Well, this knife was shaving sharp when I bought it (new with factory edge.) I used it to chop through a 7" tree, and the edge was still shaving sharp, couldn't even tell the difference. But then I got a Wicked Edge in, and went to work, and now the edge is scary sharp. I brought it to Christmas and used it to cut up the family prime rib. It did a fantastic job. At .22" thick, it's no where near as thin as a carving knife, but the sharpness made up for it.