First Sharpening - What's it Do to Resale Value?

[Senfkarte]

If the sharpening is expertly done and there are no scratches on the blade or handle I can't see how anyone would even know it had been sharpened. If the knife had been sharpened by David ( Evil D) or any of the guys I know here that are well trained in the art of sharpening it wouldn't bother me in the least. But if there are any marks or smudges on the blade or handle then that changes the game entirely.

Overall if you've got a real collector piece it's best to just leave it alone and play it safe.

Maybe I do it wrong, but the edges I have made, look pretty different, compared to the new ones, Spyderco puts on the blades. More so with an PE but also with an SE.

[Bolster]

Maybe I do it wrong, but the edges I have made, look pretty different, compared to the new ones, Spyderco puts on the blades. More so with an PE but also with an SE.

My edges don't look factory, either. I use finer grits and the scratch pattern is sort of a cross-hatch, not straight off the edge (I guess I mean perpendicular to the edge) like Spyderco's.

[Evil D]

I think most of us regulars can probably tell a factory edge from a user edge, and if it came down to it my loupe will even tell me if someone micro beveled it.

[prndltech]

BNIB means BNIB. If it’s been sharpened, it’s not BNIB, it’s used. If it’s been carried but not sharpened, its not BNIB, it’s used. Used knives usually sell for less than BNIB, unless it’s no longer in production or extremely hard to get… in which case some might not care. It all comes down to whose looking for that particular knife and how bad you want to sell it

I’d say there is no exact percentage markdown. It’s all a case by case basis

[Mr_Whiskerz]

Sharpening a knife should decrease the value to collectors as it's no longer new, it's used.
Really, most stuff which is sold as NIB or LNIB or 'mint' is "used".
If you've cut a sheet of paper with it it's used.
If you've moved the clip, it's used.

How are you even going to know if it's been used to cut a sheet of paper or if the clip is moved and then moved back?

[kennbr34]

Sharpening a knife should decrease the value to collectors as it's no longer new, it's used.
Really, most stuff which is sold as NIB or LNIB or 'mint' is "used".
If you've cut a sheet of paper with it it's used.
If you've moved the clip, it's used.

How are you even going to know if it's been used to cut a sheet of paper or if the clip is moved and then moved back?

I mean if we're going to go there, then I would hate to see people try to pick out a factory edge from one put on by a competent sharpener. Kinda ironic that a mirror polished edge would fetch less money than one finished on a medium grit simply because no one would be able to tell the difference.

Reminds me of a joke I saw in another knife community where a guy was saying he could tell a seller had sharpened the Benchmade he bought because it came with even bevels :'D

[Evil D]

Sharpening a knife should decrease the value to collectors as it's no longer new, it's used.
Really, most stuff which is sold as NIB or LNIB or 'mint' is "used".
If you've cut a sheet of paper with it it's used.
If you've moved the clip, it's used.

How are you even going to know if it's been used to cut a sheet of paper or if the clip is moved and then moved back?

Probably couldn't tell if they literally only cut a sheet of paper, but many times a clip will leave a dent in the G10 where it was originally mounted, and then when you move it you create another dent. If you do a search there have been a lot of complaints about this with the Para 2 because they come from the factory with the clip mounted for tip down and almost nobody wants that, and when you move the clip to tip up there's always a dent in the G10.


Is it a big deal to me? No not at all, especially if I would have moved the clip myself anyway, but to a collector it's a big deal because there has been an irreversible change and it is no longer BNIB. If someone is going to try to charge BNIB prices then I expect a literally BNIB knife. Just call it what it is.

[WyoJon]

Improves the value. A lot of people pay me to sharpen knives to a nice mirror edge

[WyoJon]

Sharpening a knife should decrease the value to collectors as it's no longer new, it's used.
Really, most stuff which is sold as NIB or LNIB or 'mint' is "used".
If you've cut a sheet of paper with it it's used.
If you've moved the clip, it's used.

How are you even going to know if it's been used to cut a sheet of paper or if the clip is moved and then moved back?

I mean if we're going to go there, then I would hate to see people try to pick out a factory edge from one put on by a competent sharpener. Kinda ironic that a mirror polished edge would fetch less money than one finished on a medium grit simply because no one would be able to tell the difference.

Reminds me of a joke I saw in another knife community where a guy was saying he could tell a seller had sharpened the Benchmade he bought because it came with even bevels :'D

No joke man.... That is why I gave up on benchmade. Sold all of them and bought spyderco. Bought a NEW phaeton otf a few years back, driving 3 hours to get to a dealer in another state. Went to sharpen it. One bevel 34 degrees, and one was 26 degrees. On the curve by the tip, 1/32 of an inch flat spot where they didnt meet. Spent an afternoon grinding their rock hard s30v (hate that stuff) down to even 20 degree bevels. Got it sharp. That was in september. By the end of october, one of the blade lugs that holds it to the sled sheared off of the sled, blade was fine. That was from light use, using it to open boxes only. Drove 3 hours back to the dealer to shop it. Since benchmade wont allow one to ship automatic knives without being a dealer or leo. Paid dealer to ship it in. Month later, had to drive back to dealer to pick it up. First thing I noticed was they reground the blade, but it was the same blade. This time, 37 degrees and 19 degrees. Took me two afternoons to straighten that out. Remember, the phaeton is only 1/2" from edge to spine with a really fat blade with lots of meat right behind the edge. Got that done. Went through 3 clips in the next six months carrying it at the office. Thankfully, benchmade dont charge for clips like spyderco. Finally ended up selling it,which was its own pain since i couldnt list it on ebay and cant ship it.

[Bloke]

A lot of people pay me to sharpen knives to a nice mirror edge

[jmj3esq]

I got less than I was hoping for my Spyderco Advocate I posted above due to he sharpening, even though it was done professionally to a perfect mirror and razor sharp.

[WyoJon]

I got less than I was hoping for my Spyderco Advocate I posted above due to he sharpening, even though it was done professionally to a perfect mirror and razor sharp.

I dont get that. So take a spyderco serrated edge. On a new one, the 40 degree side of sharp maker vontacts 1/32" of the edge. It already looks shiny there, even before ys sharoen it. So it really isnt noticable either way.

[Hopweaver]

No one cares. A used knife cost less than a new knife. And it has been my experience that not all sellers are 100% accurate with the description of their knife anyway.

If the buyer wants a factory edge knife they should buy new to guarantee it is factory. Otherwise they should take the discount and get your sharp not-new knife. IMO

[Guts]

Experienced enough now in sharpening that I can tell if something's been sharpened or not just from a photo, if the photo of the edge is clear enough anyway. If I'm buying secondhand, I actually look for stuff that has been sharpened, or sharpened badly rather . Those are usually the best deals.

[TomAiello]

Funny: Hard to do, since 95% of the joy to me is immediately try, test and use ANY Spydie I get - the rarer it is, the more so... - but if I still tried to imagine myself being "just" a collector: It would matter even less if a knife had been sharpened already. I mean, if I would not actually use that edge anyway, why care how it's sharpened?!

I totally agree.

There is a reasonable second hand market in 'cheaper knives I want to try out' that basically recycles them to new homes until they find the hand that really fits them, and then they stay there. In many ways, it's a much more satisfying life cycle for a high performance cutting tool than just ruling over the queendom of Safe.

[Danke]

I think by the time you need to sharpen one of these knives it's going to have a bunch of other visible wear and be clearly used.

On something like a Slysz Bowie this won't matter; chances are you'll make some money. On a VG-10 Endura you weren't going to be able to turn a profit on that anyway.