Spyderco Forums

What percentage of your Spyderco collection is on the original factory edge angle?

I'm specifying factory edge angle, not pristine factory edge, to be clear. So if you bought a Delica this year and gave it some touch-ups on a strop or sharpmaker without modifying the edge angle, that counts.

I notice a mix on the forum. Wandering_abouts 15V Para 2, traditional.sharpenings knives, my reprofiled edges, bbturbo's reprofiled serrated knives and full reprofile k390 wharnie. Also see tons of factory edge looking knives.

So, count them or just estimate, it's up to you, but lets put some numbers to the subject.

I'm estimating 5% of mine are factory edge angle knives.

Basically all my cutting tools have been reprofiled to thinner angles....axes, hatchets, machetes, chef knives, leathermens, fixed blades, folders, PE knives, SE knives, etc. Even some pre-need backups have already gotten reprofiled, like my seconds aqua salt.

Among those that make up the 5% - Couple of multitools since I hardly ever use the blades on them, and 4 or 5 BNIB back-ups to my users (mostly pacific salts, lol). I have one lone user Spyderco still on factory edge angles - my sprint C95.

How about you? What percent of yours are on the factory edge? Do you think that number will stay around the same % as the years go on or do you think it'll change?

Ill go first. The only knives I have with factory edge angle are my extensive scandi collection, and the knives Ive ordered from small makers. The scandi, Those get sharpened on the grind, then a fine micro bevel with the finishing stone. In the field they will get touched up on the micro, but back to the factory grind when I get back to my benchstones.

Buck has terrible grinds, all of them reprofiled.
Kershaw usually have aweful grinds, they all get thinned.
Benchmade, all are ground like chisels so they all get a lot of work.
Some spydercos are ok. The grind quality is not what it used to be. Ex. A 2022 endura had one side 21 deg one side 14 degree. Two dragonfly salts bought this year, one had serrations at 20 degrees one had them at 16 degrees. My 2023 tasman salt was about 18 degrees. My atlantic salt was about 16 degrees. My serrated police was around 23 degrees. The serrated rescue was odd at 14 degrees. Both serrated enduras I bought this year were 17 and 19. On serrateds i just take them to 15 or 20, which ever is less work.
Granfors Bruk had a good grind, no reprofiling there.
The kitchen set I had made by a local knife smith, dead on.

The lionsteel knives in one of my kitchen blocks, all needed reprofiling.

Rada kitchen knives are usually ok.

Case is usually pretty on par.

Ka bar, the fixed blades from them all were reprofiled. A few of the folders were fine.

Chris reeves, spot on.

Pretty sure every knife I have has been brought down to 15dps or less. Wouldn't have it any other way. Sharpening opens a whole other level of knife nerd, and where you really start to understand this vast variety of steels that Spyderco has to offer.

How to answer the question in light of safe queen knives that have never been sharpened? Do we include those in the total percentage or not?

In the meantime, I can recollect only a very few knives I've tried to put a factory 17 dps on. Most of mine go sub-14, so that I can put a microbevel on, or touch up easily, with the sharpmaker @ 15 dps. So if the question pertains only to sharpened knives, then I'd say a "factory 17" on maybe 10-15%.

(I am still contemplating Landes / Traditional Sharpening's advice to vary the angle of the microbevel radically, based on the carbide volume of the steel. Still not sure I want to put a 25 dps microbevel on 15V or K390.)

Excellent question Vivi. No doubt inspired by the sharpening thread. I'd say about half of mine. I really need to spring for a goniometer (not sure I got the spelling right on that).

I will start playing with angles more as I get better at sharpening freehand.
I’m working on getting better sharpness at relatively lower grits and trying for a more consistent technique.
I like the 400grit CBN edge I’ve got on my 15V Manix 2. The factory edge wasn’t too bad, but I have evened it out a bit and sharpened up to the heal or finger choil nub. One side is still a wider angle than the other, but it can make some decent paper towels cuts.
This is my go to right now on most of my knives, including everything from the Spy27 Native 5 to my Santoku. The Santoku is my favorite to sharpen.

My edges are works in progress.

Sharpened when I get it

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

I have a handful of BNIB backups that are untouched.

I pretty much always reprofile to 15 degrees per side, so it's definitely in the 0-10% range. I have a few doubles of knives I really like which I have not touched though.

Maybe 20% and those are the ones that are still BNIB. If it gets used it gets reprofiled, and that goes for PE and SE.

Most probably 10% as I do consider original factory edges most of the time unsatisfactory, only exception being my Chaparral. I would be more happy with lower angle from factory and thinner ground behind the edge blades in general as modern steels are strong enough to manage some stress under normal use I would say.

Unless BNIB then 15% dps after a couple days or whenever I can get around to it so I voted 0-10%

Interesting thread. I'd also be interested in what range of angles people DO use when they reprofile their Spyderco's that are actually seeing use and not just because they can and got bored.

5-10 DPS, 10-15 DPS, 15-20 DPS, 20-25 DPS

Traditional.Sharpening wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 22, 2023 6:33 am

Interesting thread. I'd also be interested in what range of angles people DO use when they reprofile their Spyderco's that are actually seeing use and not just because they can and got bored.

5-10 DPS, 10-15 DPS, 15-20 DPS, 20-25 DPS

That would be a fun poll to run. I'd want to pick up something to more accurately measure my edges if I were gonna do that.

As it is when I estimate my edge angles, I film myself sharpening from the side with a protractor taped to the wall behind me, lol. Not fancy but it gives me a rough idea.

Either way the results have surprised me so far. Browsing the what's in your pocket thread it feels like the ratio of factory edge vs non factory edge knives it different than what the poll shows so far.

Only have a few that don't look like this:


Some that are put up won't get new edges put on them but if it's going to get used at all, more than likely it will face the stones.

Hey, I'll buck the current comment trend - probably 50% of mine are still at factory edge angle, and as others have said more than that if counting NIB backups.

I've put chips or at least noticeable dents in multiple factory edge Spydercos (PM2 M390, M2LW 20CV - hit staples; D4 wharncliffe S30V - honestly don't know what happened; D4 Hap40 - abuse, moving fast and not getting the proper tool; Astute - brother-in-law abuse using a rock as a cutting board on a hike ).

So for me, I will usually use the factory edge for a while, touching up on the sharpmaker, and the first real sharpening on bench stones or the edge pro I will try to match the factory angle. It's only in subsequent sharpenings that I start to thin things out a little.

Skywalker wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 22, 2023 7:19 am

Hey, I'll buck the current comment trend - probably 50% of mine are still at factory edge angle, and as others have said more than that if counting NIB backups.

I've put chips or at least noticeable dents in multiple factory edge Spydercos (PM2 M390, M2LW 20CV - hit staples; D4 wharncliffe S30V - honestly don't know what happened; D4 Hap40 - abuse, moving fast and not getting the proper tool; Astute - brother-in-law abuse using a rock as a cutting board on a hike ).

So for me, I will usually use the factory edge for a while, touching up on the sharpmaker, and the first real sharpening on bench stones or the edge pro I will try to match the factory angle. It's only in subsequent sharpenings that I start to thin things out a little.

You should get your BiL one of these for christmas from the sounds of it !

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Ultralight-C ... B0024F86GE

99-100% of my knives have the factory edge angle. I would actually venture to guess that the vast majority of knife owners are in a similar percentage too.

I have no desire or need to reprofile any of my knives at the moment. They’re more than good enough from factory, for me. My primary focus in this hobby has been and continues to be on design. I do not want to be an “edge junkie.” I use a few of Spydercos sharpening systems and stones to keep my knives sharp but maximizing edge performance is just not a priority for me.

Ive considered buying a guided sharpening system to experiment with different edge angles but again, it’s never been a priority for me and I end up prioritizing something else instead. (Like a yet another new Spyderco )

I think I left my chapparals at the factory profile. With pretty much everything else, I've ended up feeling like the angle isn't acute enough. Even with maxamet, I didn't have chipping issues once I got the angle down to something that cut well.