Which edge should I sharpen my knife to?

Which edge should I sharpen my knife to?

The first thing to note is that when we talk about the edge angle of the knife, we are talking about half a nail or a whole nail. In the DTG-KS sharpening machine range, we have marked half nails on the angle scale. So when we say that we sharpen a knife to 32 degrees, we mean 16 degrees at the setting. It makes sense, because if you “add” the 16 degrees to the other half of the knife, you get a total angle of 32 degrees at the edge.

So we would like to make it clear here that we are talking about a full nail on our side when we mention the angle of the edge.

We have run into many misunderstandings, because it makes a difference whether a chef’s knife has a 15-degree edge angle or a 30-degree edge angle.

The optimum edge angle depends on what the knife is used for and what function it has. The type of knife is closely related to this, of course. Generally speaking, the angle of edge is usually between 25 and 50 degrees for knives.

The smaller the edge angle um. the sharper the knife but also the more vulnerable, while blades with a larger edge angle are more durable but “less” sharp. Very, very simplified.

Kitchen knives are usually sharpened with an edge angle of between 30 and 40 degrees, while outdoor, hunting or hiking knives are usually sharpened with an edge angle of between 40 and 50 degrees. So where the knife will be subjected to more severe wear, such as a gutting operation, it is advisable to use a higher edge angle.

It’s a good idea to use the same angle for each function, so that you can give your knife the same angle during resharpening, reducing the amount of excess material you have to cut. In our case, this is 32 degrees for kitchen knives and meat knives, and 42 degrees for hunting knives and knives.

If you are not sure about the right edge angle, it is recommended to seek advice from the manufacturer of the knife or a professional.

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