Just a warning for ya'll.

[bilgerat]

Yeah OK, I'm going to pay top dollar for a premium hook and if it's not sharp enough out of the pack I'm going to toss it without putting a point on it myself. Cut me a break. You must be the same guys who buy $20 razor blades.

Send me all of your hooks and I'll properly dispose of them for you.... :

I'm going to go throw away all of my old Buck knives now because there's no way I could ever get the edge to them they had when they were new.  

[The Rooster]

I believe he said for used hooks that go dull he just tosses them, not new out of the package.

Me, I buy them and use them straight out of the package, but before I buy them sometimes I'll test them using a fingernail. Easy to do, the packages are not sealed.

Also hooks (as well as knives) laying around will go dull because of oxidation, even with no usage at all. So before I use one I will again test it. If it's dull I choose another but there's times when I get down to the nitty gritty and only have a few left so then if it needs sharpened then I'll hit it with the stone because in that case I'm out on the boat and have to use what I have available. For the record, I buy Gamakatsu hooks.  It's very rare that I ever have to sharpen one, usually it's due to me using it and scraping a rock or getting it snagged that it needs sharpened again.

[RoLo]

Right out of the package, nearly a hundred percent of the Gamakatsu and Owner hooks are dangerously sharp.

However, if the hook-point becomes damaged or dull with use, there is no hook in the world that cannot be sharpened.

Even the cut-edge point swaged by Owner can be quickly triangulated. Although it will no longer

have the cutting edge configuration, it will be far superior to a cut-edge point that is dull or damaged.

Being a tool & die maker, I have diamond files, ruby-impregnated files, wet stones and hand grinders.

But none of that stuff is necessary, in fact, a simple tool like the Diamond Edge Hook File sold by Bass Pro

can quickly rough out the point. Granted, it will not be as good as new, but much better than dull or damaged.

All that said, I personally chuck my dull and damaged hooks

Roger

[looking4structure]

I have many H20 xpress crankbaits from Academy and the hooks are VMC and i haven't had any problem with their trebles.Normally ill switch the hooks to a Mustad Tripple Grip #4 or #6 but i leave the VMC on.