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17 or 20

Bassbob

Bassbob

Emissary
So most Benchmades appear to be ground at 17 (ish) degrees. With my new Work sharp guided sharpener I can get one razor sharp very quickly. The Microtech UTX-85 ( drop point) I think may not be 17 degrees. I spent just a few minutes working on it last night using the 17 degree guide and while the knife is sharper than it was it never got "Holy shite" sharp like the Benchmades.

Those of you who have and who sharpen their own Microtechs, are you using 17 or 20 or some other angle ?
 
Bassbob said:
So most Benchmades appear to be ground at 17 (ish) degrees. With my new Work sharp guided sharpener I can get one razor sharp very quickly. The Microtech UTX-85 ( drop point) I think may not be 17 degrees. I spent just a few minutes working on it last night using the 17 degree guide and while the knife is sharper than it was it never got "Holy shite" sharp like the Benchmades.

Those of you who have and who sharpen their own Microtechs, are you using 17 or 20 or some other angle ?
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I usually use 20 on mine, it gives a slightly thicker profile for utility use on pocket knives, bushcraft etc. 20 usually on larger chopping blades becuae it severs smaller limbs easier even though it needs sharpening more. 17 is used for things like filet and skinning knives where I want to slice like going thru butter. Things like axes and hatchets are closer to 30.
 
On something like a trapper lower right for hunting use I will keep the spay blade at 17 and the clip blade at 20.

The Marbles I keep at 20.
 

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Sld1959 said:
I usually use 20 on mine, it gives a slightly thicker profile for utility use on pocket knives, bushcraft etc. 20 usually on larger chopping blades becuae it severs smaller limbs easier even though it needs sharpening more. 17 is used for things like filet and skinning knives where I want to slice like going thru butter. Things like axes and hatchets are closer to 30.
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I use 20-ish on most of my regular pocket knives. Benchmades are 17.5 they say so I have been using 17 since I got the Work Sharp. There is no consensus on MT. I considered the 20 degree guide but I prefer to use whatever it is already.
 
Bassbob said:
I use 20-ish on most of my regular pocket knives. Benchmades are 17.5 they say so I have been using 17 since I got the Work Sharp. There is no consensus on MT. I considered the 20 degree guide but I prefer to use whatever it is already.
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That's fine, I don't see you working the Microtec too hard anyway, i dobt but still do 20 because that was the way I decided to keep each category a long time ago.
 
Sld1959 said:
That's fine, I don't see you working the Microtec too hard anyway, i dobt but still do 20 because that was the way I decided to keep each category a long time ago.
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Yeah it really didn’t need it. Neither have any of my Benchmades. Ceramic rod for touch ups always suffices. I was just trying to you know, make it better. 🙄🤣

I guess I should invest in a gadget for properly determining blade angle.
 
I've got a work sharp knife and tool sharpener and the Ken Onion model, both belted. Blade metal has a lot to do with how sharp you can get certain knives. Good knives with good metal I can get so razor sharp I can shave the hair off my forearm to the baby butt smooth skin with very little effort.
Other knives with cheap stainless steel (kitchen knives) I could sharpen until there is no metal left and they'll never get razor sharp.
I've no idea what metal the micro-tech knives have, that being said the angle does not play as big a roll as the blade metal itself. I've changed many of my blade angles from the factory edge. As said above it will determine how easily you can roll the edge.
 
Pitdogg2 said:
I've got a work sharp knife and tool sharpener and the Ken Onion model, both belted. Blade metal has a lot to do with how sharp you can get certain knives. Good knives with good metal I can get so razor sharp I can shave the hair off my forearm to the baby butt smooth skin with very little effort.
Other knives with cheap stainless steel (kitchen knives) I could sharpen until there is no metal left and they'll never get razor sharp.
I've no idea what metal the micro-tech knives have, that being said the angle does not play as big a roll as the blade metal itself. I've changed many of my blade angles from the factory edge. As said above it will determine how easily you can roll the edge.
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It depends on the knife, but usually something like Bohler M390, Magnacut or the equivalent. Mine is M390.
 
Bassbob said:
It depends on the knife, but usually something like Bohler M390, Magnacut or the equivalent. Mine is M390.
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Disadvantages of Böhler M390​


Where there are advantages, there will also be disadvantages. M390, for instance, is relatively expensive. In terms of purchase price per kilo, but also in terms of modification. Wear and tear resistant namely also means hard to modify. As such you need more time to modify it, but your sanding belts will also wear out a lot faster. A knife made from M390 steel is therefore often more expensive than a knife made from a different type of steel.


M390 is also not that easy to sharpen. That is to say: you won't get very far by using a simple Arkansas stone. M390 prefers diamond-coated stones or ceramic options. Preferably under a very fixed angle. M390 is also not incredibly tough. It also isn't brittle, but you do need to take this into account.
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I've never heard of this steel so I looked it up. It is also the reason why I went with belted sharpener. My blades were getting better with harder steels and the stones or files were just sliding over it and not really getting anywhere.
 
I never carried a knife before, but at my old age, this dog can always learn new tricks. I was asked by two charming damsels if I had a knife at Lowe's as they wanted to inspect the merchandise inside of a package. Alas, I did not then, and missed out on a promising opportunity. That evening, I asked my son (20 yrs in Army EOD - He likes to blow things UP) what, if anything he carried. He said, the Army gives him free Benchmade knives. They have free replacement and sharpening with their lifetime guarantee, which sounded good enough for me. So I bought myself a Barrage with a Tanto/serrated blade for EDC. It is a great knife. Then I got myself a Nimravius and a special leather sheath made especially for it (also has a fire started) for when I go out into the desert. Since then, I have been gifted several various knives, Topps Air marshal, Buck 110 (which belonged to my ex-fiancee's deceased husband. I had to clean it as the brass was turning green. It had been sitting in his nightstand for several years and when I found it, she gave it to me after I cleaned it for her). I also found my old Colonial Boy Scout knife which had been tucked away in a box in a remote part of the garage. surprisingly, the blade was just as sharp and shiny as when I bought it as a kid. Victoronix multi-blade, but also has the most useless cork opener on it. I also bought a few other cheap $5 knives to place in various places around my castle and chariot. They have all come in handy at one time or another...
 
Kir said:
I never carried a knife before, but at my old age, this dog can always learn new tricks. I was asked by two charming damsels if I had a knife at Lowe's as they wanted to inspect the merchandise inside of a package. Alas, I did not then, and missed out on a promising opportunity. That evening, I asked my son (20 yrs in Army EOD - He likes to blow things UP) what, if anything he carried. He said, the Army gives him free Benchmade knives. They have free replacement and sharpening with their lifetime guarantee, which sounded good enough for me. So I bought myself a Barrage with a Tanto/serrated blade for EDC. It is a great knife. Then I got myself a Nimravius and a special leather sheath made especially for it (also has a fire started) for when I go out into the desert. Since then, I have been gifted several various knives, Topps Air marshal, Buck 110 (which belonged to my ex-fiancee's deceased husband. I had to clean it as the brass was turning green. It had been sitting in his nightstand for several years and when I found it, she gave it to me after I cleaned it for her). I also found my old Colonial Boy Scout knife which had been tucked away in a box in a remote part of the garage. surprisingly, the blade was just as sharp and shiny as when I bought it as a kid. Victoronix multi-blade, but also has the most useless cork opener on it. I also bought a few other cheap $5 knives to place in various places around my castle and chariot. They have all come in handy at one time or another...
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Benchmade is good stuff. I have several and they’re all top notch. The latest is the Anonimous ( which also is set up for ferro rods).

https://imgur.com/a/kGDKnto
 
I learned to sharpen knives and drill bits long before any of the new fangled mechanical sharpeners were even invented. And I resisted them for many years afterwards. Then one day I decided to give one a try. I bought a "Drill DR" bit sharpener because it had all the notoriety of being the very best, and of course it was the most expensive. It was nice, worked relatively well, but took a whole lot of fiddling around to sharpen just one bit, which also equates to also a whole lot of time, so 'nuff said. I went back to the old way of doing it by hand on a simple bench grinder for drill bits, and generally water stones for knives ... of course to be honest, I have a lot more experience than "Drill DR". I can sharpen most any knife I know of to a very desirable edge regardless of the alloy, so I'm pretty sure I'll continue to sharpen knives the old fashioned way as well.
 
jumpinjoe said:
I learned to sharpen knives and drill bits long before any of the new fangled mechanical sharpeners were even invented. And I resisted them for many years afterwards. Then one day I decided to give one a try. I bought a "Drill DR" bit sharpener because it had all the notoriety of being the very best, and of course it was the most expensive. It was nice, worked relatively well, but took a whole lot of fiddling around to sharpen just one bit, which also equates to also a whole lot of time, so 'nuff said. I went back to the old way of doing it by hand on a simple bench grinder for drill bits, and generally water stones for knives ... of course to be honest, I have a lot more experience than "Drill DR". I can sharpen most any knife I know of to a very desirable edge regardless of the alloy, so I'm pretty sure I'll continue to sharpen knives the old fashioned way as well.
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I do okay with stones, but I've not yet called up the chutzpah to do it to knives costing several hundred dollars. The diamond plates with the angle guides give me good results with only a tiny amount of trepidation.
 
Bassbob said:
I do okay with stones, but I've not yet called up the chutzpah to do it to knives costing several hundred dollars. The diamond plates with the angle guides give me good results with only a tiny amount of trepidation.
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Yep, those work well too, and are a whole lot less nerve wracking!!!.
 
Bassbob said:
Benchmade is good stuff. I have several and they’re all top notch. The latest is the Anonimous ( which also is set up for ferro rods).

https://imgur.com/a/kGDKnto
Click to expand...
I looked up reviews on the Anonimous. Light, not bulky, overall thin knife. Thick skin thumb would help you, if you are sensitive. Sheath could be improved. Overall, this knife is like my Nimravous, not for everybody. Suggest one handles one in person before buying. I will not buy another knife other than a Benchmade!
 
Kir said:
I looked up reviews on the Anonimous. Light, not bulky, overall thin knife. Thick skin thumb would help you, if you are sensitive. Sheath could be improved. Overall, this knife is like my Nimravous, not for everybody. Suggest one handles one in person before buying. I will not buy another knife other than a Benchmade!
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The sheath isn't as bad as people make it out to be. And it's Kydex. Easily adjusted for retention with a heat gun.

Probably not for everyone. Bushcrafters might want something a little thicker. It's perfect for me though and wicked sharp.
 
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