cheap chinese knives- cutting ability?

G

GarageBoy

Joined
May 23, 2003
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Well, even when I get the edge as sharp as I can on these cheap chinese knives, the edge stll wont cut paper. Feels sharp, though, but wont fly though paper and hair like my opinel. Is it because they are thick?
 
That's because the steel used on them is crap. :barf:

420J2, "surgical steel" or whatever refuse is used on cheap Chinese-made flea market fodder will never sharpen well enough or hold an edge. Opinels, no matter how inexpensive, are much better knives.
 
Actually, it cuts pretty well once the cut is initiated. I can cut paper, once I created a path for it
 
GarageBoy said:
Is it because they are thick?
Click to expand...

If the blade is really thick right behind the edge then the answer is yes. This can make it very difficult for even a sharp knife to cut paper well.
 
Two blades with the same edge geometry and finish will cut the same. They won't necessarily do it for the same length of time, however. If the cheap knife doesn't cut as well as another, then it has a different geometry or has become dulled from use. In the case of cheap Chinese knives, it doesn't take much use to dull them. Take care.
 
Cheap knive can have any or all of these "bad" things - poor steel (probably badly treated), poor design, poor strength due to little or next to no tang.

Or none of the above - well OK a flaw in design - poor geometry -
being THICK just behind the edge can make an otherwise "sharp" knife which will shave hair, score paper - feel blunt when cutting through things. I think this is probably the problem with GarageBoy's Chinese knife.

I had posted this elsewhere - that helps illustrate the point -

This is a made in China kitchen utility knife for $1 from the Dollar Tree -
DollarTree5Utility_S.jpg


It's not very good - but not in the way you might suspect - being a hidden tang - most would think it has a less than 1" tang - but this doesn't seem so - I can't prove it short of destructive testing - I do have a scanner attached to my computer - but NOT an X-ray machine! :D It has not collapsed and I have flexed the knife a lot more than any other kitchen knife that I care about.

No, it's not that it has "butter soft" steel either - again I have no means of measuring Rc - but it does sharpen up and doesn't seem to go blunt that easily - I would hazard that it's on par with any other typical reasonable quality kitchen knife - that's inexpensive.

What's not so good is the rather thick blade - OK, OK, it's not thick stock - but thick toward the edge - despite the seemingly obvious grind lines. It is thick just behind the edge bevel - I even took the time to reprofile the blade edge bevel to grind off the shoulder/corner - maybe not quite to a convex profile (I just realized that's how else I know the steel isn't that soft) - but even with that - although the knife will score/cut paper like there's no tomorrow - try cutting through something like an orange and one can feel it just is not such a good slicer, but hey it's only a buck....

But when compared to the cheapo Victorinox 3.25" (40601) parer for example at less than $3.......
and don't even mention the 5" Chicago cutlery Walnut 62S 5" utility/boner for something less than about $7......

Kitchen2_S.jpg

in the total opposite - at the top is a $300+ David Boye 6" chef's blade with desert ironwood handle (also hidden tang - anyone care to accuse that of having a 1/4" tang?) in BDS (Boye Dendritic Steel - which is cast 440C) that is really frightening cutter......

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
Just about everything you buy in Australia these days has a "made in China" sticker attached to it. The products are cheap, but the quality is improving all the time. I am certain that in the not too distant future, China is going to compete in the quality market as well, it is inevitable - and the prices will still be cheap.
 
What a lot of people don't realise is that a LOT of the things you buy in the west are made in China and have expensive brands on them. My cousin worked in China for three years and she used to go to the factories where they make things like Nike shoes and other big name (expensive) brand items and get them for a fraction of the cost you pay in America or Australia.

Unless your item has Made In Australia/America stamped on it, (and they're not lying), the thing was most likely made in some 3rd world slum for $10 and once all the middlemen add their profits you pay $200 for it.

So, just because it's made in China doesn't necessarily mean its a POS, they CAN make reasonable stuff if they want to. Then again, a hell of a lot of crap does come out of there.
 
I know a lot of quaility stuff can come from china, but ya know the knives I'm referring to. I have no shame in owning Taiwanese CRKTs either
 
It's probably down to the sharpening technique. My friend had a POS chinese switch blade he got at a flea market. I reprofiled it and it was shaving his arm hair. I don't know how long it will hold that edge, but I was able to get it sharp.
 
MelancholyMutt said:
more acute edge...
Click to expand...

I'm not being contrary or awkward -
think of this - a really acute angle of say 20deg/side = 40deg total inclusive angle
- put on quality steel like say S30V, or D2 (you name it)
- and make it a zero bevel edge

- BUT it is a block that's 1" thick.

Now that will shave no problems at all -
but will it slice through things easily?

No an actute edge by itself is not the solution
- one has to take into account the blade thickness just behind the edge
- that helps blades cut through things...
and I think this is one of the problems with GarageBoy's knife

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
Well, Vinny, I know Garageboy's knife cause I was there when he got it... I got one too... I reprofiled mine with a more acute angle... I suggest he do the same if he is dissatisfied with the factory edge.
 
MelancholyMutt said:
Well, Vinny, I know Garageboy's knife cause I was there when he got it... I got one too... I reprofiled mine with a more acute angle... I suggest he do the same if he is dissatisfied with the factory edge.
Click to expand...


Sounds good, and
sounds like by putting a more acute angle on -
could you possibly have actually "reprofiled" the blade to a be thinner just behind the edge?
or even better removed the abrupt shoulder/corner of the original bevel?

--
Vincent

http://UnknownVincent.cjb.net
http://UnknownVT.cjb.net
 
Well, the knife is actually a Boker Toplock clone and it is pretty thin as it is. However, it should take much longer (than what I suspect Garageboy used) on the Spyderco Medium Stone to actually sharpen away the original bevel.
 
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