Do you immediately sharpen a new Spyderco?

[bbturbodad]

I usually use them for a day with the factory edge and then I give them a fresh edge. Part of the "hobby" for me is sharpening.

[Pelagic]

I usually use them for a day with the factory edge and then I give them a fresh edge. Part of the "hobby" for me is sharpening.

Same here, these days I have to force myself to refrain from immediately reprofiling even though I want to. I've convinced myself that having the knife last longer is worth it. And as I use and enjoy the knife, there's something cool about knowing it will only get better; not just because it will get a more optimal edge in the future, but because it will see a continuous improvement in edge retention as I remove the fatigued steel (which virtually all knives have) in the first 3-5 sharpenings.

[RustyIron]

Well I don’t mind sharpening knives I don’t have time to sit down and just do that for no reason.

I have the skill to put an edge on a blade that is far superior to how it comes from the factory, so I do it. I've also structured my life so that there is time to do anything that I choose.

For those that have neither, they should learn to be happy with an "off the shelf" knife. For those of us who are lucky enough to have both, then there can be great satisfaction involved in creating, carrying, and using the sharpest edge imaginable.

[BLUETYPEII]

The only time I sharpen a brand new Spyderco or any knife for that matter is when it’s not shaving sharp.

[u.w.]

I'll use it for a half a day or so, maybe a day, usually not as long as two - to see how that initial factory edge performs. By "use" I do mean going out of my way, intentional use, cutting up lots of boxes, various cordage, in the kitchen, etc...
The whole time that little bit of unground metal right at the plunge is glaring at me (lol).
So after I've used it a bit, again - that's usually a half a day to one day, I put it to the stones. I bring the edge all the way back to the plunge, and generally do a slight reprofile ( I sharpen free hand). That's when it gets fun for me. I want to see what the steel/heat treat can/will do with different finishes and profiles.

u.w.

[attila]

I generally don't sharpen immediately, but factory edges lose their hair popping sharpness so quick that I find myself at least lightly touching up the edge pretty soon. Once it doesn't cut nicely and I'm bored of light touch ups, I'll do a full sharpening.

There's no reason to waste that initial steel, especially since the (usually) already beefy BTE thickness will only increase, but the allure of improved edge retention of subsequent sharpenings sometimes convinces me to sharpen earlier.

When I do a full sharpening, I'll sharpen it all the way to the ricasso like u.w. described above. I don't do sharpening choils and don't like that unsharpened bit.

[Doc Dan]

Once a new knife with a good edge loses its extreme sharpness, I usually strop it. I will do that till it no longer gives me my desired sharpness. Then I take it to the stones.

[Cambertree]

I pretty much always do it. Maybe not straight away, but definitely before EDC use.

Thinner behind the edge and a more acute edge apex angle gives better performance for me.

The factory edges are generally pretty good though, maybe with a slight edge to the Golden makers in consistency and sharpness out of the box IMHO. Some Golden edges are impressively sharp for production knives.

But they're still an edge designed for the general user in thickness behind the edge, and edge angle - all Spydercos steels are capable of much more with a bit of regrinding, so why not unlock that increased performance straight away?

[Baron Mind]

While I feel Spyderco's factory edges are some of the best, I don't carry a knife until I sharpen it.

[Brock O Lee]

I normally reprofile the next weekend.

A week with the factory edge is enough to remind me again why I enjoy much thinner edges!

It’s hard to be satisfied with the performance of a Prius when you are used to a Mustang. :D

[cycleguy]

I use the factory edge until it needs sharpening.

CG

[cycleguy]

I use the factory edge until it needs sharpening... but this may be too much common sense for today's society.

CG

[archangel]

I have owned or still own only like 40-45 spydies so far. None of them came out of the box dull. Almost all of them were quite the opposite. Only the Szabo folder's sharpness was/is a bit dissappionting, but I got over it since it's anyway not really much of a cutting tool.

If you unpack a new spydie, and as a reflex resharpen it, you're a nutcase - more even than most of us. Not meant as an insult.

[JonLeBlanc]

I don't, and although some I've received needed just a little attention, I'd like to say that some others were molecule sharp--like my Stretch V-Toku, Police4, and Wayne Goddard Sprint.

[vivi]

What in the world is going on here. We're getting a thread of people mocking those who choose to get optimum performance from their tools.

You guys make fun of people at gas stations putting air in their tires too? :p

[Albatross]

I always sharpen immediately to thin the edge out and get the knife to the level of sharpness I prefer. Sure, most factory edges are sharp enough, but it's very satisfying to cut with a knife that I've sharpened to my liking.

There is one knife in my arsenal that still sports a factory edge, and that's the BBS M390 Delica. The edge on that knife looks to be less than 15 dps and came quite sharp.

[Albatross]

What in the world is going on here. We're getting a thread of people mocking those who choose to get optimum performance from their tools.

You guys make fun of people at gas stations putting air in their tires too? :p

Different opinions are hard to accept apparently

[Woodpuppy]

I generally use it until it needs attention. Touch ups on a DS2 and strop. The only new knife I reprofiled & sharpened right away was the AEB-L urban.

[wrdwrght]

Hey, if you need a more acute edge, or to be free the factory one, good on you.

But please avoid the whiff that you’re the better man because of your preferences (even for dirty knives...).

I’ve found, thanks to Vivi, the PE H1 keeps its working edge longer if around 10DPS and roughly finished. Were I to get another PE H1 (unlikely), I’d sharpen it immediately to this degree and finish.

A couple of my S30V Sages showed chips on their factory-edge right after I did some gentle whittling. I surmised, perhaps wrongly, the edges had become brittle from the heat of robotic sharpening. I reprofiled them on the Sharpmaker and have had no further chipping. For a while, I reprofiled any new S30V that came in, but not any more.

So, for the most part, I take the factory-edge until it gets just past working-sharp, then, instead of stropping, I reprofile, starting with diamond rods, with the Sharpmaker’s 15DPS “back bevel” and 20DPS “edge”. My workaday world does not insist I reinvent Sal’s wheel.

[Pelagic]

I use the factory edge until it needs sharpening.

CG

This is what I've grown to do over time. I'm fully aware of the performance benefits of putting my own edge on a knife, and I actually thoroughly enjoy sharpening (as it takes me back to the days of lining commercial fishing nets with my father, who taught me how to sharpen), but I have more patience now and enjoy having the blade last longer as well as enjoy the continued increase in performance through future sharpenings. Plus, virtually any new knife I purchase is immediately placed in a probationary period; as in, I don't know exactly how much pocket time it will see. If it doesn't get used, it gets sold, and knives that still have their factory edges generally sell more quickly and for more money (I'm not a flipper, I just try to get 90% of my money back if possible).