Spyderco Forums

I will eventually use my knives and then at some point they will need touching up. I have a few that have been reprofiled (the Sharpmaker is terrible for this) but I usually keep somewhere around the factory grind because I use a Sharpmaker for touching up.

I'd say about 50% of my collection are still factory angle, but it's basically just my backups/doubles of knives that are stashed away. I enjoy sharpening too much to keep the stuff I use with the factory edge, though I think Spyderco's factory edge is one of the better ones out there among mfg I'll say.

I reprofile nearly every knife I intend to use in any cutting. Sometimes it's necessary (most Chinese OEMs, they make BTE nicely thin, then put eg 30 dps edges...), sometimes it's just that if I'm already sharpening might as well reprofile and make the edge nice.

There are a couple types of knives where I don't bother though - Balisongs and OTFs definitely, really thick edged knives too, I'm more likely to get those reground than reprofiled

Last tiny group are knives that are just fine from factory, but those are few and far between (TRM Atom, Spyderco police 4 lw k390, the Resilience S35VN was close, but the edge was so rough I had to redo it ^^, it cut well enough, but was straight up ugly)

So all in all I'd guess I keep about 10-15% factory angled, the rest gets dropped to 13-17dps depending on edge stability and BTE thickness (don't like edges that go halfway up the grind, so thicker BTE knives either aren't reprofiled or get the higher angles)

If I carry it, it gets sharpened/reprofiled.

like others were have stated.

The only ones that aren't reprofiled are BNIB.

100% factory edge because I only own a sharpmaker, and reprofiling on the SM seems impractical (or too slow for me at least). I have been tempted to get a guided system, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Analysis paralysis has me unsure of what to get.

What guided system works with SE/Spyder Edge? (i.e.supports a triangle stone)

If you're willing to try free hand there are some very cheap but good options for reprofiling:

$30 chefknivestogo 140 grit flattening plate - https://www.chefknivestogo.com/140grdistflp.html

$12 harbor freight 4 sided diamond stone - https://www.harborfreight.com/4-sided-d ... 92867.html

Sharpmakers are definitely too slow for serious reprofiling, but they're nice for working with serrations.

I'm probably in the 50+ percentile on factory angle. I have a few models like the Seki lineup that I can't be convinced are not some of the best performers in the folding cutlery world. I'm looking at you K390 Endura. Most of my Seki models have been thinned out with already thin stock. They are a beautiful thing. I also thinned out what I think is one of the best ergonomic Sal designs the Polestar. It has a very thick grind.

However, I am in this hobby because I enjoy the design work in it. I really enjoy collecting models that are ergonomically interesting with interesting and exciting materials. There is a number of knives I carry that are on a factory edge that have only been touched up on a sharp maker. If I ever feel they need to be thinned out, I'll do that by hand, but I'm in no rush to do so. I do not carry them due to their superior cutting performance. I know I always have a Seki model waiting to cut in the shadows. Also worth noting, one of the best performers I have is a Kapara on a hand touched up factory edge. Totally subjective, but it feels like it just cuts with ease.

I leave the factory edge alone until the first sharpening, then go either 15º or 20º on a guided system depending on the steel. This way I can touch up and sharpen with the Sharpmaker and strop bat moving forward. S30V and harder get 15º while everything softer gets 20º. I figure I can make adjustments based on the geometry of a given blade, but that hasn't been necessary yet. I used to do VG10 at 17º, but I don't notice any diminished performance at 20º.

I like the simplicity of just two angles that can both be hit with just the Sharpmaker unless I encounter damage and need to reprofile. Can't say that I enjoy sharpening, so the Sharpmaker is my preferred device due to its ease of use and idiot-proof design.

A high percentage of my knives still have the factory edge. I use them when new. Then I touch them up when needed by adding a micro-bevel to the factory edge with a Sharpmaker and I use it some more. Then I rotate to a different knife. Eventually they need to be reprofiled but I cycle through quite a few knives. I've re-profiled some of my knives, and it's great and all, but I work from my home office doing CAD all day. My knives get limited use as pocket knives. They're plenty sharp as is. They can easily shave off arm hair and that's good enough for me. While I like a low edge angle, I really don't need one to open Amazon boxes and break down cardboard for my recycling bin

One of these days I'll get the Hapstone out again. I do enjoy sharpening but I have other things going on too. Maybe I'll have a little more time once winter gets here

Spyderwebs wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 22, 2023 11:37 am

What guided system works with SE/Spyder Edge? (i.e.supports a triangle stone)

I can mount a triangle stone in my Hapstone V7 and use the corner to sharpen a serrated edge. I've only done it once and it actually worked pretty well. However, as Vivi said, the Sharpmaker works pretty well for SE. So that's what I use

Of my users in the rotation, almost none have the factory edge. I do have collection pieces and backups that skew the numbers quite a bit though.

Thin for the win, for me.

JoviAl wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 21, 2023 11:21 pm

None of mine are still the factory edge angle apart from BNIB knives that I’ve bought but for whatever reason am not planning on ever using (gifts for others and a couple of sprints I’m going to sell when I get round to it). I see no reason to stick with an angle just because it’s the way it came - it’s a variable to manipulate just like any other

This is true for me as well. I’m always going more acute for performance.