Out of the Box Sharpness Doesn't Matter?

T

Torrin

Joined
Jun 16, 2017
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http://www.alloutdoor.com/2018/04/23/myth-box-sharpness/

More click bait from alloutdoor.com

"One old saw you will read and hear across the Internet Knife Community (IKC) is the notion that out of the box sharpness matters. In reality, it matters only very little, and certainly not in the way that most folks think."
Who says? How many of you aren't discouraged when you get a new knife, and it struggles cutting paper. To me it would be unfinished and leaves me wondering how much a company cares about it's product.
I would instead flip his theory on it's head. Specialty tools may not be fully sharpened when received and it is usally expected. Axes are generally not shaving sharp when purchased new but many could be.
 
While certainly nice it really doesn't matter much. If it is going to be used it will need to be sharpened anyway at some point-so just sharpen it and get on with life. If it isn't going to be used, it doesn't need much of an edge. I have never really gotten this obsession with cutting paper, but to each their own.
I too would prefer a nice sharp edge-I'm lazy, but my day isn't ruined if it doesn't have one.
 
danbot said:
A lot of people don't know how to sharpen a knife and don't have the stones etc. to do it.
If I were one of them, I would be very disappointed if the edge was dull, brand new out of the box!:mad:
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This^^ There are a ton of people who do not know how to sharpen a knife. It should come sharp to the best of that companies ability. Especially when you are paying a premium for it. You shouldn’t have to purchase something then immediatly work on it.
 
Sometimes when you just got a folder and your getting to know it, its safer when is not that sharp right of the bat.
 
Torrin said:
...How many of you aren't discouraged when you get a new knife, and it struggles cutting paper. To me it would be unfinished and leaves me wondering how much a company cares about it's product.
Click to expand...
This fits my view although cutting paper is not an absolute requirement from a factory edge. To me a new knife that is not sharp suggests that the manufacturer doesn't quite care enough about their product.

If a new knife is dull, I'm not happy. Pretty simple really. The only company I cut any slack in this regard is Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) with their slippies. I can sharpen them up to my liking pretty quickly if GEC made any attempt at all to put an edge on it with even edge grinds.
 
I dont really see this as a common problem anyways. All the knives i have on the more expensive side have come hair shaving sharp, and even most of the kershaws and crkts ive had could easily cut paper.
 
I feel a knife should be ready to be used right out of the box. The edge might not be mirror polished, hair whittling perfect, but it must be sharp.

I can make an exception (although I'm still not happy about it) with very cheap knives like Okapis.

In my mind, if companies with such affordable products as Victorinox, Opinel or Mora of Sweden manage to put a decent edge on their knives, there's really no excuse for more expensive companies not to do it.

I've had horrible experiences with Queen's D2 slippies (they came BLUNT, like butter knives, not even a hint of a bevel) and a couple of my GECs (easier to grind since they are 1095). I'm a few thousand miles away from the manufacturers, on the souther end of South America, so returning them was not an option.
 
I’m new to sharpening so I want a perfect edge on a new knife. I expect that. I’m not happy if a new knife is not sharp.
 
anthonycastorena2014 said:
This^^ There are a ton of people who do not know how to sharpen a knife. It should come sharp to the best of that companies ability. Especially when you are paying a premium for it. You shouldn’t have to purchase something then immediatly work on it.
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Some people who don't have the time to educate themselves on sharpening more difficult steels have their knives sharpened by a service either warranty or otherwise. They should be able to use the tool at its full capability out of the box then have it serviced when needed.
 
Dangerously said:
Wouldn’t the analogy be closer to filling the gas tank?

That said, I bought a motorcycle which has a tiny tank, and it came 1/8 full. I thought the dealership were a bunch of cheapskates.
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Yeah, for me this is the analogy I immediately thought of (though I don't expect it to apply to everyone buying knives). Getting a knife dull out the box is like buying a car and finding the gas tank on E. Annoying and frustrating, but quickly and easily remedied. Now if a knife comes too thick behind rhe edge and needs a reprofile out of the box I find danbot danbot 's anology to be more apt (though maybe more buying a car and finding it had a flat tire), I might be able to do it myself, but I'm gonna be pissed and make them fix it or get me a new one.
 
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