Coarse Grit Knife Edges Are Weird - Coarse Vs Fine grit Edges Cut Under Microscope

[@OUTDOORS55]

Probably the best VALUE stone as of now⬇(Affiliated links, everything bought with my own money, see full disclosures below) amzn.to/3WcbiF3 Review → kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6iVZqKAa5x2Z6s This setup is a close second⬇ amzn.to/4b1VwS1 amzn.to/3xGimj1 (you need both since the cheap diamond stone 1000 grit isn't actually 1000 grit) Review→ kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmeyiGuXndaNesk HOW TO SHARPEN A KNIFE IN 5 MINUTES⬇ kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppLKgaifqqZsmbs These are Amazon affiliated links. As an amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Personal statement⬇ As an affiliate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. I bought everything in this video with my own money, and am free to link to anything I want. Recommendations, comments, and criticisms, are based on personal experience with products. At this time, (time of video upload, subject to change) I am NOT sponsored by any company. Thanks

[@spinnwebe_]

Very much enjoying my Sharpal, thanks for the recommendation

[@SyBernot]

A bit pricey but if you want sharp you want a microtome ;)

[@wayneswonderarium]

The only thing I'd like to see compared is a project farm style edge retention test (e.g. chopping and slicing veg & meat)

[@clyderichardson6475]

Another great video. I love the magnification videos. I bought the recommended two sided diamond stone and I love it.

[@itoibo4208]

You were figuratively splitting hairs while cutting the tomato, and literally splitting hairs when you were splitting hairs. 😉

[@courier11sec]

Another master class in macro photography. Unreal results.

[@weevilinabox]

Seconded. If there were a second channel with hours of this footage, I absolutely would watch it. It's almost therapeutic.

[@itoibo4208]

but why is close up called macro, when it should be called micro? a scenic panorama should be a macro 🤔

[@SikerGaming]

@@itoibo4208 You're making small things big, or making them "macro".

[@itoibo4208]

@@SikerGaming like looking at cells with my macroscope.

[@SikerGaming]

@@itoibo4208 The "Micro" in microscope refers to the "micro" objects you're "scoping". A Macro Photo is a large photo. A photo that is larger than the subject being photographed. Both make sense for different reasons.

[@blainebickle1178]

Such amazing work. I love youtube videos that not only talk about the basics, but actually put theories to the test rather than blindly following what is considered "correct".

[@randy-9842]

Amen!

[@Trapperx89]

Would love to see an obsidian shard edge that up close.

[@robertbarnum7541]

And tungsten carbide at 71 hrc.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

This isn't really showing the edge, just the micro bevel near the edge. You need electron microscopy for the edge because a proper sharpened edge is smaller than the wavelength of visible light.

[@bornonthebattlefront4883]

⁠@@TheDuckofDoom. not even remotely true A truly sharp edge can fall anywhere between 1-4 micrometers wide Plenty wide to see under a microscope All knives round off eventually, usually before .9 microns Which is why obsidian is “sharper” because it rounds off much much later, usually around .5 microns Which is still quite visible All the claims about obsidian being so sharp it could “cut individual cells” is just claims made from Reddit I couldn’t find a single medical or scientific white paper confirming that theory Just an article mentioning it, as a theory So until it is done, documented, written and then published It’s made up

[@sdfggdfg5fgdfg]

@@TheDuckofDoom. aren't certain obsidian edges monomolecular

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

​@@sdfggdfg5fgdfg Obsidian blades are not my area of expertise but I know it would be difficult to image and confirm because it is not an electrically conductive material. Electron microscopes rely on electrical conduction. Some nonconductive items can be plated first, but the plating will coat the very finest details (like a monomolecular edge). If memory serves the obsidian scalpel thing was a bit of a fad that has lost favor. Steel blades have mostly caught up and obsidian chips are a nasty foreign object risk because they are extremely difficult to detect compared to metal, and that is aside from the difference in risk of generating a chip.(Leaded glass, eg "crystal" would show on xrays, normal glass does not.) I have seen images of a factory sharpened steel scalpel edge, and it was substantially more even and finer than even a well stropped straight razer. I don't recall with certainty which industrial process was used, but it may have been sharpened with a lazer. Modern scalpel blades are one time use items anyway so the resistance to dulling is not a primary concern.

[@markbreidenbaugh6033]

I think edge retention is what we need to know, if there is a difference there maybe.

[@BriBCG]

Instinct makes me want to say the course sharpened one would stay sharp longer, for the same reason a serrated knife stays sharp longer. Whether or not the difference is really noticeable at that level is the question.

[@ifell3]

Was just going to say this, so bumping instead

[@NireBryce]

coarse might roll slightly easier just because each gouge will be a stress concentration, but i don't think it's enough to matter if you strop often

[@paulyoder865]

I’m going with coarse grit….

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

there is. the course edge has slightly more edge retention. But the mirror edge has better toughness ie less likely to chip. the reasons why are obvious, but this is also cited in the book knife engineering by larrin thomas and confirmed on his testing

[@wtfdinges]

Hah, so I'm not an idiot! I used to have a second job that involved cutting kevlar rope a lot. At the time I sharpened my knife to a very fine grit and it always worked like a charm. Unfortunately I dropped it and it got quite a bad chip right in the middle of the blade. As I didn't feel like spending hours on my 800 grit stone (that's the lowest I had), I brought it to a professional knife sharpener to get it fixed. He did an awesome job and even polished it so it looked like new again, but it felt less sharp to me when cutting kevlar ropes. When checking with him, I discovered that he stopped at 1600 grit while I used to go on to 3000 grit. He basically told me I was an idiot for doing that, as it was a waste of time and doesn't make any difference. It's been ten years since that discussion happened, but I still visit his store regularly and will definitely show him this video haha!

[@MrTehNoms]

I mean, you're not much of a idiot if your blade actually felt less sharp when sharpened to a lesser grit

[@EDC_IWB]

I think that spending the extra time to get the fine mirror edge is the fun part of sharpening knives, not the necessary. For EDC, I'd say coarse grit micro saw tooth edge would be fine. But for zen reasons, there's just something so satisfying about going after that extra fine edge. I'm not quite there yet but I'm enjoying the process in getting there.

[@OUTDOORS55]

It can be fun thats for sure!👍

[@markdudley3831]

What a load of shit

[@australai]

When I first started free hand sharpening about 10 years ago I had the goal of mirror polishing edges in mind. I got the Spyderco Ultra Fine Ceramic stone as the polishing step and found the feedback it gave in the form of the very high contrast of the swarf on the white ceramic and the sound of it to greatly improve the learning curve. Speaking of, I'd love to see a revisit of those ceramic stones since he tried them 5 years ago with some more macro goodness.

[@isaiah7617]

I have a fun story about tomatoes. It's actually the reason I found your channel. And one of the reasons I obsessively try to get the sharpest edge possible. I work in a commercial kitchen, and there's nothing worse than having to prep a bunch of slightly mushy/on their way out tomatoes with a knife that isn't super sharp. As you can see in your closeups, you release a little bit more juice with the coarse edge. Every little bit matters when you end up with tomato juice down your front and into your shoes eventually. It's better than raw fish water in your boots all day though. Anyway, love the content and I've found that "little bit extra" that I've been missing in my edges thanks to your content.

[@tjay1305]

What is your preferred finishing grit then? Best compromise between edge retention and cutting tomatoes without juice?

[@fishymaniac104]

@@tjay1305 I use a cheap 120/320 stone and finish on a 1000 stone, gets everything done, 120 if you nicked your knife and need to redo the edge, 320 once a month or so, 1000 every week or so. because of this channel I'm considering a strop.. no point getting the knife too sharp, bites into the chopping board, and can't feel the difference between skin and flesh when skinning fish.

[@tjay1305]

@@fishymaniac104 I sometimes sharpen for customers (and mostly for myself), and I’m obsessed with trying to find a better answer to grit progressions. Normally for the majority of knives (i.e. cheaper softer stainless) I go 320-500-1000 and stop there. There’s no point getting higher because 1K is where the steel starts getting too refined and loses its “bitiness”. So, the same as you mostly… I can’t really explain it, but for now my preferred edges need a good mix between coarse and fine, and stainless steel happens to stop at the 1K grit rating or so. I use a Shapton pro 5k to strop a little if I did a slightly worse job of deburring on my 1k stone. That’s my strop. No such thing as too sharp to me. True lasting sharpness is only achieved when you deburr properly.

[@swordzanderson5352]

makes sense since you literally use the knife way, way more than the average joe, you'd want better than average excellence. Though I do wonder, what's the breaking point where it's too sharp and is too easy for it to dent? Though I guess the most obvious answer is not cut anything it's not meant to

[@tjay1305]

@@swordzanderson5352 As I mentioned, for me there’s no such thing as “too sharp”. However, there is such a thing as “too thin”. This happens when the amount of material behind the edge is too little to support the apex and it buckles and chips very quickly when pressure is exerted. Most people don’t encounter this though… E.g. I’ve gotten a knife so thin that when you place a thumbnail on the edge with some pressure the edge flexes. This means the thickness just behind the edge is almost as thin as paper. It makes for an extremely sharp knife, but even careful use on a soft cutting board led to chips very quickly. Softer steel and stainless steel tends to require more material to support the edge and they cannot get as thin as good carbon steel knives that have been hardened to at least 59-62 HRC.

[@PhilippeCarphin]

I think that stropping compound is what makes both knives perform so similarly. Both edges look super polished right near the apex. Some of it has to be skill related too producing a really nice apex for the strop to polish.

[@KnowArt]

exactly my thoughts

[@kpfagerberg]

Seems like the most important thing is to get a clean apex with the coarse stone. If it first happens every other stone will be off.

[@7784000]

Plus timewise coarse grit+stropping seems to be the gold spot for every day sharpness

[@LocnavLivoc]

i'm curious if edge retention is a factor in a coarse vs fine challenge

[@shawno8253]

This is also something I was wondering

[@sgtkumpel]

+1

[@haqvor]

My wife is a hunter and I have sharpened her knife to a mirror polish. The feedback I have got is that it performs very well when skinning a moose for a while but the performance drops significantly before she is done. It might be that I haven't done a good enough job, but on the other hand that is a pretty demanding task and moose are big. I plan to send her out with a coarser edge next year and hope that it will work better.

[@outsider344]

​@@haqvor wtf. My wife refuses to cary any knife I've sharpened because they are "too dangerous", and certainly never brings me moose.

[@guggiuggi3687]

@@outsider344 Your wife doesn't bring you moose? Damn dude, sounds like you got a lemon.. 🤷

[@imimportantright]

It honestly pisses me off that we cant get this level of education from our school systems lmao you are a phenomenal teacher and i really appreciate you and the work you put into your content

[@ViacheslavSobolev]

My relative got troubles with nervous system, so now she cuts herself more frequently. Small injuries made by knife polished by 2k grit stone disappear much faster than if knife was sharpened on 400 grit. This is important enough for me to spend more time for sharpening.

[@OUTDOORS55]

A very interesting and possibly important point I haven't thought of👍

[@gedfi]

There is a reason why scalpels are incredibly sharp. The difference between a cut and a tear affects healing. A scalpel cut almost "closes on its own". I bet most of the viewers here have experienced the way a cut with a dull knife doesn't seem to want to close.

[@robertlitman2661]

Maybe you should invest in butchers gloves instead.

[@jacobgaysawyer337]

@@gedfi thanks for the info

[@markdudley3831]

​@@robertlitman2661...... best comment I've read on utube today...... hahahaha

[@Green_Guy]

The BEST channel for knife stuff AND camera work.

[@allanknives]

The hard maple cut at the end was really striking. Awesome video and in a class by itself.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Thanks my friend 🙏

[@homeslicesharpening]

I think the point that this video clarifies more than any other is this: The difference in how satisfying a coarse edge is to use vs a fine edge... Is WAY smaller than the huge difference between how mildly satisfying it is to watch a knife slice stuff with the naked eye vs the ludicrous enjoyment I am experiencing right now just watching it slice stuff over and over in slow motion through a microscope. I'm just so satisfied right now watching this video. My brain is like "Ooooooooh"

[@afoolishman12]

Very well done. Another factor is that more stones means you have to stay consistent with your angle even longer. More stones mean more overall time and breaks in sharpening where you have to reset your grip, so you have imagine most people have worse angles. So if you aren’t really skilled at sharpening just using one stone probably means you’ll get a better edge.

[@RebuildingSaad]

This has definitely been the case for me! I'm in the camp of low-skill sharpeners and I find that after I switch to a finer grit stone, I often undo some of the work I had put in on the coarser stones.

[@StormSpider-iw1uz]

Hey, can you make a tutorial on sharpening small knives? I have a lot of trouble maintaining an angle while trying to grip a small knife

[@weevilinabox]

Me too. I'm sure my Leatherman Wave has different angle every time I sharpen it, because I can neither see nor feel whether I'm matching the existing angle. Since I've seen you answer "I don't know" when questioned about the angle you've use on a particular knife, is the answer to learn to hit the same angle every time (i.e. muscle memory), then sharpen all knives to that? And a related question: how do you maintain the angle all the way to the tip? The curve always throws me.

[@jeanladoire4141]

litterally click on his channel, he did SO MANY videos like these...

[@LogisticallyMisrepresented]

Curvy blades are tough. Sharpen one part of blade. Then sharpen the troublesome part of blade. ​@@weevilinabox

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

try a smaller stone. I use stones as small as .5" x 3" for freehand sharpening. i only freehand. I have no issue doing little 3" knives or 8" knives on the tiny stones. But most of my stones are full size obviously. Small stones are good for smaller knives, knives with tricky curves and knives with recurves.

[@Phrish]

Your macro work is outstanding!

[@sasines]

Love your deep dive into the world of sharpening! Macro videos are outstanding! Thank you for making these videos.

[@Witchlord]

To answer your question... depends on the application. You can tell in the tomato cut that the fine edge creates smaller water droplets, meaning less tissue damage at a deeper microscopic level. That's the type of sharpness for something like sushi or ultra fine culinary cuts. Everything else is a one-stone job

[@willsohrnberger2441]

I thought I needed a bunch of stones to get really sharp edges...... until I actually practiced and got good..... Now I just stop at ~1000grit because i feel like the edge is more durable in the kitchen. I'm a chef, and it seems, when I take a knife to 5k, 10k, 15k, yea its screamin sharp but after a few hours of cutting its done... if I stop at 1200grit or so and do like 5 passes on a strop to make sure the burr is completely gone, my knife can stay relatively sharp for a week or so of heavy use.

[@CowsGoM3ow]

Well duh, you just hit the fine grit knife on the highest grit stone for like 20 passes when you notice it dulling (under 8k grit)... Otherwise you can strop. You only need to do a full resharpen if you don't upkeep the edge :/ Takes like a minute or two of your day. Common practice I see in Japan

[@willsohrnberger2441]

@@CowsGoM3ow well yea... I maintain most of my knives with a 1micron diamond paste on a strop and that can keep my knives hair shaving sharp without needing a stone for like weeks.. I was talking about full on repair of a neglected edge... all things equal stopping at 1-2k and taking it to 10-15k the 1-2k edge has far more bite and lasting sharpness over a 10-15k edge, at least in professional kitchen cutting on different cutting boards and a wide range of things from pineapple to butternut squash/pumpkins... A 15k edge vs the tough skin of a squash or pumpkin gets destroyed.. That being said I do have a few slicers I use for specific things like butterflying steaks/porkchops/chicken breast that I do keep a mirror finish edge on.. but I won't use those knives for mincing rosemary or cutting up pineapple or any other kind of aggressive skinned thing.

[@oneoranota]

You guys go up to 15k ?! I have done mirror polishing on lab samples for testing materials, and we stopped at 2k. Anything further is a serious waste of time, or knife masturbation. You can get an excellent cutting edge at 400 grit already. Mirror finish is mostly esthetic anyway. It means the metal is really flat. But it doesn't mean that it will cut better. It might not. A flatter surface means more friction overall.

[@willsohrnberger2441]

@@oneoranota I have the stones from when I was bad at sharpening and didn't understand the process.. I thought more number more sharp.. Now that I have actual skills and understand the principals of sharpening, I stop at 1k because i like the toothyness of the edge (when cutting tomatos, grapes, chives/scallions, cucumbers, peppers, etc. ) I stop at 1k and strop. Sometimes I'll polish an edge just for fun but lately I spend like less than 5mins start to finish on a 1k stone and can shave with that knife.

[@kims2r]

That’s an interesting insight. I also noticed prolonged edge retention in my pocketknives when I started stropping. Regardless of how high grit I sharpened. I thought the soft nature of the leather strop would create some kind of convex edge which is stronger structurally than just a sharpened bevel

[@andremiclos588]

@OUTDOORS55 Hey Alex. We were talking on another video about the 400 and 1000 grit stones for a meat kitchen knife. Turns out I bought 2 new Shapton stones, 320 and 1000 grits. Now I can feel the knives are properly sharp and retain sharpness for longer. Good tools for the job, right! Btw would be cool if you could make some videos showing how to sharpen tools, like cutting plyers or cuticle cutters. Thanks man!

[@cdc9776]

Another reason to only sharpen coarse is how fast you'll notice the blade dull. A finely sharpened blade's edge will dull faster than a coarse blade will so if coarse works for your application, then that's all you need. Enjoyed your videos!

[@carlchong7592]

Thanks for the very nice footage. It's good that we can finally replace some of the voodoo stories of how cutting works with some magnified video. In my experience with fine sharpening, I have found that the performance difference between fine and coarser edges shows up more in chopping cuts. If cutting is being done with a lot of drawing, there will be less performance difference, but if there is less draw being used, the difference in performance becomes bigger. I employ a few stages of paper cutting test to assess edges. Sharp, but not very refined edges will pull cut through paper well, but their performance will not be good if you push down on an edge that is perpindicular to the paper edge. Hold the knife dead horizontally with the paper edge also horizontal, but rotated 90deg. Put a gentle curl in the paper to give it some stiffness and push the knife down without drawing. A more refined edge will chop down the paper instead of buckling it. The highest degree of sharpness shows when I can roll a sheet of paper in a 2" dia tube. A very sharp knife will manage to "attack" and gain purchase into the curved surface instead of buckling it in. Sharper knives will engage when they are more perpindicular than less sharp knives which will need some draw to start a cut in the flexible broad surface. I got into these tests when I was trying to figure out how to get super sharp edges. I was comparing my work against brand new black Olfa blades which are extremely sharp. It's hard to match the cutting performance of a new Olfa blade so I found it to be a useful standard for cutting performance when I contrived my own crappy sharpness testing.

[@thefeatheredfrontiersman8135]

You sir deserve an award for your work. There is no better.

[@thiago.assumpcao]

Excellent video as always. For me polished edge is better for wood, paper and raw meat. Coarse edge is better for rope, barbecue and cooked meat. Take a 300 grit edge, shaving sharp, straight out of stone and test it on barbecue crunchy fat layer. It cuts much better than polished edge. On the other hand coarse edge is just garbage for raw meat.

[@TheRealBiggus_Dickus]

i always thought i was decent at sharpening my blades/tools, but watching your videos has stepped my game up to a whole level. if you have any tips/tricks/secrets to sharpening drill bits please make a video on it. imo that would be an extremely valuable video not just for your existing community but for many people that have never watched any of your videos.

[@zacharypower7674]

You have to keep in mind that a coarser grit sharpenings biggest downside isnt that its more dull, its that it dulls faster. Just like how quickly deburring your knife regularly drastically prolongs how long you go before you need to actually sharpen. Those jagged edges create points where stresses can concentrate and cause the grain structure to deform and compromise the edge. The less drastic the peaks and valleys, the less drastic the stress concentration, the less quickly the metal deforms, the less often you need to sharpen

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

This is incorrect. Course edges cut score HIGHER on CATRA tests. Meaning they have slightly more edge retention, not less. l but they are more likely to chip. Polished edges go dull faster but they are tougher and less likely to chip. It's a confirmed empirical fact. it's also common sense if you think about it.

[@LewisJD33911]

The music during the paper cutting was just delightful

[@bobc8649]

Sounds like the old Pink Panther cartoons !

[@Navigator-apex]

This is amazing camera work at the macro level. I used to spend a lot of time getting fine edge over the years but, now I stopped at one grit (600) with some stropping to get rid of the burr and works well for my type of use. I found that the time spent on fine edge was not worth the effort on the long run and also the cost of various stones did't make it worthwhile for my use cases. Cheers

[@HalfInsaneOutdoorGuy]

I have never seen such good upclose video work! Amazing job!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Thank you very much!🙏🙏

[@taiiat0]

i don't usually have much to say but thanks, i do appreciate the level of work that is involved with taking extreme macro shots of this stuff despite that it isn't a big money maker.

[@ARAW-__-]

Found a piece of brick tile in my last trip, made me rhink of how sharp you'd get a k ife with it so sharpened around the campfire woth it and got it pretty sharp ! Incredible footage. For my use, coarse is more than enough. A strop seems to be the next step I need

[@LosRiji]

Watching makro cutting videos is my new thing when beeing high. Thank you very much. Greetings from germany

[@bloggablu6783]

Man these close up shots are freakin awesome good job men

[@Cubestone]

Nicely done! I suggest that a functional difference between the edges relates to surface friction. The ridged coarse edge isn't going to slip through like the smoother fine edge. I maintain my edges with the Spyderco Sharp Maker followed by a green stropping compound. This has always made a great working edge without a lot of fuss. I have noticed that different steels sharpen with greater or lesser ease on this setup. M4 takes significantly more strokes than S30V. Magnacut seems to be the sweet spot between sharpening ease and edge retention of these 3 examples.

[@Doc-Holliday1851]

I’m a semi-professional knife sharpener. This is my system. 120 (if it really needs it) 240 600 1000 Leather strop with polishing compound. I use a sheet of paper as I’m sharpening to test the edge and while 600 grit is perfectly serviceable, I find that it definitely tears more.

[@erikziak1249]

What paper do you use? The regular 80g A4? Because I use thinner paper than most people "show off". It is harder to get a clean cut, but at least I have to put more effort into it.

[@Doc-Holliday1851]

@@erikziak1249 I also usually use a thinner paper, honestly just because that’s what I have on hand but it’s less forgiving that thicker printer paper so it helps find imperfections.

[@diavalus]

Good video! I do agree with you, a coarse grit would most likely be enough, even when cutting a single hair (although here I need to make a remark*). On some things, maybe a few might notice the higher grit finished edge is easier to cut with. But rarely is worth the extra effort to get it there. *with a single hair, a coarse edge will cut well. However, when you want to cut through a hundred in the same time, such as when you shave, then you will notice the difference. That coarse edge needs a tiny bit more force to cut though and when you multiply that force by a hundred, it becomes more significant. Second, our face is a lot more sensitive than our hand, so noticing this small difference is very likely. Cheers!

[@kringsja9913]

isnt the edge retention better on fine grit or is it to small of a difference to matter?

[@westondupree4012]

All I know is I 100% believe that what I’m gonna say is true. I think a diamond stone stropped is the best all-around every day carry edge, I know this to be 100% fact because I’ve been in the electrical field for 19 years and I’ve been playing with blades and I know that everything that I think is what I believe. I think if you’re doing like sushi chef and really detailed stuff where you are cutting through fragile materials, you may want some thing a lot more fine so that it’s not disrupting as many cells in the food that you’re cutting

[@charlesleblanc2717]

I bought the S SATC 400/1000 (20 bucks) as you mentioned a few vids ago. All of a sudden I can get my knives shark now! I have bought just about every stone and grit trying to get a sharp knife. I guess i am just not very good yet. This diamond sharpener works great! It gives me confidence to move forward and now work some of my expensive stones in. Thanks for all the tips, they even help me.

[@OUTDOORS55]

Great! Glad you're finally finding success 👍

[@rre9121]

I think it would be interesting to retry this with different steels. Like a very low performance steel vs. a very high performance. I want to point out how impressive this testing is, though. Between the imaging setup and the variety of materials you are approaching scientific journal investigations.

[@bullzebub]

biggest difference will be in edge retention

[@stevealford230]

I'll continue just using the Sharpal double-sided and a 4 micron strop. Great footage and great content as always, bro.

[@flitdek]

Ok two things.1) this has to be the best close up video of knife edge cutting ever recorded, Great job. 2) The sharpening succession you just described is what I have been putting together since watching your videos. Sharpall 1200 , Shapton 2000, Shapton 5000, 1 micron strop. I just received my Shapton 2000 ceramic in the mail today, I believe I used your link to order it. I still need the Atoma 600 and the shapton 5000 and 1 micron diamond compound, just not sure which one to get at this point. I have been making my own strops since the beginning and will be making a new one for the diamond compound soon. Thank you for all your advice and helpful videos.

[@Heracleetus]

The tomato! Exactly what I asked for! Thanks!

[@trubkir]

The visuals you are providing are simply outstanding.

[@RamadaArtist]

Showing the hairs getting shaved in the microscopic view is actually super helpful because it's the first time I've really had a sense of scale for how close we are zoomed in.

[@TimPiggott]

Since watching your videos I sharpen my chisels and plane blades on a whetstone (Tormek) then a quick polish on a cotton stiched buff wheel with green soap. Takes just a few seconds and it is 'shaving' sharp! No more time consuming faffing. Thank you so much ❤

[@LancelotChan]

Agree with you. I'm sticking to 600 grit too, for time saving as well as "lasting longer" after use. Fine edge is good on the initial cuts but lose their bite faster, meant you end up spending more time on the stones than the coarse edge using.

[@imgadgetmanjim]

Those close ups are so cool. I had no idea a cardboard looks like that up close. Loved it.

[@goncalovazpinto6261]

That closeup of stropping was so cool!

[@alexeyshibanov1714]

I can barely imagine how hard it was to film all of this stuff! Thanks for sharing this with us! ❤

[@OUTDOORS55]

Was only 500 gigabytes of data😂👍

[@justchillin131]

Can we please take a moment to just simply admire these incredible macro shots... also very interesting info on the cutting between coarse and fine 😮

[@weevilinabox]

Alex, is there any difference in the sound between the coarse and fine edges when they cut each material? I know it doesn't matter; I'm just curious.

[@markthompson4027]

me with paper I hear a big difference the coarse is louder. now as for the frequencies I will try to test that.

[@chstoney]

I go up to 2500 grit on my handmade knives for sale and occasionally for the knives in our kitchen. But if a customer comes with a box of dull supermarket knives, i go only to 1000 grit and then strop. I made my own set of experiments in the past and my conclusion was the same as yours - there is a difference, but it is minuscule. My expriment was about measuring the cutting force of a thread and statistical analysis. I do admire your macro shots, amazing work!

[@foome36]

I started watching your videos a few days ago (after my gf mentioning that my new knife is by now less sharpe than most others in the house because I use it almost exclusively 😢) and I have to say, I am starting to find myself addicted to those close up shots. Thanks a bunch for your phenomenal content!

[@jarettcron8894]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I just recently received my loupe (30, 60, & 90x). 30x & 60x pretty straight forward to make use of. The 90x is very tricky for me, but when I get it focused right, it is truly much more revealing. But it makes me work for it. That makes me appreciate your camera work much more than I probably would have without that experience.

[@j.l.327]

This why i love a stockman with different edge finishes for different tasks

[@MRmisteronwzz]

The camera work is amazing. I hope the stones you use will be available in Europe soon!

[@MozzaBurger88]

The macro videos of cutting stuff is pure ASMR. Incredibly satisfying to watch. As for your question : it's worth it if one wants that mirror finish. It's really for one's pride in the look of a special knife. Otherwise, clearly, if the goal is daily use and performance. Pop that coarse grit and strop and bam, laser-cutting veggies. I couldn't be bothered with the multiple grits to be honest ^^

[@frankbrowning328]

The fine grit edge will hold up better over time when cutting delicate cuts of meat and similar substrates (tomatoes will show a difference too once the blade begins to dull more with the coarse grit vs fine grit) to the point where it becomes very noticeable in the finished products cut with it. However, for something like a vegetable knife the difference will be far less between the 2 edges. In the end if the blade is properly sharpened as to the angle being the same on both sides of the blade and the bur properly removed I think most of us are fine using a relatively coarse edge like the one shone here, Even if the sharpening had stopped at 600 grit and the bur removed it will be far better than probably 90% of the knives we see people use in their kitchens and on their pocket knives

[@tearsien]

The only reason to go higher in grit is if you enjoy the knife sharpening process and the beauty of an edge.

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

its not the only reason. if you use an abrasive that is smaller than the carbides in the steel you get an edge that is more resistant to chipping because there are less areas for cracks to form. thats a confirmed fact.

[@tearsien]

@@TimJohnson-x1o If you're using a tool in a way that you're worried about chipping. It's usually a tool that I'd be sharpening more often and would expect a less than perfect edge. I'd much prefer removing the hassle of taking 3 other stones out just for a small drop in chipping chances when the edge is going to go through hell anyways. Also, if you have a problem with chipping, it's most likely you're steel, not the edges grit. IMO: I'm not convinced the small difference in chipping performance would be worth the time on the tool I'd be using to chop wood, bone, and other hard materials. Me personally I always do mirror polishes because I don't use the tools often and I enjoy sharpening them for their beauty and perfection.

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

@@tearsien if you're using tools like a kitchen knife made of brittle steel like super blue at 65+ hrc in edges that are as thin as two sheets of paper, some microchiping is just to be expected. but you can make it less likely with a mirror polish on the edge.

[@tearsien]

@@TimJohnson-x1o Well, I personally would never use a 65+ hrc steel knife to do any heavy use that would even chance chipping. I'd imagine that would be redundant, and if you're using a kitchen knife on vegetables, and other soft things, you're really not getting much of a performance gain from a mirrors edge.

[@S.Vallieres]

Hi Alex, Wow! Amazing sharpness and amazing close-ups! I have to admit I'm surprised that the coarse grit edge wasn't better on fibrous materials like paper, cardboard, nylon, kevlar, etc. I agree with your conclusion that, for practical purpose, a coarse grit edge might be a better option most of the time as it takes less time and equipment to get an edge that is not so inferior after all. In other words, the difference in sharpness is smaller than the difference in effort to get the finer grit/sharper edge. Thank you very much for this another great video!

[@OUTDOORS55]

I was surprised as well!

[@S.Vallieres]

​@@OUTDOORS55 Knifemaker Joe Calton did an experiment sometime back with three edge finishes, from 325 DMT to 6 000 King waterstone if I remember correctly and he basically also came to the conclusion that fine grit edges may not be worth the effort. I don't know how to link a video in the comment section, but I'm sure you would like the video. Calton also has a very practical approach to sharpening and also knifemaking in general.

[@pyromen321]

I know nothing about knives but got recommended this video. Your filming is unbelievable! I’ll probably be super interested in knives in 3 months, because I’m absolutely subscribing

[@andrewdoyle3665]

The combination of the video and jazz was so soothing.

[@bobdehuisbaas1]

Incredibly satisfying macro shots and they serve as great evidence for the point you're making

[@mikeboone4425]

Your jut getting better and better.

[@henningklaveness7082]

A better test to highlight the difference might have been to cut the tomato with a sawing motion and no downward pressure except the weight of the blade. I definitely perceive a coarse edge to be more "aggressive", esp. with tomatoes. Also, I've noticed that a very fine ground edge tends to last a lot longer on a kitchen knife.

[@PetesGuide]

_AWESOME_ experiments and photography! Your question for us about is it worth it made me realize what I want you to test next: How long & well to those two sharpening methods’ edges last before you notice they’re less sharp?

[@iotaje1]

This reminds me of the way a typical French woodworker would have sharpened his edge tools. First a coarse sandstone wheel, then a fine turkey stone, and maybe strop a couple times on your apron or your hand. They lifted the tool slightly on the oilstone making tougher secondary bevels. I have to say despite all the other methods I've used the coarse grinding to Turkey stone to light stropping has always given me the most consistently sharp edges.

[@trshuster]

The camera work is fantastic. Thanks for the info!

[@GammelfarMusik]

Looks like youre right about "Secret is in the strop" About to make one myself, so I'm excited to see, if my skills on it will make a difference. Great video as always 💪🏻

[@stephenszwedowski7937]

Thank you for your great video. I was well into my journey down the rabit hole and started to have doubts when every edge finer than a Norton fine was a disappoint. The edge looked better and was finer but the aggression of the edge was gone. I now realize if the knife cuts all you want it to cut then it is sharp. Thanks for the confirmation. I enjoy your videos and look forward to many more. All the best to you .

[@leechesg]

The macro shots are beautiful! Personally, I think the biggest difference is the pride in the craft; I might enjoy sharpening down to the finer grit as it seems therapeutic and is something small but impressive that you can talk/brag about. It's nice to have little things you can be proud of!

[@matthewweaver1123]

The amount of patience you must have to get those kinds of macro shots. Bravo 👏

[@QuehannaWildman]

I just achieved my first freehand hair whittling edge, all thanks to your awesome videos alex, so thank you.

[@pwaterdu]

My man thank you for the unbelievable time you spend figuring this stuff out and presenting your findings to guys like me..clueless! Blessings your way bro!

[@EvilSSP]

There are probably tasks where high polish is better, but most people likely don't see this in typical EDC scenarios, and for me it comes down to a balance between easier/faster sharpening and how a edge grit finish effects a steel's edge retention.

[@ivelsoup]

Thank you for still making videos. I learned how to sharpen from your videos. You are the only, and best youtube source!

[@magnusandersen8898]

I love all the super close-up shots. Very cool to see such details

[@gordonneverdies]

Those close up shots are super cool. My favorite sharpening videos for sure.

[@awoodfinz]

People have already said this but exceptional micro photography It’s like a view into another world

[@simonknox5580]

Exceptional close up work. Bravo 👏 Keep going bro

[@kvernesdotten]

As someone who is into cooking, I do appreciate most of my kitchen knives having a fine grit edge. A little bit because of the feel of using them, and a little bit because I think the result looks better. On pocket knives / daily users and tools though, I cba and leave them alot coarser. Been very happy with how that works for both of them for a long time, but its really interesting to see it up close like this!

[@gedfi]

You can actually tell from the surface texture of a piece of cucumber whether it was cut with a sharp enough blade. Your mouth is extremely sensitive. I have a daughter who is quite sensitive to touch, and she once stopped to enjoy the texture of the cucumber while eating. A chef's dream?

[@webderek]

So much respect for this, and for your discovery and sharing of the truth about knife sharpening, ie burr minimization and removal, and the value and effectiveness of single grit (coarse) sharpening. Combining that truth-sensing with excellent teaching skills and the passion to do it all has made a huge difference in our own searches for that truth. I hope we are able to spread it, and appreciation of its value, to other people around the world. Thank you.

[@benwiley3962]

All the woodworking guys are left to wonder if the pine and maple were cut with the coarse or fine edge...gotta keep us coming back and asking for more, right? ha! these are awesome, keep it up!

[@nirfz]

I wouldn't be surprised if you opened a "microscopic cuts" ASMR Channel and get a quite a number of subscribers. (Not personally into ASMR videos, but this seems as relaxing to me as those ASMR videos are said to be for the people liking them.)

[@brianthompson7950]

I bought the sharple double sided stone after your recommendation. I like it so much I bought a friend ( who is a professional deer stalker) one aa a gift . He loves it too . I will strop my knives after the stone with a 6 and then a 1 micron strop because I'm getting a bit obsessed with getting the best edge I can where his knives are tools to do a job so stops at the 1200 stone . Thanks for all your videos. I would still be using a pull through without your work

[@webderek]

So it depends on what your cutting, and which things it mattered on were not totally predictable. So now I have to watch it again to remember which mattered and why. The footage is mesmerizing because it shows so much I’ve never seen in motion.

[@tombidwell5852]

Yes I come here for the sharpening info, but this time I viewed purely for the therapeutic value. Great job!!

[@toddcarr.]

Great testing as always, a lower angle of sharpening will also aid in the cutting performance (Geometry cuts) and a fine edge will cut better if the steel can take that fine edge (some steel gets slick rather than sharp over a certain grit) and hold it for any lenght of time, a fine edge is worthless if it no longer cuts after a minute of use and that is very dependent on the steel itself, most steels will cut longer with a coarse edge and some will cut longer with a fine edge and some do the exact same with both edge types. So if your looking for a knife that will take that polished edge choose your steel wisely, which will also help with how frequent you have to maintain (hone and strop) and sharpen it as well. Thanks for the great vid and keep making sharp things fun and enjoyable.

[@freemansame8062]

Those macro closeups are amazing ! for me cutting through thin cigarette rolling paper is a good indicator for sharpness, not every shaving capable edge can cut smoothly through them.

[@nootnuh]

Best knife cutting video ever!!! Thank you!!!

[@partrickstowman8039]

Lacey was right. Your photos are insane. In the best sense. Thanks!

[@OUTDOORS55]

Im sorry but whos Lacey?

[@mguerramd]

I sharpened a Stanley utility knife blade on a coarse diamond stone you recommended. Three or four passes per side to raise a burr. All I had to strop was my belt I was wearing. Holy smokes that thing was sharper than new, by a mile.

[@foodonfire3662]

I'm reminded of the old saying "Use the right tooth for the right job". It's likely that more tomatoes are being cut than kevlar. Another acutely sharp video. Thanks. Oh, and very Zen and the end.

[@macc4]

Thanks to your recommendations I ended up buying a shapton 1000grit(I don't need a super fine edge as I cut into bone ect) and it was the best thing I ever did

[@freddupont3597]

Wow, You've reached another level in those close up shots - this was amazing!

[@photooutdoor2574]

Very interesting. A year ago I sharpened a very fine Damast edge to a point, it was hairsplitting, but not able to cut through a tomato skin without pressure. After that I switched from the 0,5 micron back to 3 micron leather and suddenly was able to cut through.

[@christusartworks]

As a woodworker I love and hate sharpening tests like this, nevertheless thanks for your videos on the topic, they are super helpful :D