Maximizing Edge Retention – What CATRA Reveals about the Optimum Edge

[K813zra]

[video=youtube;3wlgNYVRN7Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wlgNYVRN7Q[/video]

Yeah, man. That is not for me!

 

[Messer Mojo]

This is very interesting.

I have two questions:
1. Which (common) kitchen knives do have low edge angle?

2. If the edge angle is i.e. 30°, can I sharpen the edge angle to lets say 15-20° or isn't it possible?
sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm a noob when it comes to knife sharpening

 

[Drosophil]

To answer both questions: you can put whatever angle you want, provided the steel can take it. Soft steels can't hold a thin edge for very long before rolling.

 

[Messer Mojo]

ok, thank you

 

[paulraphael]

This is convincing for test case of cutting soft, very abrasive material. The question I have, is to what degree this simulates cutting food on a normal cutting board.

My impression is that my knives don't dull primarily from abrasion, but from edge failure of one kind or another. Maybe this reveals a problem with my knives or my sharpening technique. Has this organization done any systematic studies on the causes of dulling, which have led to this particular test?

 

[Barmoley]

It seems to make sense that wear is not a primary dulling mechanism of kitchen knives and yet we see that in general more wear resistant steels hold their edges longer when cutting food. Given a good heat treat of each, even at similar hardness
blue super>blue 1>blue 2>white.
The ones that hold the edge better have more carbides and are more wear resistant because of that, so wear must play a significant role in dulling when cutting food.

Larrin we need more tests......

 

[Larrin]

More tests will come. Don't worry! I would imagine that even if the food doesn't wear the knife very much that the wooden cutting board might. Deformation and chipping of the edge while chopping/slicing against the board are also important mechanisms.

 

[bahamaroot]

There is no arguing that deformation and chipping play a major role in edge life but I also believe acids can and do play a role too.
If acids can etch, patina and rust a steel how can it not affect edge life?

 

[Nemo]

There is no arguing that deformation and chipping play a major role in edge life but I also believe acids can and do play a role too.
If acids can etch, patina and rust a steel how can it not affect edge life?

I suspect that you are correct however the only way to know for sure is to do the experiments.

 

[masibu]

Id like to see a test involving the use of microbevels of various grits/angles to compare to the dmt 600 without one. Lower grits perform better at low angles for increased aggression but for really high grits (depending on the knife) higher angles seem to be more stable without losing much cutting ability.

For simplicity I would use the same 'knives' as used here throughout the experiment as pure carbon alloys don't require the same high angles as stainless. I don't have a scientific background to prove microbevels work I just know they do. It would be interesting to see if that translates on one of these tests and by how much the edge thickness changes.