Initial sharpening (honbadzuke)

[donegoofed]

What do you usually do with a new knife? Straight to the stones or try it out first? What kind of progression etc?

 

[Rangen]

I test the edge with my fingers (carefully!) and judge what to do from there.

 

[donegoofed]

Thanks, @Rangen! Lets say it doesn’t pass your finger test. Would you try to polish it a bit on a fine grit, or do a full progress?

 

[Walla]

I generally try out the OTB edge for a while... unless it's horrible... that becomes readily apparent upon use...after a day or two of use it's time to sharpen 'em.

Take care

Jeff

 

[Rangen]

Thanks, @Rangen! Lets say it doesn’t pass your finger test. Would you try to polish it a bit on a fine grit, or do a full progress?

Depends. The finger test is not pass/fail. If the edge is just plain bad, then a full progression. If it's just meh, then I use how meh to decide where in the progression to start.

 

[Kawa]

Since I've read that most OOTB edges arent that great (weak steel due to being heated too much locally when sharpening on the grinder), I tend to use new knives untill they are kind of blunt.
I havent bought too many Jknives new, so my experience is not worth much. Nor am I a professional cook who depends on his tools.
But since I think the advice is to do a full sharpening due to this locally overheated steel, I just use the knife untill blunt. Would be a shame to just 'lightly touch up', knowing you need to remove some steel soon anyway.

Plus,
I can compare better 'ootb edge versus my own results'
Cutting one union or so doenst leave me a great memory to compare. I need to use it a few times to be able to compare.

 

[M1k3]

If it's a Takamura or Heiji, it definitely needs to see a stone first. Or just sharpen out the microchips.

 

[KingShapton]

Over the years, I've gotten into the habit of always making my own edge for a new knife. So a complete sharpening before the first use.

So I also have my own and usual angle, which makes future sharpening easy.

 

[GBT-Splint]

If it's not a mass produced and a good quality knife I always take pleasure in using the OOTB edge, I think it's interesting to see what a pro sharpener does and esteems "good enough to sell" and helps to set your goal for sharpness afterwards.
After a day of use I do my own full progression.

 

[SirCutAlot]

Allways a new edge. Don`t know much about Heat treatment and heat while grinding (read a lot about issues this way), but i can say my own edge is better suited for me.

SirCutALot

 

[Ruso]

Can the term “hondbazuke” be really applied to a double bevel knife that already has a serviceable edge??

I usually use “factory” edge until it dies. Then do the full progression.

 

[stringer]

It's usually about a week or two before I do a full progression. I usually like to do a tiny bit of thinning whether the knife needs it or not so that I can get a feel for the grind. And then finish with a nice natural microbevel. Either Arkansas or Jnat based depending on my mood.

 

[SolidSnake03]

If it's a Takamura or Heiji, it definitely needs to see a stone first. Or just sharpen out the microchips.

Just use it till it's a bread knife and now you have a bread knife too.

 

[big_adventure]

I always try out the OOTB edge, but I'm almost universally disappointed by them and stone them quickly. Out of all of my knives, precisely 4 were "acceptable" OOTB.

Some were blindingly sharp, but the edge didn't last well through half a prep - skating on skins is not acceptable in my kitchen. Examples there include Moritaka and Hinoura AS. Both became stellar for edge retention after putting a new edge on them - the Moritaka is the knife I keep at HHT4 ever since the HHT challenge on the board a while ago, and it maintains that through a prep. Impressive.

Some lasted a bit or a LOT better, but relatively quickly developed microchips. Sukenari ZDP and Shiraki Ginsan both landed here - notably the Sukenari OOTB edge was crazy sharp and lasted a very long time, but it did develop several chips - zero chipping since sharpening it. Some just weren't as sharp or as "bitey" as I expect so they hit the stones quickly. The Shiraki is a mystery - it's a yanagiba, and has only ever been used on raw boneless fish. I don't have any idea where chips came from. Getting them out required a full single-bevel progression, and that identified that, despite the pedigree (Shiraki forged, Kasahara sharpened), the bevel was uneven and slightly concave. It took a significant amount of time to flatten it, then I got to learn how to put back a decent kasumi finish. Fun times.

Some BST knives came a bit dull or with tiny chips. So they were stoned immediately in any case.

A couple came sharp OOTB but not as sharp as I like in my kitchen.

The knives that didn't need their edges redone were a Togashi x Yohei honyaki, a Kato, and two Yu Kurosakis: a Senko bunka (SG2) and a Raijin (CS) petty. Two unicorns and two ponies from the local park. Go figure.

 

[adam92]

When the new knife came I always cut some capsicum & tomato to see the edge is acceptable or not, For single bevel knife like yanagiba, I only sharpen micro bevel until I feel like need to do full progress from medium stone. For double bevel most of them OOTB edge is acceptable, I use them until they blunt, then do the full progress, put on the angle which suit to me.

 

[Benuser]

I generally try out the OTB edge for a while... unless it's horrible... that becomes readily apparent upon use...after a day or two of use it's time to sharpen 'em.

Take care

Jeff

I do have the firm intention to give an OOTB edge a fair chance. In practice, though, I can't wait. I don't wait for chips. The last time I was able to wait two hours before taking it to the stones. Usually a first working edge without much refinment, just to get rid of the OOTB one, say starting on a 320 and ending with a 3k, then forcing patina, and finally putting a good edge on it. All sharpening starting behind the edge.

 

[Pie]

I intend to use the ootb edge for “a while”, but usually it ends up being one prep then to the stones. Although high grit nicely polished edges push cut well, they don’t have the toothiness I’ve become accustomed to. All but the finest of my finishers give some increased amount of tooth vs synthetics.

TF blue super had the best edge ootb I’ve used, geometry be damned, but even that got taken for levelling up after a month or so of use. The only edge I haven’t touched is a Takeda suji but l it’s time is coming soon.

 

[wombat]

I tend to use the OOTB edge two or three times, then give it a touch-up starting on a medium or fine stone, depending on how good the original edge was.

Notable exceptions: a Toyama which microchipped immediately and needed to go to the stones early, and my Kaeru WH which came with a great OOTB edge and hasn't seen the stones yet.