cts-xhp chipping easily and dulling fast

[Slash]

UPDATE: Knife has been working fine since giving it a proper sharpening. Just a shame I had to remove such a significant amount of bad steel from the factory edge (poor ht from grinding or burr or both?) to get to the good stuff.

I've been using my ti chap off and on.
Cleaned up the blade of tape residue to sharpen it up and noticed some significant chips. A bit larger than what I would consider "micro" chips anyhow.

I don't see any reason why they would be there as I didn't use the blade all that hard.
In addition the blade seems to lose an edge quite fast. HT issues?

So, I'm wondering if anybody else is having problems with their chaparral or spyderco cts-xhp?

[Evil D]

Without knowing anything else, including your sharpening routines or ability, I would suspect you left a burr and the burr is breaking off, causing both the chipping and fast dulling. I did this many times in the beginning when dealing with ZDP before I finally saw under a loupe what was happening.

[Slash]

Without knowing anything else, including your sharpening routines or ability, I would suspect you left a burr and the burr is breaking off, causing both the chipping and fast dulling. I did this many times in the beginning when dealing with ZDP before I finally saw under a loupe what was happening.

Don't know how my strop could leave a burr. Also, I use a 20x loupe.
Now, back to the question at hand. Anyone else having same problems with their blade?

[Blerv]

I'm guessing you are one of the few with a Ti Chap at least on the forums.

How quickly is it dulling? Unless the HT is WAY off I don't think the average person would be able to tell unless they had others that were ideal and were performing a lab-style test. What's it like when you don't strop?

[Cliff Stamp]

Don't know how my strop could leave a burr.

Stropping is very prone to over stressing an edge and causing the exact problem you are describing.

[arty]

If you strop with a light touch and a fine abrasive, you refine the edge. Poor technique might round over the edge.

[Slash]

Perhaps the factory edge had a burr?

Spent 15 minutes gettiing most of the chips out. I'll wait till it gets dull again before trying to remove them any further.
Before sharpening I only touched it up a few times with sharpmaker fine stone and strop. Never examined the edge then. But, suspected a problem.

[Invective]

My Techno has held up to box cutting and kitchen use really well. Although it's more than twice as thick, I lowered the edge angle to about 25 inclusive or so, but no chipping on my end. I'd guess either you left a burr, or there is a heat treat problem with your Chap. GL fixing it

[Ferris Wheels]

My para2 has had zero issues but its blade is twice as thick as the Chap. Please keep us posted as you explore the problem further.

[razorsharp]

Stropping is very prone to over stressing an edge and causing the exact problem you are describing.

not unless you strop like VV :p hahhaa. Anyways slash, try sharpening, deburr it with the strop then go back to the stones and try form the edge without a burr, may help.

[Chipped Karambit]

Do you turn when you are stropping or do you lift and relay down and are you putting a lot of pressure on your edge when stropping? I had that problem when I first started stropping exactly as you described.

(Never turn on strop, don't imitate sweeney todd lol You have to lift and reset down.

[Evil D]

Don't know how my strop could leave a burr. Also, I use a 20x loupe.
Now, back to the question at hand. Anyone else having same problems with their blade?

What is the highest grit stone you finish with before using the strop, and why doesn't that remove the burr, negating the need for the strop to begin with?

Try this...remove the burr with the stones, and verify it with your loupe. Use the knife and see if it dulls at the same rate. My experience is that (like Cliff posted) stropping basically acts in a similar way as a chef's steel by straightening the teeth of a burr, weakening your edge. Even if you use a fine abrasive on a strop, the surface isn't as precise as the surface of a fine stone and you just can't get the same quality edge from a strop as you will from properly deburing and finishing an edge off stones. Believe me, I didn't like how this sounded either the first time Cliff posted it, but I have seen VAST improvements in edge retention since trying this. Strops are fine for delicately used knives but if you're experiencing chipping and fast edge loss and you haven't cut anything like zip ties that are known to cause chipping, then it has to be a burr.

[Donut]

Are you using alternating strokes at the end?

I try to do that, even with free hand. In my head it will cut the burr off and leave a clean edge.

[Slash]

What is the highest grit stone you finish with before using the strop, and why doesn't that remove the burr, negating the need for the strop to begin with?

Try this...remove the strop with the stones, and verify it with your loupe. Use the knife and see if it dulls at the same rate. My experience is that (like Cliff posted) stropping basically acts in a similar way as a chef's steel by straightening the teeth of a burr, weakening your edge. Even if you use a fine abrasive on a strop, the surface isn't as precise as the surface of a fine stone and you just can't get the same quality edge from a strop as you will from properly deburing and finishing an edge off stones. Believe me, I didn't like how this sounded either the first time Cliff posted it, but I have seen VAST improvements in edge retention since trying this. Strops are fine for delicately used knives but if you're experiencing chipping and fast edge loss and you haven't cut anything like zip ties that are known to cause chipping, then it has to be a burr.

Usually the Spyderco 3" ultrafine benchstone. Can't recall what grit it is.

[JD Spydo]

Don't know how my strop could leave a burr. Also, I use a 20x loupe.
Now, back to the question at hand. Anyone else having same problems with their blade?

I have one of the C-36 Military models with the CTS-XHP blade steel and so far I've been impressed with it. I will admit that so far I haven't put the knife through the same torrid set of cutting jobs I have with my main EDC which is the C-60 Ayoob with VG-10 steel but I have used it enough to see that it's a very tough and durable steel.

The only steel that I've had any noticable problem with that Spyderco has used has been S30V and it's been on a couple of models. I've never had that problem with VG-10 at all.

I'm wondering if it's just maybe something that got by the quality control :confused:

[ABX2011]

I've found the edge holding of CTS-XHP to be decent. It doesn't strike me as super awesome but maybe I just prefer the higher vanadium steels.
I find stropping to be helpful in burr removal. My knives get sharper after I strop. Could all those barbers be wrong?

[Slash]

I'm hoping it was just a burr from the factory and not an issue with the taichung ht. As I used other high end blades with xhp and haven't had any problems. Those are quite a bit thicker than the chaparral though.

[GTPowers]

I'll pipe in.
My Techno has some chipping from a drop and a moments contact with a brick but I believe that'll happen with a lot of steels. It also holds the edge longer than my VG10 knives. I only sharpen on the stock Sharpmaker and havent had much of a problem other then scratching the stonewashed finish but that is all my fault anyway.
So. Chipping; yes but by being the normally absent minded self I usually am.

[Evil D]

I've found the edge holding of CTS-XHP to be decent. It doesn't strike me as super awesome but maybe I just prefer the higher vanadium steels.
I find stropping to be helpful in burr removal. My knives get sharper after I strop. Could all those barbers be wrong?

Sharp and edge retention are two different things. No, all those barbers aren't wrong, and nobody is saying strops don't make an edge sharp for a time but in the long run a stropped edge will not have the edge retention that an edge finished off stones will have. Barbers aren't out slicing cardboard with their razors...in fact you're not even supposed to thumb the edge of a straight razor because the edge is so delicate you can actually damage it just by running your thumb along it to feel the sharpness.

[Blerv]

I've found the edge holding of CTS-XHP to be decent. It doesn't strike me as super awesome but maybe I just prefer the higher vanadium steels.
I find stropping to be helpful in burr removal. My knives get sharper after I strop. Could all those barbers be wrong?

Yea Spyderco has paralleled it to a stainless form of CPM-D2. People believe it to be that and others see it as the cure to the common cold.

Cliff explained in another thread (I'll paraphrase so sorry in advance) that stropping tends to hit the edge more concisely so if your technique is less than perfect it removes some of the human element.

I'm sure barbers do fine with thin razors on a strop. They are more consistently sharp and the cutting material is human hair.