OI have the professional version, which is the B version. Is it the be all to end all, no. However when you are trying something new, it can help you dial in your technique. In my example, I have always sharpened on natural stones. I recently got a couple of Shaptons and the feel is completely different. I found I had to do edge trailing strokes in order to get the burr started then on the higher stone, I could scrub and get a low 200 scale, starting at a 600 test score. Will my results be the same as yours, no. But it is a tool, one out of many in the tool box.
BESS Sharpness Tester: Did I waste My Money?
- Thread starter PeteCress
- Start date
What I'm getting at is a more acute angle being thinner behind the edge. So it's going to cut with less resistance.The answer is yes and no.
In theory, you should be able to get a knife equally sharp at any angle. In reality, though, you're almost always going to get a sharper edge with a lower angle, just because there's more room for error. IOW, if you ever-so-slightly round the apex of a 12° edge, the falloff in sharpness is going to be much less dramatic than it would be if you slightly rounded the apex of a 25° edge.
All else being equal, a more acute angle will actually be thicker behind the edge than an obtuse angle, because the bevel is going to be wider and thus get up into to the thicker part of the blade.
In other words, if you have identical blades and put a 12° edge on one and a 20° edge on the other, the 20° blade will be thinner behind the edge than the 12° blade. But the 12° blade will still be the better cutter.
I think you are trying to make a case for being thicker behind the bevel. Not what I'm talking about, clearly.
Behind the bevel thickness is literally the same thing as thickness behind the edge.
Edge angle and edge thickness are certainly important in most cutting tasks.
But I struggle to see how it would affect cutting such a tiny "wire." Because the wire is so thin, I would think that the sharpness of the edge would reign supreme in the BESS test. The wire would be cut long before it reaches the bevel.
Tension on the wire would have a big effect -- the tighter the easier to cut. Speed of the edge press is clearly important, with faster speeds giving lower readings. Neeves has a YouTube up about how easy it is to get false readings. By varying the speed of the edge press in ways too subtle for the human eye to follow, he could make a sharp knife look dull and vice versa.
To get an "accurate" reading, he had to do the test three times and average the results. The three scores were quite far apart.
He had to cut very, very slowly, but as he did, you can see how his hand tremor would have an effect.
Normally, this would be a tool I'd love to have. But I've never bought one because it seems too imprecise. If you hand a micrometer to any 10 machinists and ask them to measure the thickness of a steel plate, you'll get 10 answers -- all the same.
Hand those same people a BESS meter and ask them to measure the sharpness of a knife's edge, and I'd guess you'd get a lot of different results.
But I struggle to see how it would affect cutting such a tiny "wire." Because the wire is so thin, I would think that the sharpness of the edge would reign supreme in the BESS test. The wire would be cut long before it reaches the bevel.
Tension on the wire would have a big effect -- the tighter the easier to cut. Speed of the edge press is clearly important, with faster speeds giving lower readings. Neeves has a YouTube up about how easy it is to get false readings. By varying the speed of the edge press in ways too subtle for the human eye to follow, he could make a sharp knife look dull and vice versa.
To get an "accurate" reading, he had to do the test three times and average the results. The three scores were quite far apart.
He had to cut very, very slowly, but as he did, you can see how his hand tremor would have an effect.
Normally, this would be a tool I'd love to have. But I've never bought one because it seems too imprecise. If you hand a micrometer to any 10 machinists and ask them to measure the thickness of a steel plate, you'll get 10 answers -- all the same.
Hand those same people a BESS meter and ask them to measure the sharpness of a knife's edge, and I'd guess you'd get a lot of different results.
Only if that is the way you define it. Some define it as thickness at a certain distance from the apex. In any case it's merely a datum of the complete edge geometry.
Over the years I've spent a lot of money on "toys" to measure and test things in order to satisfy my curiosity. Is money spent on entertainment and education money well spent? I don't think it's necessarily money wasted.
One day I got curious about these fancy BESS Testers, so I made one. My testing results were relatively consistent, and the numbers were not out-of-line with what I would expect from reading legitimate BESS testing results. The project was fun and entertaining. But now I don't use it any more. I know when my edges are sharp, and don't need a tester to tell me.
tacos3
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
- Messages
- 77
I find it useful to judge my processes and I don't compare my results with anyone else. Find a good, consistent process for using the tester and measure different parts of your process. I can tell you that stropping has improved my results mostly from removing the burr that you can't feel or see.
If someone says they get BESS scores of 20, I take that with a grain of salt. There are ways to game the score.
Good luck with your decision.
If someone says they get BESS scores of 20, I take that with a grain of salt. There are ways to game the score.
Good luck with your decision.