green on the other. This is great for edge maintenance in between sharpening. You can get away with using that for a long time as long as you dont really mess the blade up with nicks and chips. The other is a nice waterstone and another cheap diamond stone to keep it flat. I use a combo stone that is 800 on one side, and 3000 on the other that's made by King. It dishes pretty quickly so I be sure to flatten it before each session.
The best advice I can give is to just get a knife with decent steel and practice. Cheap steel is like trying to sharpen a paper knife. You may get it to form a point, but it will be hard to sharpen. You really can't mess up too much. One good tip is to use a sharpie and color the edge, when you are starting out take a few strokes and see where the blade is making contact. Eventually you will get the hang of it enough to put a nice edge on your stuff. |
|
i just got my wicked edge sharpener yesterday. I was having buyers remorse waiting on it to show up after the purchase because of the cost. I used it last night on an old buck my dad left. It is a big fixed blade. I was shocked how quickly I fixed the years of "rounded" hand sharpening that blade endured from him. The edge is frikking sharp, straight, and smooth. I was so amazed, i stayed up till 3am, sharpening everything in the house! I am now at work, barely holding my eyes open, after getting back up at 5am.
I bought the pro1 package, but now wish I bought the 2nd or even 3rd gen package. It is quite a bit more money, but I have now been swiftly educated on what that sharpener will do. I always sharpened by hand on diamond stones for the last 15 years or so. Never again except to touch up in the field or something like that. I repeat,,I have been educated. Not one bitchy word will ever leave my mouth on the cost of this thing again, and I plan on upgrading. I need knives to sharpen..... |
|
I've got a Lansky system and it works in a pinch. I'll mirror what another poster said about it maintaining the correct angle along the entire blade edge (it won't unless you move the blade clamp).
It got them sharp, but nothing crazy. I've been playing around with a Ken Onion Work Sharp and it's my favorite by a landslide. Easy to use, easy to set up, and it gets blades ridiculously sharp. A mirror edge, if that's what you're after, takes maybe 5-10 minutes. |
| i just upgraded to the gen 3 vice. I talked to WE the other day, and they are putting together a kit with that vice and the fancy arms. I think the best kit right now is the Field&Sport PRO. The PRO has the gen 3 vice and you could just mount that to whatever you want, or use as a portable. The regular Field & Sport does not have the gen 3 vice, and less stones. |
|
Amazon link. Worksharp Guided Field Sharpener.
This is all that you will ever need for 99% of knives. Once you outgrow the guides, you can take the stones off (they're magnetic) and do it completely by hand. Fits in every kit. $25ish Your hands and experience are all you need. Walk that burr from side to side whilst working your way down the grits and you will succeed. It even has a loaded strop. |
|
Like mentioned above get a good sharpener and practice. Watch some youtube videos. The key to getting that scary sharp edges is making sure you develop a burr the lenght of the edge. Then on some leather glued to a piece of board loaded with green compound strop that burr until completely gone and it will be hair pop in sharp.
The other thing to consider is blade geometry. I'm not familiar with the knife you are talking about but factory knives tend to leave a bit more meat behind the edge which can make a knife feel duller fast and cause poor cutting. Last what do you cut most? If you are cutting cardboard all day breaking down boxes that dulls a knife pretty fast. |
Armory Sponsor