Okay, this may not have been my brightest idea, but I have grown so tired of reading how folks have gotten their knives "shaving sharp" ( http://www.haslinger-knives.com/ ) that I decided to kick it old school, tuff guy, hard core- I shaved with a knife. Well, not quite.
I know- call Bellevue.
Now I didn't quite do the Iron Chef Sakai routine- use a foot long blade to peel an apple. I used a 150mm petty knife from Misono's UX-10 series ( http://www.korin.com/product.php?pi...no&subsubcatname=Misono UX10&mnum=HMI-733-015 ), and I hit it with almost every stone I have. Unlike traditional Japanese knives, it's not a single bevel design, but it is heavily biased for right handed use (ie: the flatter side of the knife is on the left side). This makes it easier to shave the left side of the face, and as I'm left handed, I gave it a go. I hit the bulk of my left cheek, maintaining adequate distance from my ear, nose, and lip. Neck and jaw line were not attempted, nor am I even contemplating doing so.
Results? The hair did come flying off, but with far more pulling than I would deem acceptable from a straight razor. The knife is still able to produce 1mm slices from a fresh tomato, and I really didn't suffer any ill effects. The moral of the story is when you hear that a knife is shaving sharp, it's really not, at least by our standards.
I know- call Bellevue.
Now I didn't quite do the Iron Chef Sakai routine- use a foot long blade to peel an apple. I used a 150mm petty knife from Misono's UX-10 series ( http://www.korin.com/product.php?pi...no&subsubcatname=Misono UX10&mnum=HMI-733-015 ), and I hit it with almost every stone I have. Unlike traditional Japanese knives, it's not a single bevel design, but it is heavily biased for right handed use (ie: the flatter side of the knife is on the left side). This makes it easier to shave the left side of the face, and as I'm left handed, I gave it a go. I hit the bulk of my left cheek, maintaining adequate distance from my ear, nose, and lip. Neck and jaw line were not attempted, nor am I even contemplating doing so.
Results? The hair did come flying off, but with far more pulling than I would deem acceptable from a straight razor. The knife is still able to produce 1mm slices from a fresh tomato, and I really didn't suffer any ill effects. The moral of the story is when you hear that a knife is shaving sharp, it's really not, at least by our standards.