How sharp is too sharp?

A place to share, learn, & show off sharpening tips, tricks, techniques, & tools for sharpening edges of all kinds.
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OLDE CUTLER
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

Yes, good posts by all on this question. Some people should never be allowed to handle sharp knives or any sharp tools. Especially when they are used to handling DULL ones.
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jerryd6818
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by jerryd6818 »

An example of how a knife can be too sharp.

If you are an electrician and using a knife to strip wire, If the knife is too sharp it can knick the wire which weakens the wire so the possibility is there that at some point the wire could break. Is it a sure enough done deal that will happen? NO but the possibility exists.
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treefarmer
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by treefarmer »

Jerry, I agree with you and would like to add to that thought, a very sharp knife and small stranded wire is especially vulnerable to the damage you mentioned. A pair of wire strippers works better on these small conductors. Gdogg posted today what he uses to strip big wire.
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Nev52
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Nev52 »

Thank you all for your input on this subject.
I feel the same way. Most people do not know what a sharp knife is. What good is a knife if you have to struggle to cut with it. I feel that a knife is a tool and like all tools it should be kept in top condition so when it is needed it can be used for the task it was made for. ::tu::
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by fergusontd »

::hmm:: I like my knives paper slicing sharp but not razor sharp, BTW.....I thought Marines were not allowed to have sharp objects! ::poke:: ftd
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by jerryd6818 »

fergusontd wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:10 pm ::hmm:: I like my knives paper slicing sharp but not razor sharp, BTW.....I thought Marines were not allowed to have sharp objects! ::poke:: ftd
That's true. We might slice up a Squid and then how would we get to the war? ::super_happy::
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"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Steve Warden »

jerryd6818 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:20 pm
fergusontd wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:10 pm ::hmm:: I like my knives paper slicing sharp but not razor sharp, BTW.....I thought Marines were not allowed to have sharp objects! ::poke:: ftd
That's true. We might slice up a Squid and then how would we get to the war? ::super_happy::
Call on us FlyBoys. We're pretty sharp ourselves! :mrgreen:
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royal0014
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by royal0014 »

Too sharp ??
TOO SHARP ?? !! ??

yer joking, right ... ?
::uc::


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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Nev52 »

My wife just told me when she was young her uncle would use an electric knife to cut the turkey at thanksgiving because there carving knife would not cut it. ::dang:: ::uc::
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by jerryd6818 »

Steve Warden wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:16 pm
jerryd6818 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:20 pm
fergusontd wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 2:10 pm ::hmm:: I like my knives paper slicing sharp but not razor sharp, BTW.....I thought Marines were not allowed to have sharp objects! ::poke:: ftd
That's true. We might slice up a Squid and then how would we get to the war? ::super_happy::
Call on us FlyBoys. We're pretty sharp ourselves! :mrgreen:
If we ever get a war in Aruba, Hawaii, Cancun Mexico or someplace like that, we'll give you a call. ::poke::
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by fergusontd »

If we ever get a war in Aruba, Hawaii, Cancun Mexico or someplace like that, we'll give you a call. ::poke::
[/quote]

Yeah! Just stick with the Navy, great rooms with an ocean view, excellent dining with gormet food and a great activities manager allto insure a memorable cruise! ftd
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

Funny the Wall Street Journal had an article just today about how many people cut themselves making guacamole dip for the super bowl. A lot of the accidents happen from inexperience or a dull knife. Can’t fix stupid.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by jerryd6818 »

fergusontd wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:38 pm If we ever get a war in Aruba, Hawaii, Cancun Mexico or someplace like that, we'll give you a call. ::poke::


Yeah! Just stick with the Navy, great rooms with an ocean view, excellent dining with gormet food and a great activities manager allto insure a memorable cruise! ftd
::rotflol:: ::rotflol::

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:01 pm Funny the Wall Street Journal had an article just today about how many people cut themselves making guacamole dip for the super bowl. A lot of the accidents happen from inexperience or a dull knife. Can’t fix stupid.
Did they happen to speculate how many were alcohol induced incidents? :mrgreen:
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The Few. The Proud.
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This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

jerryd6818 wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 11:48 pm
fergusontd wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 8:38 pm If we ever get a war in Aruba, Hawaii, Cancun Mexico or someplace like that, we'll give you a call. ::poke::


Yeah! Just stick with the Navy, great rooms with an ocean view, excellent dining with gormet food and a great activities manager allto insure a memorable cruise! ftd
::rotflol:: ::rotflol::

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 9:01 pm Funny the Wall Street Journal had an article just today about how many people cut themselves making guacamole dip for the super bowl. A lot of the accidents happen from inexperience or a dull knife. Can’t fix stupid.
Did they happen to speculate how many were alcohol induced incidents? :mrgreen:
No they didn’t Jerry. Apparently it comes when people try to strike the core and embed the knife blade so they can just pull it back out. Many people seem to miss and cut their hands. They said there were over 50,000 injuries from this since 2008, and over half have happened since 2013 with 27,000 injuries. Go figure.
SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Nev52 »

Thank you all for your comments on this subject.
I guess when you grow up working with tools or knives everyday you learn how respect, maintain and use them.
The people who told me the knives were too sharp were not kids. At the time of these incidents there age was from 30 years old up to 60 years of age. I would think by then you would how to use a knife. As previously stated in this thread most people do not know what a sharp knife is like to use.
Thanks again
Nev52 ::tu::
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jerryd6818
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by jerryd6818 »

Nev52 wrote: Thu Jan 30, 2020 1:11 pm Thank you all for your comments on this subject.
I guess when you grow up working with tools or knives everyday you learn how respect, maintain and use them.
The people who told me the knives were too sharp were not kids. At the time of these incidents there age was from 30 years old up to 60 years of age. I would think by then you would how to use a knife. As previously stated in this thread most people do not know what a sharp knife is like to use.
Thanks again
Nev52 ::tu::
Were those the same people who told you, you don't need a gun?
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
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"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
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Nev52
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Nev52 »

No I keep my distance from people like that. :)
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Reverand »

I used to keep all my knives "shaving" sharp. But I wore out a lot of blades, too. Nowadays I keep mine sharp, but at less of an angle so I have better edge retention.
But in my opinion a knife cannot be "too sharp" unless it splits atoms and starts a chain reaction!
Until then, I will keep 'em sharp enough to use, and use them with respect.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Dinadan »

There are a lot of interesting comments on this thread. My opinion is that razor sharp is a bit too sharp for a knife unless it has a special use like castrating livestock or impressing coworkers. I never use my knives for anything that requires a razor edge, or that a a razor edge would even help. Filleting a fish, slicing an apple, pruning a fruit tree, slicing strips of pork jowl - none of those need a razor edge. And a razor edge would not last more than one slice through the skin on a pork jowl or a bacon side. And when my wife is slicing cabbage, OMG - I could not believe what a cabbage does too a sharp santoku blade - I asked her if she had been chopping bones with the knife!

Anyway. I use a soft Arkansas stone or a fairly coarse stone on my knives and almost never try for the shaving sharp edge. Not because it is too sharp. But because it is just not anything that I need and will not last past one good Red Fish filleting.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by mrwatch »

Dinadan wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:13 pm OMG - I could not believe what a cabbage does too a sharp santoku blade - I asked her if she had been chopping bones with the knife!

The type of cutting board was more likely the culprit. Many say wood or Bamboo, not plastic. or bare kitchen counters. my Victorinox santoku will make short work of a bone in ham where others struggle.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Nev52 »

I would have to disagree on edge retention. I always sharpen all my knives to shave arm hair. Be it a kitchen knife work knife or hunting knife. I have used a schrade LB7 all day at work cutting heater hose or air lines and then used that same knife to field dress a deer without touching up the blade. I think it has to do with blade steel. But that's just my opinion.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Dinadan »

mrwatch wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2020 11:51 am
Dinadan wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 11:13 pm OMG - I could not believe what a cabbage does too a sharp santoku blade - I asked her if she had been chopping bones with the knife!
The type of cutting board was more likely the culprit. Many say wood or Bamboo, not plastic. or bare kitchen counters. my Victorinox santoku will make short work of a bone in ham where others struggle.
I agree that wood cutting boards are best. Just like I think that carbon steel is the best steel for a kitchen knife. But ... my kitchen stuff needs to go into the dishwasher. We cook a lot, maybe more than most folks these days. So we use plastic cutting boards and stainless knives since no one in our home likes hand washing stuff.
Nev52 wrote: Tue Feb 04, 2020 9:25 pm I would have to disagree on edge retention. I always sharpen all my knives to shave arm hair. Be it a kitchen knife work knife or hunting knife. I have used a schrade LB7 all day at work cutting heater hose or air lines and then used that same knife to field dress a deer without touching up the blade. I think it has to do with blade steel. But that's just my opinion.
Could be I am doing it wrong. I use Case and Western knives on the fish, and if I am filleting more than a half dozen I like to touch up the blade part way through the process.
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by KnifeSlinger#81 »

big monk wrote: Tue Jan 28, 2020 8:35 pm You answered the question** never can get one ""to sharp"" -- people just need to know how to use this ""TOOL"" ::dang::

Roger that!


I like my knives sharp. That's kinda the point of them. :D
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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by Ole Joe Clark »

In recent years, I am really careful with my carry knives, one slip and my old hands will be sliced.

Have a blessed day,

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Re: How sharp is too sharp?

Post by WillyCamaro »

Actually, in my case gents, it's not a good idea for me to have razor sharp knives.
I'm severely klutzy, drop/bump/bang knives all the time, do to my fibro fog/fatigue/poor control/shakes. Having a blade razor sharp, is asking for trouble.
And from my experience, a clean cut threw paper, is where I like my edge to be at.
Like in sword comparisons: a katana is a beautifully thin, razor sharp blade. A broadsword is sharp, but not razor, and has a much thicker edge.
It's like with any tool, what is it's intended use use going to be?
For tomatoes, you want a thin, razor sharp blade. But for peeling apples, by hand, with a pocket knife, I wouldn't want it bone cutting sharp. Would make me too nervous, I've had prior experience with "too sharp" a knife...
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