A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one

Winx

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Oct 7, 2025
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A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one. If you remember nothing else from this post, remember that.
 
I tend to keep my Leatherman Sidekick with it's single blade pretty darn close to a razor. It's not a good carbon steel blade but for stainless it's not bad at holding an edge. But, ya know, I probably use the pliers as much or more than the knife.

I have an old 1.5" smooth leather belt that I made into a poor man's strop. After I took the buff off the belt with a orbital sander I imbedded some red (course) rubbing compound into it. It works like a dream to get it back to shaving capability in pretty short order.

Ever price out a strop? Whoa.
 
I learned a lot about knives when field dressing years ago. A sharp one actually feels safer because it does exactly what you expect without forcing things or risking a slip.
 
I'm a machinist with a specialty in making cutting edges - not tool and die but actually making the tooling used from rifling to a bizzioion pieces per hour. Metallurgy and angles were my life. Of everything other than crappy cutting materials it's the angle of the dangle. All tools from your pocket knife to your drill bit to your wood chisel have one thing in common: what you are cutting and the angle (and geometry) of the edge. And of course the material of the cutting edge.

Everybody wants the best of the best 200x folded steel that holds the edge even when those fighting swords hit edge to edge. Bwahhh-hahh. What a joke - ever think about that? The best sword didn't break and if really good just pummeled the opponent because there was no edge left from edge hits. Ever hit something with your hatchet? If it was only like Highlander had.... These things of a stone up the blade? Heck, they'd be hammering and retempering the serrated edge from the hits if they can be repaired. On a smaller scale that's why grooved, hardened rod works well for your kitchen knives instead of grabbing a cutting stone and wearing them to nothing behind whatever heat treatment the knife originally had.

Your High Speed Steel drill bit and your butchering knife have things in common. But they are two different things. I can drill a nice straight hole to specs with a drill bit with coolant but I can not give you a good shave that makes your skin tingle. But, say, with the same material the barber has doesn't hurt you and Miyagi can cut the fly in the air.

Maybe a knife sharpening sub forum?

What IS a good knife?
 

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