What is your favorite angle?

[Sharpco]

What are your favorite sharpening angles for chef knives and butcher knives? And what is the reason?

As you know, Tormek said that 15-20 degrees per side are suitable. Do you think Tormek's recommended angle is correct?

[Jan]

I have just discussed similar question in another thread. Here is the copy:

My main customers are restaurants, and many of them are butchers. Most of them don't use expensive knives. I often see knives similar to Victorinox chef knives.

Victorinox chef's knives are made of good steel which can be hardened up to 56 HRC. Such a steel can be sharpened to bevel angle 15° (30° included angle) for slicing knives, and to bevel angle 20° (40° included angle) for boning knives.

After many sharpening cycles the blade can become too thick and the knife does not perform well even though it was freshly sharpened and correctly deburred. The blade has to be thinned. In my opinion the Victorinox chef's knives cannot be efficiently thinned on Tormek.

Not each steel is as good as the above mentioned x50CrMoV15. When the steel is softer, than the edge will dull more rapidly, and it is not recommendable to sharpen the chef's knife to a thin 15°.

When I am in doubts about steel hardness I use an inexpensive hardness testing file set. One almost invisible scratch with the 55 HRC file will tell you whether you can sharpen the 15° bevel angle or rather a larger one.

It is necessary to mention that all premium steels are harder than the above mentioned x50... For example, VG-10, which is usually 59 to 61 HRC and which has a great edge retention. Such a steel can be sharpened to very acute angles, but on the other hand it may be found a bit brittle for everyday use.

Jan

[SharpenADullWitt]

I contacted some of the manufacturers of the knives I have done for my friends restaurant.  My thoughts were to try to match the factory angles.  What I have read online, indicated that most western chef's knives were typically 20°, but contacting the manufacturers of restaurant style knives, they were more the eastern/Asian grind of 15°.  Before I had the Tormek, most of the sharpeners I would use on something like that, were the V style and set at 20°. (prior to Tormek, most of my sharpening was old planes I were restoring)  I was asked to sharpen another batch (three), and one of them would still cut paper, but to them was dull.  (I suspect it was as sharp as a new knife, but not as sharp as they have become used to since I started sharpening them)
I have not sharpened any butchers or cimeters yet, although maybe next year, as their brother has been doing bbq contests.  When they put an order in for some stuff, I did order one to practice with as I couldn't buy it anywhere else at the price ($8).  I need to find a use for it, as I don't want to dull a knife, just to practice with; seems wrong.
Personally, I think the 20° angle, might be better on a knife that is used for dicing.  However, at a damaged freight store, locally, I picked up two Nakiri knives for $10 each and gave one to them.  The factory said 15° on them.
For Ken:
I also picked up a Santoku, which is similar to the Nakiri, but the later allows more hand space around the handle (less knuckle hitting if dicing).  As they go from slicing tomato's to dicing lettuce and the Nakiri is about the same height as a chef's/cooks knife, with no pointy tip.

[grepper]

Personally, I don't have a "favorite" sharpening angle.  Like Mr. Jan states, different grades of steel can support a more acute angle than others.  A very acute bevel angle cuts easily but may not hold up.

It also depends on how the blade is going to be used.  If all a blade is going to do is gently slice through sashimi, it may perform well with a very acute bevel angle.  A blade that suffers repeated cutting board impact or is used to cut really tough stuff like cardboard all day may need a less acute bevel.

If you sharpen to 15° and have poor edge retention, try a steeper bevel.  That kind of thing.

http://tinyurl.com/yagbuarv

[Ken S]

Grepper,

You mention an important and interesting variable, the cutting board. I use two fairly large wooden cutting boards (almost large and large). They have been a joy to use for twenty five years, and have been gentle on my knives.

I realize commercial kitchens have code constraints.

Ken