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I ultimately skipped this Mule. Looking forward to hearing what you think of it, Steeltoez.

I cut off the factory edge, and put 1 of my own. The burr cut off very easily from what I saw. The result was only 190 however I usually see a performance increase in more testing. I believe my 10V pm2 and Para 3 both hit 375 when it hit their peak. The magnacut I tested hits 350/360 so I'd like to see this k294 hit higher.

Steeltoez83 wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2024 7:45 am

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I cut off the factory edge, and put 1 of my own. The burr cut off very easily from what I saw. The result was only 190 however I usually see a performance increase in more testing. I believe my 10V pm2 and Para 3 both hit 375 when it hit their peak. The magnacut I tested hits 350/360 so I'd like to see this k294 hit higher.

It should right? That's interesting. I'm not trying to.. constructive criticism? I think you're using the wrong testing material, because your cut numbers should never go up like that it's just not how physics works eh? So I know that you test with other things than sandpaper rolls, are the numbers any different there? Just to figure out if it's how you're sharpening or the material being cut. Getting a perfect edge is not an easy task and I'll be the first to admit that I don't go to.. the full potential of what I could because of laziness and "that'll do". You really should make a chart of your testing with different steels on different materials, that'll give you the most information in my personal opinion.

Also, how did you cut off the factory edge cause.. I'm guessing Spydercos heat treatments and if you got it decently hot you could see a pretty decent hardness drop. Just remember that you always want to do these high alloys under flood coolant if it's already heat treated.

After 3 to 4 edges performance hits a plateau. Happens on every production folder I have ever tested. Sometimes happens on customs/midtech if I chose to cut test them or not. Most armchair quarterback reviewers read the script from the same fortune cookie anyways. Right now we haven't reached the peak performance just yet.

Cutting the edge off means swiping the apex across the stone. It creates a flat across the entire length of the edge. I use water on the stone as well as dipping the knife in a cup of water mixed with a few drops of dish soap.

I stick with a 1k edge for testing unless I'm trying to mythbust falsehoods I've read here. I only test my edges from the stone, no strops. Some steels/models I prefer with a different edge finish but I let the 1k be my standard.

Steeltoez83 wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2024 6:06 pm

After 3 to 4 edges performance hits a plateau. Happens on every production folder I have ever tested. Sometimes happens on customs/midtech if I chose to cut test them or not. Most armchair quarterback reviewers read the script from the same fortune cookie anyways. Right now we haven't reached the peak performance just yet.

Cutting the edge off means swiping the apex across the stone. It creates a flat across the entire length of the edge. I use water on the stone as well as dipping the knife in a cup of water mixed with a few drops of dish soap.

I stick with a 1k edge for testing unless I'm trying to mythbust falsehoods I've read here. I only test my edges from the stone, no strops. Some steels/models I prefer with a different edge finish but I let the 1k be my standard.

That's kinda funny. I know what you mean by that I think. I've observed the same phenomenon but I've always thought that it's psychological because there's no real scientific explanation for it. I have to assume they're cutting under coolant and know their feed rates. That's pretty basic. I've also noticed that the one constant is that people who use stones that I know, get better edges than I do also as I'd expect. So why would this happen scientifically speaking? cubic carbides being abraded round? That should happen on edge 1-2? Right? So are they actually sharpening.. dry?. That's about all I can say here. You don't have a way of looking at the edge at least 500x (preferably 1000) I'm assuming? Cause we'd then be able to kinda see what's happening there exactly, not just guessing. I've never tested the edge of a production knife like this admittedly so in.. my testing everything is heat treated and cut by me so I know how it's being done. The only time it touches anything dry is in stropping and it's cutting jobs. They gotta primary grind wet but sharpen dry? It seems like*. IDK!

I don't use strops for testing or my own personal carry. I have even been gifted free leather strops and compounds from Max aka stroppystuff. I have always endorsed that these would be the edge I would use and carry. With or without a blindfold I can get clean cuts across the grain on newspaper with a 1k edge. Larrin uses fixed angled systems for when he does his own catra machine testing. No idea what spyderco uses for their in house cut testing.

I did have a small cheap microscope thing for my laptop but I have no idea what black hole that fell into.

Steeltoez83 wrote: ↑

Thu May 23, 2024 3:29 pm

I don't use strops for testing or my own personal carry. I have even been gifted free leather strops and compounds from Max aka stroppystuff. I have always endorsed that these would be the edge I would use and carry. With or without a blindfold I can get clean cuts across the grain on newspaper with a 1k edge. Larrin uses fixed angled systems for when he does his own catra machine testing. No idea what spyderco uses for their in house cut testing.

I did have a small cheap microscope thing for my laptop but I have no idea what black hole that fell into.

Larrin has Shawn do em actually I think. But yes, in general us nerds do use fixed angle types because.. we suck at the freehanding lmao I'll admit that one and... To quote Vince Lombardi... Have the knowledge to chase said perfection whilst knowing it's unattainable.

I see people daily who think they know what they're doing just because someone else told em it's right or didn't know that another procedure was possible (medical doctors). I don't personally go to any that won't say oh ya we don't actually know anything about the body because we don't relatively. Period done fact. Next.

Instead I just get the people that I know and trust to the extent that any human being can be. It would be like me saying that I know why you got that result or how you test or something like that. I just don't lol. Doesn't mean that I can't try and figure out the same question

And yeah, I do unfortunately mean daily there.


Y'all wonder why I'm so miserable

Shawn I believed did the catra coupons. I'm not sure he did everything for Larrin. My backyard bro science is more flexible. I let larrin do his thing, and I do mine. There's many in this hobby who use fixed systems like hapstone, kme, wicked edge etc who get great results. To me that's better suited for published literature than mine.

Steeltoez83 wrote: ↑

Thu May 23, 2024 8:40 pm

Shawn I believed did the catra coupons. I'm not sure he did everything for Larrin. My backyard bro science is more flexible. I let larrin do his thing, and I do mine. There's many in this hobby who use fixed systems like hapstone, kme, wicked edge etc who get great results. To me that's better suited for published literature than mine.

Yeah same here - I'm not sure about anything with those two
Im.. not a trustworthy person with human beings hah. Couldn't agree more man. But I do have to unfortunately say that.. well let's put it this way.

I absolutely despised every second of my life that I.. won't use the term wasted? But "wasted" (almost that) with grad school. It was absolutely abysmal. The other students. The teachers. The drive. The atmosphere. The freaking smell (literally). It's the biggest waste of money and time in my life. Period end of discussion. Now does it open up job opportunities that I have not used? Technically speaking sure I suppose but I'd have to add that it's not the knowledge you're hiring it's the person ultimately. And yeah, I have to kinda admit that once.. once you know this stuff? It really does just... Carry over to anything everyday stuff from cooking to.... It's chemistry and physics so whatever else I cannot think of that covers those topics - medicine I forgot about - and you really.. do learn the hard way that okay so I'm using myself as an instance here. I have to have a tooth removed (should* -it's root canaled so perfectly fine I know this) so when I was looking for oral surgeons - I would ask them literally made up questions and also a mix of real ones to show them that I have knowledge, just to see what they actually knew about a certain subject and then say ya no thanks sorry I'm good. It's not like I don't have lidocaine/epinephrine exactly as they use it cause that's where I stole it from Thanks! If I could properly.. articulate my body to work on tooth #2 I'd have already done it myself. I'm that type of person. Take it or leave it.



This is psychology and sociology. My real specialty lol

Main point being that knowledge is.. money which is freedom. Simply put nothing more or less there. I don't have to rely on anyone. Period. For support if necessary I have my family and friends, but I'm pretty good at the compartmentalizing and not caring what happens in this world anymore. Yes I'm well aware how lucky I am for this. And remember that I work with computers hahaha.. not physics or anything. That's even more depressing but the truth.