Guys,
Im into my knives quite a bit lately, a bought myself a Wicked Edge Pro to keep them sharp.
I was fed up of sharpening knives etc only for them to get blunt after skinning a couple of rabbits etc, cheap nasty knives they were.
Last year i bough a Spyderco Endura 4 FFG with VG10 steel, after you get a proper edge on it with the WEP is is not only awesomely sharp but retains an edge which you could shave with, slice news paper and skin as many rabbits as you like with it. I put this down to two thing.
1) The Wicked edge, you can get exact and precise bevel angles, without leaving burs ( Very important for blade retained sharpness and durability) you are able to either get a "toothy" edge in many different grades from course - 100 grit too 1200 grit, the stones between these ranges produce a tooth edge ( Micro serrations not visible to the eye) which are spot on for cutting, slicing, basically every thing the likes of us fellas would use a knife for, like skinning. You can then go onto ceramics stones and a selection of stops to get a highly polished mirror finished blade, not much use for much but they do look ace.
2) Probably the most important factor for long life durability and long lasting edges is a decent knife with decent steel. I carried out a bit of research before buying my Spyderco and most of the "knife guys" suggested that VG10 steel is a great steel that sharpens well, does not rust and most importantly holds a good edge for a good length of time if sharpened correctly.
I sharpened my Spyderco properly a month ago when I got my Wicked edge Pro, again carried out some research before hand and thought about what I use my knife for and what edge I would need to put on it. I believe I got this one right ! I have skinned countless rabbits, carved some wood shavings and made a speer for the young fella lol, and cut thick rope to mark out a shooting layout. Even now it will still shave arm hair, newspaper and anything else that it touches.
Just though i would share my knife and knife sharpening experiences with you guys and though id ask what knives and sharpening methods you all use?
Steve.