sharpest knife ever

[tonymp]

I sharpened my Spyderco Ten, it turned out to be the sharpest edge I ever got, 8cr13mov, I could whittle hair tip to root and root to tip, you have to have a very sharp knife to whittle hair both ways, why this steel took this kind of edge I'm not sure, my sv30, 154cm, d2, ect, never took this kind of edge, I know whittling hair may not be practical for working knives but that depends on who you ask, whats sharpest edge you ever got? (what steel was it ).

 

[Barman1]

I find the less "super" the steel is the more refined of an edge I can get.(Toothy steels give me a headache)
It won't stay sharp as long but man they're insane right off the EdgePro.
My daily carry knife sees little to no use generally anyway but when I have a job that requires heavy use I carry a second, more capable knife that won't chip or roll an edge.

Right now one of my favorites is 154CM for my daily carry.
Decent performance right around 20dps (except for my Emerson Seax which I effectively sharpened only on one side to around 18 degrees and is stupid sharp and there's no evidence of any edge damage as of yet) without any edge issues (Benchmade and Hogue, whatever their heat treat is seems to work well).

 

[Diemaker]

For that type of edge keenness grain structure is important, you want as fine-grained a steel as you can find, that is fairly hard. LC200 is a rather interesting steel in this regard, at least the one sample I have played with.

 

[lonestar1979]

12c27 sandvik and similar sandvik steels take killer edge easily,whittle hair without evwn trying.Victorinox steel too,gets scary sharp easily and is super easy to touch up.Geometry plays important part in getting the knife to optimal sharpness,with knives that are too thick behind the edge and with thick stocks its its harder.

 

[Alberta Ed]

My Scandi grind bushcraft blade by Brazilian cutliero Ivan Campos and my Marbles Campcraft and Fieldcraft in 52100 by Mike Stewart when he was there, along with my CS Master Hunter in Carbon V are the sharpest knives I own. They all will whittle hair. Equivalent stainless steels are 12C27 (Manly Wasp). Most low carbide steels if properly heat treated will easily take a very fine edge.

 

[lonestar1979]

Marbles knives are very good,52100 is very good steel for fixed blades with good heat treat,and carbon v is something similar to 52100 i i think,takes killer edge easily.All cold steel knives i i have whittle hair without much problem,but laminated stainless from Helle is my sharpest knife,that steel is something else,its core is aebl steel i think or something like 14c28.Manly has good ht of their knives,especially 12c27,I love sandvik steels,they perform same as carbon,but do not rust.

 

[lonestar1979]

Im getting master hunter in san mai soon,simple design but nevertheless amazing knife for any purpose.Aus8 from cold steel is a steel that takes killer edge and holds it for decent amount of time.My old style vaquero in that steel still performs like champ,along with code4 and old style voyager.

 

[Ourorboros]

Well if you want a keen edge, D2 isn't going to be the way to go.

That said White Paper steels give me a very fine edge - that's why they are prized in gyutos.
Really the steels preferred for gyutos and razors will take a fine edge.

 

[lonestar1979]

D2 gives nice toothy edge that can still shave,depends what you like,and what you use more,push cut or sawing action.I keep most of my edges toothy,sandvik steels maintain that agression even when taken to higher polish,i iove sharpening and using them.Steels like d2 and s30 v like toothy edge and are very agressive when cutting ,but sandvik on my opinels and helle knife,also some moras even ehen polished is verry agressive when slicing through soft materials.12c27 and similar steels are perfect for edc knives,also for outdoor camping blades,as they do not rust,are fairly easy to sharpen and maintain and mostly do not cost much.I wouldnt take s30v blade in wilderness as my only blade.

 

[rpttrsn]

Right now is my Kershaw Leek with S30V. For me its how much time you want to spend on the edge and what you are using it for.

 

[Ben Dover]

I get that kind of edge easily with Elmax, CPM M-4, Carbon V, 440C and A-2.

With ultra fine CBN or diamond spray on balsa, and a helluva lot of time and effort, I've achieved it with S90V as well.

I think it's possible with most steels if you use the proper abrasives and don't mind a lot of time and effort.

 

[Realysm42]

I just sharpened my para 3 (in Maxamet) using the 10 degrees marker each side and diamond stropped to 200k grit. I did all of this of my edge pro using an angle cube; under the loupe the edge is amazingly consistent and it's frighteningly sharp. It consistently whittles hair in both directions.

Does anyone have experience of usage with this steel at this angle?

I did this for fun and to see just how sharp I can get it, more than any specific use case.

 

[DeadboxHero]

I just sharpened my para 3 (in Maxamet) using the 10 degrees marker each side and diamond stropped to 200k grit. I did all of this of my edge pro using an angle cube; under the loupe the edge is amazingly consistent and it's frighteningly sharp. It consistently whittles hair in both directions.

Does anyone have experience of usage with this steel at this angle?

I did this for fun and to see just how sharp I can get it, more than any specific use case.

Take a picture of that edge we wanna see it, was the bevel pulled back to 10° per side or just stropped?

 

[Realysm42]

Take a picture of that edge we wanna see it, was the bevel pulled back to 10° per side or just stropped?

Sure thing I'll get a picture tomorrow (I'm in Australia so too late right now).

I reprofiled the blade which took a long time, even though I used the matrix stones (couldn't be without them now). So the bevel looks larger than my other Sypders.

Whats your favourite for absurd sharpness?.

Idk why but I imagine 52100 would be good.

 

[John Phillips]

I’ve sent off spydercos to have them professionally sharpened, primary bevel with secondary micro bevel finished to a mirrored edge and they get screaming hair popping sharp buuuuuuuut the CKF Evo 2.0 that I just got is on another level. I don’t have to apply ANY pressure at all to get it to pop hair. It’s RIDICULOUS and comes from the factory this sharp.

 

[sodak]

I get that kind of edge easily with Elmax, CPM M-4, Carbon V, 440C and A-2.

With ultra fine CBN or diamond spray on balsa, and a helluva lot of time and effort, I've achieved it with S90V as well.

I think it's possible with most steels if you use the proper abrasives and don't mind a lot of time and effort.

I fully agree, and at least in my case, don't expect that edge to last very long if you are cutting abrasive materials. I don't have the time anymore for doing this often, but it's fun to do once in a while.

 

[Realysm42]

Take a picture of that edge we wanna see it, was the bevel pulled back to 10° per side or just stropped?

Here you go sir:

PXL_20210710_050535859.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

It was difficult to get a good shot through the loupe on 60x using my phone, hopefully this gives an indication of how clean the edge is:

PXL_20210710_050422280.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

I didn't notice until I'd put the picture onto my PC, but the blade is so reflective it shows the pixel lines / flaws from the image printed on the calendar I'm holding it above:

PXL_20210710_045911640.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

One more for luck:

PXL_20210710_045931514.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

 

[garry3]

Simple carbon steel Japanese kitchen knifes can get into the straight razor type of sharp pretty easily, usually off a translucent ark. So will the AS steel knifes if I put a coticule in front of the translucent. It’s overkill but why not make fixing dinner fun every once in awhile?

 

[DeadboxHero]

Strong Work, I like the finish those matrix stones make, very bright and consistent on Maxamet yet don't overpolish the apex.


Beautiful job, not something seen very often.


Thanks for sharing

Here you go sir:

PXL_20210710_050535859.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

It was difficult to get a good shot through the loupe on 60x using my phone, hopefully this gives an indication of how clean the edge is:

PXL_20210710_050422280.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

I didn't notice until I'd put the picture onto my PC, but the blade is so reflective it shows the pixel lines / flaws from the image printed on the calendar I'm holding it above:

PXL_20210710_045911640.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

One more for luck:

PXL_20210710_045931514.MP by Martin Johnson, on Flickr

 

[scdub]

Well if you want a keen edge, D2 isn't going to be the way to go.

That said White Paper steels give me a very fine edge - that's why they are prized in gyutos.
Really the steels preferred for gyutos and razors will take a fine edge.

Simple carbon steel Japanese kitchen knifes can get into the straight razor type of sharp pretty easily, usually off a translucent ark. So will the AS steel knifes if I put a coticule in front of the translucent. It’s overkill but why not make fixing dinner fun every once in awhile?

Yeah. My 4 sharpest are from Japan. Here they are in order of sharpness:

I use this razor once or twice a week to scrape off my neck beard. Haven’t used a disposable razor for over a year now. Unknown steel, but probably white as it’s an old blade and I believe white was more common in razors. The Cold Steel lives attached to my headboard behind my mattress. San Mai III in VG1 sharpened to a very acute angle. I got a hard one. It will whittle hair.
The small cord wrapped knife is made by Shosui Takeda - one of my favorite makers. It stays close to hair-whittling sharp AFTER CARVING WOOD. Crazy, “scandi-vex-style” geometry in Aogami Super Blue.
Last one is white steel and I have the maker’s name but not at my fingertips. (I’ll find it if anyone wants to know). Being chisel ground, fine grained, and hard, it’s easy to keep around hair-popping sharp, even with fairly regular use.