08-27-2019, 11:39 AM
Your thoughts are well taken Jan. I take a little different view of the whole sharp versus keen theory and my intransigence has little to do with measuring the sharpness of edges or sharpening. It has to do with the English language and distinguishing, clearly, a new thought, method or process from the old. As an aside, it would be interesting to know if a parallel exists in the Czech language for the English terms, sharp and keen. If there is no parallel, then non-English speakers can't play this game. Clearly, in English dictionaries, the terms are synonymous and can be used interchangeably and even outside of descriptions for cutting edges i.e. " He has a keen mind " . Substitute "sharp" for keen and the statement's meaning remains unchanged.
For all that Todd has done to clarify things for knife sharpeners (and that list is extensive), for me, this one, in trying to establish a difference between the terms sharp and keen, has muddied the water. I'm not commenting on the theory here, I'm just wishing that he had picked a different term to distinguish his theory; the "Todd Factor" would have suited me just fine. As it is, I find myself trying to remember which one is which when the subject arises. Is sharp what we used to describe an edge as and keen is the new factor or is it the other way around? I've been exposed to this theory off and on for years now and I can't keep it straight. It's difficult to imagine that newcomers to this sport would fare much better but perhaps they can; perhaps I'm just an old dog.
Please feel free to comment on this post. Did you find it impartial or was it unbiased? Oh wait, those two terms have the same meaning don't they?
For all that Todd has done to clarify things for knife sharpeners (and that list is extensive), for me, this one, in trying to establish a difference between the terms sharp and keen, has muddied the water. I'm not commenting on the theory here, I'm just wishing that he had picked a different term to distinguish his theory; the "Todd Factor" would have suited me just fine. As it is, I find myself trying to remember which one is which when the subject arises. Is sharp what we used to describe an edge as and keen is the new factor or is it the other way around? I've been exposed to this theory off and on for years now and I can't keep it straight. It's difficult to imagine that newcomers to this sport would fare much better but perhaps they can; perhaps I'm just an old dog.
Please feel free to comment on this post. Did you find it impartial or was it unbiased? Oh wait, those two terms have the same meaning don't they?