Spyderco Forums

I just curious what angle folks sharpen their knives. Not counting on a sharpmaker. I use an edge pro to sharpen my knives, some I sharpen at a 15 dps while others like my GB1 I sharpen at around 17.5 dps for a more all purpose edge. The PM2 I just received appears to have 20ish dps factory bevel on it. Trying to figure out a good all purpose angle for it. I may just stick with the factory for the time being.

I freehand sharpen at what appears to be around 15 degrees per side. Plain edge, that is. Serrated, I just do the factory angle.

I match the factory angle as best I can

Like SG, 'trying' to match the factory edge. Unless the knife is very dull or damaged, and I feel adventurous, I will take the angle down some.

It is all free hand, so I have no idea what angle any of my edges end up at. If it is sharp, the actual angle is not important to me. I don't have anything to measure it with anyway.

Depends on the steel usually 15 - 17 dps on the KME. I'll follow the factory edge if possible unless it's not the same on both sides

Serrated knives I sharpen at 15 degrees on the presentation side, and around 5 degrees on the back side when deburring.

Plain edge knives I reprofile free hand to about 10 degrees per side, sometimes a bit thinner or thicker for knives with more specific roles, e.g. thinner on a chef knife, thicker on a large camp knife. I microbevel my PE knives at 15 degrees, sometimes on the sharpmaker, sometimes free hand.

I've never had any durability issues at these angles, and I find they give me superior performance to factory edge angles. The combination of a thin bevel + microbevel lets me do touch-ups in a fraction of the time it takes if I sharpen the full bevel.

I've tried microbevels at 20 degrees on my serrated knives to similarly speed up sharpening, but I really like how aggressive a straight 15 degree edge cuts.

Maybe someday I'll put something under the base of my SM and try reprofiling a Pacific Salt to 12 degrees per side so I can microbevel at 15.

Generally, 30 inclusive as a standard, thinner on stronger steels. If I had a police 4 or a 4V knife, they'd get 10-12 dps. I'm constantly experimenting.

Usually 15 dps on most Spyderco folders which run the gamut of steels (M4, Cru-wear, S110v, Maxamet, etc.) except VG10 I do 17 dps. I add a 20 dps microbevel on some that are harder use.
My kitchen knives are various quality steel Japanese pieces. Angle depends on style. Petty, Santoku, Gyoto, between 10 and 13 dps depending on the piece. A Nakiri usually 14 dps.

Really varies depending on the steel, blade style, and intended usage. I don't find one size fits all.

tjsblade wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:10 pm

Really varies depending on the steel, blade style, and intended usage. I don't find one size fits all.

Absolutely. Spyderco's 8cr13mov can handle 15dps for the vast majority of anyone's uses. And we all know it's not the strongest steel. I essentially feel obligated to take stronger steels significantly thinner. Strength is much different than toughness. A tough steel will never fracture, it will roll or bend. A hard and brittle steel will chip or fracture. If you have an incredibly strong steel, you'll likely never find out whether it tends to roll, bend or fracture. Apex stability is something I really look for, constantly finding out about how good the heat treats of production knives are. And spyderco's k390 and 4V are near the top of the heap. S110v and Maxamet are surprisingly strong as well despite (especially the latter) lacking toughness.

Thanks everyone!! I believe when my Rex 45 PM2 needs sharpening I’ll take it to 15dps and see how it does.

Luke2236 wrote: ↑

Fri Aug 16, 2019 3:52 pm

Thanks everyone!! I believe when my Rex 45 PM2 needs sharpening I’ll take it to 15dps and see how it does.

It'll be fine. Enjoy.

Primary bevel 12-13, micro bevel 15.

13dps with a 15dps half micron micro bevel. I match steel to task and always carry a mix of steels to handle any occasion (maxamet/zdp189 and lc200n/s30v/xhp, or cruwear/m4 and s110v/s90v for example).

If I'm actually reprofiling on my Edge Pro I like to take it down a bit lower than 30 inclusive, usually around 12-13 degrees or so per side. Otherwise I just micro bevel on the Sharpmaker at whichever angle will micro the best for the bevel that's there.

I backbevel at around 12 dps on benchstones, just sneaking up on the apex with the last stones, then microbevel with the Sharpmaker at 15dps, finishing with a few light passes on the UF rods at 20 dps, to clean up the edge.

For low carbide steels, I'll keep the microbevel at 15dps. (It's not really a 'microbevel' as you can see it with the naked eye, but you know what I mean.)

15 dps and 20 dps microbevel. That way I can use just the sharpmaker and be done with it!

Usually use my lansky to set the bevel if it's way off 15 dps. If it's close I use the diamond rods.

For me it depends on the knife, the steel, and what I feel like doing. I reprofiled my Police 4 to about 10dps, but normally I stick around 14-15 dps.

I freehand most my knives to around 25° inclusive. I'd be fine with 30 but apparently 25 is more comfortable for me, as a lot of times I accidentally end up around the 25 degree mark.

I used to try to match the factory bevel, and will still do that for touch ups before a full sharpening. During a full (freehand) sharpening, I used to do 15-20°/side. Recently, I've been aiming for 12-15°/side, depending on the steel. I'm toying with the idea of dropping my AEB-L Urban to 10°/side during he next sharpening.

I aim for about 26-28deg (inclusive). :)