All of mine, (9) total over the last 8 years have been what I would call mediocre. None would shave, most would pull hairs off your arm though. I have a 1x32" belt grinder/sander that I use to thin out the edges, and re-profile. I highly recommend getting one and give it a try (on crappy knives at first of course) They can be bought for around 40.00. Then I sharpen them on a DMT stone to deburr, and strop with 2000 grit chromium compound loaded on a leather strop. While these knives usually don't come scary sharp from the factory they sure do take a scary sharp edge once you get used to INFI. It is a unique steel that is for sure, and in a good way.
Scrapper 4 edge sharpness...
- Thread starter GALAXYTECH
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Got my loaner today
fairly sharp...Not laser sharp but very usuable as is
fairly sharp...Not laser sharp but very usuable as is
Mine cuts paper (very rough cut) but no way I'd try to shave with it. I'd say medium sharpness.
My SJTac was even worse. I could run my finger on the edge and not get cut. My Benchmades and Spydercos came much sharper out of the box. So did my Winston, which showed me what scary sharp really is.
This is something that really let me down about Busse and their sister companies knives. The finish is less than I expected for a knife in their price range. I guess Jerry wasn't kidding when he wrote the description of INFI and said he isn't very good at sharpening.
My SJTac was even worse. I could run my finger on the edge and not get cut. My Benchmades and Spydercos came much sharper out of the box. So did my Winston, which showed me what scary sharp really is.
This is something that really let me down about Busse and their sister companies knives. The finish is less than I expected for a knife in their price range. I guess Jerry wasn't kidding when he wrote the description of INFI and said he isn't very good at sharpening.
I agree. It is disappointing to get a semi-custom, high-end knife that isn't even approaching sharp and, as pointed out, with a less than expected finish (tube fasteners not seated properly, micarta slabs frayed at edges, etc.).
Of the 10 or so Busse's that I've recieved, only one was reasonably sharp. The rest were dull or extremely dull. I got a GW LE that looks like it hardly even has an edge bevel.
I also just got 2 Scrapper 4's. Also dull.
What's it take to get a Busse sharp from the factory? Does every Busse need to be returned for sharpeneing?
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On one hand, some of us enjoy sharpening new blades. Probably the only blades I've never sharpened OTB are Spydercos, everything else gets my own touch on it.
There's sharp and then there is sharp. Thick edges mean great chopping but are not as good at slicing, thin edges mean great slicing but weaker edge for chopping. It all depends on what you intend to use the blades for. I think my CGFBM edge came from the factory with a perfect chopping edge. My SJtac came the same way, but I wanted a a better slicer so I thinned the edge and now it's wicked sharp. My Game Warden came quite sharp, it's now been thinned a little more and is freaky sharp.
I personally am happy as long as the grinds and edges are even.
Great guide to convex sharpening (with pics)
There's sharp and then there is sharp. Thick edges mean great chopping but are not as good at slicing, thin edges mean great slicing but weaker edge for chopping. It all depends on what you intend to use the blades for. I think my CGFBM edge came from the factory with a perfect chopping edge. My SJtac came the same way, but I wanted a a better slicer so I thinned the edge and now it's wicked sharp. My Game Warden came quite sharp, it's now been thinned a little more and is freaky sharp.
I personally am happy as long as the grinds and edges are even.
Great guide to convex sharpening (with pics)
In addition to being dull, the edges on my Busse's came uneven as well.
BTW Archer, what do you mean by "thinning the edge"? I've heard this term used in different ways with regard to reprofiling. Do you mean to resharpen at a shallower edge bevel angle (say, going from 20 degrees to 15)? Or do you mean adding relief bevel? Or what? Thanks.
Archer,
I agree that the edge should match the intended task. A Battle Mistress should have a thicker edge. But a 4 inch blade, only around three of which has an edge, is not going to be used for chopping. It's a slicer. I would expect to be sharper OTB.
Also, some of us don't like to reprofile our knives. And for a semi-custom I would expect even and clean lines, which isn't always the case with all the Busse I've seen.
I will say that INFI does take on a very nice edge and holds it well once it is sharpened properly. It's a tough steel and Jerry makes very pratical designs. I'm just disappointed with quality control.
I agree that the edge should match the intended task. A Battle Mistress should have a thicker edge. But a 4 inch blade, only around three of which has an edge, is not going to be used for chopping. It's a slicer. I would expect to be sharper OTB.
Also, some of us don't like to reprofile our knives. And for a semi-custom I would expect even and clean lines, which isn't always the case with all the Busse I've seen.
I will say that INFI does take on a very nice edge and holds it well once it is sharpened properly. It's a tough steel and Jerry makes very pratical designs. I'm just disappointed with quality control.
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- Sep 11, 2002
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A thinner edge means there is less drag as you slice deeper into a cut. A thicker edge means that the stock gets thicker quickly after the edge, creating drag which makes deep slicing cuts a bit harder to do. Thick edge =stronger for impacts vs a thin edge.
Since I convex my Busse edges (using the same steps in the BRKT link in my last post) it would mean I shallow the edge bevel. If I had to eyeball, I'd say I convex my small blades at 12-15 degrees/side with a few finishing swipes (never more than 2 at low grits) at a higher edge angle, say 30 degrees, to remove any burr - not necessarily enough to create a secondary bevel. I then always strop with hanging loaded leather.
For a chopper, I convex at maybe 15-20 degrees.
The down-side to convexing at a low angle is that you are actually removing some of the edge shoulders - and on a Busse that means removing some of the finish. I think I posted this elsewhere (going by memory here), but an example would be that on one of my edges I have almost 4 mm of visible polished edge, instead of the 2 that came from factory.
If I got a unevenly ground edge, I'd probably start with low grit wet/dry sandpaper like 200 until the edge was even, then work my way up through higher grits (400, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000). Unfortunately I haven't yet found higher grit paper in my neck of the woods, but even then I can get a pretty wicked sharp edge at 2000 grit; and stropping regularly makes all the difference.