EDC rotation and edge retention

[Curtissii]

If you rotate your daily carry knife at random, how do you “know” your edge retention results? What did you do last Thursday? How many cuts what material? What knife were you carrying that day?

Do you know? Or do you feel?

[TazKristi]

Hi, Curtissii:
Welcome to our forum. We hope you enjoy your time with us.

Kristi

[Scandi Grind]

I'd imagine you wouldn't really be able to tell accurately, and you'd have to be more intentional if you wanted to get more interpretable estimates on your edge retention. I personally don't think much about it, and I don't have a huge collection of knives, I just use what I have until it doesn't cut the way I want, then re-sharpen it.

[Evil D]

Honestly a lot of times I just don't, and I'm not a big rotation guy either. I always evaluate a new steel by carrying it exclusively for a long enough time to get a feel for what to expect.

But this is one of the reasons I think a lot of people put too much value in edge retention, because they may never push it far enough to matter. But just like other things in life, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[RustyIron]

I just use what I have until it doesn't cut the way I want, then re-sharpen it.

Same here. I can't just "rotate" to a sharper knife because dull knives haunt me. I can't rest until all the knives are sharp. Same with drill bits and lathe tools. Everything gets sharpened as soon as it becomes the slightest bit dull.

[RazorSharp86]

I just use what I have until it doesn't cut the way I want, then re-sharpen it.

Same here. I can't just "rotate" to a sharper knife because dull knives haunt me. I can't rest until all the knives are sharp. Same with drill bits and lathe tools. Everything gets sharpened as soon as it becomes the slightest bit dull.

Glad I’m not alone with this obsession.
If my tools aren’t as sharp as I can make them, then I cannot sleep, nevermind daily carry them.

[knivesandbooks]

Never really think about edge retention length. More often it’s “did I just ruin this edge, I can’t believe I did that” when I often bump, scrape, or cut against something I didn’t mean to. Also, I prefer a “fine” edge so my knives get stropped, honed on ceramic, or resharpened on diamonds (depending on what needs to be done) when they no longer have that fine edge. I don’t like just a working edge. So, I never really get the benefits of high wear resistance steels. Why I’m happy with stuff like Cruwear or 14c28n or 154CM. Easy to make very sharp.

[bdblue]

I rotate approximately weekly, impossible for me to know the cutting history of any knife. When I notice a knife getting dull I sharpen it. Or I make a mental note to sharpen it and when I get several I'll stop and sharpen them.

[zuludelta]

If you rotate your daily carry knife at random, how do you “know” your edge retention results? What did you do last Thursday? How many cuts what material? What knife were you carrying that day?

Do you know? Or do you feel?

Currently, I tend not to notice differences in edge retention between different steels (in the same model) during normal EDC use, if I'm switching from one steel to another on a daily basis. I just don't cut enough stuff for the contrast to bear out within a 24 hour span. It will take multiple rotations for the differences to become apparent.

I used to cut a lot of stuff at my previous job, however—anywhere from 60 to 200 linear feet of 200 lb. and 275 lb.-test cardboard every shift. In that context, I could definitely tell the difference in edge retention between, say, VG10 & S30V, or S35VN & S110V, just by how much more effort I have to put into cutting stuff during the latter part of the shift (adjusting for fatigue, of course) and also by looking at how "raggedy" the cut edges on the cardboard are. On really busy days, I would find myself needing to freshen up the edge on my VG10 Delica 4 using a chainsaw file during my lunchbreak (because "a sharp knife is a safe knife" as the maxim goes). And the first time I used an S110V Native 5 LW at work, my mind was just blown away by how much longer it kept a good working edge across multiple work days compared to the S35VN Native 5 LW that was my go-to work knife at the time.

[mikey177]

I rotate daily and I don't actively measure edge retention. What I picked up from this Forum is that edge retention isn't just a function of steel type, but also edge geometry, edge finish, material being cut, etc. So I don't obsess over it.

What I do note unconsciously is how one knife performs compared to another doing the same task for an hour or more, such as cutting fibrous material during yardwork.

My rule of thumb is, if I use it for a few hours during the day, it gets a touch up. If I only open a bag of chips or cut a piece of string with it, then no edge maintenance is required.

[kennethsime]

I usually rotate weekly rather than daily, and I don’t bother to really test for wear resistance.

I do notice that my VG-10 knives always seem to need a touch up. The higher end tool steels do too sometimes, but not as often.

[kobold]

I get to know my knife during the honeymoon period, which sometimes lasts for more than a year. And also look at knifesteelnerds and cedric&ada data before I buy anything in a new to me steel. Sometimes i do 'the one and only knife used for a month' type challenges also.

[Jim Malone]

I carry a P´kal that i never use to cut anything. I keep it laser sharp. Only drawback is that i need to look for a knife to cut stuff, if i don´t have my manbug with me...
The other knives get used but the P´kal is a carry only knife.

[Wandering_About]

Generally if I'm trying to gage edge performance, I'll stop rotating and carry one knife until I'm satisfied that I've learned what I wanted to learn.

[Curtissii]

Thanks good info to chew on.

I’m still feeling my way around different steels.
I seem to like 8cr13mov Spyderco only. I also like M4 and S30V. Testing Maxamet.
The mule team K294 is impressive, I hope they choose to make a few models in this steel.

[SRT392HEMI]

13 knife carry rotation. I like variety and to mix it up. So I don't have to sharpen frequently, but do strop often. I just go by feel as to when it's time.

[gooeytek]

I just use S90V or better and not worry about edge retention.

[vivi]

If you rotate your daily carry knife at random, how do you “know” your edge retention results? What did you do last Thursday? How many cuts what material? What knife were you carrying that day?

Do you know? Or do you feel?

Most people into higher end knives never push the edge retention of their knives.

They rotate knives too frequently, sharpen before they're close to dull, keep factory edges instead of optimizing the edge angle, etc.

Carrying the same exact knife for months, playing around with the edge angle and grit finishes, using it until it stops cutting instead of stops shaving gnat privates....that'll give you a better idea.

Maybe that's why I like S30V more than most people here? I dunno. I use it hard and it treats me great.

[Chieftjs]

I'm a trucker and currently run a 12 day out rotation. I've been using a waved Endela as my truck knife but I think I'm going to have some fun and take a different knife every trip. I leave tomorrow and will have my serrated Endela with me.

[Pacu0420]

As far as I know, there is no way to definitivly compare unless there are controls in place. Material being cut, cutting board (or lack thereof) etc...