Ever had knives just "die" on you?

Well, I was wondering if you guys have gotten to the point where your knife is just dead. Not dull, just completely dead. I have a gyuto that I learned on and kept on using it and chipped it many many times to the point where it looks like a sujihiki now. And it's at the point where it just doesn't get very sharp anymore and it's pretty thick behind the edge now too. Sure I could thin out the blade (which would take more time and elbow grease than I have available), and maybe bring it back from the dead, but I'm tired and so is my knife. I think it's time to pass it along to the wife or something and get a new knife!

I have knives that I used before I seriously got into high end stuff, that were sharpened poorly, honed on a steel, and I never even thought to thin them at the time. There is far to much effort needed to bring them back using just stones, so they will sit there till i buy a grinder, and then become practice pieces, and given away to friends & family.

That's not dead, it's more like worn out, used up, etc. Good honest wear!

when they get to be like that, the thickness behind the edge limits edge sharpness... it can still be restored, but its a lot of work (just finished one right now in fact)

My MAC is definitely on life support. It's a suji these days and is not too far off from being a petty :laugh:

I just can't let it go. There's no sensible reason to keep it in my kit or to continue to put in the work to make it perform... but it's my baby. It's the first "real" knife for work I ever bought. I still remember how excited I was when I got it and how big of an investment it was for me at the time. It was my entire kit for about 2 years and it's what I learned (very poorly) to sharpen on. I'm just weirdly attached to it - it's traveled across the US with me twice and helped keep a roof over my head. I probably won't put it away in a drawer until it's a paring knife.