I see people showing a knife's sharpness on TV by slicing a piece of paper with
it. I just tried that with a fresh from the store, fresh out of it's protective
sheath, Wusthof Grand Prix chef's knife and no go. Not even close. This is a
great quality knife so shouldn't it come that sharp fresh from the factory? I
assume they would sell a knife that had been finished to it's full potential.
No?

"Sheellah" > wrote in message
...
> I see people showing a knife's sharpness on TV by slicing a piece of paper
with
> it. I just tried that with a fresh from the store, fresh out of it's
protective
> sheath, Wusthof Grand Prix chef's knife and no go. Not even close. This is
a
> great quality knife so shouldn't it come that sharp fresh from the
factory? I
> assume they would sell a knife that had been finished to it's full
potential.
> No?

You can't be sure. Knives from the factory are usually quite sharp but
there's no guarantee. But cutting paper is a tough test and one that is not
relevant for kitchen knives (unless paper is a regular ingredient in your
dishes). My favorite test is a soft, ripe tomato - if a knife can cut thin
slices without effort it is sharp enough for any kitchen task I have ever
encountered.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

"Sheellah" > wrote in message ...
> This is a
> great quality knife so shouldn't it come that sharp fresh from the
factory? I
> assume they would sell a knife that had been finished to it's full
potential.
> No?

You would think that, but no, they need to be honed for top performance.

It is not just knives, but wood chisels, planes, most any cutting tool is
mediocre from the factory.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

On 07 May 2004 20:06:14 GMT, (Sheellah) wrote:
>I see people showing a knife's sharpness on TV by slicing a piece of paper with
>it. I just tried that with a fresh from the store, fresh out of it's protective
>sheath, Wusthof Grand Prix chef's knife and no go. Not even close. This is a
>great quality knife so shouldn't it come that sharp fresh from the factory? I
>assume they would sell a knife that had been finished to it's full potential.
>No?

Unfortunately, no. I bought myself a Wüsthof Classic cook's knife a
few months ago and had a similar experience. It's a very decent knife
and well made otherwise, but the final sharpening was probably done by
some tourist taking a tour of the factory.

But it's no big deal. Just introduce the knife to your collection of
sharpening stones and let them get properly acquainted. Forget "good
as new", you can do much better yourself!

(In case you don't have a sharpening stone: get one and look for a few
sharpening FAQs on the net. Sharpening is fun and you'll be much
happier with all your knives.)


Jarmo

Email: firstname.lastname at mbnet.fi

Sheellah wrote:
> I see people showing a knife's sharpness on TV by slicing a piece of paper with
> it. I just tried that with a fresh from the store, fresh out of it's protective
> sheath, Wusthof Grand Prix chef's knife and no go. Not even close. This is a
> great quality knife so shouldn't it come that sharp fresh from the factory? I
> assume they would sell a knife that had been finished to it's full potential.
> No?

Of all the knives I have purchased new only Chef'sChoice was shaving
sharp and many, like your Wusthof, would not cut paper. Learn to
sharpen them yourself. The rewards are great.

Steve
--
Sharpening Made Easy: A Primer on Sharpening Knives and Other Edged
Tools by Steve Bottorff Copyright January 2002 Knife World Publications
www.sharpeningmadeeasy.com
E-mail: steve AT sharpeningmadeeasy DOT com