- Joined
- Jul 16, 2007
- Messages
- 1,068
Yeah, I was thinking of that. But I'm not sure where to buy one. Hobby store? Craft store? Jewelry store? To be honest, I have even been thinking about a microscope, just to understand what's happening to the edge at 400X. The 4X helps, not a lot of power but better than my eyes.
I did just sharpen one more (those that have heard enough or are getting tired of my play-by-play can just skip ahead!
). I touched up another knife from the Chicago Cutlery Kyoto block set. They call it a "deba" but it's really a Nakiri. At any rate, I picked a very low angle (they seem to be ground at around 15 degrees or so, in Japanese fashion) and cut the marker. I wet the 220 and cut both sides, flipping a couple times til I got a burr. Then I went to the 320. [NOTE: the 320 seems an awful lot finer than the 220. I recall Mr. Dale saying the grits don't exactly correspond to those we're used to.] Once I felt satisfied I examined the edge with @ 4X, just to see how the bevel looked. I then hit the ceramic a few times.Once I was done I'd have to say I was astonished- it's sharper than I've ever gotten a knife, and I didn't even get to the 800 grit stone.
It easily slices strips all the way thru hanging 8.5x11" paper, fillets/delaminates paper & tagboard, wave it over your arm & hair flies, etc, etc.
With each blade I get a bit more proficient. Next time I think I'll mask the knife with painters tape to prevent any scratching. And I'll have to choose one to work up to 800 grit eventually. I'm not sure how polished I want a kitchen knife, but having one that push cuts easily would be nice just to show in "layman's terms" just good an edge the Apex can give you. I do think I'll need another 8 or 10 tries to really get it down pat- right now I still find it easier with my left hand holding & right hand "driving": mostly because holding with my right feels awkward.
Probably it's because I'm right handed and right eye dominant. I can move the stone well with the left but the right hand doesn't seem comfortable just holding the handle! Sometimes I get this making omelletes, too, and I find myself transferring a pan to my left hand to flip the eggs.I will post some pictures pretty soon, I hope. For anyone on the fence that's considering getting one, I'd say you can't go wrong. It's well made and easy to use. It's not idiot proof, and a basic knowledge of sharpening speeds the learning curve a lot. That said, I think anyone could learn to get a breathtakingly sharp edge in a couple days practice. Even though I have the basics down I find each time I get better.
Only one thought nags at me- if the Apex is this good, how great must the Pro be? I wonder if I should have just gone with the "Full Monty" straight away! That's no knock on the Apex, just the opposite; it's a fantastic tool. But I see the Pro model in my immediate future. And when I do get the Pro, I think the Apex will stay in my kit. It's so handy, and packs up into a roll smaller than an 8 slot Wustof knife roll.
I give it the thumbs up!:thumbup:
