All About Pocket Knives

I bought this knife on eBay and when it arrived I was surprised to discover the blade had no edge; it had never been factory sharpened. Don't know if it was a factory error or if it was intentionally left unsharpened for some reason (prototype, display model, etc.)

Regardless of the reason, I am trying to decide if I should put an edge on it now I don't plan on ever using this knife, it will be a safe queen and occasionally displayed, but as a general rule I prefer all my knives to be fully functional. However, it has been suggested that I leave it "as is" in its original form since it is a collector piece and not a user. I admit this feels a bit strange to me, but I can see some logic in that as well.

So, I am curious what others would do if they got a knife like this with no edge and their reason why

Leave it as is Q. Let it be a dilemma for another collector when you're gone.

Sometimes a knife slips thru. I have 1 S&M unsharpened and I would not sharpen it. It has the same value as any of its kind.

Safe Queen no edge, tote'n knife put a keen edge on that bugger and let'r rip.
I've got a Masters Cutlery edition from queen that had no edge, but was very rough where the edge should of been. I put a edge on her a toted it for a couple years then a flea market man offered me more for it that I could believe so I made it a Sunday go to meeting knife, now it mostly resides in the pile of Queens.

I only sharpen knives that I have some intention of using, so I would leave it as is. In another thread you mentioned that it was a butter knife, so use it for butter and cheese!

I would leave it as is; unless you dont ha ve any other knives and really need it as a user.

I say sharpen it. A knife with no edge isn't a knife.

If it’s going to be a safe queen and never used, I suggest leaving it in its current state. It came from the factory that way which is what most collectors want.

On the other hand, why let somebody else have all the fun? You could sharpen it and use it and be all the more better off. To heck with the monetary value.

It’s hard to get the full potential from a knife that just sits there. Until you sell it for twice as much as you paid for it.

I am fully aware that this wasn’t much help.

I vote to leave it as-is since it is a safe queen.

Either it left the Queen factory as a defective product that should have been returned for warranty repair or it was part of their bankruptcy parts sale assembled but still unfinished or as parts. Admittedly I know more about gun collecting than knife collecting but neither guns nor knives are coins. A mis-stamped coin can have high value. A collector gun with a factory defect is worth less than it would be if it had left its manufacturer as it should have. Even if it looks nearly new the highest condition description a modern collector gun with a major part replaced gets is good. Value in good condition is way below value in excellent condition. A collector gun that was assembled from parts is not worth much more than its utility value unless it is fraudulently sold to an ignorant buyer. I can't belive knives are any different.

Case does not spend much time sharpening their standard production knives. Each side gets only a quick pass on a belt sander. That's not a complaint. I do not want to pay Case to do what I can easily do myself. Years ago I ran a thread asking if members would prefer buying a modern Case sharpened carefully on a hard Arkansas stone so that the sides of its blade were not scratched or a Case with its original factory edge. While many replied that somewhere on the planet there must be a collector more holly than them who would value the Case that still had its toothy factory edge higher every reply answered they would rather receive the sharper knife.

Assuming that you can put a good edge on it without markng the sides of its blade sharpen it. IMO it will be worth more and you will enjoy owning it more. Besides, there is no better excuse for fingering our knives. Knives need to be loved, fondled, admired and sharpened.

Even an unsharpened knife will spread butter, I say make an English Muffin and leave her as is!

Well you know me. I'd take a torch to it, then dye it. Cut jimping and serrations in, make a display stand out of thrift store junk and call it the Schwarzenegger

Just kidding on that. Some of that.

But my vote is sharpen. What if you need it someday

Unlikely you'll ever need it but....

I recall a thread about the type of steel in a Case knife that may or may not have been through a brush fire. The conversation devolved into whether or not you'd be able to cut into a can of beans to survive a nasty fall through your own kitchen floor into your basement, in the winter, during the apocalypse. So there's that to consider

Now that I know there are Wolly Mammoth under the palm trees I'll add that you might unexpectedly need it "wicked sharp" if one of them charges! Didn't the boy scouts teach you to always be prepared?

I think I have more than a few Schrades (including an odd stag Stockman that may not have ever been an "official" knife) with unsharpened blades. I've left them as is.

You'll take a lot of meat out of the blades if you do choose to sharpen it. It's also rather difficult. I bought a Camillus R2 (ex-Western pattern Bird and Trout) for near nothing. The knife was unused, but unsharpened as well. Given it came with an incorrect sheath, I presume it was old factory stock. I wanted that one for a regular use knife, so I sharpened it. It took quite a bit of time, even with a pretty coarse diamond hone.

Back in the 1970s I bought one of the original Hackman Survival knives inexpensively because it had no edge bevel. I think it was incomplete because the manufacturer had gone out of business. (sound familiar?) I hand sharpened its 7" blade on flat stones until it would shave hair off my arm. So that it would not take forever I started with a stone so coarse that I rarely use it on anything other than axes. Wal-Mart probably still sells their 8" double grit stone that is super coarse on one side and its finer side is too coarse for normal use on knives. They were $7 a few years ago.

The Hackman was a superb execution of a bad idea that got a lot of favorable press in the 1970s. It was not worth its weight. I never did take it back packing or hunting.

The only other knife I can recall owning that I had to make a blade bevel on was a knife I made myself. However, I did buy a few Queens that came pretty d*** dull from the Queen factory. I started sharpening them on normal hardware store carborundum stones.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 11, 2025 2:11 pm I bought this knife on eBay and when it arrived I was surprised to discover the blade had no edge; it had never been factory sharpened. Don't know if it was a factory error or if it was intentionally left unsharpened for some reason (prototype, display model, etc.)

Regardless of the reason, I am trying to decide if I should put an edge on it now I don't plan on ever using this knife, it will be a safe queen and occasionally displayed, but as a general rule I prefer all my knives to be fully functional. However, it has been suggested that I leave it "as is" in its original form since it is a collector piece and not a user. I admit this feels a bit strange to me, but I can see some logic in that as well.

So, I am curious what others would do if they got a knife like this with no edge and their reason why

I said put an edge on it.
I’m not a collector I’m a user. So if it’s not sharp then I can’t use it.
Steve

I bought a Queen (prototype) online a couple of years ago, that was intentionally left unsharpened (the blade was marked "prototype"). I left it unsharpened.

If it's a collector and not a user, why sharpen? I think I have 1 unsharpened knife that I don't plan on ever cutting anything with, so I'm leaving it alone.

1967redrider wrote: ↑Tue Oct 14, 2025 2:44 pm If it's a collector and not a user, why sharpen? I think I have 1 unsharpened knife that I don't plan on ever cutting anything with, so I'm leaving it alone.

You are its legal guardian. This is worse than child abuse. Your neighbors should call 911!

Modern Slip Joints wrote: ↑Tue Oct 14, 2025 3:05 pm

1967redrider wrote: ↑Tue Oct 14, 2025 2:44 pm If it's a collector and not a user, why sharpen? I think I have 1 unsharpened knife that I don't plan on ever cutting anything with, so I'm leaving it alone.

You are its legal guardian. This is worse than child abuse. Your neighbors should call 911!

1967redrider wrote: ↑Tue Oct 14, 2025 2:44 pm If it's a collector and not a user, why sharpen?

That is the essential question.

I appreciate everyone's replies and perspectives. As I expected, opinions are divided, some would sharpen it and some would not. However, pretty much everyone seems to feel that the decision is based on whether or not the knife will be used, i.e., if it will be used, sharpen it, if it will not be used, don't sharpen it. Practical, cut-and-dried, no-nuance opinions. Only RedRaiderRick tapped into what is really at the heart of my dilemma:

RedRaiderRick wrote: ↑Sun Oct 12, 2025 1:52 am I say sharpen it. A knife with no edge isn't a knife.

That comes pretty close to summing up my feeling, as well. To me, it really makes no difference whether or not it will be used, a knife with no edge is incomplete, unfinished, and not really a knife in the fullest sense. As such, it feels about the same to me as a piece of wood that is carved and painted to look like a knife, but it's not a real knife. IMO, a knife without an edge is a facsimile of a knife....a pretend knife....a stage prop....an imposter....a toy. Even if I never intend to actually use it, every time I look at and/or handle it, my enjoyment and appreciation are somehow diminished if it isn't wicked sharp. But that's just me, your mileage may vary.

Why dont ya just sell it to me. problem solved!!

Why not split the difference and sharpen one-half of the blade? Then it will be an even greater mystery for the next owner!

Dennis

Another thought. Suppose someday one of your grandchildren inherits it. Would you want that youngster showing a knife with no edge bevel to their friends saying this was my grandfather's knife?

Q - you know what I'm going to say ... I'd Lanksy it up & put a nice edge on it - a knife like that deserves it