It only makes sense that a sharp knife will be more dangerous than a non-sharp knife. However, most people don’t understand that a dull knife is more lethal than a sharp one. As a result, owning a knife sharpener is not exclusively for the sake of keeping your blade sharpened. It also keeps you safe.
You have to be aware of the risks of having a dull blade. If not, you’ll end up hurting yourself. Many incidents in the kitchen that involve a knife happen with a dull knife. In this post, I’ll cover the entire topic of non-sharp blades in the context of self-defense and while cooking. Moreover, how to tell if your knife is sharp.
Why is a dull knife dangerous?
Generally, a dull knife requires more pressure to slice through objects. As a result, the chances of the blade slipping and cutting the user are higher. Moreover, in a self-defense scenario, if your weapon isn’t sharp, you will most likely end up hurt.
Many people believe that a sharp blade is dangerous. While this is right, a non-sharp blade is way more lethal. If you like to cook, you know the feeling of using a non-sharpened knife. When you cut foods, you notice the amount of pressure you apply is higher. This way, it is easier for you to slip from the food right to another object. The majority of people get hurt in the kitchen that way.
If we talk about self-defense, I want you to imagine two situations. In one, hostile attacks you, and you pull out your self-defense weapon, a knife. Now, the blade isn’t functioning. It simply isn’t sharp enough. As a result, not only you can’t disable the attacker, you will most likely get hurt.
In the second situation, you get attacked. However, your self-defense tool is sharp and ready to go. You’ll have an easier time disabling the hostile and ultimately avoid injury. Because of that carrying a dull pocketknife on you is a contradiction. You’re taking this weapon to dodge damage and assist others in need. But, because the blade is not a sharp one, you are not helpful to yourself nor the surroundings.
Lastly, the reason you have a knife on you is that it’s a sharp tool. What good are the means if it doesn’t provide us with what we expect it to be? Thus for whatever you are using a knife for, you expect it to be sharp. If it is dull, it simply isn’t sufficient. For these reasons, a dull knife is dangerous.
Which is more dangerous, a dull knife or a sharp knife?
As discussed previously, A dull knife is more dangerous to use than a sharp knife. In the kitchen, the pressure you are required to apply slicing through an object is higher. In a self-defense scenario, not sharpening your blade makes your knife insufficient for why you are carrying it.
A sharp knife is a functioning one. When you use it, you are doing so with caution. Thus the actions you will do with it are going to come out as expected. Moreover, when you defend yourself with a sharp knife, you will most likely avoid injuries altogether. That is because you are familiar with the ways you can protect yourself with it.
Contrary to that, having a non-sharpened blade is the worse. It won’t be able to function, and performing actions with it are going to be awful. A knife is sharp. That is its nature. So, when you perform actions with a sharp blade, you will receive what you expected to.
If you like to cook, you most likely own a few kitchen knives. This tool is a great one. It helps you cook foods more efficiently. As a result, you want to take care of it. If you’ve ever sliced tomato, and instead of a clean cut you squashed through it, you are using a dull knife. The pressure you apply on the knife increases as the bluntness of the blade rises. As a result, the chances of you getting a cut are way higher with a blunt knife.
If you carry a pocket knife for self-defense reasons, you have it for a reason. You wish to keep yourself and others safe. When your weapon is unsharpened, what good does it bring? Exactly, it doesn’t. When carrying a blunt pocket knife, you will solely end up hurting yourself. So you better sharpen your damn knives from now on.
How to tell if a knife is sharp?
I discuss it in great detail in this post. Generally, you make up a way of checking it yourself. I use the tomato rule. If my knife can slice through a tomato with ease and doesn’t squash it, it’s sufficiently sharp. With broader experience, you can use a different rule that you’ll follow.
Ensuring your blade is sufficiently sharp is everything. Because when you notice your blade is dull, fixing it is no problem. However, most people who use knives forget to check them in the first place. Later, they find out how much better a functioning knife is. From that point, they’ll never return to using a blunt blade.
If you’re thinking of purchasing a knife sharpener, I recommend you start reading about it. You’ll get exposed to this whole new world. It’s such a quality of life improvement, and don’t forget to use the tomato rule.
Why is sharpening your knife important?
Sharpening your knife is essential for many reasons. The main reason is you don’t want your blade to be dull. It contradicts the reason you bought one in the first place. Lastly, owning a blunt knife increases the chances of you hurting yourself.
I won’t be going into too many details in this section. But, reviewing this matter again is necessary. We can use the tomato rule and check if our tool is sufficiently sharp. Let’s assume it squashed through the tomato. How badly should you want to sharpen it?
Because you can injure yourself severely using a dull knife, as soon as you notice that it isn’t keen enough, sharpen it. It is that simple. By doing so, you’ll avoid hurting yourself and apply the right mindset.
Part of using self-defense is being ready for anything. In my time in the military, I realized that preparing yourself is as important as the event itself. When you come prepared, you know what the complications may be or anything else. If they end up occurring, you will act suitably.
Part of being prepared in this matter is having your tools sharpened. If I were not to clean my gun before an operation, I can’t guarantee that it’ll shoot when I need it the most. Who knows? I might rely on it to save my teammates’ lives one day. But I did clean it, and I was ready. And when the time came, I used it as I intended to.
That is the reason sharpening your dull blades is as important as I say it is. If your pocket knife isn’t sharp when the time comes, and it might, you won’t be ready. You can’t guarantee that it will do the job. So carrying it is irrelevant. Because of all my points, you need to understand that sharpening it is a must.
How often should you sharpen your knife?
In addition to honing your knife after five uses, sharpen it twice a year. You can use a tomato to see if it slices through it. If it doesn’t, you ought to keen it.
I have an entire post on this subject. I encourage you to read it. As I’ve said, I can list several times per year to sharpen your knife. However, I don’t want to do that because it isn’t that simple.
The single best piece of advice I can suggest is to make up a rule to follow. That rule will help you determine whether your blade is keen enough. If your knife doesn’t pass the test, grind it as soon as you can.
Is it safe to use a dull knife in the kitchen?
Because a dull knife requires additional pressure to slice through, the chances of cutting yourself increase. Thus it’s safer to use a sharp one rather than a blunt one.
Not only is using a blunt blade unsafe, but you can also severely injure yourself while using one. I recommend you test each one of your knives. In case one does not pass, sharpen it without hesitation. Don’t wait for something critical to happen. Instead, ensure you stay safe.
Conclusion
In this post, I’ve covered the topic of dull knives. Using one is more dangerous than using a sharp one. As a result, sharpening your blades at least twice a year is mandatory. In the case of self-defense, you will not avoid getting hurt while using one. Moreover, using one in the kitchen means you apply more pressure on the tool. That way, you may solely end up hurting yourself.
I highly recommend you to read my other posts about knives and knife sharpeners.