[OregonJohnny]

So I'm wondering what your experience is. What is the sharpest production (not handmade or custom) knife you've ever seen as it came from the factory? I'm relatively new to knife collecting, but so far, the sharpest knife I've come across is my R.A.T. Izula. This sucker is nasty sharp. It's made of 1095. I took it camping last weekend and used it to split kindling, whittle, and shave some tinder. Then I got home and tried slicing some paper. It's almost like the darn thing got sharper! Just a tap and it slices so cleanly through thick paper over and over again, it's scary.

Some other honorable mentions are:

• SOG Recon Government (Gun-blued blade made in Japan out of something called SK-5)
• Kershaw Junkyard Dog II Composite (With a D2 edge)
• Boker Titan 2 made out of 440A

I have a lot of other sharp knives, but these are the ones that came scary-sharp from the factory. Anyway, I'm just wondering what other's opinions are on the sharpest knives out-of-the-box.

[cleardiddion]

Kershaw Leek for me

[CWL]

Most Bark River Knives, Scandinavian (particularly Helle) and Spyderco knives immediately come to mind.

[highorder]

My Benchmade 941 was SHARP when I bought it.

It was equally as SHARP after Benchmade Lifesharp returned it. :)

[22-rimfire]

It is easier to mention what was not really sharp when I purchased them new. The ones that come to mind are the Queen knives in D2 which require substantial re-profiling. The sharpest regular knives I have purchased were probably SOG's.

[arcticap]

What is the sharpest production (not handmade or custom) knife you've ever seen as it came from the factory?

These inexpensive Eriksson knives have the sharpest and most razor blade like edge that I've ever seen.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/40.jpg

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

[Carl Levitian]

Victorinox always seen razor sharp out of the box.

[HoosierQ]

+1 to Arcticap. Any of the Swedish Mora's (that's both a brand and a type). I believe the Eriksson noted above would be included in this category. Mora is a town in Sweden where they've been making knives since the Middle Ages (if not the Dark Ages). They know both steel and knife making. I really think they are the sharpest knives out of the box.

Victorinox are also razor sharp and may well tie...who knows. A Victorinox has been in my pocket every day for 30 years and Mora is my new fixed blade "go to knife".

You could get a nice Victorinox model (they sell them everywhere) and a Mora from Ragweed forge (link above) for about $40 and have the only two knives you'd ever need.

[MrFox]

My Benchmade 580 is crazy sharp. Easily the sharpest knife from the factory I've ever purchased.

Plus its awesome.

[conwict]

Cliff Stamp, the owner of cutleryscience.com, ran a test on a random sample of a bunch of different knives and found that spydercos were consistently 2-3x sharper than anything else fresh out of the box.

[drwilder]

Most Frost Cutlery knives I've handled have practically sliced themsleves out of the packaging.

[usmc1371]

From the knives I have bought I would have to say: Benchmade and spyderco both come very sharp. Send your benchmade in once every year or two (or just stop by like I do) and they will send it back sharp and working like the day it was new.

[Beelzy]

Microtech pre-2000 units.

Wicked, wicked sharp.

[sevenbridges]

Kershaw Leek is the sharpest I've ever come across.

[TimboKhan]

My new Case knife was shaving sharp, my Spyderco was shaving sharp, but my Griptilian made me bleed my own blood with very little effort on the showroom floor, so I think it gets my vote.

[matrem]

You didn't buy that from obligatory guilt, did you???
I know I'd have had to..

[gga357]

Diamondblade Goddard or Benchmade 950-1 Rift.

[ArfinGreebly]

I have a Finnish Leuku that I got used.

It's a bit loose in its sheath. Loose enough to slide right out if you tip it a few degrees upside down.

It brushed my palm on its way to the floor. Opened it right up.

I have a number of other really sharp knives (Buck, Case XX and Kershaw folders) all of which will shave, with all of which I've sliced myself. One of the Buck 110s in particular cleanly removed the corner of my fingertip. While it was in the air, falling. Silly boy, I tried to catch it.

But, other than the Finnish Leuku (which wasn't new), the most absurdly sharp new knives I've opened have been Swedish. Mora knives and EKA knives.

I have a few one-off Nordic blades (no longer produced) with both Finnish and Swedish blades that have proven to be bloodthirsty as well.

However, here's the thing: I pretty much don't don't buy a knife if it's not dangerously sharp. Yes, I've bought a few without having held and touched them first, but when I order a second example of that same knife, it's because the first one was satisfyingly dangerous.

Frankly, I have difficulty picking out one single "sharpest" knife among them. Discovering which one would be a project.

[7X57chilmau]

I've actually never been quite satisfied with any factory edge on any knife I've bought. That includes my share of SAK's, Bucks, Imperials, a Kershaw Leek, a D. Ralph Paragee, and a handfull of others. If they didn't say "Xacto", they weren't as sharp as I'd have liked.

That said, the SAK's and the Leek were generally shaving sharp, or close to it. Just dissatisfied with the steep edge profile, always seemed more at home on an axe. I've not bought a buck or SAK in well over a decade, though, maybe they've improved.

The Leek's edge, in particular, was shaving sharp, but very steep and quite roughly ground. Being D2, it held that edge pretty well despite the obtuse angle.

It's a personal satisfaction for me to lay a new blade to stone. I look forward to each one.

J

[conwict]

Yes, I don't understand the steep angles on production blades either 7x57. It wouldn't be any harder or more expensive for the factory guys to grind it at 12-18 per side rather than 25-40 like they do.

[zxcvbob]

The sharpest (ridiculously sharp) was a Gerber EZ-Out that I bought quite a few years ago. The knife just like it that I bought my Dad a few years later (after Gerber was bought by Fiskars) was almost dull right out of the package. I believe both knives were made in USA.

[rino451]

Kershaw Scallion. Mine doesn't hold an edge for **** though.

[TimboKhan]

You didn't buy that from obligatory guilt, did you???

Well, I was going to buy it anyway, but that did seal the deal, haha.

I felt dumb, but only felt dumber under the gaze of the guy behind the counter.

[OregonJohnny]

It's a relief to hear others have been bitten by their sharp knives, and that it's not just me.

About a week after I got my R.A.T. Izula, I was wrapping the handle in paracord. The knife was very firmly in it's kydex sheath. I had one of those dangerously stupid lapses in judgement and didn't realize I was holding the sheath in one hand and pulling on the paracord with the other. One last tug on the end of the paracord to tighten the knot on the handle, and the Izula popped out of the sheath and swiped across the pad of my pinky finger. 30 minutes later I was getting 4 stitches in the emergency room. It still gives me the shivers thinking about it.

Another time I was at the gun show and there was a booth selling a bunch of Kershaw factory seconds. A guy picked up one of the assisted openers and within 10 seconds of playing with it, he was bleeding pretty good. The guy behind the booth pulled out the first aid kit and said, "Don't worry, that happens about every half-hour."

[HoosierQ]

I've got a Mora #1 that I am actually scared to use. It has no guard and the way the blade meets the handle there is a smooth transition from smooth wood right to razor sharp steel across about 1mm. It's a safe queen. The Eriksson above is the same knive basically but with a guard and a bit of a pommel on the end.

[eight433]

surprisingly (to me) the sharpest, out of the box pocket knife i've got is a cheap-o Buck folder. Will clean shave in one pass. I dunno how well it will HOLD an edge. I would say my best edge holding knive is my Case XX Trapper. I also have a super sharp S&W non-folder with a slight curved blade that is sharp enough to cut you without feeling it to. I keep it in my toolbox at work to make PB&J sandwiches with :)

[Papaster]

My Benchmade BlueStar was far above any other knife I've owned for sharpness from the factory.

[ArfinGreebly]

I've got a Mora #1 that I am actually scared to use. It has no guard and the way the blade meets the handle there is a smooth transition from smooth wood right to razor sharp steel across about 1mm. It's a safe queen. The Eriksson above is the same knife basically but with a guard and a bit of a pommel on the end.

The standard Mora #1, #2, and so on are "guardless" knives.

That design has been around since . . . pretty much forever.

In Scandinavia (including Finland) there's been this tradition for generations that a Mora-style knife with a guard is a boy's knife, whereas once he has learned how to properly handle a knife, either the guard is removed, or the knife is replaced with a guardless one. Kind of a rite of passage into adulthood.

If you think about it a bit, there are a number of applications where a guard just gets in the way (think camp kitchen, cutting board, that kind of thing). Your kitchen knives don't have guards for that very reason. Likewise, look at the skinners and other butcher knives used by professionals. No guard. (Some of the newer models do have handles with grooves and/or side flanges to keep your fingers off the edge.)

The traditional Mora knife isn't intended for stabbing, nor are other traditional Nordic designs (e.g. Puukko, Leuku).

It's not difficult to train or learn a safe technique with guardless knives. In fact, a guardless knife is actually safer when it's really sharp than when it's dull, so you would want a Mora knife to be scary sharp.

On the other hand, if you expect to be stabbing or doing other point-force work with a knife, then the traditional Nordic design is not the best choice.

[James T Thomas]

"Once upon a time" -Blackjack had the reputation of being sharp, right out of the box.

Members; what is their reputation in 2009?

Arfin: That Scandanavian viewpoint holds for utility that those people esteem.
However, when Col. Applegate and the OSS investigated knives for the purpose they had in mind, they required guards; for daggers, to prevent the field agents from accidently disabling their own hands by running their palms and fingers upon the blades.

My own preference is to have a knife I can use for many purposes.
A compromise for certain. So my knives do not excell in special applications.
My sharpest is a Lapin Puukko; without guard, but large handle for good gripping. Followed by a Bark River; convex edge. It re/polishes / sharpens readily.
{Sigh} There seems to be no perfect knife.
Oh well, now, I don't have to yearn and buy every one I lay my eyes upon.

And so, comes the mention of those blade angles; small ones to get a razor edge, and wider ones to give sturdy field use. And in between to get, well, in between service. Sharp for straight razors is not sharp for survival edges.

[7X57chilmau]

Absolutely, James, the edge must be suited to the use. That's why I prefer either convex or micro-bevelled edges. If the angle turns out to be too long, it's easy to reset the micro-bevel or final edge angle. Much easier than it is to lay an obtuse angle back for a more razor like edge.

I purposely allow my blade angle to change a degree or 2 while sharpening. I start'em out as flat as I can manage, and on the final stone, steepen it slightly to create the micro-bevel.

You've REALLY got to abuse a convex edge to chip it out. I really think the factory edges on most pocket knife blades is far too steep.

J

[HoosierQ]

Arfin

Yes I agree. I believe that the traditional Scandanavian knives were designed (and are used) on the pull stroke. That's why the Leukkos and Puukos as well as the Moras haven't got guards. I specifically wanted the #1 because it was traditional. I am not knocking that style. In fact I find it very pleasing on several levels. On the other hand, I was raised "American style" when it comes to knives and other stuff so I expect, as you say, that I lack the proper technique to use such a knife in rough service safely. Bad cuts to the hand can cause permanent damage so, yep, I am a little scared to use it much. I have several of the "modern" Mora's (Craftsmen series and a Morakniv 2000) with more handle so I do get to enjoy the craftsmanship and the crazy sharpeness of the technology.

I do hope to own a Puuko and Leuko someday...and I am sure I will...so I got some learning to do to be safe.

QB

[ArfinGreebly]

James sez:
However, when Col. Applegate and the OSS investigated knives for the purpose they had in mind, they required guards; for daggers, to prevent the field agents from accidently disabling their own hands by running their palms and fingers upon the blades.

Yes, I know:
On the other hand, if you expect to be stabbing or doing other point-force work with a knife, then the traditional Nordic design is not the best choice.


I have fighters. They all have guards. They are all (excepting the Glock Sharpened Crowbar™) satisfactorily sharp. (Reminds me, I gotta sell that Glock.) Not absurdly sharp, though.

As you said, "sharp" in one context isn't necessarily (or even desirably) "sharp" in another.



I remembered last night what was the sharpest production knife I've ever owned: a Holley Wharcliffe Whittler. Carbon steel. Bought for me by my grandparents before the Holley plant closed its knifemaking operation. I used to trim my nails with it. I could cleanly trim a fingernail without leaving burr or spur on the nail. I could lay a newspaper out, run one of the pen blades over the outline of an article, and lift it out without having cut the page below it (Dad taught me that). I've never had a knife since that was as sharp out of the box -- never mind sixteen years after it was in the box. Yeah. Made no later than 1949 -- the year I was born -- when Holley closed down. Given to me when I was sixteen. Sharpest new blade I've ever owned.

(I have this private obsession to own another such wharny whittler. There have been a couple modernly produced, e.g. Case XX "Classic" Wharncliffe Whittler. Very like the Seahorse Whittler, except the Classic has two pen blades, where the Seahorse has a pen and a coping blade.)

[JVoutilainen]

Mora. No question about it.

And believe me, there really is no need to worry about your hand slipping...unless you decide to stab something solid, like a table or a wall, with full force.

There is one problematic and potentially dangerous thing about some Finnish knives (Tommi for example), though. The ones with a leather sheath sometimes require a correct technique when you draw the knife, especially when they are brand new. If you do not know it, there is a risk that you will cut yourself or ruin the sheath - probably both.

[chrisb507]

Out of the production blades I have (including Kershaws, Gerbers, Bucks, a SOG, CRKTs, some SAKs, a Sebenza, etc.) I would say Spydercos are easily the sharpest out of the box.

[J.Scott]

I'm a big fan of Benchmade. The blue series knives are very sharp out if the box. I'm currently carrying a Benchmade Osborne, and it was really sharp out of the box.

[Stainz]

From my limited experience:

Bark River knives are deceptively sharp - it must be the convex edge.

Bear MGC , made here in AL, range from 'Is that really a knife?' to 'Dude, you need to sharpen this!'. Seriously poor QC.

Benchmades are hit or miss, sharpness wise. I love my Rukus, but it is not a shaver. My Skirmish, mini-Skirmish, and even the 760 were fairly sharp, however.

Boker Tree Brand (German made classics) are very sharp slippies.

Bucks - all US-made I've bought - especially the 110 - come razor sharp.

Gerbers (US made.) are neither consistently edged nor impressively sharp.

Kershaws come very sharp. My JYDII in Ti/SG-2 came sharper than any knife I've ever bought.

Pumas (German made.) are fairly sharp.

Spyderco, if my pair of S30V Natives are an indicator, come very sharp.

Vic SAKs come uniformly sharp.

Stainz

[Deltaboy]

Mora I have a military version one and it is super sharp it will cut you clean to the bone with 1 single pass.

[LAK]

Masahiro, Kikuichi japanese kitchen knives. and many Moras.

[memphisjim]

might be cheating but a boker infinity ceramic get out the high power magnifying glass no steel blade can compare

[Sav .250]

Seems like "sharp" is a relevant term,judging by all the different choices.
So my sharp knife choice would be a Buck 110, folding knife. It`s sharp enough for what I do. :)

[ArfinGreebly]

Well, I have a new "sharpest knife."

:D

Last night I finally found my old "First Class" brand straight razor. It was a Cutlery World brand from the early eighties. Made in Solingen, Germany. (Picture to follow -- gotta dig up camera.)

I bought this one in 1982 to replace the one I lost when I returned from England ten years earlier.

I haven't shaved with it in about three, maybe four, years.

I will have to be more careful in my use of the term "razor sharp" because, frankly, there's not a knife I own -- and I own some sharp ones -- that is anything like as sharp as this thing.

Guess it's time to break out the Edge Pro Apex and see how close I can get with one of my better knives.

[Black Toe Knives]

IMHO Spyderco Bill Moran's VG10

[Sir Aardvark]

Mine was a Benchmade McHenry-Williams large axis folder with the M2 steel.

I sliced open my finger the first time I opened it - you would have thought it was a razor blade instead of a knife blade.

[Hunter125]

My sharpest by far has been a J. Marttiini. My dad also has a J. Marttiini fillet knife that has always been scary sharp, and I don't think he had to work on it at all. Seems as though the Scandinavian made knives are made very well.

[Hunter125]

might be cheating but a boker infinity ceramic get out the high power magnifying glass no steel blade can compare
It is cheating. lol

[SeekHer]

William Henry folders are extremely sharp, at least the ones I have but the sharpest, production knife, is the Puukko from Karesuando of Sweden and the various ceramic knives come a very close second...

[wleggart]

I just got the Knives of Alaska fillet models with small and LARGE blades in one BIG sheath. They are scary sharp out of the sheath! I used the large blade to clean several Redfish at the camp, and was amazed at the edge after cutting thru the scales and bones to get the fillets! They come with a small diamond sharpener that I will never use. It is so small it is a guarantee finger scar. I use an old butchers steel on my knives when the edge needs cleaning up. A good knife rarely if ever needs any abrasive sharpening if used as intended. I have never been able to duplicate the sharpness of the old Buck 110 folders from the 60s.

[ArfinGreebly]

I have never been able to duplicate the sharpness of the old Buck 110 folders from the 60s.

Funny you should say that.

Saturday I spoke to the owner of a local knife shoppe here in CdA, noticing he's down to a single Buck knife.

When I asked him if he had the other Bucks in a different section, he said no, that was his last one, and he wasn't stocking any more. Naturally, I asked why.

"I won't sell a knife I can't sharpen."

Evidently, he's had some bad experiences with the amount of time and effort (and stone) required to restore the edge on a Buck. He asserts the steel is just too hard, claiming it's got a Rockwell number in the low 60s. The man actually sounded bitter.

Buck's documentation claims a hardness of 58.

Now, to be fair, I've never actually lost the edge of any of my Bucks to the point where I needed to stone them, so I don't have comparative data.

The only one I couldn't fix was screwed up when it came to me (an old two-spring 301), so I took it to the factory for sharpening and polishing ($5), after which it was good as new.

A friend of mine in Nevada had an old beat-up 112 he hadn't been able to sharpen, so I brought it back with me and took it to the factory. They simply offered to replace it with a brand new one, which he now has.

One of these days I reckon I will find out first-hand whether a Buck is really that hard to sharpen. Mine are all still factory sharp.

[7X57chilmau]

I spent alot of time sharpening my 103 back when I first got it, about 15 years ago. They're far from impossible to sharpen, but can be a bit time consuming.

It's not the hardness of the steel that's the problem, it's the weird, i dunno, smudginess? of the steel that I had trouble with.... Certainly, though, it's easier to sharpen a very hard 1095 blade. It was about as difficult as a D2 blade, but completely different...

J

[ArfinGreebly]

Talking with some of the Buck guys, I was told that previously they had used 440C in most of their blades, but it was "awfully hard on the machinery."

So, more recently (and I don't know how recently) they had switched to 420HC, which is evidently easier on the machinery in the stages prior to heat treat.

Current literature claims 420HC, excepting for their specialty and custom pieces.

I guess I'm gonna have to corner one of their guys again and have him explain this "hard to sharpen" thing. I've seen it enough now that I'm beginning to think there's something to it.

[pikid89]

the sharpest ive ever seen was the kershaw Needs Work knife could shave dry with that thing

[conwict]

A good stropping out of the box is a good idea.

[saniterra]

+1 on being unable to tell the difference between very sharp and very very sharp. That being said, the sharpest knives I have had out of the box were a Spyderco Native and Hossum Woodlander, a Byrd Flygt, a Zero Tolerance 0200 and a Benchmade 630 Skirmish. Dullest were a Ranger RD4 Night Stalker and a Spyderco Delica.

[cornman]

Mora

[bikerdoc]

I agree with Cornman, Mora

Also a NIB old stock Schrade fixed blade I found in a little store in West Va.

And just to stir things up a bit, You all know I am a staunch buy American guy, but the best offshore sharpness out of the box comes from RoughRider.

Just my 2 pennies

[red_metallic]

Vintage Case XX, "Tested XX Razor Edge" etched on the blade. Find a NIB one from the 60's and you will be amazed at the factory edge they had back then.

More modern (for me) is the Spike non-serrated automatic from Benchmade. As I was opening one for the first time my wife said "Be careful and don't cut yourself.". I pushed the button and the opening force took it right out of my hand and onto the top of my forearm. It left a 3" cut quite deep at one end. I bled through bandages the rest of the day but was however laughing as my wife wrapped a towel around my arm right after it happened. That episode still comes up under the category of "I know what I am doing.......".

:D

[Madcap_Magician]

Spyderco I find has the most consistently sharp factory edge, but in recent years Kershaw has worked its way up there too.

The single sharpest production knives I have owned are the Microtech Makora and the Kershaw Leek, but much of this is a function of the thinness and grind of the blade.

[Leaky Waders]

sebenza!

[rockstar.esq]

As Arfin said, a Solingen straight razor truly defines sharp. Regarding the buck's and their hardness to sharpen I have a few observations. First and foremost I switched to using laminated paper grinding wheels made by Razor sharp http://www.osograndeknives.com/Razor%20Sharp%20Edgemaking%20System/razor_sharp_-_4_x_3_4_gritted_wheel,_5_8_hole_bushed_to_1_2.htm

Without a doubt this is the fastest and easiest way to put a shaving sharp edge on anything. I've successfully sharpened file steel to shaving sharp with these wheels. If you simply use the gritted wheel you'll get a "toothy" edge that grabs meat wickedly. Following up with the rouge wheel leaves a mirror polish on the edge which when you've knocked the wire burr off is scalpel sharp. Oddly enough the most difficult to sharpen steel I've yet encountered is the typical Victorinox swiss army knife. That steel heats up stupidly fast, and it won't form a wire edge unless you're using a hand stone and the patience of a Zen master. They'd be worth the work if they'd hold an edge any better than average.

[mongo4567]

My sharpest was a Marttiini hunting knife, so sharp it scared me... Dressed a hog out and was cutting bone by accident.

[JeffLrrp]

I've heard that the old Buck steel was really hard to sharpen, however, owing to the new (and by new I mean a couple years old) change in blade geometry, as well as their change of steel to 420hc, new production Bucks are incredibly easy to sharpen. Yea, the 420hc doesnt hold an edge nearly as well (I'd rank it with the Victorinox steel), but 420hc and the Vic steel can get paper-shaving sharp with a few swipes down a Sharpmaker.

Whittled with a Buck 119 Special for more than an hour one day and got it back to slicing paper within 30 strokes on the sharpmaker = 3 minutes of sharpening effort.

Because of the ease of sharpening (and because I am both a terrible sharpener and pretty darn lazy), the only utility knives I own are Vic and Buck. A couple of Kabars complement them for (*ahem) "combat use" :rolleyes:, but the Bucks and Vics are my EDCs

[Aka Zero]

Sharpest knifes.

I strop knives right after I get them, to get rid of some of the factory freshness.

Kuhn Rikon Colori Paring knife. It's purple. Blade and all. And will shave better than a razor blade out of the box. Was amazed. $10 on amazon.

CRKT ringed Razel. Weird knife, holds an edge great.

Mora's need a touch up to remove some metal, same with marttiini. But both need very little work to be one of the true value knives.

Anything Rada, super thin, cheap kitchen knives. Who thought 420 stainless could be this good. Pointing out the paring knives they make. they are hollo ground, but the blades are so thin the edge is very fine.

[Colt Smith]

I don't have experience with some of the brands mentioned here but I can tell you that any and all of the Blackjack knives I've had from the early Effingham days were extremely sharp. I love my little Trail guide. Beautiful.