If you have a knife sharpened at 20* and it is sharp enough to shave with, what is gained from sharpening at an angle < 20*?

I'm wondering this after reading Clay's post re German steels and kitchen knives.

Mikedoh wrote:
I always thought more acute was more comfortable...well, I'd always heard that...

I can kinda see that for shaving, but is it a big difference for kitchen chores and so forth?

I notice a pretty big difference between my Japanese knives at +/-15 degrees and my German knives at 20 degrees. It is definitely enough to make me always reach for the Japanese blades.

Is it the difference in the steel or the blade profile that you think gives the difference in the most acute angle a blade will comfortably support? Or like most things pertaining to knives, is it always a combination?

xuzme720 wrote:


I think it's mostly the steel though the geometry is definitely a factor.

Clay,

I think that likely the geometry is the big factor. A more acute angle, at least in my experience...and documented in many discussions I have read, will always reduce cutting effort. The steel, of course, determines whether that higly acute edge will be sharp for more than a slice or two.. much less hitting the cutting board with any force more than once...


Some steels just can't support a bevel that thin!

Of course the factors are closely related...why shapen at low angles if you have to sharpen after each tomato...

Phil

Ah man topics like this make me want those new arms to really go crazy on my practice pieces... I would have to agree that geometry plays a big role, just because of the variety of knives I've worked with since getting my WEPS kit I've noticed a massive difference in how each grind and angle handle normal tasks. I haven't quite adjusted to the semi-chisel grind of the CRKT in my pocket right now, so it still seems kind of lackluster at certain light duty tasks but does seem to cruise through cardboard nicely. Maybe it's still user error At any rate I've read a lot of discussion on different grinds, chisel in particular, handling different cutting tasks differently so there's got to be more to it!