EDC Knives.....What Sort of Edge Do You Like?

[duke762]

Anything may be asked of the every day carry knife. Everything from peeling an apple to defending your life, could be the task of the day. My daily uses are so varied that, I actually carry 3 knives every day, each sharpened each, a little differently for they're assigned purpose.

The longest carry of the 3, is a Victorinox Officier Suisse. I hone the 2 blades to a toothy Washita edge. This thing will peel a tomato or apple at lunch and cut up card board for recycling on the weekends. So versatile and easy to resharpen. With the extra tool type inclusions, I can give a pretty good account of myself as a McGyver. I can fix things that were deemed unfixable and cut things that are very harsh on the edge, knowing, it's no big deal to resharpen.

The second longest carried knife is a Schrade 897UH. I'm really funny for the Turkish clip blades, can't justify it, just really like them. All 3 blades on this knife are totally maxed out, as sharp as I can get them, on a Black Ark, without stropping. Why? I've also found that steel splinters, can be removed with a very, very sharp knife. A sharp edge will snag it, and pull it out. I've actually had people pay me to remove splinters at work. In my working environment, horrendous, steel shavings abound, and they are bound to get stuck in you. Over the years, I've experienced splinters from small fish hook size to invisible to the naked eye. This knifes edges, are only used to remove steel from my hands and fingers.....okay, I also use the sheep's foot blade for wrapping paper and shrink wrap.

My largest EDC is a Benchmade, 830 Ascent, honed, to a toothy Trans Ark edge. There are many opportunities for clothing entrapment at the Pleasure Palace (work), and the Benchmade can be opened 1 handed, to cut shop aprons, or clothing as necessary. Also works for self defense if needed, and I have used it in that respect. I don't ever use this knife, saving the edge for last ditch emergencies. Entrapped clothing or threats to my well being..

So what's the edge on your EDC? Specialized to your specific needs or a utility edge for all occasions?
Carry more than one? Let us know.....

 

[Whiterook]

I just maintain the factory edge for the most part.

 

[Stan_M]

I like to go to about 6000 diamond then finish on translucent ark if the steel is vg10 or better. If it’s a lesser steel I go to 2000.

 

[Stan_M]

I also make knives sometimes. I normally use 1095 on those. I typically so to 1200 on it then jump to a 10000 right after. When you do that you still have a toothy bitey edge with just a little shine.

 

[Legion]

I usually keep my pocket knife blades overly sharp. Sharper than my kitchen knives, where I like a toothy edge for cutting through softer food materials. For some reason I still feel the need to keep my edc knives as refined as I can. It might just be habit, because a more toothy edge would cut rope or open a box just as well as a polished edge, sometimes better.

 

[EdHeart]

A number of years ago I realized that I needed to stop treating my knives like drawer queens, especially my EDC: Benchmade Osborne. It had a satin finish which I was not all that fond of. I mirror polished, by hand the blade and then reprofiled the edge as convex and hair popping sharp. When it dulls I take out my Japanese whetstones and leather strops and go to town brining the edge back.

I've several William Collins handmade knives, 3 of which I alternate EDC. These I maintain as factory: approximately 12-13 degrees per side and toothy working edges. These are custom heat/kryo treated to approx 62 Rockwell by William and are in AEB-L. These are scary toothy sharp (I've been bitten a couple of times) and are hard working edges that last.

 

[Hair Scraper]

I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker to keep stuff sharp. Most of the time I finish up the edge with a microbevel using the brown ceramic Triangles which are equivalent to 600 grit. The white ceramic Triangles are equivalent to 1200 grit.

The 600 grit finish will give a toothy edge that'll immediately bite into and slice a very ripe tomato without crushing it with just the weight of the blade pressing on it.

 

[losing]

I have had an edc pocket knife since i was like 10 years old. My grandfather (mom's dad) told me a real man has 2 things with him, a lighter and a knife. A cheap flea market foldable knife was purchased and given to me. And throughout my like those flea market knives have been my edc knives.

I am liking the tanto(?) end knife i currently have. It has done everything from cutting paper, cardboard, plastic, thin mteal straps and people's fingers and 1 leg with barely a hiccup. And Lansky keeps it keener than i was or ever will be.

One day a cooler looking and higher cost knife will enter my pocket but too many cameras around has made it impossible to get... hahaha...

 

[Climb14er]

Spyderco Sharpmaker for regular touch ups and maintenance. Have the diamond rods if I have to reset the edge. Also use my Shapton Japanese Water Stones to really recondition the edges if I need to. My Japanese Hitachi Blue Steel knives all have convex edges and the Shaptons are the only things I use for this type of edge.

I had a number of Benchmades, one remaining, 710 M2 steel, but as I might have mentioned elsewhere, I migrated to Spyderco knives., the PM2 S30V is my usual EDC, sometimes the Manix 2 S90V. I have a couple other frame lock Spydercos, small three inch knives I take with dress wear. Two Leathermans, my backcountry fixed blade, Ontario Rat 1095 carbon steel… all my knives are kept very sharp.

Of course I’ve had many more knives, some customs and semi customs, I’ve sold most or gave them as gifts. I always make sure my EDC is safely clipped in as I really don’t want to lose the knives that have treated me well. Enjoy what you have and keep ‘em sharp.

 

[5whiskey]

Yeah my kitchen knives and pocket knives are finished similar... cheap dual grit corundum for bevel set and smoothing, then a soft ark for the final finish. I like sharpening my knives... but admittedly it turns into a chore after so much. Hence, I tend to lean toward durable but still sharp edges.

I don't vary the progression of stones between any of my knives (though I have thought of going finer on a couple sheepsfoot and paring blades), but I do vary the bevel angle. Butcher/meat knives in the kitchen have the highest degree bevel. Pocket knives and general kitchen knives get a more shallow bevel angle, but not by a bunch. Skinning knives a touch shallower still. Then my paring and filet knives get a really shallow bevel angle (about 20 degrees).

 

[NorthwestCorner]

When I worked in an electrical/R&D lab I carried a Kershaw Leek and a folding box cutter because they were both great at scoring wire and breaking down boxes. Touch-up on ceramic wire insulation tubes because that’s what was at hand.

At home these days, I carry a Lionsteel Dom sheep’s foot Barlow because they’re great at opening Amazon packages and slitting the plastic from paper products. I touch them up on a Spyderco Sharpmaker occasionally. The one I carry most is a used half-price ram’s horn off the ‘bay. When I buy them used I hit them first with a fine 3M 1x30” conditioning belt before going to the Sharpmaker. M390 really doesn’t need touching up very often.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I tend to either use a small pocket stone, or one of those pen type sharpeners with the diamond rod inside. Sharpened by hand, no idea what angle, but it'll be somewhat convex, and as soon as the edge is set over the full length, I stop. No polishing, stropping, or other follow-up work, although I may occasionally steel the edge between sharpening. So quick, durable and toothy is my preferred edge.

 

[FastJohnnie]

+ 1 on maintaining factory edge, micro-serrations.

 

[5whiskey]

I tend to either use a small pocket stone, or one of those pen type sharpeners with the diamond rod inside. Sharpened by hand, no idea what angle, but it'll be somewhat convex, and as soon as the edge is set over the full length, I stop. No polishing, stropping, or other follow-up work, although I may occasionally steel the edge between sharpening. So quick, durable and toothy is my preferred edge.

I used one of those pen sharpeners exclusively when I was in the infantry. It can take a while on larger knives, but I could get a knife scary sharp with a dual grit carbide/plain hard steel rod that I could fit in a pen pocket.

Also as an aside, I don't have a tool to measure bevel angles. I go it by feel and I'm fairly certain my levels are also convex. But it has to shave arm hair the full length with little effort, unless it's a meat knife. Then I try and put broad enough bevel angle that shaving with it takes effort.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I used one of those pen sharpeners exclusively when I was in the infantry. It can take a while on larger knives, but I could get a knife scary sharp with a dual grit carbide/plain hard steel rod that I could fit in a pen pocket.

Also as an aside, I don't have a tool to measure bevel angles. I go it by feel and I'm fairly certain my levels are also convex. But it has to shave arm hair the full length with little effort, unless it's a meat knife. Then I try and put broad enough bevel angle that shaving with it takes effort.

I don't chase scary sharp anymore. If I'm honest, my pocket knives all get a very easy life these days. Aside from the occasional apple, all they handle is day to day packaging (parcel tape and clam shells), and decapitating vape juice bottles to get the last few drops out. No more outdoorsy stuff, or marine, or workplace or DIY challenges, etc.

 

[duke762]

I used one of those pen sharpeners exclusively when I was in the infantry.

That sounds interesting, I've never tried anything like that.

 

[ErkRusselReserve]

Berkling titanium coated, laser sharpened and hardened utility blades in a Gerber EAB Lite with custom thumb stud.

Incredibly scary sharp and very rust resistant in a cheap blade you don’t need to worry too much about. It replaced larger SAKs in my casual EDC, I just have pack an Alox Minichamp unless I need more tools.

Stupid sharp, stupid scary sharp really.