"To polish or not to polish - this is the question!" ®Shakespeare

[Brunzenstein48]

After sharpening and honing my chef knifes to best of my abilities with Spyderco's sharpmaker, I carefully applied a shine on the bevel with a fine diamond paste on leather.

My tests with them on tomatoes & other fruits and vegetables as well as fish and meat (raw and prepared) as well as cutting scrambled toilet paper shows, that a polished knife lacking the „bite“ a unpolished knife inherits, bearing the slight scratch pattern (the fine stones on the spyderco produced) provided a much better grip on any stuff you throw at them - as well as enhanced penetration in the material. Taking the polished knifes back to the fine stones on the sharpmaker gave them their desired/lacking bite back.

I cross checked my findings, found them stunning and scratch my head- so:

- anyone around coming to the same conclusion?
- if so, why to polish in first place - only for fun, collectors joy or recreation?
- if I’m wrong, why?

[Evil D]

I'm with you, I love the looks of a mirror bevel but honestly they're mostly for showing off on the internet :p

My usual EDC edge is ~400-600 grit, then lightly gone over 1 or 2 very gentile passes on each side with a 3k Edge Pro tape just to refine the teeth a bit. In the end it really depends more on what you cut more than anything. I'm sure there are plenty of things that a high grit edge excels at, I just don't seem to encounter them in my day to day.

[Brunzenstein48]

that matches exactly my finding - I'm relieved to find I'm not alone :)

[Surfingringo]

that matches exactly my finding - I'm relieved to find I'm not alone :)

The fine stones on the sharp maker are still going to leave you a very refined edge. Try the mediums. You can still get a hair whittling edge off the mediums that will have even more bite. Many use a much coarser edge still, but give the medium rods a try and see what you think.

[euphorbioid]

There are those who think polished blades cause wet food to stick to the knife more than an unpolished one. I think that is rather subjective though. For kitchen knives I usually take my everyday Japanese White #2 gyuto to about 3000 grit. This gives me a sharp edge yet one that will grab onto a tomato skin for instance and not slide off as higher grit edges do sometimes. A sushi knife like a yanagiba can be take up to 10-12000 grit as it is only used for fish and other soft proteins. Overall though it is the geometry of the knife that dictates the cutting ability every bit as much as the sharpness of the edge. As Evil D says, polishing is for showing off.

[Brunzenstein48]

Many use a much coarser edge still, but give the medium rods a try and see what you think.

Thank's - I shall do so - my other problem is to get the very tip of the knife to be a tip I can be proud of.
Seems that there must be a special move with the hand applied to get the sharpmaker to do so - without scratching the blades tip though.

[Surfingringo]

There are those who think polished blades cause wet food to stick to the knife more than an unpolished one. I think that is rather subjective though. For kitchen knives I usually take my everyday Japanese White #2 gyuto to about 3000 grit. This gives me a sharp edge yet one that will grab onto a tomato skin for instance and not slide off as higher grit edges do sometimes. A sushi knife like a yanagiba can be take up to 10-12000 grit as it is only used for fish and other soft proteins. Overall though it is the geometry of the knife that dictates the cutting ability every bit as much as the sharpness of the edge. As Evil D says, polishing is for showing off.

Good point about what you are cutting dictating the type of edge finish you use. I have two main knives that I use for cleaning fish. The first is my stiffer bladed knife that does a lot of push cutting on soft fish like mackerel. That one works great with a very fine edge. Then I have my fillet knife (which cleans sea bass, snapper, and other heavier skinned and scaled fish). The fillet works much better with a 400-600 grit finish that will grab and cut through skin and scale. Horses for courses. For general kitchen use I like something in the 1000 grit range (which I believe is similar to what you get off the sharp maker medium rods) but like you say, it depends on what you are cutting.

[Surfingringo]

double tap

[Cliff Stamp]

After sharpening and honing my chef knifes to best of my abilities with Spyderco's sharpmaker, I carefully applied a shine on the bevel with a fine diamond paste on leather.

What you are seeing is more likely the effect of rounding the apex vs the polish, the clear sign of this is the noted lack of "bite" on cutting a tomato and similar. If the knife is polished properly and the apex not rounded then if you try to cut a tomato it will just cut it immediately even without a draw, similar with ropes and similar.

[Bodog]

After sharpening and honing my chef knifes to best of my abilities with Spyderco's sharpmaker, I carefully applied a shine on the bevel with a fine diamond paste on leather.

What you are seeing is more likely the effect of rounding the apex vs the polish, the clear sign of this is the noted lack of "bite" on cutting a tomato and similar. If the knife is polished properly and the apex not rounded then if you try to cut a tomato it will just cut it immediately even without a draw, similar with ropes and similar.

I was going to say the same thing. I can get really aggressive edges with a mirror finish that slice and push cut equally well. The only time slice cuts are negatively affected is if I get sloppy with the strops and, as you said, round the apex.

[Ignaz]

"®Goethe"? Why?

[Brunzenstein48]

"®Goethe"? Why?

Congratulation! Your the first one noticing - :)
"To be, or not to be..." That's of course the opening phrase of a dialog in the "Nunnery Scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet

[Brunzenstein48]

What you are seeing is more likely the effect of rounding the apex vs the polish, the clear sign of this is the noted lack of "bite" on cutting a tomato and similar. If the knife is polished properly and the apex not rounded then if you try to cut a tomato it will just cut it immediately even without a draw, similar with ropes and similar.

Thanks for your thoughts - only: Exactly the opposite I found out. That was the reason I postet here in first place to ask around- I did certainly not round the apex as I polished carefully according to the book.

I kindly ask you to test first yourself and only then come back with your finding:

Cut the first filet from a fish (or a tomato) with a polished knife and the second after having applied a few strokes on the Spydercore.
Which one was haptic more comfortable?

[Cliff Stamp]

I did certainly not round the apex as I polished carefully according to the book.

If the apex wasn't rounded then you would not struggle to make the cut. If the apex is polished but not rounded it will just push cut right through the tomato, it won't slip/side .

I kindly ask you to test first yourself and only then come back with your finding:

Yeah, I have tested a few edges, I wasn't just speaking on idle guesses.

[Brunzenstein48]

For general kitchen use I like something in the 1000 grit range (which I believe is similar to what you get off the sharp maker medium rods) but like you say, it depends on what you are cutting.

Thanks!
That describes exactly what I found by trial & error!

[Brunzenstein48]

If the apex wasn't rounded then you would not struggle to make the cut. If the apex is polished but not rounded it will just push cut right through the tomato, it won't slip/side .

Ok so - I shall try another time & test again.
Only I don't believe having made any mistake when polishing carefully, going through several repeated tests - but let me try again...

[Cliff Stamp]

Only I don't believe having made any mistake when polishing carefully, going through several repeated tests - but let me try again...

If you stop stropping it is much easier. It should do this, push right into the tomato with no draw/slice :

https://youtu.be/631VTbWLCcs

[Brunzenstein48]

If you stop stropping it is much easier. It should do this, push right into the tomato with no draw/slice :

Thank you for the video. You convinced me - at least sort of:
So I ordered the ultrafine rods right away (to replace the DMT paste with leather strap I used until now to exclude my manual error) and lets see what comes out. I shall come back after receiving the rods:

- How many strikes did your apply with the ultra fine rod to the knife?
- I suppose at a 40º angle - right?

[Cliff Stamp]

I normally apply the apex bevel at ~15 degrees per side, very few passes (5-10), the absolute minimum as beyond that you are likely to just push apex around, generate fatigue and weaken it. Use the least amount of force you can, just barely make contact.

[Holland]

I reprofile my knives to either 400 grit or 600, and micro bevel with brown sharp maker rods. thats the best combo I have found so far