I have had a few really sharp knives.
The Mule was very very sharp but a lot of that is it has some of the best geometry of any knife. Very thin spine and a wideblade with a full hieght grind all make for a very very narrow edge angle.
My Lambert Custom was very sharp but it does not really count.
My friends one step before top of the line Henkels chef knife is pretty amazingly sharp. It would also make a super fighter.
There are 3 things that make for a sharp knife.
1 Good geometry , the Spyderco Mule has good edge geometry the DMCG has obtuse geometry so not matter how good you sharpen the edge it will still not cut well.
2 The edge angle ,Most production knives have their edge angle to obtuse as well so the edges don't chip. A good sharp edge is between 17 and 20degrees while most edges are at least 25 from the factory.
3 How well the edge angles meet up together. The edges should have the same angle on both sides and form a wire edge which is then removed.
The HCLE had the first one ,good geometry and the third one ,excellent good looking even edges but the edge angle was way to steep. Once you get a nice angle on it it should cut really well but boy that steel is hard to reprofile.
My DFLE has that exact same edge but it is great on the DFLE which has even better geometry because of the high sides and flat grind. I probably will give it a thinner convex edge but I have not had the heart yet because they did such a good job.
If Bussekin knives had better edges they would cost more.
It takes a lot of time and training to make a perfect edge and that would add a lot of cost to the knife.
asymmetrical edges can be very very sharp. I love the edge on my SH-E which is perfectly flat on one side and convex on the other. It would be very hard to sharpen without a bench grinder for the flat side and then a mousepad/sandpaper for the other. My Emerson Commander was even worse. It was as sharp out of the box as the mule but there was no way to sharpen it without totally messing up the finish. I sold it and won't get another Emerson.
