have been using a pair of knives somewhat frequently and am trying to figure out the best way to test the sharpness, before and after sharpening. What is the best material to test the sharpness of a chef's knife and stainless steel pocket knife?
>>8277765
Cut a sheet of paper in half. Shave body hair. Slowly slide fingertips across the blade.
People always freakout when I do the last one but the goal is not to draw blood or anything. You should only be able to make it like a centimeter down the blade before the skin starts to peel back. Should be painless and bloodless.
>>8277790
all of these
also running the knife across the top of your thumbnail at a sharp angle, if it sticks or slides across it's dull, if it shaves a layer off it's fine
You should be able to tell if a knife is sharp or not by using it.
>>8280335
you'd be surprised
my parents never owned or used a knife sharpener, and they still don't
I used mine to take care of the knives until I moved out, now I just trim them up when I'm staying over
>>8280354
I mean if you somewhat frequently use/hone them, and occasionally sharpen them, like it seemed the OP does.