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A Thank Ypu (gah!) then Chef Kinves (doh!) & Abrasive Selections

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  • #46021
    NickedEdge
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 53

    First, thanks to the active WE community for taking me under your wing (or at least tolerating both my humor and inexperience). You have no idea what that means to me and probably a thousand other guys with basic or even esoteric questions. There is a “value added” component to the after purchase aspect of WE ownership that I simply have not seen anywhere else (and believe me I’ve searched hi and low). Yes these are premium priced systems, but they are well enough recognized such that stone manufacturers are supplying abrasives sized and mounted for the WE. Congratulations to Clay et al for that accomplishment alone.

    Now, the other part of my post. I’ve heard it repeated (often and loud) from various sources that there is no need to sharpen a kitchen knife beyond 600 grit or whatever that corresponding micron value might be. Could you all weigh in on that? I have some seriously expensive whetstones to 10k that I abuse regularly trying to enhance my blades by hand. I’m no sushi chef but damn I do find myself in love with a blade that is as slick as if it were covered with KY when prep cutting food for the stove or table. Keeping that in mind do you feel going as low as the entry level WE ceramics is of value or that perhaps investing in some of the aftermarket whetstones in lower mics would be a better choice. I’m not worried about asking that question here because I know the folks at WE won’t be offended by it or feel threatened. Which of course all harkens back to Part 1 of this post 😉.

    • This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by NickedEdge.
    • This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by NickedEdge.
    • This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by NickedEdge.
    #46029
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    Kitchen knives I sharpen for friends and family I usually take down to 1500 grit diamond stones followed by 4µ, then 2µ cow leather strops.

    My personal Kitchen and Chef’s knives I take to at least 2000 grit or some even to 4000 grit with the Shapton Glass Stones and sometimes 6000 or 8000 if I want a smoother edge.  It depends on if they’re a slicing style knife where I prefer a little more tooth or a push cut style knife that really doesn’t need the toothiness.  I don’t need to sharpen these knives very often because many are made from hard durable steels, so I’m still messing around and learning or experimenting what I like best.

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #46030
    Organic
    Participant
    • Topics: 17
    • Replies: 929

    Need is a strong word. I would agree that you don’t NEED to sharpen a kitchen knife beyond 600 grit, but you may prefer the way a knife cuts when sharpened to a higher level of refinement depending on how the knife is going to be used. I prefer my kitchen knives finished similarly to how Marc does: 1500 grit or 6 micron diamond lapping film and then stropped to give the edge that extra buttery smoothness. Knives sharpened like this go through bell peppers, onions, raw potatoes, and celery almost as if they were not there.

    I participate in the Chef Knives to Go forum and there are numerous professional chefs who post on there. It seems that the majority prefer an edge of about 2000 grit for their daily driver knives because it gives them a good balance of refinement and some remaining tooth, but the opinions there also range widely. Some claim that they always finish their knives on 8,000 or 10,000 grit for a mirror polished edge and others say that they stop at 500 or 800 for their knives because they like the aggressive feel. It all comes down to a mater of personal taste at the end of the day as long as it is sharp.

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    #46031
    NickedEdge
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 53

    Need is a strong word. I would agree that you don’t NEED to sharpen a kitchen knife beyond 600 grit, but you may prefer the way a knife cuts when sharpened to a higher level of refinement depending on how the knife is going to be used. I prefer my kitchen knives finished similarly to how Marc does: 1500 grit or 6 micron diamond lapping film and then stropped to give the edge that extra buttery smoothness.

    Just so Organic.

    When that term and its implications (don’t waste your time, effort, and money) were presented to me my reaction was “well wait a sec here pard….” As I said I like things to move thorough food as easily as possible not simply because its safer but because its a joy to prep when the tool in hand sings.

    Up to this point I can’t say that I’ve ever had a decent edge on one of my blades (even with an expensive stone) simply because I don’t have the skill set some do in hand sharpening. As a result I feel as if I wasted my money chasing that ephemeral edge beast thinking that because I own a particular stone I have the magic bullet. I feel that the WE130 will be the last sharpening system I buy. However I’m not interested (at this point) to go whole hog into every grit, micron, strop or emulsion simply for the sake of having them on hand. I know I’ll be buying a couple of what I casually refer to as organic stones (whetstones) for reasons MarcH helped me understand in previous threads. But I do want to cover my basics with a stable of WE stones. At this point I’m feeling like an investment to of at least the WE 800-100 stones is warranted and the finer edges can be applied with whetstones of my choice and, as you say, preference. If theres a gap that should be covered with WE stones I’m sure that will become apparent to me over time.

    And thank you for reminding me that Mark has a forum on CKTG, much appreciated…I’ve enjoyed my email exchanges with him.

    George

    #46032
    MarcH
    Moderator
    • Topics: 74
    • Replies: 2733

    And thank you for reminding me that Mark has a forum on CKTG, much appreciated…I’ve enjoyed my email exchanges with him. George

    George this Forum you may find interesting and helpful also

     

    Marc
    (MarcH's Rack-Its)

    2 users thanked author for this post.
    #46034
    NickedEdge
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 53

    And thank you for reminding me that Mark has a forum on CKTG, much appreciated…I’ve enjoyed my email exchanges with him. George

    George this Forum you may find interesting and helpful also

    Whoa dude! Kitchen Knife Civilization! LoL!!

    #46064
    sksharp
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 408

    I have been a proponent of “purpose sharpening” which does mean some of the knives I do are done only to 600 grit. I have not heard anyone say that all kitchen knives should be done to 600 grit only though. My kitchen knives are all 1000 or higher with the exception of 2, large knife for melons and such and a carving/utility knife mainly used for meat. I do a lot of hunting knives between 600 and 1000 but nothing is absolute in my world.

    3 users thanked author for this post.
    #46068
    NickedEdge
    Participant
    • Topics: 9
    • Replies: 53

    …nothing is absolute in my world.

    Hallelujah for liberated minds…

    George

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