Taking The Round Knife Plunge...

[fuyuko83]

So I'm ready to tackle the next level of leathercraft: the round knife. I've been reading the threads on here about the steel qualities, edge geometry, etc. and I must say these details along with the care and feeding of this tool make it sound pretty intimidating...

I'm not unduly impressed with the Tandy selection, so I'd rather do my due diligence and invest in something nice. Any assistance would be vastly appreciated!

I want something with a slightly smaller handle, as my hands are not man-size. Also, after reading Al Stohlman, I don't especially want a blade larger than 4".

I work on mainly smaller scale accessory type projects, so I don't need a giant blade anyway. Except that I would like to be able to skive.

This is an investment for me, so I'm prepared to scrape together the $100-200 for something I don't have to struggle to sharpen after only one use. Ideally, this would be a knife I can lovingly make a sheath for and keep for many years of leathercraft work.

I'm self-taught, and I don't know many local leathercrafters here in Houston - so I rely on you all for your expertise! By the way, I see that humidity is the downfall of non-stainless knives, and Houston is certainly humid!

Thanks in advance for any recommendations you can give me!

~Janice

[Denster]

It sounds like you may be setting yourself up for a dissapointment due to overexpectation. There are many good round knives out there but none made of magic steel that stays sharp for a long time. When using any round knife you need to be stropping it frequently. And if you are cutting out several projects in a day you will need to restore the edge more than once. It is imperative that you learn to sharpen the knife correctly.

Some steels will hold an edge somewhat longer than others but this can be a double edged sword in that it makes them more difficult or requiring special means to sharpen. It has been my experience that beyond about $60 with a round knife you are only paying for aesthetics. The Osborne's or the Barry King knives sold by Weaver are about as good as you are going to get as a balance between ease of sharpening and edge holding ability.

[M W Johnson]

I purchased an Osborne round knife from Panhandle Leather in Amarillo, TX about three months ago and I've been very happy with it. The quality of the knife is good and it holds an edge well. Best of all it didn't break the bank!

Panhandle Leather

Hope this helps.

Mike

Edited December 2, 2011 by M W Johnson

[dirtclod]

The humidty thing is myth IMO, a non stainless isn't going to rust over night. I live in Kentucky and 75% humidty is low 80 to 90% is more like espically in the summer. I have several knives that i have had for 20 plus year that are not stainless and they have never rusted and they have been around a lot longer than 20 years i've had them.

[Art]

Last time I picked up a round knife by Weaver, it was a Danny Marlin, maybe they've changed.

I have two models of the CSO knives, dull as hell out of the box, but after sharpening, not bad knives.

If you can't or won't get the knack of sharpening with a tri-hone, don't get an expensive knife to ruin. Add a good strop and some green rouge and you should be in business.

Art

It sounds like you may be setting yourself up for a dissapointment due to overexpectation. There are many good round knives out there but none made of magic steel that stays sharp for a long time. When using any round knife you need to be stropping it frequently. And if you are cutting out several projects in a day you will need to restore the edge more than once. It is imperative that you learn to sharpen the knife correctly.

Some steels will hold an edge somewhat longer than others but this can be a double edged sword in that it makes them more difficult or requiring special means to sharpen. It has been my experience that beyond about $60 with a round knife you are only paying for aesthetics. The Osborne's or the Barry King knives sold by Weaver are about as good as you are going to get as a balance between ease of sharpening and edge holding ability.

[Denster]

Last time I picked up a round knife by Weaver, it was a Danny Marlin, maybe they've changed.

I have two models of the CSO knives, dull as hell out of the box, but after sharpening, not bad knives.

If you can't or won't get the knack of sharpening with a tri-hone, don't get an expensive knife to ruin. Add a good strop and some green rouge and you should be in business.

Art

You may be right Art. It doesn't have a maker's name just the tool series and most of that series are Barry King so I assumed. My bad! Anyway it is a great knife.

[Aggiebraider]

Call or email Bruce Johnson http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/

He always has nice old knives on hand that he has restored and sharpened for a good price

[fuyuko83]

Thanks everyone! I don't mind learning how to sharpen them properly. It's just that I'd rather not get the equivalent of a cheap kitchen knife that cuts a tomato and is never the same again...

That's a good point about holding an edge vs. the difficulty of sharpening.

I've thought about starting with a not that impressive knife, just to practice sharpening etc. The problem is that if the quality of the knife itself is making it very hard learn, it's going to be very frustrating very quickly.

[Denster]

Then simply get the Osborne, or one from Weaver or give Bruce a call. You likely won't get more than $60 invested and you will have a very good knife to learn with and use for a long while. At that it is only about 15 or 20 dollars more than a guaranteed piece of junk. The point is you can spend 150 to 300 on a round knife but you are buying looks not useablity.

[Knipper]

I saw this thread a few days ago and was hesitant to respond for fear of my reply looking like an attempt to hawk my own product. You'll have to trust me that this is NOT the case.

I don't agree that all round/head knives priced over an arbitrary amount are just prettier and are not better performers. It would be similar to saying "Don't buy any saddle over $500, because the higher priced ones just look nicer but won't give you any better performance". Any saddle makers want to chime in on that one?

The commercially made knives I've seen at around the $50 - $75 price point come dull from the factory, which means you'll have to spend several hours to get them close to cutting passably well. What is your shop rate? Do you try to get at least say, $30 an hour for your labor? If so, those 3 to 4 hours spent on sharpening the knife added $90 to $120 to the cost of the knife. What kind of steel and heat treating do the commercial knives offer? Last I checked, a well known commercial mfgr used 1065 steel. 1065 steel means that there is only .65% of carbon used in the alloy, and that means that you can't heat treat the knife hard enough so that the edge will last as long. Custom makers who care about their work will use steel that has .75% (a minimum, in my opinion) to a full 1% carbon content or more in the alloy. This makes for better edge retention and less frequent honing for the knife. That applies to both stainless and non stainless steels.

So, will that harder alloy be harder to sharpen? Well that depends on what you're using to sharpen the knife. If you use an "Arkansas" stone, you'll be at it a while, as they simply don't grind away material from the edge very quickly. A fine grit diamond hone will work faster, followed by finer grits and judicious stropping or buffing. But the fact is, even a knife that has a hardness of RC60, will sharpen reasonably easy provided the right techniques are employed. I've tested the hardness of some commercial knives, and they are in the low to mid 50's on the Rockwell scale. They simply cannot hold their edge when cutting leather very long (...more frequent honing!). The question is, would you rather have to hone your blade 4 to 5 times per project, or once for ever 4 or 5 projects?

Also, premium quality knives individually made, one at a time, have a maker behind them that probably tests every blade prior to shipping to the customer. If the blade doesn't meet the maker's standards, it doesn't get shipped until it does. I doubt whether the commercial manufacturers individually test every blade coming off the line. Any serious knife maker puts the performance of the blade FIRST over anything else.

I guess the bottom line is, if you pay a premium price for a knife, you should expect premium PERFORMANCE. The fact that it may look a bit nicer, is just the maker's pride of workmanship. You get that as a bonus. Hand-made or not, these are WORKING knives we're talking about, not wall hangers or something locked up in some collector's safe. Working knives, or any quality tools, have to earn their keep. They are a means to an end (your finished project). They should make cutting easier, more precise, and require less upkeep than a lower quality mass produced tool. Using them should not result in tired, sore or cramped hands at the end of the day. In some cases, (obviously not all) the old phrase "You get what you pay for" still holds true.

Now, if you're a hobbyist who only uses a head knife infrequently, and if your time (sharpening, for example) invested in a project is not an issue, then maybe that less expensive knife will do just fine. However those doing leather work for a living have much higher standards and expectations for their tools, and they should! Providing /making a premium quality knife costs more because of the makers time, expertise, use of superior materials, better techniques, and yes, significantly better performance from the tool. If you don't get all of these for your money, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for a refund. The higher price isn't worth it unless you get higher value!

Terry Knipschield

(One of my favorite quotes: "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap paint job")

[Ferg]

Terry,

You are eloquent in your writing/information as well as making some fabulous knives. I will be ordering as soon as Christmas slows down.

ferg

I saw this thread a few days ago and was hesitant to respond for fear of my reply looking like an attempt to hawk my own product. You'll have to trust me that this is NOT the case.

I don't agree that all round/head knives priced over an arbitrary amount are just prettier and are not better performers. It would be similar to saying "Don't buy any saddle over $500, because the higher priced ones just look nicer but won't give you any better performance". Any saddle makers want to chime in on that one?

The commercially made knives I've seen at around the $50 - $75 price point come dull from the factory, which means you'll have to spend several hours to get them close to cutting passably well. What is your shop rate? Do you try to get at least say, $30 an hour for your labor? If so, those 3 to 4 hours spent on sharpening the knife added $90 to $120 to the cost of the knife. What kind of steel and heat treating do the commercial knives offer? Last I checked, a well known commercial mfgr used 1065 steel. 1065 steel means that there is only .65% of carbon used in the alloy, and that means that you can't heat treat the knife hard enough so that the edge will last as long. Custom makers who care about their work will use steel that has .75% (a minimum, in my opinion) to a full 1% carbon content or more in the alloy. This makes for better edge retention and less frequent honing for the knife. That applies to both stainless and non stainless steels.

So, will that harder alloy be harder to sharpen? Well that depends on what you're using to sharpen the knife. If you use an "Arkansas" stone, you'll be at it a while, as they simply don't grind away material from the edge very quickly. A fine grit diamond hone will work faster, followed by finer grits and judicious stropping or buffing. But the fact is, even a knife that has a hardness of RC60, will sharpen reasonably easy provided the right techniques are employed. I've tested the hardness of some commercial knives, and they are in the low to mid 50's on the Rockwell scale. They simply cannot hold their edge when cutting leather very long (...more frequent honing!). The question is, would you rather have to hone your blade 4 to 5 times per project, or once for ever 4 or 5 projects?

Also, premium quality knives individually made, one at a time, have a maker behind them that probably tests every blade prior to shipping to the customer. If the blade doesn't meet the maker's standards, it doesn't get shipped until it does. I doubt whether the commercial manufacturers individually test every blade coming off the line. Any serious knife maker puts the performance of the blade FIRST over anything else.

I guess the bottom line is, if you pay a premium price for a knife, you should expect premium PERFORMANCE. The fact that it may look a bit nicer, is just the maker's pride of workmanship. You get that as a bonus. Hand-made or not, these are WORKING knives we're talking about, not wall hangers or something locked up in some collector's safe. Working knives, or any quality tools, have to earn their keep. They are a means to an end (your finished project). They should make cutting easier, more precise, and require less upkeep than a lower quality mass produced tool. Using them should not result in tired, sore or cramped hands at the end of the day. In some cases, (obviously not all) the old phrase "You get what you pay for" still holds true.

Now, if you're a hobbyist who only uses a head knife infrequently, and if your time (sharpening, for example) invested in a project is not an issue, then maybe that less expensive knife will do just fine. However those doing leather work for a living have much higher standards and expectations for their tools, and they should! Providing /making a premium quality knife costs more because of the makers time, expertise, use of superior materials, better techniques, and yes, significantly better performance from the tool. If you don't get all of these for your money, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for a refund. The higher price isn't worth it unless you get higher value!

Terry Knipschield

(One of my favorite quotes: "The most expensive thing in the world is a cheap paint job")

[Denster]

We will just have to agree to disagree. I still maintain there is no magic steel. A harder blade will maintain an edge longer at the expense of more difficulty sharpening.

As to new knives arriving dull and taking three to four hours to sharpen. That is just not so. A Weaver is ready to go right out of the package. A new Osborne might take five or ten minutes. The worst I've seen are those from Tandy, that I've sharpened for friends, and they only took slightly more time.

Again as to sharpening three to four times per project as opposed to sharpening every three or four projects. With a sharp Osborne or Weaver I can cut out eight to ten holster patterns before it is time to touch up the blade on a paper rouge wheel which takes about thirty seconds and I'm ready to go again.

There is nothing wrong with owning a custom knife if it suits your fancy. Understanding what you own is the important thing.

[Chef niloc]

I agree with much of the above. I find that quality/ custom made tools not only preform better but that they make you do better work. Let me explain, for me I find that when using good tools that the maker put pride in that I take more pride in my own work. I'm a chef by trade so I have had a " working knife" in my hand 6 days a week, 10-16 hours a day for the past 25 years. Back in the day before I was conferrable sharpening my own knives I use to keep 2 sets. When one set would get dull (1-2 weeks) I would send it out to get sharpened by a pro sharpening service. Then I'd start using the 2nd set, this way I always had sharp knives in hand. Pro sharpening services at the time charged $0.50 a Inch, kitchen knives are kind of long so it ran me about $15.00 to get my work set sharpened. So with it costing me about $30.00 a month and knowing most custom makers offer free sharpening services for there knives I thought to my self " nice knives would pay for themselves in less then a year". I started with two 10" chef knife that cost me $600.00 for the two of them ( more then a weeks pay at the time). I built up my set over a year or so and then one day decided to get a set from a deferent maker. This is about the time when my knife obsession started, expensive obsession.

Well sorry for the long side story and back to the topic.

I love Arkansas stones I was born there after all. By I will admit I hardly ever use them anymore, they are way to slow when compared to Japanese water stones or diamond hones ( I prefer the Japanese stones).

About 8 years ago I found the best thing ever!! Harbor fraught 1x30 belt sander fitted with a leather belt. The set up will run you under $50.00 at today's prices and will "true up" a edge in less then a minute. I find that there is more of a learning curve to using wheels, and a buffer/ wheel set up will cost more...also like the edge from the leather belt better.

[Art]

It is pretty simple; you use what you got. When you buy, you get the highest quality you can for as much as you are willing to spend. You can spend $50 or so for a CSO Harrison, or a Dewey Peters, Weaver (Danny Marlin), Gomph-Hackbarth, and others for under $100 and get a good usable knife when sharp. I don't know if Lonnie still has any of the GH knives, but they were made of D2 and preformed nicely. When sharp, they all cut leather. It is the owner's job to keep them usefully sharp.

There are custom knives from a little over $100 to around $250 that also will get the job done. They all have plus and minus points, but they cut leather very nicely. I have had Buchman knives for years and use them all the time, one angled head, 2 1/2 inch knife he made for me because I complained about skiving my knuckles with one of his big head knives is my favorite and most used knives. Dozier knives are also a favorite. The Knipper makes excellent skiving knives, so good in fact that I seldom use my skiving machine anymore. His knives also look very good, good craftsmanship and finish work.

I have two old Harrison CSOs, #70 and #71 I think. I've had these about 25 years now, and they took quite a beating when I got them, they look like s--t and still cut leather as well as anything when they are sharp, but when they were all there was, they sure worked, and let's face it, I got my $40 out of each. I take these out occasionally and give them some TLC (tender loving care, not Tandy Leather Conglomerate), sharpen them up and use them just to let them know we're still friends.

So whatever you get (even a box cutter), learn to sharpen it (using the best of today's available methods), use it, and keep it sharp.

Now my new Leatherworker motto:

For heaven's sakes pilgrim, make yourself a strop!

Art

[pabloz]

Denster,

You are absolutely correct..."there is no magic steel." The exact same logic applies to leather, wood, any material that anyone uses to fabricate something that they put their head, heart and soul into it. One of my favorite taglines here on this forum is Tina's....

"He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands, and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart, is An Artist"

The "Magic" in the steel comes out with the help of aknife maker.

If we define "value" as "getting the most while paying the least" (or any other qualifiable/quantifiable paradigm) then the only question remaining is...."will I get a 500% increase in performance from acustom made $250.00 RK vs. a $50.00 OTC???" The answer is YES....but only from an honest,reputable, maker with impeccable integrity. How can I make such a bold statement? Well it is really very easy as the information demonstrating knife performance has already been done by many an independent testing. One of the most recognized standards is CATRA ( http://www.catra.org ) and the performance of most any alloy is available. Here is how it's done http://www.catra.org...slevel1/slt.htm. These tests are done regularly by many different people, orgs,co's, etc.

So with the objective information based on physical testing and the results being unbiased (the machine can't choose sides) then the subjective has to be applied which is where the QUALIFIED knife maker now comes in to do their "Magic."

As for the sharpening issue...you are again correct....up to a point.....new advancements in water stones made from ceramic, diamond, borosilicate, etc. sharpening equipment really make the job MUCH easier and faster thereby giving the advantage againto a higher quality alloy.

I certainly appreciate your position on this matter. I just hope that this sheds a little more light on the subject.

Thank you for taking the time to read my babblings.

Edited December 8, 2011 by pabloz

[Denster]

OK! OK! I'm not going to fight with you guys. God knows I'm as big a tool junkie as anyone. I still maintain there is no magic steel. By magic steel I meant one that stays sharp nearly forever and when it does need touched up is easy for anyone to do. I think you guys lost track of the OP's question. A person new to round knives and sharpening them. Do you really think that an expensive knive requiring several diamond hones to sharpen is the place to start?

[Knipper]

Well stated, Paul! Paul makes innovative and top quality head knives, skiving knives and swivel blade knives. Having seen his work and in talking with him, I can tell you he is not only passionate about his work, but also delivers superior performance with his blades. His points about "objective" results vs. subjective "opinions" are well taken. Performance CAN be measured and evaluated without prejudice. (and Paul, you NEVER babble!)

I suspect some opinions about quality have been based on personal experience. Denster, if you at one time purchased a premium priced knife that did not deliver the performance you were expecting, I am sorry...but it's not your fault. The custom knife world is not immune from overstated claims and marketing hype. I've seen it all too often, and it reflects poorly on all of us. Worse yet, I know of several cases where the customer complained to the maker about it, only to be told that it must be their (the buyer's) fault because they didn't know what they were doing, or they weren't using it correctly. The maker refused to refund the customers' money. That would put a bad taste in my mouth as well. But rest assured, there are still reputable makers out there who want nothing more than to put a smile on their customer's face every time their knives are used.

I need to say that I do not intend to come across as being heavy handed about all this. My goal is to educate and maybe dispel some myths out there so potential customers are better informed about steel, edge geometry, knife maintenance, etc.

Educated customers keep you on your toes, and make you do better work!

Terry

Denster,

You are absolutely correct..."there is no magic steel." The exact same logic applies to leather, wood, any material that anyone uses to fabricate something that they put their head, heart and soul into it. One of my favorite taglines here on this forum is Tina's....

"He who works with his hands is a laborer.

He who works with his hands, and his head is a craftsman.

He who works with his hands, and his head, and his heart, is An Artist"

The "Magic" in the steel comes out with the help of aknife maker.

If we define "value" as "getting the most while paying the least" (or any other qualifiable/quantifiable paradigm) then the only question remaining is...."will I get a 500% increase in performance from acustom made $250.00 RK vs. a $50.00 OTC???" The answer is YES....but only from an honest,reputable, maker with impeccable integrity. How can I make such a bold statement? Well it is really very easy as the information demonstrating knife performance has already been done by many an independent testing. One of the most recognized standards is CATRA ( http://www.catra.org ) and the performance of most any alloy is available. Here is how it's done http://www.catra.org...slevel1/slt.htm. These tests are done regularly by many different people, orgs,co's, etc.

So with the objective information based on physical testing and the results being unbiased (the machine can't choose sides) then the subjective has to be applied which is where the QUALIFIED knife maker now comes in to do their "Magic."

As for the sharpening issue...you are again correct....up to a point.....new advancements in water stones made from ceramic, diamond, borosilicate, etc. sharpening equipment really make the job MUCH easier and faster thereby giving the advantage againto a higher quality alloy.

I certainly appreciate your position on this matter. I just hope that this sheds a little more light on the subject.

Thank you for taking the time to read my babblings.

[bruce johnson]

I have tried to stay out of this since I am sort of in the business as well, although from a different angle. There are a few things that have been skipped over. She needs a smaller handle and she wants it to be no wider than 4". I can understand that and that limits what she can buy off the rack. The Marlin/Weavers have a generally bigger handle but are a pretty good value and I think they may sell them that width. The new Osbornes are going to maybe take some time to work the handle size down, and only come one width. To get the specs she asked about, all steel characteristics aside, she is going to have to buy either a handmade or a used knife that will work.

Sharpening - I have probably had my hands on most all of the old makers and some of the new makers. I have favorites that last a long time and are hard steel. I have favorites that are more forgiving to sharpen (or fix when they have been mucked up) but still have an edge that lasts reasonably. Sharpening for me has been an evolving process. Probably the best advice I can give is to use a really sharp knife and remember what it feels like. When it doesn't feel like that, it is time to fix it - now. That is tactile and none of us can write about it, it has to be felt. The other thing is that if you never let a blade get very far away from you - the finest stone you can get, fine wet-dry, Japan stone, fine ceramic, whatever and a strop are probably all you need. Just because they sell a tri-hone does not mean you have to use all three sides every time to redress an edge. More knives are messed up with those stones than anyhting else I would wager. You put deep grooves in and you will spend a lot of time taking them out when all you really needed to do was clean up the very fine edge. My observation is that people new to sharpening let knives get too far gone to start with, make bigger problems than they have with coarse grit whatevers, and then when it seems like it takes too long to sharpen they quit before the knife is all the way back to right.

[pabloz]

Terry,

Thank you very much for the accolades and please know that you and your work definately inspire and motivate.

Denster,

Many people much older and wiser than me have made it abudantly clear that buying the best tools from the start is the WISEST of investments. Just think about some of those folks who bought a Lineman, a Buchman, a Dozier, etc....use it for 30-40-50 years and then hand it down to the next generation. Not only has the intrinsic value of the knife increased but so has the monitary value. I recently witnessed 2 Buchmans trade at well over 5x purchase price. One traded hands for $150.00 that was originally purchased for $35.00 and the second went for $250.00 after many years of hard use. Just Look at Bruce Johnsons site and the value of the knives he has available.

Also, maintaining the edge on a custom knife is usually much easier from the start as they should arrive extremely sharp OTB with only minimal stropping and occasional sharpening required. I think there are plenty of very active leather professionals that will testify to sharpening, actually going to the stone, sometimes as little as once every couple of years....the rest is done on the strop or some variation thereof. And no, you don't need several diamond hones to sharpen a knife. Many professionals use only 1000-2500 SiC wet or dry on their tooling marble/ granite, plate glass....whatever. I use diamond just 'cause I'm too lazy.

I will leave with a quote from my father on this "The best of tools in the worst of hands can't do what the worst of tools in the best of hands can. So imagine what the best of both can do."

Edited December 8, 2011 by pabloz

[Denster]

Terry,

Thank you very much for the accolades and please know that you and your work definately inspire and motivate.

Denster,

Many people much older and wiser than me have made it abudantly clear that buying the best tools from the start is the WISEST of investments. Just think about some of those folks who bought a Lineman, a Buchman, a Dozier, etc....use it for 30-40-50 years and then hand it down to the next generation. Not only has the intrinsic value of the knife increased but so has the monitary value. I recently witnessed 2 Buchmans trade at well over 5x purchase price. One traded hands for $150.00 that was originally purchased for $35.00 and the second went for $250.00 after many years of hard use. Just Look at Bruce Johnsons site and the value of the knives he has available.

Also, maintaining the edge on a custom knife is usually much easier from the start as they should arrive extremely sharp OTB with only minimal stropping and occasional sharpening required. I think there are plenty of very active leather professionals that will testify to sharpening, actually going to the stone, sometimes as little as once every couple of years....the rest is done on the strop or some variation thereof. And no, you don't need several diamond hones to sharpen a knife. Many professionals use only 1000-2500 SiC wet or dry on their tooling marble/ granite, plate glass....whatever. I use diamond just 'cause I'm too lazy.

I will leave with a quote from my father on this "The best of tools in the worst of hands can't do what the worst of tools in the best of hands can. So imagine what the best of both can do."

Well it looks like I kicked a sacred cow right in the udder here. I agree that buying quality tools is the wisest investment. The "best" tools is a matter subject to opinion. As to the future value. I buy the knives I use for practical purposes not investment. That said I like the folks that believe that the older tools are so much better. I have owned most of the old names over the years and I still buy them when I can find them. Like Bruce I clean them up sharpen them and sell to those folks at a tidy profit. I also agree that if you properly maintain your knives they rarely need to see a stone. Right off hand I can't recall the last time I sharpened any of the three knives, an older Osborne and two Weaver's, that I regularly use. When I say regularly I mean cutting out 8 to 10 holster patterns and misc accessories every day, five days a week. Gee! Does that make me an active leather professional?

[pabloz]

When I say regularly I mean cutting out 8 to 10 holster patterns and misc accessories every day, five days a week. Gee! Does that make me an active leather professional?

Yup...reckon it does.

[Eddie Collins]

It sounds like you may be setting yourself up for a dissapointment due to overexpectation. There are many good round knives out there but none made of magic steel that stays sharp for a long time. When using any round knife you need to be stropping it frequently. And if you are cutting out several projects in a day you will need to restore the edge more than once. It is imperative that you learn to sharpen the knife correctly.

Some steels will hold an edge somewhat longer than others but this can be a double edged sword in that it makes them more difficult or requiring special means to sharpen. It has been my experience that beyond about $60 with a round knife you are only paying for aesthetics. The Osborne's or the Barry King knives sold by Weaver are about as good as you are going to get as a balance between ease of sharpening and edge holding ability.

Go to the Jeremiah Watt Saddle website and he sells Head Knives and some fancy stamping tools for sale.