Edge Angle Guide AG1 - experiences and discussion

Murdoc · #1

Right now, 18 of these are available (used to be 19 just a few minutes ago - until I bought one :D )
So hurry up and get one ASAP - they won't last long...

Sal asked us to discuss this "experiment" in a new thread. Since the first ones seem to have shipped ~2 days ago, they should arrive soon.

I'll have to wait for mine at least a week or two, so others will be earlier to post their impression of this tool. Feel free to do it here!

Will make the waiting easier for me to boot

Dennis

SecSpyral · #2

I should have mine shortly, I'm pretty excited :p I remember WAYY back when this drawing was first introduced by someone here. This is like a piece of history to me heheh, I might not even use it past the testing for them but I had to get it :)

The Deacon · #3

Ordered mine on Monday. Received the shipping confirmation yesterday. Might arrive by the weekend, otherwise probably Monday. Am curious to see it in action, although unsure of what actual benefit it will be to me.

As for quantity available, based on a couple other posts, they may be putting them up in batches. Which is not to suggest that waiting to order is advisable. More to say that if they seem to be out of stock, check back later.

wec12 · #4

Hopefully mine would be here by the end of the week.

One reminder though, watch your eye balls when playing with your Angle Guide!

jackknifeh · #5

I like the idea of an angle guide and have one on order. I have an Edge Pro sharpener and if you give me a knife and ask what angle the edge is I'll tell you what the Edge Pro says and I plan to compare that to what the guide says. I think it'll be interesting. But to use the Edge pro I need to touch the edge of your knife with a stone which I don't like to do on an edge that isn't to be changed or even just sharpened.

I just wonder what the goal is? One goal seems to be "get the lowest angle on the edge as possible". The other goal and the one that's important to me is "get the angle that best supports the use of a knife". When one angle may be better for camping than for kitchen use that is the important thing to me. So, if I'm going to sharpen a knife for hunting I'll use an angle different than I would for a kitchen knife for filleting fish. The angles are just a reference to set your sharpener to if you aren't good enough (me) to get an approx. angle free hand. I've never wanted a knife with an edge angle of 10 degrees inclusive. Please let me know what a 10 degree inclusive edge would be used for. I know it will go through tires quick but for how long? Just a thought I've been having. I know I need a hobby.

The ultimate goal is to get the lowest angle possible that will hold up to the task at hand. Real high angles are useless except for hatchets, axes, etc. which is needet for these tools. I have a machete that I have a 21 degree per side angle on which I plan on lowering to 15 per side to see how it works. The steel is 1055 carbon. Hard but not the hardest.

Jack

Simple Man · #6

Got mine ordered, I was a bit late to the game...

I think it will be a useful tool.

unit · #7

jackknifeh wrote:
The ultimate goal is to get the lowest angle possible that will hold up to the task at hand. Real high angles are useless except for hatchets, axes, etc. which is needet for these tools. I have a machete that I have a 21 degree per side angle on which I plan on lowering to 15 per side to see how it works. The steel is 1055 carbon. Hard but not the hardest.

Jack

My goal is a knife that does the job and requires the least amount of force at the handle to do it. This is balanced with my idea of what acceptable edge retention is.

A 10ish degree edge on the right steel used carefully doing the sorts of cuts I do will stay sharp for over a week which is good enough for me. You mention tires...yes I cut a lot of them and thin edges an some steels hold up very nicely!

I intend to use the guide as a quick check for edge uniformity. It should be good and quick for relative comparisons.

Jay_Ev · #8

In addition to user experiences, I'm curious about other things as well. Such as:

-What type of steel is it made of? S-30V? H1? VG-10?

-Where is it made? Golden? Taiwan? Japan? China?

jackknifeh · #9

To Simple Man and Simple Man only:

If you aren't an "old" Lynyrd Skynyrd fan you need to change your name! Just kidding (almost).

Jack

unit · #10

Jay_Ev wrote:In addition to user experiences, I'm curious about other things as well. Such as:

-What type of steel is it made of? S-30V? H1? VG-10?

-Where is it made? Golden? Taiwan? Japan? China?

I have no idea, but I would guess it is a fairly simple and relatively cheap and un-sexy steel. It really does not need to be anything with crazy high corrosion or wear resistance...it is a tool that serves one purpose (indoor measurement).

Spyderco may prove me wrong, but brass or aluminum would have been a good choice in my book (fairly in expensive, and fairly easy to cut/machine).

I do not even know why I posted this...I have no clue regarding the real answer to the question, but there you go...

FLYcrash · #11

jackknifeh wrote:I've never wanted a knife with an edge angle of 10 degrees inclusive. Please let me know what a 10 degree inclusive edge would be used for. I know it will go through tires quick but for how long? Just a thought I've been having. I know I need a hobby.

Jack

Hi Jack,

My straight razor has a ~10 degree inclusive edge. (I'd estimated the angle a good while ago on these forums but am too lazy to look it up.) Straight razor edges are very delicate, but this angle seems appropriate for cutting facial hair with very little force while gliding over skin on a lubrication layer.

I strop before each use and don't need to take abrasives to it more than 2-3 times a year. :)

jackknifeh · #12

FLYcrash wrote:Hi Jack,

My straight razor has a ~10 degree inclusive edge. (I'd estimated the angle a good while ago on these forums but am too lazy to look it up.) Straight razor edges are very delicate, but this angle seems appropriate for cutting facial hair with very little force while gliding over skin on a lubrication layer.

I strop before each use and don't need to take abrasives to it more than 2-3 times a year. :)

Hey FLYcrash,

Good reply. I wasn't thinking of straight razor use. When I think of knives or cutting tools they would go into the following initial categories: Hatchets (gardening tools), knives for EDC or work, then straight razor (which would be in a different category all in themselves due to accuracy excellence). I don't think I could sharpen anything like this. Not enough knowledge or experience.

Thanks,
Jack

The Deacon · #13

One blade I plan on checking is a #11 X-Acto. :D

D1omedes · #14

Well, I just ordered one. It will probably arrive in a week or so. I hope that this product will help me when I begin free-hand sharpening. Plus, it's something unique that comes from Spyderco. That's the real point, right? :p

dbcad · #15

The shipping has been confirmed on the one I ordered.

I'll use it to check and compare blades I have sharpened and to see if wound up with a convexed edge, not always a bad thing. The precision to which it was cut is also a question. A tight CNC laser cutter should be pretty accurate.

Charlie

rycen · #16

The Deacon wrote:One blade I plan on checking is a #11 X-Acto. :D

Yours should be there today as I just received mine.

Simple Man · #17

jackknifeh wrote:To Simple Man and Simple Man only:

If you aren't an "old" Lynyrd Skynyrd fan you need to change your name! Just kidding (almost).

Jack

Well I am a fan, and Old is just a state of mind....or an opinion, take yer pick.

FLYcrash · #18

jackknifeh wrote:Hey FLYcrash,

Good reply. I wasn't thinking of straight razor use. When I think of knives or cutting tools they would go into the following initial categories: Hatchets (gardening tools), knives for EDC or work, then straight razor (which would be in a different category all in themselves due to accuracy excellence). I don't think I could sharpen anything like this. Not enough knowledge or experience.

Thanks,
Jack

It's not as bad as you think. Straight razors are generally deeply hollow-ground on both sides, and you can rest the spine on the stone at the same time as the edge to hold more or less the correct angle. Because of that, I'd say it might even be a smidge easier than sharpening a folder or kitchen knife. One tends to use a less aggressive stone than for other knives (I use a Norton 4K/8K waterstone), but that's neither here nor there.

I encourage anyone who isn't too hurried about getting up in the morning to take up traditional shaving. The straight razor's super fun for anyone who likes knives, and it is easier on the skin than those quickly-dulled expensive cartridges. At the very least, it's worth it to invest in a real badger-hair shaving brush and use proper shaving soap or cream. The brush gently exfoliates, and you can kiss your zits goodbye...

...OK, I'll stop proselytizing. :D

#19

I must support FLYcrash's suggestion.

Learning to shave with a straight razor is a great experience to learn and do, especially for a knife afi. I did so for a couple of decades.

sal

HeiHeit · #20

FLYcrash wrote:It's not as bad as you think. Straight razors are generally deeply hollow-ground on both sides, and you can rest the spine on the stone at the same time as the edge to hold more or less the correct angle. Because of that, I'd say it might even be a smidge easier than sharpening a folder or kitchen knife. One tends to use a less aggressive stone than for other knives (I use a Norton 4K/8K waterstone), but that's neither here nor there.

I encourage anyone who isn't too hurried about getting up in the morning to take up traditional shaving. The straight razor's super fun for anyone who likes knives, and it is easier on the skin than those quickly-dulled expensive cartridges. At the very least, it's worth it to invest in a real badger-hair shaving brush and use proper shaving soap or cream. The brush gently exfoliates, and you can kiss your zits goodbye...

...OK, I'll stop proselytizing. :D

I've not been able to pick up a straight razor yet, but I do definitely want one; I just keep buying knives! I do however use a badger brush and traditional cream and it is fantastic! It is sandalwood scented and wheww it's nice! Any recommendations for a rather inexpensive straight razor?

Sorry for the hijacking :o