So I took the Kikuichi to my final stone, a Shapton 16,000 grit. They make an excellent stone by the way, I would suggest probably the best artificial stones one could buy. They also make a 30,000. As much as I appreciate a mirror finish on a razor edge I'm not sure the time or money spent above 16,000 would create any appreciable difference for my uses. I would assume that polish could be just as easily matched on leather with a .25-.5 micron polish for a smoother shave. I'm sure in that's where it would be most appreciated. It seems that a good shave can always be improved upon. Look at the evolution of disposable razors from the past 20 years (bic, two blade, Mach 3, turbo, fusion etc...). We think every time they come out with a new model it will be the end all of shaving, every few years they polish them up better and add another two blades. Soon enough there will be the Hydraulic Mach Hyperfusion Nano 50 , with microscopic blades honed utilizing nano technology. It will have a head the size of half your face and take your beard off in 2 strokes
Obviously, the blade is on the left side of the picture. The Coke cooler and metro shelf are behind me and appear through the reflectionon the blade
Anyway, I wanted to share one of the sharpness tests I use. There are so many out there (some bad, some good) that are appropriate for different blades, bevel angles and uses. The ability to perform most of these are an indicator that a knife is no longer dull, not a measure of the degree of sharpness. How well or easy the test is done is a better measure but very subjective and also varies depending on the weight of the blade, the length and type of grind etc... Some knives that are better suited for one job may pass a particular test better than a knife of equal sharpness designed for another.
That's a big subject, maybe discussion for another post...
Feeling the edge can provide a lot of feedback if you have the know how to check properly.
Shaving vs. Splitting Hair
Shaving hair
-I actually do this almost every time I sharpen a blade. I don't have to move or grab anything during a session. I usually perform this fairly early in the sharpening process. If the knife doesn't shave at 1,000-4,000 it indicates that something's wrong. There would be no point to progress to a finer stone.
What's more important to me is how well a blade shaves. Even a torn up knife with a burr on the end can rip some hair off. The knife should cut effortless (no ripping) on both sides. It should be cutting all of the hair the blade comes in contact with, not just a patch. After progressing to finer stones or polishing, the hair should (pop) fly off of where they were, as if they were jumping away from the blade.
Feeling the edge
- This can provide a lot of feedback if you have the know how to check properly.
And finally, splitting or breaking hair
- Only an incredibly fine edge is capable of doing this. There are a number of different ways to split hair and just as many methods for doing so. Being able to split, widdle and break hair is also dependent on the thickness and strength of the hair. Working with thin, brittle hair is much more difficult as its easier to accidentally cut through the other side. It's also more difficult for the knife to grab on (tends to slide down). Lastly, it weighs less... The lightness can cause the knife to just push, move or bend the hair out of the way rather than cut into it. Im aware of 4 ways to go about it with varying levels of difficulty.
1) hold the knife facing upward and draw the hair (holding only one side, not taut) from the edge toward the spine of the knife. Contact close to where the hair is held and supporting the majority of its weight.
2) hold the hair (only one side, not taut) so that is draped downward and slide the knife at angle just steeper than the hair. Shave additional strands close to where the bend is an bares most of the hairs weight.
3) same as 1 or 2, but make an incision farther through at a wider angle so that the hair breaks at a right angle (still intact)
4) pull the hair over (not around) you thumb so that it is taut (top to bottom) across your fingernail. Slide the knife away from your hand as if shaving your nail.
* To further separate: You need to either change your angle or use the edge to peel away what you've started.
My hair, cut till the very edge
Much thinner hair next to mine used next
Shaving strips off of the thinner hair
Splitting a second strand of thinner hair
Cutting though the center of the thinner hair
An additional note about the manufacturer-
I feel that Kikuichi is probably the most underrated, unknown blade manufacturer. In my opinion they produce some of the best knives in the world. They have been in business 700 years (yes, 700), starting with samurai swords made for royalty.
They do offer (most manufacturers) different grades of their knives. I owned a cheaper model of this same knife that was pretty nice but this was a nice step up. I believe I've owned this one for about 10 years.
"Some seven hundred years ago the emperor Gotoba authorized our family ancestor, Shiro Kanenaga, to be one of his sword smiths. For the next several hundred years our family manufactured samurai swords that bore the emperors chrysanthemum symbol or Kiku-no-mon as a mark of their excellence. Today Shiro Kanenaga's original swords are considered national treasures in Japan and are on display at Seikado Museum in Tokyo. "
"Today, we are the only cutlery manufacturer with the true legacy of Samurai sword smith."
"When the Meiji Revolution brought an end to the samurai era in 1868, our company re-invented itself as a maker of cutlery. As the fourth- generation owner of this cutlery company, we are happy to say that the tradition of sword making begun so long ago is something that the Kikuichi Company is proud to carry on in the high standard of craftsmanship we apply to the knives and scissors we produce today. In fact, the legacy of Shiro Kanenaga, our illustrious ancestor, is represented in our company's full name: "Kikuichi-Monjyu-Shiro-Kanenaga." Kikuichi means "first chrysanthemum," and Monjyu the Buddha that Shiro Kanenaga worshipped in his hometown of Nara."