How sharp is sharp enough?

[JamesKerr]

I have always believed that as long as a broadhead is shaving sharp it's sharp enough to hunt with. My question now is that how much of a difference does a truly honed edge( one that has a mirror finish) Have over simply a edge done on a file or polished smooth (smooth edge with no micro serations but not a mirror finish) as long as they are all shaving sharp?

[Hud]

Indians used stone points, the serrated edge was tough and cut through hair, hide and flesh. A Shark's teeth are serrated, and most of the old timers put a serrated edge on their steel broadheads (Hill, Bear, St Charles). When a butcher uses a steel on knives it is to align the serrated edge to cut better. I will continue to use a serrated edge on my broadheads and knives. Personally, I like my Gillette razor polished, but not my knives, or broadheads.

[USN_Sam1385]

When one uses the term "shaving sharp", how hard do you have to push??? If I simply run my broadhead across my arm it will not shave hair. However if I push some it will...

Back in the day when I had a barbers strap and a buffing wheel, I sharpened everyone's broadheads in our group.  My arms were bald, my legs were bald, but when I nicked my arm pit testing another guy's broadhead that was it and I went to a file for everything. I use a carbide sharpener in the field to touch up the edges, but the leather strap and the buffing wheel are long gone. I find that using a light serrated edge obtained with a Grizzly file versus the file plus jewel stick edge, the deer die about the same as they did with the buffed shaving sharp edges.

[Ben Maher]

Originally posted by pavan:
 Back in the day when I had a barbers strap and a buffing wheel, I sharpened everyone's broadheads in our group.   My arms were bald, my legs were bald, but when I nicked my arm pit testing another guy's broadhead that was it and I went to a file for everything  My arms were bald, my legs were bald, but when I nicked my arm pit testing another guy's broadhead that was it and I went to a file for everything .
 

For me a have taken a bunch of critters with file sharpened 'serrated' edges

[Bjorn]

Get them sharp enough that they shave hair like crazy. No excuses and no compromise; if they don't shave hair easily off you arm wet or not you need to do more work on the head.

[Uncle Buck]

I believe a properly file sharpened edge is sharp enough, But I personally enjoy the time spent to get edges scary sharp. I find it very relaxing to sharpen, many of my freinds see it as neccessary but tedius work. To each his own. Our differences are what makes people interesting.

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Bjorn:
Get them sharp enough that they shave hair like crazy. No excuses and no compromise; if they don't shave hair easily off you arm wet or not you need to do more work on the head.

X2

[Sharpster]

No one has ever failed to recover an animal because the broadhead was too sharp. It's not so much about killing (that's pretty easy). It is about bloodtrails, minimizing the animal's flight response, and ultimately, getting the deer/bear/hog/elk/moose into the back of the truck.

Honed and stropped like a piece of broken glass for me.

Ron

[Roger Norris]

I can achieve a scary edge with just a file and steel...I have worked hard to be able create an edge with these two tools because I am able to do it in the woods. I have never understood methods that involve grinders and buffers....I want to be able to shoot the arrow on my string and touch it back up with whats in my pocket.

That said, a honed and polished edge intrigues me. Someone posted a pic on here a few days ago, and thier edge had a true mirror finish. That kind of effort impresses me. Whats the method? Are you able to do it without a trip to the workshop?

[NoCams]

Roger..... I am pretty sure my KME knife sharpener kit will fit in my pants leg cargo pocket....    

Seriously though as small as the KME kit is why not leave it in the truck or camp during huntin season for any touch ups that are needed. Trust me, everyone in camp will be your friend after watching you shave body parts, including your face if needed with your broadheads. JMHO

[Roger Norris]

Yep, thats a good idea.

Are you guys getting that polished edge with a KME?

[Tutanka]

Sharp and polished are really two seperate things.  You can have a sharp edge that is not polished and you can have a polished edge that is not sharp.  For instance I use a progression of files and stones up to 1000 grit to obtain a sharp edge.  Once I am finished with the 1000 grit stone I may only gain a micron to two in sharpness as I progress to 10,000 grit for polishing.  As long as I am able to "pop" not just shave arm hair at 1000 grit I know that I am pretty much as sharp as I am going to get.  After that it is all polishing.  If I am looking for an extremely polished edge I may progress all the way up to a 30,000 grit stone.  Does a polished edge serve any better for hunting, I am truly not sure.  A lot of people have proven that a file sharpened edge is all that you need.

[USN_Sam1385]

Originally posted by Bjorn:
Get them sharp enough that they shave hair like crazy. No excuses and no compromise; if they don't shave hair easily off you arm wet or not you need to do more work on the head.

I have never seen a blade/broadhead sharp enough to do this in real life. Heard about it a lot, but never actually seen it. Even sent my knives to a professional sharpening service that guaranteed it, and still didn't happen.

[Bill Carlsen]

I'm with Sharpster....he took the words right out of my mouth. Is there such a thing as "too sharp"?....I don't think so. It is true that you can kill stuff with different kinds of edges but a razor edge  in my experience puts them down much quicker. You can kill them with field points if you hit them right but then try to find them. Where I hunt it can be very wet and swamplike. A little rain puts water on the ground that lasts for a while and trailing in water is hard. I want to see or hear them go down.

[swamprooter]

A file first then a lansky "dogbone" style ceramic stick work pretty dang good and are easy to carry anywhere. I have obsessed about it, sharpened with various grit stones then stropped with a piece of leather loaded with buffing compound. The heads were very sharp and highly polished but I couldn't tell enough difference between that and the file and dogbone edge to make it worth the extra time. Chris

[straitera]

Sharpening is a skill. Many are unable I believe because they try too hard. Heavy pressure stropping your newly sharpened BH can dull it. Try lightly stropping both sides until it is scary sharp. Metals, tempers, technique, & tools will vary results. KME takes out the guesswork. I use machines at home & steel in the woods.

[Mint]

My KME sharpener goes with me on every hunting trip. It gets the muzzy phantom scary sharp that will easily shave hair. I've noticed a big difference using the KME since I could not get the phantoms truly razor sharp without it. The steel was justtoo hard but withthe KME and Rons instructions it is a peice of cake.

[Jeff Strubberg]

I'm gonna throw a wrench in the works and say a lot depends on the steel of your broadheads.

Ideally, I'd like all of mine so sharp you're scared to pull the arrow from the quiver.  If you're using a soft steel head, though, you can wipe that sharp an edge off by frowning at it.  

It doesn't matter a hill of beans how sharp the head was in your hands if it's dull after hair contact on the side of the animal you're shooting at.

[Javi]

File and stropping on my boot heel works for me... I use a rubber rubber band stretched between two nails or between two fingers to gage how sharp... when the BH breaks the band with a touch it's sharp enough...

There is a fine line between sharp and to sharp... get a blade to sharp and the edge will roll the first time it hits hide..