10-28-2017, 03:23 PM
You have brought up exactly why performance/edge retention for a particular task is not only a difficult concept but also difficult to devise tests for.
Your question, “For example, will a boning knife of 44 degrees outperform the standard 40 degrees knife, or that will be a 36 degrees knife, but will it still satisfy the task?”, illustrates the point very well as it is a very specific, targeted type of use. I think that is excellent because it helps to define and limit the number of variables involved in constructing a test. Of course you could always throw in edge finish (more/less toothy/polished) into the mix just to confuse things and make the consideration of and testing of same more difficult or at least more time consuming.
Sharpness testing could be used to determine at what point a blade becomes too dull to use for a task regardless of the edge geometry. It could also help to determine how an overly sharp edge bends and rounds more quickly then a less sharp edge and therefore is not indicated. Of course that could change with the edge geometry. So you could end up with data indicating that for a 20° bevel angle, anything sharper than X is not productive, but for a 30° bevel the initial sharpness might be something else. It can get really complicated when you start to think about it.
That’s not to say that less detailed results are not helpful. After all, we are considering animal disassembly by slicing and hacking with basically crude tools, not slicing samples for microscopy slide prep. So it very well may be helpful and advantageous just to be able to say that, generally, for a boning knife, a 25° bevel sharpened to 200 gf initial sharpness works well with overall good edge retention for most situations.
It’s a cool subject and needs a lot of exploration. I hope you continue to post your thoughts on the subject.
“Similar with sharpeners, hobbyist or professional, with all the experience we have we could provide them with an explanation on how the PT50 is used to improve sharpening process”
I agree. Shared experience as well as handy tips and tricks is always useful, especially for someone new to the game.
Do I think that it “makes sense to start a new thread "How I use my sharpness tester to improve sharpening" for that?” Yes! New threads are a good thing. So often thread subjects morph into totally different subjects. Better organization is always a good thing.
Your question, “For example, will a boning knife of 44 degrees outperform the standard 40 degrees knife, or that will be a 36 degrees knife, but will it still satisfy the task?”, illustrates the point very well as it is a very specific, targeted type of use. I think that is excellent because it helps to define and limit the number of variables involved in constructing a test. Of course you could always throw in edge finish (more/less toothy/polished) into the mix just to confuse things and make the consideration of and testing of same more difficult or at least more time consuming.
Sharpness testing could be used to determine at what point a blade becomes too dull to use for a task regardless of the edge geometry. It could also help to determine how an overly sharp edge bends and rounds more quickly then a less sharp edge and therefore is not indicated. Of course that could change with the edge geometry. So you could end up with data indicating that for a 20° bevel angle, anything sharper than X is not productive, but for a 30° bevel the initial sharpness might be something else. It can get really complicated when you start to think about it.
That’s not to say that less detailed results are not helpful. After all, we are considering animal disassembly by slicing and hacking with basically crude tools, not slicing samples for microscopy slide prep. So it very well may be helpful and advantageous just to be able to say that, generally, for a boning knife, a 25° bevel sharpened to 200 gf initial sharpness works well with overall good edge retention for most situations.
It’s a cool subject and needs a lot of exploration. I hope you continue to post your thoughts on the subject.
“Similar with sharpeners, hobbyist or professional, with all the experience we have we could provide them with an explanation on how the PT50 is used to improve sharpening process”
I agree. Shared experience as well as handy tips and tricks is always useful, especially for someone new to the game.
Do I think that it “makes sense to start a new thread "How I use my sharpness tester to improve sharpening" for that?” Yes! New threads are a good thing. So often thread subjects morph into totally different subjects. Better organization is always a good thing.