How Sharp is Sharp Enough

When your blades becomes dull, how sharp do you make it to satisfy your needs? Does it change depending on the steel or what the knife is used for?

[jakewolf]

I have been sharpening knives with Japanese whetstone for years, and the more I sharpen and use my knives the more I realize just how pointless ''true'' razor sharp is.
I used to concentrate on creating the sharpest edge possible, sometimes I use 5 to 6 stones on just one knife, from 1, 000 grit all the way up to 20, 000 grit and then after that some light and careful stropping.
My sharpest knife can split a magazine paper in half by just dropping it on the blade, but when I use it to cut open boxes, packages and tapes I noticed how there isn't really any difference compare to my other knife with a 5, 000 grit finish edge. Both knife are D2 by the way.

If a knife can shave arm hair, which is fairly dull on the overall sharpness scale, then it is ''sharp enough'' for me.
If the sharpest knife in the world is 100, then being able to shave your arm is only like 50 or 60, and that's what I would call a ''pass'' for a utility edge. Sharpness above 80 would be pointless on a non-kitchen knife.

[fortpecktim]

So glad I found this, I have no hair on my left arm and both legs. I am now calling it quits at that. thanks for the channel and all of you commenters .

[aznelite]

I'll generally reprofile a new knife to 16-19 degrees per side on the Wicked Edge and bring it up to a high polish (basically mirror edge) and once that starts catching too much on paper after use (that I can't fix with a strop), I touch up on the Spyderco Sharpmaker stones at 20-deg angle. That way, it essentially creates a microbevel but always gets the edge since the initial reprofiling was at a lower angle. Then I'll strop and the compound I end with is somewhere between 3, 000 and 6, 000 grit. Touching up in this style only takes a minute or two and they're back to hair popping sharp quickly. "Sharp enough" for me is shaving hair with light pressure and cleanly slicing receipt or newspaper.

[OpaKnows]

"When your blades become dull..."
I do not understand. What is this "dull" of which you speak?

[edcpacks]

so many variables. if your knife is not sharp enough, its performance will let you know. thats when you sharpen.

[kipper]

I'm generally happy with shave sharp. Will last a few days and it only takes a few seconds to get the edge back with either the ultrafine stone or strop.

[chrisreuther]

I love the way that this question is handled on Forged in Fire.... they put edges on the knife... beat it up and then test whether or not it will still cut... so... I think a durable edge that will perform that is easily maintainable is key to every day use... and those super technical folks can decide all the little details... but a good steel will do the job for a long time... at the end of the day... does it cut?!

[EatCarbs]

I'm happy as long as I have a working edge. Some days.. just a quick touch up is all I do.
Thanks for the video

[lvtuba]

Also avoid continuously forming a bur while refining an already formed apex. Less weak steal equals longer edge retention

[rob]

I keep two, my main fixed and folder razor sharp, then have a beater knife for everything else..not as OCD as I used to be. Thanks for the vid!

[wjhedgepeth]

Basically, if it shaves its good. Few minutes on the strop for most steels I own and they are done. A2 3v 1095 154cm and s30v. I only use a strop and sand paper if necessary.

[ratride]

I remember a while back you were getting into freehand sharping. Have you gotten good at it yet. Give your golden a pet for me. I put mine down during the summer. Miss the company.

[ZechsGT]

So for a new knife I still do the whole job of getting a consistent secondary bevel and then a micro bevel and then mirror polish. But after that its so easy to maintain I strop and random edge touch up on a fine stone are all I need.

[HBC]

I’ve come to the point where my opinion on blade sharpness is, it don’t have to be a razor edge, I no longer think it has to shave. It just needs to cut, do its intended job. I’m happy with it.

[qowkerf]

I dont concentrate so much on sharpness as I do on edge angle. On my EDC, I go for 20° and shaving sharp. That is because my EDCs wont be exposed to the same kind of treatment as my fixed blade when im going camping. On that one, the edge is kept at 25° and it is sharp, dont get me wrong, but it will not perform as well on cutting tests like paper or arm hair. The greater angle makes it more stable for long-term use though.

In general i noticed that 25° angled blades tend to rip paper rather than cut unless theyre a full flat grind.

[vito]

Sharp enough for me is pretty much when I get tired of messing with them. These days I prefer a sharp, toothy edge although I used to strive for extreme sharpness and polished bevels.

[samsonedges]

Sharp enough for me is the maximum sharpness that a certain steel will hold. I don’t mind spending the extra time sharpening it to get there. After you’re good with the edge just strop it to maintain it with use. A test I’ve been doing for sharpness lately is cutting a free hanging piece of paper towel. Ive had many edges that would whittle hair easily but wouldn’t do this. This is just my standard for sharpness. Try doing this test and see what you can do. I’ve got a few quick videos on my Instagram of me doing this if you want to take the time to check them out. Great discussion topic tho!

[JRkota]

I use a ken onion work sharp sharpener and then I use a leather strop from strop man. I strop the edge with his green stropping compound to get the mirror edge and it pops the hair's off the arm. Every couple days I run the edge over the leather strop a few times and it brings the edge right back. It shouldn't take but a couple minutes to bring a edge back as long as it's maintained. The longest part is profiling the blade the first time.

[lastadolkgGM]

I think it's as subjective as the question: what are you using the knife for? Because I think there is a border between the knife being useful for a certain task and it not being useful anymore, with an edge that's too dull. Every knife is a tool and has a purpose, you should sharp it accordingly: opening boxes? you dont need it to be that sharp... wood work? maybe more sharp, but I think theres also the time consuming and maintenance.

[mikedifeo]

I used to go crazy and spent tons of time sharpening. Go to a point I was able to cut toilet paper with the sharpened blade. You are right what I noticed was that type of sharpness was only a show thing. It didn't last long at all, no matter the steel. It did not work well for EDC. I started to experiment for the best EDC sharpness. I eventually got a decent sharpness that lasts longer than the mirror stuff. I sharpen the blade with a 120 grit stone and then I finish it with a decent strop, like 20 passes on each side. When I am done it cuts phone book paper well, shaves hair(about 80%) and when I run my finger nail on the edge it feels toothy. That works great for me. The edge lasts a long time, about double the mirror edge and it cuts well. So for my EDC blades that is what I have been doing for the last 2 years. I actually got this edge style from one of my Leatherman multitool blades.