Do you immediately sharpen a new Spyderco?

[Pelagic]

Nope. All of mine have come stupid sharp! Seems like no other production company can do that.

Cold Steel is #1 imho with Spyderco a close 2nd. I don't even value initial factory sharpness much, but I'm just being honest. My new broken skull is absolutely hair whittling, even with the grain. A good number of my CS knives have been hair whittling. I've had Spyderco's come that sharp but not as often. The factory edge on my shaman is impressive, perfectly symmetrical bevels and almost hair whittling sharp.

[soc_monki]

Nope. All of mine have come stupid sharp! Seems like no other production company can do that.

Cold Steel is #1 imho with Spyderco a close 2nd. I don't even value initial factory sharpness much, but I'm just being honest. My new broken skull is absolutely hair whittling, even with the grain. A good number of my CS knives have been hair whittling. I've had Spyderco's come that sharp but not as often. The factory edge on my shaman is impressive, perfectly symmetrical bevels and almost hair whittling sharp.

I have to say, my ad10 came very sharp as well... But it's my only experience with cold steel. Zero tolerance needs help in the sharpening department, because I've had them come sharp with uneven bevels, and dull with even bevels. For the price you'd figure they'd sort it out, but I reprofile them anyway so no big deal.

I don't worry too much about hair whittling, I just make sure it pops hair off my arm and if it slices paper well. I've whittled a few hairs, but those were with edges I did on a Kershaw natrix and I think my zt 0562cf. Haven't really tried with any others, because if it pops hair it's usually sharp enough for me!

[Pelagic]

Hair whittling is simply a measure of sharpness. I'm not concerned with it either.

[Bruce Mack]

As I have improved my technique, I have found I can produce a better edge than any manufacturer I have bought from. This is not knocking Spyderco but acknowledging that no maker can produce the edge I want at a price I can pay. I don't resharpen/reprofile immediately but usually do so when the knife becomes a user and I am irked by issues I can correct.

[Hardbawl]

I typically use them until they're dull... then buy another model to try.

Some people have too much money. not being in that group, I sharpen my Spyderco when it is no longer hair popping sharp.

[gundamaniac]

I typically use a factory edge until it's dull or chipped, then I'll sharpen/reprofile the edge to my liking. The exception is if the knife comes dull or with horrendously uneven bevels...my OCD wants the edge to be sharp and to look at least somewhat competently put on :p

[Water Bug]

I don't sharpen my brand new, out-of-the-box :spyder: (or any other brand of kinfe for that matter) unless the edge of the brand new knife truly is dull or has flat spots on it... and, having flat spots on the brand new edge of a brand new :spyder: has only happened on a few, very rare occasions (these particular :spyder: s were bought brand new from a reputable dealer, but a another reputable company had replaced the scales with exotic materials to dress them up, so their edges may've gotten the flat spots at that time... not a big deal as some time on the Spyderco Triangle Sharpmaker fixed them up nicely).

[JD Spydo]

Not usually>> because I can only think of maybe once or possibly twice over the past 20+ years when a Spyder NIB fresh out of the factory wasn't already sharp as a razor. And only if I'm 1000% sure I'm going to keep it for a "user".
That's one of Spyderco's hallmarks is that they sell you a knife that is ready to go right out of the box.

[Doc Dan]

I would think most people do not sharpen out of the box in the real world. We count on Spyderco to give us a usable knife out of the box, and they do. I think some few folks just enjoy sharpening so they start on the knife right away.

[Pelagic]

I would think most people do not sharpen out of the box in the real world. We count on Spyderco to give us a usable knife out of the box, and they do. I think some few folks just enjoy sharpening so they start on the knife right away.

I think it's well above 90, maybe closer to 99% of knife users using the factory edge until it's dull. Forum members make up a decent portion of the 1-2%.

[aesmith]

If you consider normal people, I think a lot don't even sharpen their knives when they get blunt.

[spyderg]

I try to not immediately sharpen any knife. I’m always curious to see how good an edge the factory puts on. Occasionally it’s bad enough that I sharpen right away. That’s never happened on a Spyderco, a few have been not great but always useable. They are typically toothier than the edge I put on myself. I find the edge I end up putting on lasts longer.

[Cambertree]

Yeah I'm always a bit curious to sneakily examine the edges of the knives of 'normal people'.

Looking at kitchen knives, work knives, hunting knives, and random SAKs, cheap folders and the occasional decent quality pocketknife of non knife afi's, I would say most people never sharpen their knives at all.

Some might use a pull through sharpener from time to time, and wonder why the performance actually gets worse after the scraped up burr breaks off or folds over.

One of my hobbies is to pick up used SAKs etc and clean them up and sharpen them and give them away.

I'm hard pressed to think of any that I've seen sharpened at all.

Even buying used good quality knives, it seems a lot of collectors must feel like they've come up against a brick wall once their knife dulls for the first time.

A lot of people really seem to struggle with their dull knives in the kitchen too, making cooking an unpleasant task in their minds.

Some of the hunting knives I've seen, whose owners boast about having had 'professionally sharpened' are appallingly mangled, and quite possibly overheated or burnt at the edge from power grinding.

I guess for the average person, a knife is just a semi disposable tool, and they don't know any better, never having experienced a truly sharp knife.

Seems strange to accept that status quo, for the want of developing some basic sharpening skills. But I guess there's a lot of people these days who need to rely on someone else to come and change a flat car tire for them too.

[Tucson Tom]

I certainly don't sharpen a new Spyderco. I am still not confident of my sharpening skills for one thing, and on the other hand I am lazy.

I can understand and sympathize with the concept that a "knife ain't mine until it has my edge". I hope to get there someday -- and I will!

Even then I will probably use a knife until it needs sharpening before spending time on it. It doesn't have to be "mine" right away.

All that being said, I was shocked after I spent some time working on my S30V PM2 with the Goldenstone. It came sharp from the factory,
but good golly, I was able to get it a lot sharper without much work.