How does this knife hold its edge & how easy is it to sharpen?
255542
CTS-XHP holds an edge very well. It is a tool steel and is not easy to sharpen. You'll need a good stone, some time, a steady hand, and a lot of patience. Unless you really beat on the edge, you should be able go a while with out needing to re-sharpen it.
255543
Solid edge retention however a bit more difficult to achieve a solid angle for sharpening due to thickness of the blade.
255544
Edge retention is quite nice with this steel, but I would caution that the edge of this knife will chip instead of fold.
255545
Edge retention is amazingly good. I have it now almost a year and have only needed to do light touch-ups now and then. I use it almost every day and I am amazed at how little I have to sharpen it. I live in Germany and also bought a sharpening system from Spyderco, which my mom still has at her house in Florida. I have been sharpening it half-ass using the underside of a coffee cup every few months and like I said, is still very sharp. The wide blade is the only thing that bothers me sometimes, not always easy to cut things when space is limited to get a blade between things. But overall it is a great knife. Edge retention is amazingly good. I have it now almost a year and have only needed to do light touch-ups now and then. I use it almost every day and I am amazed at how little I have to sharpen it. I live in Germany and also bought a sharpening system from Spyderco, which my mom still has at her house in Florida. I have been sharpening it half-ass using the underside of a coffee cup every few months and like I said, is still very sharp. The wide blade is the only thing that bothers me sometimes, not always easy to cut things when space is limited to get a blade between things.... » Read More Edge retention is amazingly good. I have it now almost a year and have only needed to do light touch-ups now and then. I use it almost every day and I am amazed at how little I have to sharpen it. I live in Germany and also bought a sharpening system from Spyderco, which my mom still has at her house in Florida. I have been sharpening it half-ass using the underside of a coffee cup every few months and like I said, is still very sharp. The wide blade is the only thing that bothers me sometimes, not always easy to cut things when space is limited to get a blade between things. But overall it is a great knife. « Show Less
255546
It holds an edge very well. As it holds a better edge because it uses a hard steel, it is more difficult to sharpen than other steels. However, if you maintain your blade it is worth the tradeoff for the great edge retention.
255547
Edge retention is amazing CTS XHP is by far one of my favorite blade steels. I have not had to sharpen it yet just strap it a few times and it's factory sharp. Awesome little knife.
255548
It is great at holding an edge and it all depends on what you use to sharpen your knives I don't find it hard to sharpen on my wicked edge and its pretty easy so if your using some sort of dimond stones it shouldn't be that difficult
465561
My son is the chef and he says the knife holds it's edge well. Can't say you won't have to sharpen for two or three months because it depends on what you are cutting.
799851
Have not had to sharpen yet. It is a small knife, but very well made. Also, there are different types of blades in terms of metal, on Case knives.
74893
This knife sharpens easily enough provided that you sharpen it correctly. It has very good edge retention if you are using it for its intended purpose of skinning and cleaning of game animals.
2217209
It is good for choppin' and dicin'. Feels a lot sharper than my other knives. I try to avoid whackin' bones or cutting bolts and keep it clean and dry.
1280299
I like it, I think it holds an edge well and is decently easy to sharpen. Probably better than 8cr13 or 440c in my opinion, not sure about AUS8 I don't have any personal experience with that. Doesn't hold an edge as well as VG-10 but isn't as brittle either (and easier to sharpen).
1239243
Sharpenes easily and quickly stays sharp fairly long time considering the price it is a little hard to sharpen the tanto edge at the end. For the price I paid it is well worth it. If you want awesome sharpness get so etching with D2 steel that stuff is amazing
1280300
Very easy to sharpen. Takes a fine edge. VERY sharp. Hold better than most. 154,s30v and Elmax are far superior though. Good for the price compared to the others.
1467384
It takes a good edge and unless used inappropriately, the steel holds the edge. OF course it all depends on what material you are cutting, but I often cut cardboard with it, which is pretty hard on an edge. It is part of my EDC along with 2 other knives (rule of 3's), and I find that it is very handy. I also own one of the tanto blade models, but this straight edge seems to be more versatile. This is a hard steel, so needs to be sharpened properly. I keep mine in shape with a leather strop and it seems to do fine.
1376633
So far it's a good knife. I have had it for 5 months. In the dishwashers almost everyday. I use it on a plastic cutting board. Still sharp , no rust, best knife I have. And at a great price too
781198
The knife is strong. The tip does not bend easy. I have not had any difficulty with this knife. As the size is on the small size I have not had any problem with anything I have cut, minced or pared. It feels good in my hand and I have nice control when using it. I also have the chef size and I like that very much too.
1790670
Edge retention is amazingly good. I have it now almost a year and have only needed to do light touch-ups now and then. I use it almost every day and I am amazed at how little I have to sharpen it. I live in Germany and also bought a sharpening system from Spyderco, which my mom still has at her house in Florida. I have been sharpening it half-ass using the underside of a coffee cup every few months and like I said, is still very sharp. The wide blade is the only thing that bothers me sometimes, not always easy to cut things when space is limited to get a blade between things. But overall it is a great knife.
494311
the blade seems to hold an edge, and is very quiet. My only complaint is that it is a pain in the butt to clean, meat seems to get everywhere.Hope this was of some help to you.Dean
971506
I use it almost daily (4-5 days of the week) for cutting bailing twine, cardboard and package tape. It holds an edge rather well. I do run it along a stone every so often but in my opinion super nice knife for the price. Hope this helps!
1434085
It's fairly sharp out of the box, but I'd recommend sharpening it yourself. The pivot on mine is a rivet not a screw. Its firm enough not to open in my pocket.
939237
Heavy blade is easy enough to sharpen and stays sharp. Handles are tough. Its kind of big but it will take a beating. Not sure as I use it in the kitchen. If I wanted an outdoor survival style knife Id spend a bit more and go with a U.S. made k-bar style. Just my 2 cents. Good luck Ron
1706862
It takes a little repetition but it gets easier pretty quickly. I find it's easiest to pull the little nub on the back with my index finger, rather than the bar on the blade. Mine opens super quick and easy with just the one finger now. One-handed opening! I love this knife!