Had a chat with an old timer about knife sharpening angles, changed my mind

I was at a knife swap in Portland last Saturday, talking to this guy who's been making custom folders since the 70s. He said he always sharpens at 15 degrees per side for everything, even hard use blades. I've always done 20 for tougher tasks, thought his method would chip out instantly. He handed me his personal EDC that he's used for 3 years, edge still had no chips and shaved hair off my arm. Now I'm rethinking my whole sharpening setup, has anyone else tried going that low on a 1095 blade?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_foster11d ago

Funny how a guy who's been doing this since bell bottoms were cool can make you feel like you've been wasting your life sharpening knives wrong... I always figured 15 degrees was for fancy kitchen knives, but apparently I'm the one who's been living in the dark ages. Guess I'll be digging out my old work knife this weekend to see if I can finally stop complaining about how dull it gets after one limb.

spencerfisher10d ago

15 degrees on a work knife, sounds like @holly_foster wants to slice through beef like butter.