I must be luck because I haven’t lost an expensive knife yet. I’ve been carrying an Emerson CQC7 for years.
The blade get crazy sharp and holds an edge much better than a typical store bought knife like a Gerber. I believe Emerson uses CM154 to make the blade. It’s quite a bit better than the typical 440.
Thats’s actually what I was looking for. What are the benefits to a chisel edge blade? I actually don’t cut very much cardboard, just a little bit. Most of my cutting is thick plastic seram wrap and the occasional tape on a package and maybe other non regular stuff.
If you’re buying an edc knife (folder), use it. Use it on whatever you want. Food prep. Whittling. Opening boxes. Cutting calluses. Whatever. Get a sharpener that is easy to use and repeatable. When she gets dull, use the sharpener. It makes it so much more enjoyable and worth the money when you actually aren’t worried about getting your knife dull because you can get it stupid Sharp again in 5 minutes.
IMO, spend the money on a Wicked Edge. Done. Period.
I’ve lost enough knives to where I don’t EDC anything over $50-$100. As others have stated, a good sharpener will make a world of difference. Expensive knives are great, and I have a few, but I don’t carry them often. They’re more of a collector’s item.
Also of not is that some Emersons are chisel ground, like the CQC7, where the bevel is on one side and the other side is flat. Some are V-ground, where the bevels are ground on both sides, like the Roadhouse or Commander, but even the V-ground ones are still only sharpened on one side. That is part of making them easier to sharpen.
I was picking up some wasp spray for my deck and wandered over to the knives in Sporting goods at WalMart.
They had Kershaw knives, (not crap, but not the best by any means) on sale at the $17.00 price point. They are decent enough for EDC and at that price I would feel a lot better if I dropped one in to the sub floor never to be seen again.
Anything above $75.00 is an expensive knife to me. I carry a sharpener and a spare knife in my brief case. They work for me and like I said, I worry less about losing them.
There’s a few known name knife manufacturers who are out sourcing the lower end stuff to production in China. By all accounts for the $$$, they are quite good. I got an Emerson for $30 on Amazon and it’s been an excellent little folder.
Yes, using a whetstone/waterstone. I like Naniwa & King stones. Good quality but won’t break the bank.
If your knives are really dull, you can start using a 250-400grit. Next, use a 800-1000grit. From there, I go to a 3000grit and that’s good enough for me, unless you want to sharpen a straight razor.
I also use a Nagura stone to clean the 1000 & 3000 stone after use.
Just make sure to keep the stones wet while using and soak them first.
I’ve both lost and destroyed a nice knife before, and I’ll probably never buy one again. It IS worth it when you have it, but when you don’t… You’ll be pissed you’re out XX dollars.
