Choosing a default angle

[Rossy66]

I have had my business up and running for just over 2 months now and although its doing quite well, I have a question for the forum that I know docent have a absolute answer but I will ask it anyway for guidance. I get a lot of knives that are in bad shape and although I have been looking up the website of the knife maker or Googling the answer, I try to put the factory recommended angle on it or a default 18° and was wondering if anyone who sharpens for the public chooses a different angle?

In all honesty, I would like to have a more "standard" angle to sharpen customers knives except for very specific knives that require a specific angle (As an ex chef, I use Japanese knives and sharpen most of them at 15° and have some as low as 12°) and I am wondering if the standard 18°  should be lower, possibly 15°? I understand that this may leave less material behind the edge and most cheap knives wont stay sharp for long  so is there a compromise edge angle? Any input would be most welcome.

[John Hancock Sr]

I am not a professional so take my advice as it comes. My approach is to select a default of 20. The reason is two fold. First, the majority of general purpose kitchen knives recommend that angle, and second it is a good angle for general purpose use whilst not making it too fragile. I would have thought that 18 would also be a good compromise. When I do use a smaller angle I advise the owner to reserve that knife for fine work et al to prevent damaging the knife. All of my sharpening is for home use by non professionals so I rarely use a smaller angle.

[tgbto]

I used to sharpen @20dps a long time ago. Then I came across Wootz's litterature and decided to give 15dps a try.

It has been my standard since. I made comparisons using the same knife model sharpened at 20 dps and 15dps, the 20 dps got dull significantly faster. I have not noticed 15dps being too fragile for standard to fairly high quality knives.

[Sir Amwell]

15 degrees/side unless a customer asks for something specific (they very rarely do).

[Royale]

Considering almost every knife handed to me by customers are at the tail end of trying almost every other gadget and sharpening service prior, there's never any sharpening angle to duplicate.

Kitchen knives: 15 DPS
Cleavers: 17 DPS
Fancy Japanese knives: 12-15 DPS
General use and fabric scissors: 60 DPS

I typically measure the behind edge thickness (knives only) and aim for a secondary bevel height between 1-2mm.

So far this framework seems to balance a smooth flow from the secondary to primary bevels, as well as edge retention for at least a few months for average 55-58 HRC steel.

[Rossy66]

I used to sharpen @20dps a long time ago. Then I came across Wootz's litterature and decided to give 15dps a try.

It has been my standard since. I made comparisons using the same knife model sharpened at 20 dps and 15dps, the 20 dps got dull significantly faster. I have not noticed 15dps being too fragile for standard to fairly high quality knives.

So do you feel your customers knives keep their sharpness long enough to their satisfaction? 

[Rossy66]

I used to sharpen @20dps a long time ago. Then I came across Wootz's litterature and decided to give 15dps a try.

It has been my standard since. I made comparisons using the same knife model sharpened at 20 dps and 15dps, the 20 dps got dull significantly faster. I have not noticed 15dps being too fragile for standard to fairly high quality knives.

That's interesting, I am currently doing some tests between 18�° 16° to see how long the knife edge lasts. My main concern is that the knife stays sharp for a decent period of time (a couple of months with daily use) value for money is my goal as I want the customers to keep coming back and feel they got their moneys worth.

[John_B]

For my customers I do 15dps. No one knows the difference between 15 and 20 and the edge lasts longer for them.

[Rossy66]

For my customers I do 15dps. No one knows the difference between 15 and 20 and the edge lasts longer for them.

Thanks

[Ken S]

When I was developing the kenjig, I wanted to standardize on a single bevel angle. The kenjig was designed primarily for sharpening everyday kitchen knives. I asked Stig to suggest an angle. He suggested 15° (degrees per side). While I have occasionally experimented with 12°, based on Wootz' recommendation, 15° has remained my go to setting.

As an update, with the advent of the KS-123, I no longer use the kenjig. In my opinion, the kenjig was a sound idea. I feel the same way about the various apps. I just believe that the KS-123 is an improvement, whether we choose to vary angles or stick with our "go to" standards.

Ken