I get asked a bit about paper towel cutting and how to get there, because I do it sometimes in videos when I'm testing out or showing off a particular stone. And each time I have to tell people that it's not actually particularly important or worth worrying about too much, the reason I do it is mostly because I use paper towel instead of stone holders and to clean up, so I always have it to hand.
What's more important in a well sharpened knife (imo) is: functional longevity, or edge retention. I did a little vid before Christmas that had a very impressive paper towel cut at the end, but what I didn't know until after I'd started using it was that I'd left a very small wire edge on the knife, and it rolled on the board. That was not a good sharpening job despite looking cool in the video.
Here are a couple of other short vids; the first shows a Mazaki after putting it on my lovely new Rosy Red Washita, the second is the same knife after a week of preparing X number of meals, without touching up or stropping:
Now this is a good sharpening job, but it's not because of the first video, it's because of the second. The knife is Shiro2 and it does lose that final 10% of ultimate 'sharpness' a little more quickly than A2, or particularly AS, but it doesn't matter that it can't go through paper towel any more. The fact that I can easily decollate Little Miss Dior in the magazine shows that's it's still happily good enough for use in the kitchen. I don't need to get out a stone, I don't need to lose more metal.
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Anyhow, that's just my take. Perhaps other people see it differently and think the knife could do with a touch up at that point? But I just thought I'd say for anyone newer to knife sharpening: You shouldn't necessarily equate the sharpest edge with the best edge.
What's more important in a well sharpened knife (imo) is: functional longevity, or edge retention. I did a little vid before Christmas that had a very impressive paper towel cut at the end, but what I didn't know until after I'd started using it was that I'd left a very small wire edge on the knife, and it rolled on the board. That was not a good sharpening job despite looking cool in the video.
Here are a couple of other short vids; the first shows a Mazaki after putting it on my lovely new Rosy Red Washita, the second is the same knife after a week of preparing X number of meals, without touching up or stropping:
Now this is a good sharpening job, but it's not because of the first video, it's because of the second. The knife is Shiro2 and it does lose that final 10% of ultimate 'sharpness' a little more quickly than A2, or particularly AS, but it doesn't matter that it can't go through paper towel any more. The fact that I can easily decollate Little Miss Dior in the magazine shows that's it's still happily good enough for use in the kitchen. I don't need to get out a stone, I don't need to lose more metal.
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Anyhow, that's just my take. Perhaps other people see it differently and think the knife could do with a touch up at that point? But I just thought I'd say for anyone newer to knife sharpening: You shouldn't necessarily equate the sharpest edge with the best edge.