Z999, Z999L & Z999R

[whinewine]

This a question for Bruce Johnson, or Wyoming Slick or any others who are familiar with these three tools;...

I picked up a set of the 3 swivel knife cut tools (Z999, Z999L & Z999R) & found out that have been sharpened. My question is: are they supposed to be sharpened? I have another set & they are NOT sharpened, and I don't think they were meant to be sharpened, simply because they would cut through thinner leather too easily. However, it looks like some bonehead tried to sharpen them & did a pi$$ poor job on at least one of them.

Thank you for any helpful information.

Sincerely,

russ

Edited March 26, 2010 by whinewine

[WyomingSlick]

Sharpened? Hmmmm.......now that is a matter of opinion. Any tool is tuned to the condition that the tool user wants it to be in.

They came from Craftool with a chrome plating which of course covered the cutting edge which limits how sharp the tools could be. The chrome is very prone to chipping off since the acute angle of the edge creates a weak point for the chrome to stay bonded to. Thus many of these tools that you see are missing some, or all of the chrome on the cutting edges.

When I first came across these tools many years ago, I messed around with them a bit. For myself, I came to the conclusion that for me; they were a waste of time. They really didn't do anything that a swivel knife wouldn't do faster, easier, and better. They might be an acceptable substitute for someone who due to a hand problem is unable to use a swivel knife, and I can readily see where someone might believe that making the edge sharper would improve the performance of these tools, or at least make them where they required a lighter tap to make cuts. So, with two sets, you have a chance to see which works better.

For some reason, I have 3 extras of the L tool (all with chrome chipped). If that is the one that you need to replace the "boneheaded one" - let me know and I'll send ya one.

[whinewine]

Sharpened? Hmmmm.......now that is a matter of opinion. Any tool is tuned to the condition that the tool user wants it to be in.

They came from Craftool with a chrome plating which of course covered the cutting edge which limits how sharp the tools could be. The chrome is very prone to chipping off since the acute angle of the edge creates a weak point for the chrome to stay bonded to. Thus many of these tools that you see are missing some, or all of the chrome on the cutting edges.

When I first came across these tools many years ago, I messed around with them a bit. For myself, I came to the conclusion that for me; they were a waste of time. They really didn't do anything that a swivel knife wouldn't do faster, easier, and better. They might be an acceptable substitute for someone who due to a hand problem is unable to use a swivel knife, and I can readily see where someone might believe that making the edge sharper would improve the performance of these tools, or at least make them where they required a lighter tap to make cuts. So, with two sets, you have a chance to see which works better.

For some reason, I have 3 extras of the L tool (all with chrome chipped). If that is the one that you need to replace the "boneheaded one" - let me know and I'll send ya one.

Actually (& unfortunately), it's the R tool that's messed up, but I do appreciate the offer anyway. Thank you.

Sincerely,

russ