Help me pick a traditional please...

[afishhunter]

Very, very difficult to find a non-kitchen knife that slices as well as an Opinel. Of course an Opinel can out-slice a lot of sharp kitchen knives, too.

 

[Travman]

Hi 007hunter and everyone,

Knife arrived yesterday. Looks great.

I have a question about the Wharncliff blade. I expected it to be a better slicer. It can't come close to matching my Opinel Inox #8 or my SAK Cadet (both can easily shave arm hair for instance) in this regard. Is this typical of a Wharncliff or should it be better at slicing tasks? I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker and I could touch it up if it would help. Would I use the 30 or 40 degree setting? The package directions call for a whetstone at 10-15 degrees..

Thanks

I think you may be confusing sharpness with being a good slicer. If the knife is not sharp, it won't be a good slicer. If you want your new knife to shave hair then you should use the 30 degree setting (15 degrees on each side = 30 degree setting)

Blades that are great slicers are generally very thin. Your Opinel, Cadet, and new knife should all be relatively good slicers since these blades are thin.