What grit stropping compound should you get?

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND!
If you are a new sharpener you are certainly not getting 100~ straight off the stone so you WILL see an improvement from using 6um after sharpening. For an example of how sharp this knife was please see the values I extracted from the Bess sharpness scale below.
250-350 = New High end cutlery edges
150-200 = Utility Razor blade
25-75 = double edge razor blade
Factory new Spyderco usually test around 140-170 for me.
Summary of my thoughts
6um is great for maintaining a dulling blade & mirroring.
Sub 1um is great for pushing for ultimate sharpness.

Пікірлер: 165

  • @teresashinkansen9402
    @teresashinkansen940211 күн бұрын

    When I learned sharpening I begun stropping with cerium oxide glass polishing paste, the average particle size was about 3-4 microns and got the sharpest edges, couldn't get any sharper until I got .5um diamond compound, the only way to measure sharpness I used was splitting hairs and i was already whittling hair with the cerium oxide stropping. I been using denim strops to remove micro burs and then thick Kraft paper glued onto a piece of flat wood loaded with polishing compound, I tried to use leather but I didn't liked it because I noticed it was too easy to end up rounding up the edge.

  • @acoupleofsharpthings
    @acoupleofsharpthings3 ай бұрын

    Best video on this I've seen so far, great job

  • @lars43771
    @lars437713 ай бұрын

    Finally a video that demonstrates this specifically! This has been bothering me for a while now, people seem to think 6 or 9 micron is going to improve their edges, then get disappointed when the results are not as expected. These results you are showing here, are exactly my findings as well, hence why I would always recommend 1 micron to a beginner. I personally have no use for anything below 1 micron when it comes to sharpening, just like you said.

  • @Aa-ron22

    @Aa-ron22

    12 күн бұрын

    @@lars43771 what about a 4 micron

  • @luisaspo
    @luisaspo2 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the video!!! I finally understood so many stuff about this.

  • @almanages
    @almanagesАй бұрын

    Very informative. Thank you for taking the time to produce this test.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    23 күн бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @joeybaldarelli6620
    @joeybaldarelli66203 ай бұрын

    No wonder! Thank you!

  • @Mark--Todd
    @Mark--Todd3 ай бұрын

    Excellent video.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad you liked it!

  • @davidrobinson8705
    @davidrobinson87053 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this, informative as always. This confirms my latest findings (I’m still very much perfecting my sharpening and stropping techniques). Thank you for my latest order, I’m really impressed with the strops and the compounds are now my benchmark for quality 🖖🏻

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks! Very kind words and I appreciate the support

  • @Falin89
    @Falin893 ай бұрын

    Awesome video! This shows my experience with this as well! I can't believe so many recommend blasting that edge with 6um. Very good demonstration and explanation. The conclusions are bang on and I think this is very useful info for beginners and experienced people that might have been misled by folklore. It is too bad that you have to navigate through a lot of bad information that's out there to finally find good and useful info based on facts and real world experience rather than outdated or plain wrong "stories". Thank you.

  • @EdgeStoneKnives
    @EdgeStoneKnives3 ай бұрын

    Dude absolutely amazing video. This proves what my gut feeling has been all along but I was never able to prove it to myself. Thanks for just improving my mental health 😅. Great stuff Max!!

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    No problem, I'm glad you enjoyed it! The topic had been bugging me and my sharpening bros too. We keep reading total bs on the forums and I had to try and put some testing out there to fight it

  • @antonzanker
    @antonzanker3 ай бұрын

    Super interessting!

  • @fionnhovawart9594
    @fionnhovawart9594Ай бұрын

    Many THX for showing us your results and conclusion 👍 I've got the best results when I use the blue belgian (approx 6000 grit) without stropping. BR from 🇦🇹

  • @kyounokaze
    @kyounokaze20 күн бұрын

    Thanks for your video. I am new to knife sharpening but I think I might know why a lot of people are using 6 micron compound, there is a video about stropping from Outdoor55 from a few months ago "What Does a Strop Actually do?...". between 3:30 and 7:00 in his video he says he is using a 6 micron diamond compound and shows how he gets an extremely sharp edge with just that and a 400 grit stone, with a stropping focus on microscopic burr removal after doing regular burr removal on the 400 grit stone. As a viewer interested in sharpening, I recommend seeing it if you haven't yet. I was surprised that your tests showed a decrease in sharpness after stropping with 6 micron, and wonder if this could be because of ending on a higher grit stone before stropping? I've seen online that a 6 micron compound is similar to a 2000 grit stone, so it would make sense to me that the sharpness would decrease if you went from a 3000+ grit stone to a 6 micron compound. You clearly make some very very sharp knives so I would like to hear your thoughts. Thank you again for the video and sharing your what you have learned and tested

  • @michaelc3416

    @michaelc3416

    6 күн бұрын

    At the beginning of the video he says that the knife had been sharpened on a Spyderco UF stone. While Spyderco doesn't give a grit or micron rating for their bench stones, research, using scratch patterns from various stones, has demonstrated that the UF stone is roughly equivalent to 3 microns (Grand Unified Grit Chart). If this is reasonably accurate, then there's little wonder that 6 micron compound on a leather strop would actually be taking a step backwards from the edge provided by the stone, provided the burr was completely removed and the apex was clean. A progression from course to fine is of course the obvious point in sharpening, so going backwards is pretty much going to do what the video demonstrates. Outdoor55 on the other hand is stropping a very toothy edge as provided by a 400 grit (44 micron equivalent). So his use of a 6 micron compound on a stop would be expected to refine the edge quite a bit. This video was interesting. And it would have been even more so if it included microscopic photos of each step so we could actually see what was happening at the apex... Everyone is of differing opinions of course, but while a highly refined polished edge may make for great push cuts on a Bess test, and other "edge nerd" demonstrations, a slightly toothy edge can in some case be a more practical cutting tool in the real world. Of course, all caveats apply in regard to blade steel, carbide sizes and types, hardness, edge geometry, etc. And there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with being an edge nerd! 😁

  • @kyounokaze

    @kyounokaze

    6 күн бұрын

    @@michaelc3416 Thanks for the in depth reply!

  • @feralcruz2093
    @feralcruz20933 ай бұрын

    I bought some 6 micron gunny juice awhile back because 1 micron wasn't in stock. I was shocked when my knives were duller after using the 6. I thought I was off on my angle or something. I bought 1 micron stroppy stuff last week and have been really happy with the results. I really appreciate this video, and I will try the .25 micron next.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    That's great news man! I'm glad you're having some success now you're experiencing the correct size compound for edge refinement 👍

  • @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide
    @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide3 ай бұрын

    I like the 4 and 1 those are the only 2 i use and it works great for the things i use my knives for. I recommend your products to everyone that buys one of my strops.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    That's great! 4um is another good alternative for edge maintenance in use between sharpening 👍

  • @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide

    @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 i use the 4 as a finisher on my satin toothy edges and as an edge maintainer and a 4,1,.25 for my mirror edges. I love your products and the only compound ill use.

  • @twatmunro

    @twatmunro

    3 ай бұрын

    Do you have a link to your strops, donal2912?

  • @joshbeck289

    @joshbeck289

    2 ай бұрын

    I been using 1 and .5 and i love my results .5 seams too just shine it up a little more then the 1 but the 1 seems too make the sharpest edges

  • @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide

    @TheGuidedSharpeningGuide

    2 ай бұрын

    @@joshbeck289 ive got the Venev f1200-f2000 grit stone now and with it you dont even need to strop. The f1200 is around 15,000-17,000 and the f2000 is 17,000-21,000 grit.

  • @John..18
    @John..183 ай бұрын

    Superb video, thank you,, there is so much BS around about sharpening and stropping, it's a breath of fresh air to see actual results backed up by actual testing,,.. I've never used anything more aggressive than 2 micron, and after watching this I'm glad,, 👍,, I love a toothy edge especially on my S110v blades, so I think I'll be investing in some 0.25 m compound soon,, All the best my friend,, 👌 John. 👍

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for all the support! I'm glad the video was helpful, good to see you're already on the right track too!

  • @pierrejohnson6264
    @pierrejohnson62643 ай бұрын

    EXCELLENT

  • @edsonmenini
    @edsonmenini28 күн бұрын

    Thank you for your video. I am glad that I have seen a very well known cuttlery store here in Brazil has been promoting through their videos that a coarse, cheap #400 stone with proper deburring finished on a strop loaded with 0.5micron cromium dioxide compound (cheap and widely known around here) is the best and most cost effective entry level solution for beginners before trying fancier stuff (if needed at all). As I understood from one of your final comments you would tend do agree. Also, leaving some serrated edge goes very well with Brazilians' most important get together activity, the barbecue.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    28 күн бұрын

    Yes I would say that a 400 grit stone and a single strop would be the most cost effective entry method, however 400 grit stone can be very hard to minimise the burr on so it would require more skill, but very possible 👍

  • @teresashinkansen9402

    @teresashinkansen9402

    11 күн бұрын

    While serrated edges are nice when cutting some fibrous things I think their preference might mean lack of sharpening skills, at least that was my case so Im not saying that applies to you. A well sharpened edge might feel smooth if you slide your fingers carefully but if you put a little bit more pressure it will slice you. I used to like "serrated" edges because they felt so sharp when sliding my fingers along it but as I begun chasing "tree topping" sharpness I learned smooth edges are better for most cases, the sharpness lasts longer because many times that serration is actually a burr. With smooth edges you have to be careful because you don't feel getting cut until is too late. I was slicing some tomatoes at night with a freshly sharpened knife (I sharpened it that evening) because I wanted a snack, I didn't used the cutting board because I didn't wanted to make noise getting it out from the cabinet so I was holding them on my hand, the blade sliced the tomatoes as if they were warm butter so I was being careful to not slice them too fast but then one of my fingers got in the way, when the blade contacted my finger it sliced as if nothing was there I just felt a sharp burning pain and dropped the tomato, I could see an almost invisible streak start to get red and then ooze blood, getting cut with smooth edges is less painful than with serrated ones so you realize you are getting cut when is too late, if that knife had serrations I would have noticed I was cutting into my finger right before it started cutting flesh.

  • @edsonmenini

    @edsonmenini

    10 күн бұрын

    @@teresashinkansen9402 thanks for that! I have no problem sharpening further than that but my own experience only goes so far. There are many advocates of keeping a serrated edge even when you go higher grits. Smooth edges are great for raw meat but serrated does better on barbecued pieces because of the crunchy outer crust, that is the common knowledge down here.🍖🥩

  • @edsonmenini

    @edsonmenini

    10 күн бұрын

    also have to consider the price points, imported stones are 2x as expensive here in USD, so having more affordable options is always something to be considered

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_10 күн бұрын

    Fascinating! Thanks. I have some Stroppy Stuff 9 on the way but I plan to use it to deburr off of diamond plates (400 Atoma > 1200 Atoma > strop).

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    10 күн бұрын

    @@robbabcock_ coarse compound works great for deburr jobs if you're not super diligent on the stones to remove it, so you should get edges you're happy with 👍

  • @michaelc3416
    @michaelc34166 күн бұрын

    Even though Spyderco doesn't give grit or micron ratings to their stones, according to the info on the Grand Unified Grit Chart, the Spyderco UF stone is approximately 3 microns. So, I can see how taking a step backwards in the progression from 3 to 6 microns would be detrimental to the apex's sharpness in a push cut Bess test, and why the 1 micron compound was beneficial. Good testing methodology. However, the numbers tell the tale.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    6 күн бұрын

    @@michaelc3416 thanks for the feedback. Keep in mind it was only a single pass on the UF to help knock the burr off

  • @sabelfechter7136
    @sabelfechter7136Ай бұрын

    Really helpfull video on a topic within sharpening i find very interesting, thanks for making it. Nice to see people still make such videos. Some questions: 1. Whats your opinion on stropping on basswood/balsa? 2. How realistic is it to recover an edge with stropping? (Ofc not a damaged one, just abraded.) And does 6um vs 1um make a noticable difference? For example in carving it would be neat to most efficiently maintain a decent sharpness over the period of it takes, without resharpening, which im alr doing but im wondering what um might be most efficient.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    23 күн бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed it! Stropping on bass/balsa is excellent. I prefer it over leather. Stropping to maintain is very possible in my opinion, as long as you do it regularly. If you let the blade go dull then it's just faster to use stones. Carving is the perfect use case for strops, regularly stropping. 1um and 6um combo would be great in this instance

  • @RazorSharpBG
    @RazorSharpBG3 ай бұрын

    Very helpfull video!

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Glad it was helpful!

  • @InFuRYoCiTY
    @InFuRYoCiTY2 ай бұрын

    2.22k subscribers 2.2k views KZread’s doing you pretty good mate

  • @PetesGuide
    @PetesGuideАй бұрын

    Nice testing! One way you can improve the results is to take 5 measurements then throw out the high and low scores. That’s how I was taught.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks for the feedback! Yeah I thought I should have done that too but I didn't want the Reddit guys to think I was hiding results 😂

  • @TocilarulTimisorean
    @TocilarulTimisorean3 ай бұрын

    What is the stone grit that you've been sharpening the knife on, before stropping ? And also what JIS grit would you compare these microns to ?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    1200 electroplated and then UF deburr

  • @ryanhinderman
    @ryanhinderman2 ай бұрын

    Great video! What 1-3 stones/grits would you recommend for sharpening Elmax (DBK knife), and would you recommend finishing with the 1 micron? Thanks so much!

  • @topfueljunkie100

    @topfueljunkie100

    18 күн бұрын

    He and I would both recommend that you sell me that DBK knife and find another knife to enjoy. I, I mean YOU (O_o), would be much happier I think.

  • @garbage_fish
    @garbage_fish3 ай бұрын

    Thanks! This is very useful information. so where does something like tormek paste fit into this? I believe it's 3 micron. I would assume it's going to have similar results as the 6? I have many questions!?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the support! I imagine the 3um will land somewhere between the 1 and the 6. Keep in mind the edge I had fresh off the stones was very sharp! So lots of jobs would have seen an improvement off the 6

  • @retardno002

    @retardno002

    10 күн бұрын

    You should think of the strop as a continuation of the sharpening process. What compound comes next depends on the last stone you used. If you stop at 1k grit with your stones the 6 microns compound would be a good next step, but not if you go up to 4k stones and higher. Then you need 1 micron or smaller. I personally use the 4 micron and 1 micron DBK x StroppyStuff compounds, and I tend to be very careful with the 4 microns, mostly use it on Scandi or convex edges, it's almost like a flexible sharpening stone. Table strop for Scandi, belt strop for convex, I almost don't need to use stones on those. The 1 micron with smooth leather works great for normal v-edges.

  • @crazychemist18
    @crazychemist183 ай бұрын

    Would you recommend me to go with a 1um or something finer like a 0.5um or 0.25um compound? I'm looking for something to take that last bit of burr off and maintain a nice toothy edge. I don't have a Bess scale so I can't say exactly how sharp I can get, but I can get very nice hair popping edge off stones alone, but can't quite cut through a paper towel cleanly yet. Great content as always, cheers!

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    1um is always a good recommendation in my opinion, especially for someone asking the question, they're probably at the stage where they couldn't quite make the most out of 0.25 yet. Although 0.5 would also be a good option. If you're unsure then get 1um, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for the support!

  • @alfredopampanga9356

    @alfredopampanga9356

    3 ай бұрын

    What stones did you use?

  • @crazychemist18

    @crazychemist18

    3 ай бұрын

    @@alfredopampanga9356 king 300, shapton pro 1000, and then the shapton pro 2000

  • @williamcorbin774
    @williamcorbin7742 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the info bud. What spydie kitchen knife is that.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    2 ай бұрын

    I think it's just called Spyderco Utility kitchen knife

  • @4d4mko
    @4d4mko3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this video, this topic need to be clarified for beginners like me! Does it depend of the steel? I always struggle to get a clean edge on coarse stones with 110V an S90V… Can you deburr 110V or S90V on the stone on a coarse grit? Minimise burr on the stone and make a progression 6-1-0.25 is viable option?

  • @CNYKnifeNut

    @CNYKnifeNut

    3 ай бұрын

    Pressure is key with every steel, but especially with S90V and s110v. I can get a completely deburred, hair popping edge with either straight off a 200 grit stone. Edit: you should never rely on strops for deburring. All deburring should be done on the stones.

  • @4d4mko

    @4d4mko

    3 ай бұрын

    @@CNYKnifeNut Yeah i know that, but with 110V and S90V i never achieve that clean hair splitting edge.. The majority of the burr is gone on the stone but i can clearly feel there is something still here… Maybe the root of the burr? Dont know…

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Coarser stones are harder to deburr, it's much easier to deburr on a finer stone, something that cuts slow enough that you don't accidentally create a new burr. That sounds like a fine progression. Nothing wrong with using a strop to help you deburr

  • @tacticalcenter8658

    @tacticalcenter8658

    3 ай бұрын

    ​​​@@4d4mkocould you have a burnt edge or perhaps a little more retained austenite? What brands are you using? Iirc Spyderco is the only one using s110v, most s110v from Spyderco is 61-62rc, older models may have been burned more than the newer models. For s90v spyderco usa maxed out at 59rc and only in the past few years are now 60 to 63. A burnt edge may cause debu r issues with s90v until at least 3 sharpenings in.

  • @4d4mko

    @4d4mko

    3 ай бұрын

    @@tacticalcenter8658 yes Spyderco and Maxace, i have a custom Opinel in S90V at 62-63HRC it is a little bit better but still far away of M390 for example of what i can achieve in term of sharpness…

  • @alfredopampanga9356
    @alfredopampanga93563 ай бұрын

    Did you describe the stones you used before stropping ? Excellent video

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    I think it was 1200 jis electroplated diamond and spyderco UF to assist with deburr

  • @smorgishborg7789
    @smorgishborg7789Ай бұрын

    So if I was planning to stop on the stones at around 6k would I be able to get away with just getting a 3M,2/1.5M and a .5M or are those too high or grit progressions

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    Stopping at 6k a 0.5 um compound would be fine

  • @smorgishborg7789

    @smorgishborg7789

    Ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 sweet thank you for the response man, hope you have a good one!

  • @Hunnisloot
    @HunnislootАй бұрын

    I just recently picked up a Hapstone RS with some high dollar venevs. If i stop at 1200 which microns would you suggest for some nice mirrors?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    1um will get you a nice mirror under indoor lighting. 0.25 will get a near flawless mirror under sunlight. I would first try going from f1200 to 1um and if that takes too long then add 4um to the mix. So at most you want 4,1 and 0.25 and at least you want 1um

  • @Hunnisloot

    @Hunnisloot

    Ай бұрын

    @stroppystuff641 appreciate you a ton, you're the best ❤️

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    @@Hunnisloot Thanks for the support!

  • @michael.knight
    @michael.knight29 күн бұрын

    What compound would you recommend for daily strop to maintain sharpness between sharpenings?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    29 күн бұрын

    Depends how much you let your blade dull during use. 1um for me, maybe 6um for those guys who let their blades dull past the point of being able to cut paper etc

  • @michael.knight

    @michael.knight

    29 күн бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 Cool, thanks! Will go with 1 then. I've got a good set of sharpening stones (up to 10k grit) for woodworking already, was just looking for a strop to have in the kitchen to be able to maintain the knife without having to get out the stones.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    29 күн бұрын

    @@michael.knight good choice!

  • @Dan12345
    @Dan123452 ай бұрын

    Do you think going from off the stone and progressing through 6, 1, 0.25 would make a difference, or would it just be a waste of time?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    2 ай бұрын

    It depends how well you finish off the stone. Personally I skip 6 and use that for maintenance. Some people don't finish well on the stone and would benefit from 6

  • @edcPatriot

    @edcPatriot

    13 күн бұрын

    ​@@stroppystuff641I never really thought of it like that before. I've seen people explain it but I never really made as much sense as it did just now. Maybe it's kind of a hard topic to explain but this time it really made sense.

  • @Ajaxykins
    @Ajaxykins2 ай бұрын

    Great video! I have a question/suggestion: For my use in day to day EDC, something like 150 bess is absolutely fine. What has given me the best results in the past were CroOx, mother's billet paste, and 12 micron diamond. But those "best results" are situational to use; CroOx is best for a comfortable shave that's not too aggressive (feels smooth and soft, the opposite of toothy), Mother's Billet made for fine HHT curling results yet aggressive edges that were great for potato chip bags but terrible for shaving as it'd bite into the skin, and 12 micron diamond seems nice for bringing back an edge from dull and quick deburring. My experience with diamond stropping compounds is pretty limited, I've tried a bunch of pastes and found them completely disappointing until I tried some 12 micron stuff. For EDC/Outdoors use 12 micron gives me a very serviceable edge and seems to produce that edge from dull pretty quick! Now the question: Does grit size matter in regards to edge restoration speed? I'd surely opt for .25 micron if it worked just as fast as 12 micron. I don't know if it's grit size or density of abrasive that matters more. On my previous stropping compounds I've used (croox, mother's billet, mother's mag, a bunch of disappointing pastes that did nothing, extra fine valve grinding compound, etc.) it doesn't seem to matter until it's too coarse to produce a good edge. Thanks!

  • @RedRider566
    @RedRider5662 ай бұрын

    Figures , I JUST PAID 40.00 FOR 6 MICRON Because what yoi just said i seen everyone using 6 , Grrrr So do you think the 6 mic would be better on harder steel like a 62 R ? I'm new sharpening with a strop , GREAT video for me , Thx You

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    2 ай бұрын

    If you're new 6um will be great, I think people like 6um because they're bad at burr minimisation on the stones and 6um really helps them.

  • @Gillespie91
    @Gillespie913 күн бұрын

    What grit stone do you finish with before stropping

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 күн бұрын

    In this video I think it was a 1200 atoma with a Spyderco UF 1-2 passes to deburr. Usually it depends on the knife I'm sharpening

  • @joewatts2940
    @joewatts2940Ай бұрын

    What if I only have one strop. Which should I use.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    1um as a beginner is the best bet, regardless of which stone you finished with.

  • @mikafoxx2717
    @mikafoxx2717Ай бұрын

    I think the biggest flaw here is not saying what grit the finishing stones were. Alex's recommendation for beginners was 400 or 320 grit diamond plate and 6 micron strop, a decent combo and 1 micron might be overreaching for beginners that can't get the burr deleted on that stone. Sure, a pro can probably make a 36 grit sandpaper blade shave, by avoiding all burrs, but a beginner likely cant.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    Ай бұрын

    I deburred on a Spyderco UF which I mentioned in the video, but I talk quite a lot so I can see why you missed it, I need to get better with that. A high concentration 1um will absolutely blast off burr fragments in no time, I've put a lot of time into testing the products I sell and so has my team of testers. But as I mentioned in the description I do think that beginners will see an improvement by using 6um compared to just using the stone, however they're handicapping sharpness when they could just use 1um which is more than capable of cleaning up the edge.

  • @Trolldaddy5
    @Trolldaddy5Ай бұрын

    Why are you doing uneven passes? Like im watching you do 8 strokes on one side, then 4 on the other, then 1, then a few on the other. Wouldn't you get better results doing even strokes per side or alternernating strokes?

  • @mcbombadier
    @mcbombadier3 ай бұрын

    What grit stone did the knife come off ? Reason for asking is that I am wanting to buy some of your diamond stroping compound and been trying to research which one, ask 5 people and you will get 5 different answers as to what micron diamond compound to buy, in my case I would be coming off 1000 grit or a medium spyderco benchstone, I know you love the 1 micron stuff but is that not a massive jump in "grit" when coming off a relatively low grit stone, I am still learning and at the moment am just using the green waxy stuff but wanting to try some diamond compounds, suppose the fact the 1 micron 5ml bottles being out of stock tells its own story, was thinking about 4 micron cheers.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    A lot of this stuff is personal preference and technique, however it is impossible for 6um to get an edge as sharp as 1um could. The Spyderco medium is quite a slow stone, so it's quite good to deburr on. I wouldn't worry about any jump in grits in this situation and I would still suggest the 1um. Worse case scenario you need to do a couple more passes on the 1um to make up for finishing on a 1k stone. I'll have more stock early next week if that changes your mind btw.

  • @mcbombadier

    @mcbombadier

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 Thanks taking the time to reply, thats one bottle of your 1 micron stuff sold when it comes in next week, the other stone I have is the trend 300/1000, dont like the 1000 grit side and think it has some courser grit contamination so mainly use the syderco stone, are you a believer in strop progressions ?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    @@mcbombadier I forgot to mention I deburred it on a Spyderco UF but I sharpened it on a 1200jis plate. I think a strop progression can be good depending on your technique and skill. 1 & 0.25 um will be best for most people IMO for edge refinement. Some people will be fine jumping straight to 0.25um.

  • @mcbombadier

    @mcbombadier

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 Think will take a punt on the 1 micron compound, stropping is something I find quite satisfying and therapeutic so a few more passes never hurt anyone, next week it's back in stock you say? Cheers

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    @@mcbombadier yeah Monday after I finish bottling and labelling

  • @LegendaryMike
    @LegendaryMike20 күн бұрын

    What grit stone are you coming off of? Of course an edge stropped 6um compound will be less sharp when coming from a 4000+ grit stone while an edge stropped with a 1um compound will be sharper coming from a 4000+ grit stone.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    20 күн бұрын

    1200 JIS Atoma

  • @twatmunro
    @twatmunro3 ай бұрын

    I use the green Veritas stropping compound. (Almost all of my knives are softer carbon steel knives.) They claim that the grit size is either .5 or 1 micron. (I can't recall which.) When I come off the 6000 grit waterstone, I don't have a mirror polish, but after a little while on the green stuff it develops a mirror polish after a couple of passes. When you strop. it doesn't leave much steel on the strop, does it? I keep meaning to try your stroppy stuff, but every time I look at your site, you're always out of whatever the grade I'm looking for is. I will get around to it though. This is real food for thought. I guess I'll pick up both 6 micron and 1 micron because I can see using both.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Hmm the strops can load with steel quite fast depending on how much diamond you loaded them with and how large your bevel is, but I manage to strop a lot before they're fully loaded with steel. If you're in the US Gritomatic stocks them too btw. Thanks for the support!

  • @twatmunro

    @twatmunro

    2 күн бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 -- My first delivery of StroppyStuff just arrived. I went for the 1 micron because I believe that the Shapton Glass 6000 which is my usual finishing stone has a grit size of about 6 micron. Had to order a new strop though, because I didn't want to use the new compound on a contaminated strop. Do you generally use the smooth side of the leather or the suede side? I've always used the suede side with the green compound, but I suspect that the smooth side would be better for a 1 micron diamond compound. I ordered a double sided strop with one smooth and one rough side so I can use either, but I'm curious about which you think is best.

  • @Aa-ron22
    @Aa-ron2212 күн бұрын

    If I wanted only 1 strop compound which micron would you go with. I Work up to a 1200 grit diamond stone and finish on a Spyderco fine ceramic.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    12 күн бұрын

    @@Aa-ron22 1um for most people. More advanced sharpeners would do well at 0.5 or 0.25

  • @Aa-ron22

    @Aa-ron22

    12 күн бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 which side of the strap would you recommend for your compound the rough side of the leather or the smooth

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    12 күн бұрын

    @@Aa-ron22 smooth side (grain side) is my favourite. It absorbs less compound, is smoother for a nicer draw, less chance of edge roll over on the fibers etc. however you can get satisfactory edges off coarse side too (flesh side)

  • @Aa-ron22

    @Aa-ron22

    12 күн бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 I would buy your strop, but it’s never in stock lol

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    12 күн бұрын

    @@Aa-ron22 sorry I can't make them fast enough 😂 I make a batch of 20 and they all sell out on the same day. I bought 2 new hides of leather so I'll be making more this week

  • @Mrplacedcookie
    @Mrplacedcookie2 ай бұрын

    Any 0.5 micron? Thanks *Edit: Found it!

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    2 ай бұрын

    Yeah 0.5 is great, very good option to go to straight off the stone if you minimise burr well

  • @S7ORM3X
    @S7ORM3X3 ай бұрын

    Sup dude any update about the vitrified stones?

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Turnaround on prototypes takes a long time unfortunately. Still a couple months until my next batch is ready :(

  • @S7ORM3X

    @S7ORM3X

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 no worries pretty excited about it since you price things accordingly

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    @@S7ORM3Xthey are worth looking forward to! My impressions on the prototypes are very high.

  • @BladeLabMiami
    @BladeLabMiami3 ай бұрын

    To be fair, I think you're talking at cross purposes here. Jared was talking about the best one-and-done compound for a novice freehand sharpener looking to get a decent working edge. That's going to be someone who is not going to be able to come close to 100 BESS straight off the stone(s). More likely the straight-from-stone score would be closer to 300 BESS. In that case, going straight to 1 micron would be a bit of stretch. Going to 6 micron might allow the sharpener to get the score down into the 150-200 BESS range pretty quickly (better than factory in most cases), and I think that a lot of folks who aren't pursuing ultimate sharpness are going to be happy with that.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    I'm not talking about Jerad, he's a bro and I agree with most of what he says. Also I agree with your comment, thanks for the feedback. It's hard for me to convey everything in a video because I'm not very good at the whole content creation thing 😂

  • @BladeLabMiami

    @BladeLabMiami

    3 ай бұрын

    Okay, my bad. But Jared is the only one I'm aware of who has made several videos recommending 6 and 9 micron compounds. I suppose he's not the only one.@@stroppystuff641

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    @@BladeLabMiamiI think it’s Outdoors55

  • @davidpyper82

    @davidpyper82

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@lars43771 It prob is but he was using a double sided stone I think up to 1000 grit before progressing to 6 micron and 1 micron strop he wasnt progressing through multiple stones first .

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    @@davidpyper82 you still don’t need 6 micron to deburr your edges off a 1000 grit stone however. If you can’t do it with one micron, you can’t do it with 6 either. You need to go back to the stone and try again. It also defeats the purpose on finishing off a coarse stone in my opinion. All that aggressiveness you create in draw cuts, will be stropped right off with 6um compound.

  • @JohnJez
    @JohnJez3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this video after chatting with me yesterday, I appreciate it bery much. What does 1um work out as as grit level? Thanks again, John.

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    1 micron would be about 12000 jis

  • @JohnJez

    @JohnJez

    3 ай бұрын

    @@lars43771 thank you, how does jis compare to grit?

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    @@JohnJez There are different grit classification systems. Japanese manufacturers like Naniwa and Shapton use Jis. Venev uses Fepa. You can find conversion tables online. That should get you in the ballpark.

  • @JohnJez

    @JohnJez

    3 ай бұрын

    @@lars43771 May sound like a silly question, have you got any recommendation of which website for the conversation tables, I've been trying to research but it seems to be confusing me more to be truthful.

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    @@JohnJezthe Gritomatic chart has the most info, it can be a bit hard to look at however. The fine-tools one is simpler with less standards.

  • @KnifeNinjaEDC
    @KnifeNinjaEDC2 ай бұрын

    Hah. I’ve not been much for mirrors and found starting at 1um worked best for me and could never explain why. Shows I’m not crazy. I never use a tester and just go by feel so not very scientific

  • @tacticalcenter8658
    @tacticalcenter86583 ай бұрын

    I'd like to watch the video being cited.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    I don't want to have his 300k + subs come and burn me 😂

  • @tacticalcenter8658

    @tacticalcenter8658

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 well, I dont follow him, so must not be that good at all.

  • @tacticalcenter8658

    @tacticalcenter8658

    3 ай бұрын

    Just found it. Neeves knives live a few days ago. I think he was saying if you use course like 400grit give or take, to use a 6 micron. I dont follow him.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    @@tacticalcenter8658 not Neeves

  • @tacticalcenter8658

    @tacticalcenter8658

    3 ай бұрын

    @@stroppystuff641 oh interesting. Cause he recommended the same grits you mentioned here. Hmm... Then I dunno.

  • @EDCandLace
    @EDCandLaceАй бұрын

    This is because the youtubers are telling everyone to get 6um. Nothing more nothing less.

  • @b6berry
    @b6berry2 ай бұрын

    Boy, it looks like with the 6 micron compound you are pushing harder and at a higher angle than the 1 micron compound. Maybe it’s just me.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    2 ай бұрын

    It's just you, I have no reason to fake these results

  • @jeffhicks8428
    @jeffhicks8428Ай бұрын

    I disagree with these very subjective and quite biased conclusions here. but on a side note, stropping in general and especially with much courser grits than newbs would suspect is not just a common crutch of many folks and especially the wanna be gurus that newbs worship, even though you never see these gurus show results straight off the stones... Stropping on course grits is basically their hidden weapon they dont tell the newbs about. Id love to see a so and so video where he doesn't need to erroneously use 30 different stones just to sharpen a not very dull knife, then needs 800 different strops to get the edge hair whittling. i've never seen the guy show his results off the stones even once and I imagine that because they're not very good, and based on what I see in the videos in terms of Teknique that isn't a surprise. All these kiddies out here think you need 30 stone progressions just to get a tool sharp. the razor bros are even worse than the knife bros honestly.

  • @deathbyastonishment7930

    @deathbyastonishment7930

    29 күн бұрын

    Who are you talking about? This feels very specific

  • @user-mb4xy2cz3t

    @user-mb4xy2cz3t

    13 күн бұрын

    Outdoors55 has a dedicated video with just one stone and a strop, and in some other videos he does it too.

  • @dombond6515
    @dombond65153 ай бұрын

    Idk looks like ypur overstepping to me. Also I've seen a channel that showed to strop non burr side first. Counter intuitive I know but true. He's an Australian guy here on yt

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    What would you consider is over stropping? As you could see from the video more stropping continued to increase the sharpness of the blade, displayed by the lower bess score.

  • @lars43771

    @lars43771

    3 ай бұрын

    I’m assuming you are talking about Vadim, the owner of Knife Grinders Australia. In his last video’s before he passed on, he stopped doing this. He figured out it did not make a difference.

  • @mikafoxx2717

    @mikafoxx2717

    Ай бұрын

    ​@@lars43771That's super sad he passed. He instilled a lot of knowledge to the sharpness world though. Cliff Stamp and Vadim both were no-nonsense sharpeners.

  • @jasoncampbell6222
    @jasoncampbell62223 ай бұрын

    Well as a chef of 30+ years that has been sharpening knives most of my adult life I can tell you that anyone that says that a 6 micron loaded strop will dull an edge clearly doesn't know what they're talking about, a 6 micron edge is approx 3300 grit equivalent which is sharper than most knives on the market. I know you said that you've been stropping for a long time and don't wish to call you out on your technique but your' stropping is terrible (sorry but it is). It's alright wanting to get the lowest possible number but the lower the number the less that edge is going to hold up for a practical purpose (ie filleting meat/fish) and that is speaking from experience. Finally I understand that using a 0.25 micron stropping is all the rage but with that edge you'll get halfway through a task in the kitchen before the edge would require stropping again to get the edge back. No edge beyond 3000 grit is going to perform in the real world other than showing off, if I'm brutally honest 800-1000 grit (approx 20 micron) edge will consistently outlast and still perform better in the field. I understand this is your business and this "Holy Grail" of edge sharpness is what you sell but if you're going to get people to test for you they need to be testing for something other than an aesthetic mirror edge. Anyway all the best from Yorkshire from someone that does use a sharp edge all day everyday.

  • @stroppystuff641

    @stroppystuff641

    3 ай бұрын

    Sorry man but you're talking nonsense. I appreciate the feedback and opinion on the video but it's so wrong I don't know where to start. 1. I said 6um strop will dull a stone finished edge sharpened by someone who doesn't suck. it's very likely a 6um strop would actually improve your edge. This edge was rated between double edge razor and utility razor fresh off the stones. You're probably struggling to get baseball bat sharpness. 2. Comparison of stropping compound to "grit" is nonsense. You've not specified the grit rating or substrate. 3300 what?? JIS, mesh, ANSI, fepa-f????? 3. I get HHT5 with my "bad stropping technique" 4. after stropping all the burr off, a 0.25um finished edge will not degrade any faster than a 6um finished edge. Neither of them have tooth remaining anyway so no mechanical advantage. If you're going to come in and tell someone your truth, at least make sure it's partly correct.

  • @b6berry

    @b6berry

    2 ай бұрын

    Saw the same thing. The main point of stopping is not to sharpen the blade further but to clean up the edge and eliminate the burr. A good clean edge in properly alloyed steel will last quite a while.