I have been following this knife online ( the Grayman Satu ) watching YouTube reviews and reading blogs in various forums. There is one topic that seems to come up frequently. That is the factory edge put on the knife is as toothy as it is possible to make an edge on a knife. I mean we are talking toothy. It looks like the knife was sharpened in a cement cinder block. The knife is well regarded otherwise for fit and finish. The blade is s30v, so it's a well made knife other than the grind.

The knife maker describes his knife as "not made to be pretty, it's made to work under extreme conditions." I contacted the Grayman company and spoke to Sue, the owners wife. She said they could put a smooth edge on the knife. I am wondering if a knife this thick just needs a very obtuse angle on the edge which will not stay sharp if it is too fine. I think the logic behind the rough toothy factory finish is that a very toothy blade will continue to cut after being used very roughly by the owner such as chopping or batoning wood.

It is more of a survival knife made for military use, but I am very attracted to it and I want to get one. Would love to hear from anyone here who has any experience with this hefty beast.

This knife? Doesn't look that rough in the photo...


www.graymanknives.com/Resources/Large%20Folders%20Small.jpg

The beauty of sharpening your own knife is that you can decide what level of finish you want. If it were me, I'd let them put on the "smooth edge" (might as well let them do the grunt work) then you can decide where to go from there. A lot depends on how you're going to actually use it.

You might ask them if they can tell you what type of edge (flat/convex) and angle it's sharpened at... they probably won't say/know if it's freehand sharpened, but you never know.

Hopefully someone has one that can chime in. From the photos, I don't see any issues... looks like something from the ZT line.

Sounds like the creator needs a WEPS! That's a nice knife! Man, I gotta get into making custom folders at some point =)

As far as toothy vs. polished, that will be a personal preference... I LOVE a toothy edge on my EDC knives b/c I don't have much purpose for a highly polished edge that will push cut. In my EDC I "draw" cut, or slice rather than push through something. That will be up to you to decide.

Most of the time it seems as if knife manufacturers put a much more obtuse angle on the edge than most people prefer... S30V will handle a lower angle (15-17* per side) - but don't miss this important factor - DEPENDING ON THE HEAT TREATMENT. a HT will make or break the blade... you can take the best steel in the world and not HT if properly and it will be like a piece of mild steel that will never take/hold an edge.

On Grayman's website they say that they temper the knife to 59 HRC which seems to be a good HT in my opinion. I think you would be fine w/ dropping the edge angle to what I mentioned above.

Sorry I don't have any more to offer you as I have never handled one! Keep us posted

I'm not sure if this is the usual way it is shipped from the factory but on a blade forum post this is what was represented by one new owner of the Grayman Dua, the smaller sister to the Satu. As you might imagine there was much discussion after this about the condition of the edge as shipped from factory.

www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.ph...126&d=1317356308

www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.ph...125&d=1317356305

Grayman is the last name of the knife designer and builder. He has extensive military background which explains the design of the knife. I believe he operates out of his house or garage with his wife to make these so it is a small mom and pop company that can do pretty much what they want.

Here's the pictures you referenced (if people don't have a BF account, they can't see it.)...






My .02... if that's a factory edge... that's pretty awful.

Thanks, I edited the post to add another picture. I need to learn how to post pictures still.

I have decided to order one of these which should arrive this week. I will post a picture of the edge for you when I get it. If I can figure out how. All the reviews are extremely positive and the knife is very popular as it sells out frequently according to other reviewers, so I am not that concerned about the edge. I am still waiting for my WE Pro 2 kit which should make short work of this rough edge. Still it would be interesting to hear from others who might have one of these big boys.

Edit: I found the thread... it was started about a year ago. Towards the end (just last month), someone posted that the knife now comes with a "smooth convex edge". This does seem to correspond to the pics on Grayman's website.

I'll be interested to see how yours arrives. If you can't figure out how to post pictures, send me a Private Message... we'll get 'em up one way or another!