Anyone sharpen their supersteel knives at 40°?

[chuck_roxas45]

Wouldn't expected use also be a factor in choice of bevel angle? For instance I have my ZDP endura at 24 degrees inclusive but this knife is more for my cutting pleasure and it brings a wide grin to my face every time I use it for food prep package and opening duties. Cardboard would trash this edge pretty quickly though.

OTOH, my blue strectch which I mostly carry as my utility knife, I keep at 36 degrees inclusive. It often gets used to cut meat on bones during our regular barbecues and cardboard cutting on the range when we need half targets and the box cutters can't be found quickly. I find that the 36 inclusive gets plenty sharp but is more worry free for me in this knife's expected and usual usage.

So for the same steel, I use two different angles because the usage of the knives are different.

[mongatu]

For most of my folders I generally prefer 30 degrees inclusive usually with no microbevel. For the mostly light to medium duty type of cutting I do, it seems to offer a good compromise between strength, durability, edge retention, and high performance cutting ability.

If the knife comes with the factory edge ground a little lower than 15 degrees on one or both sides, I usually just keep sharpening it at 30 degrees inclusive, which in that situation initially does result in a micro bevel on the side(s) that are lower than 15 degrees. But if I just keep touching them up as needed at 30 degrees inclusive, I think they eventually will have bevels that are 30 degrees inclusive with no micro bevel although it might take a while to get there. But as long as the knife is performing well, I don't see the point of wasting steel (and time) to make that transformation happen right away.

[dbcad]

A matter of different angles for different uses. a teensy microbevel at the edge might be a different story :)

[camokid]

Yes, I do the standard 30 degree bevel with the 40 degree edge with my v-10 and s30v it works for me.

[Bill1170]

I sharpen at 30º inclusive for most of my folders. VG-10, s30v, ZDP-189. I use 40º for Swiss army knives. I have been rotating a ZDP Stretch and a waved FFG Endura 4 as my work knives, and 30º seems the best balance between edge stability and slicing power.

[Chris_H]

30 degrees inclusive is standard for me on Spydercos and other knife brands with higher-end steels (e.g., VG-10, CPM-S30V).

Sometimes, I will reduce the angle further on a :spyder: like my Caly Jr. sprint and Jess Horn sprint both in ZDP-189 using DMT benchstones. But I will touchup on a Sharpmaker creating a 30 degree microbevel.

Kitchen knives (including Spyderco's in MBS-26) will usually get a 40 degree inclusive edge. Softer and simpler alloy steel knives (e.g., Case, Opinel, etc.) will also be given a 40 degree edge.

[jackknifeh]

Yup, a para 1, a millie, my blue stretch. Not quite 40 degrees but at 36 degrees as measured by the edge pro. This is so that I can easily do a microbevel and touch up with the sharpmaker's 40 degree slot.

This is what I do also with the very edge. I got my first ZDP-189 knife thinking I was going to be able to get very low angles at the edge and have a killer edge with very durable steel. The only problem I had was micro chips in the very edge even with normal use (I mean normal for me). I had put about 20 deg. inclusive on it. So now I put whatever backbevel angle I want depending on knife use but every ZDP knife I own has at least a 36 deg. edge angle. It starts out as a small bevel that you couldn't call a micro bevel. With subsequent sharpenings the bevel width will grow slightly and increasing the angle to 40 deg. inclusive ensures hitting the edge with the stone without changing performance at all.

Jack

[Handwrecker]

I set the bevel to 30* and microbevel at 40* using the Sharpmaker. Most Spyderco knives seem to leave the factory at 30* or less, and a 40* microbevel makes touching up an edge very easy. Also seems to keep everything tough while still slicing well.