Any advice before I purchase from WorkSharp?

J

JMane

Joined
Aug 6, 2025
Messages
3
Any advice for me before I purchase the MK2 sharpener from WorkSharp? I am buying the regular not the elite. I am new and about to venture into knife sharpening for the first time. Thanks. I think its also called the KO2? Looks like it comes with 3/4" x 12" Belt Kit (1 ea.)P120 (Extra Coarse), X65 (Coarse), X22 (Medium), X4 (Fine), 6000 (Extra Fine.

Should I purchase anything else?
 
Hi JMane! I'm a noob, so take this for what it's worth. I picked up the WSKO2 Elite about 6 weeks ago (after previously having the Edge Pro Apex and getting a diamond "stone" from Sharpal)

The short answer is (as with everything), it depends.

If you're just planning on sharpening your home kitchen knives, the kit that's included is a great starting point. If you end up finding that this is something you really enjoy and want to do more than just your knives, you'll probably want to add some things. If only doing your own knives, you can readily take care of them initially, then maybe need to sharpen them a couple times a year. The belts that come with the KO ought to be good for a while. There's terrific tutorials on YouTube from Work Sharp for using the machine:

One thing that isn't included in the kit that might be helpful is something to help clean off the grinding belts (kind of like an eraser). Sharpening Supplies Dot Com has them listed as "Abrasive Cleaning Stick". Am not including a link because I'm not sure if they are a supporting site for this site. The idea is that the abrasive belts can get sort of clogged with material that you've ground off the knives. Using the abrasive cleaner helps extend the useful life of the belts.

Good luck!
Bruce
 
bdaabat said:
Hi JMane! I'm a noob, so take this for what it's worth. I picked up the WSKO2 Elite about 6 weeks ago (after previously having the Edge Pro Apex and getting a diamond "stone" from Sharpal)

The short answer is (as with everything), it depends.

If you're just planning on sharpening your home kitchen knives, the kit that's included is a great starting point. If you end up finding that this is something you really enjoy and want to do more than just your knives, you'll probably want to add some things. If only doing your own knives, you can readily take care of them initially, then maybe need to sharpen them a couple times a year. The belts that come with the KO ought to be good for a while. There's terrific tutorials on YouTube from Work Sharp for using the machine:

One thing that isn't included in the kit that might be helpful is something to help clean off the grinding belts (kind of like an eraser). Sharpening Supplies Dot Com has them listed as "Abrasive Cleaning Stick". Am not including a link because I'm not sure if they are a supporting site for this site. The idea is that the abrasive belts can get sort of clogged with material that you've ground off the knives. Using the abrasive cleaner helps extend the useful life of the belts.

Good luck!
Bruce
Click to expand...
I also heard that. Even a pencil eraser will work and someone on a youtube video said it worked great. Thanks for the reminder!
 
Best tip i have is, don't.

Belt sharpening methods are not for the new sharpener. You WILL mess up blades and fixing them will not be easy.

Some stones and some practice or a guide would be much better in the long run.
 
Theres some cheap jig systems out there that use diamond plates like lansky, or even a cheaper brand I cant remember the name, that might be a better option if you dont think you have time and energy for hand sharpening. Thats basically the key to hand sharpening time and patience. Nice pour of scotch and good music with a blade and stone is a fine friday night.
 
BoDiddly01 said:
Theres some cheap jig systems out there that use diamond plates like lansky, or even a cheaper brand I cant remember the name, that might be a better option if you dont think you have time and energy for hand sharpening. Thats basically the key to hand sharpening time and patience. Nice pour of scotch and good music with a blade and stone is a fine friday night.
Click to expand...
Might be Gatco? I had one of their sets, very much like the Lansky, but wider stones.
 
You can also use the DMT aligner guide with full size diamond plates. Gives you a large grinding/sharpening surface which will be faster and since they are benchstones you can eventually hand sharpen with them.
 
I've never used the WorkSharp but I own a sharpening shop where I have six or seven belt grinders along with other grinders and buffers. Some stuff I still do on water stones. Jason B is right, you can mess stuff up faster with a power tool than you can by hand but the WorkSharp is designed to be easy to use. As with any system including a bench stone the best idea is to practice on cheaper/beater knives, not an heirloom or high end custom. If you go that route I'd suggest you add a leather stropping belt or felt belt. Alternatively you could get a hand strop.
 
Worksharp do a nice pocket sharpener with a strop. Which I find myself using more than anything.

This is the new version that I don't have. But it has a case. Which I kind of want.

 
Good tool. Let's you learn just enough so that you will be ready for your NEXT sharpener.
All kidding aside, it's a perfect way to get into sharpening. Mechanically speaking of course. Not a huge investment and can get the job done. A light touch is your friend. Don't linger on passes.
And...start on knives your not fond of as stated above... There is a learning curve as with all sharpeners, it just happens fast on an abrasive belts. Resist the urge to sharpen your EDC right away, you will be glad you did.
Good luck!
 
You can make a recurve blade you don't want right quick.
Buy some cheap beaters to learn on or even better, learn to free hand sharpen.
It's a well learned skill and handy to know. Muscle memory is not easily forgotten.
 
Gottagofishn said:
Good tool. Let's you learn just enough so that you will be ready for your NEXT sharpener.
All kidding aside, it's a perfect way to get into sharpening. Mechanically speaking of course. Not a huge investment and can get the job done. A light touch is your friend. Don't linger on passes.
And...start on knives your not fond of as stated above... There is a learning curve as with all sharpeners, it just happens fast on an abrasive belts. Resist the urge to sharpen your EDC right away, you will be glad you did.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Good advice. I moved on to hand sharpening on diamond stones shortly after using the Worksharp. I still use it for large kitchen knifes, but I won't use it on my EDC knives anymore. The Worksharp KO is great for using on mower blades, garden shears, shovels, hoes, and other yard tools. I've got the sharpest mower blades in the neighborhood thanks to the KO Worksharp.

I took an old floor scraper and turned it into a rattlesnake killer with the worksharp. Little devils dont stand a chance against it.
 
I would learn on a system that would be more forgiving then one that can remove material quickly.
 
There's nothing better than time and experience...... Fool around with some crap blades for a week or so.......
Its a solid tool that has its place...Just like most.....👌
 
I posted similar comments a few weeks ago in reply to another gent who was starting out with a Work Sharp Ken Onion Mk.2, and I'll repeat them here.

I've used a Work Sharp for setting my initial edges since 2011---first with the original tool, then with the WSKO (Ken Onion), and now with the WSKO Mk.2.

As several posters mentioned above, you can remove a lot of metal fast with a belt system so definitely practice first on a few beater knives till you get the hang of it. Also, I learned the hard way to always use painters tape to cover my blades or else you will get scratches, even if you're careful. Sometimes it takes as long to cut and pattern the tape as to do the actual sharpening, but it's worth it.

As also mentioned above, be careful with your blade tips---the WS can round them pronto. I actually stop my stroke with the tip less than halfway across the belt, and keep the pressure light. I've heard it referred to as "sneaking up on the tip", and that's pretty apt.

I should note at the outset that I'm in the minority---I actually prefer "softer" steels rather than the newer "super" steels. I use my knives pretty lightly and prefer ease of sharpening and a very fine edge over extended edge durability. My comments here reflect my experience with the WSKO on those softer steels. On the occasions when I've used the WSKO on super steels, it's taken much longer and been harder to achieve a very fine edge. If I were a super steel fan, I might go with some kind of diamond system instead.

I'm in the minority in another way as well. It seems that most Work Sharp fans prefer the Elite system, which includes the Blade Grinding Attachment. I have a BGA and use it for some mods, but I actually prefer the basic Ken Onion unit for sharpening. I just have better control with it and it feels more natural to me.

Recently I've come to prefer leaving a little tooth on my edges, so I usually stop at the x22 belt and then deburr with a leather strop belt loaded with DMT 1 micron diamond paste. I have a 1/2" wide Surgi-Sharp leather belt that they made as an experiment and which I lucked into many years ago. But more recently I've seen leather stropping/honing belts for the WSKO offered elsewhere.

Sometimes I get to hair whittling right off the WSKO leather belt. But more often I need to do a few passes with a hand strop to get there (and sometimes a knife resists hair whittling altogether, for me at least). There are 2 hand strops I most frequently use: a homemade one with denim on (large size) Home Depot paint stick with Ryobi H buffing compound; and a small Jende Nanocloth strop with Jende 1 micron diamond emulsion. The former is a little more aggressive and the latter is best at final burr removal.

I'm a big fan of the Work Shop KO sharpeners, and for my purposes they do the job better than any other system I've tried, and I've tried most of the popular ones. All the above minutiae aside, the single most important thing I can suggest is to forget the angle guides and instead sharpen freehand with sharpie applied to the edge to show where you're abrading. A magnifier or loupe is essential for constantly checking your edge as you go. I use a 15x lighted loupe and it works great for this purpose.

I can see why the edge guide is appealing to non-knife folks who want a quick and simple sharpening method, but I've never liked using it. It uncomfortably confines your movements so, for example, you can't tweak certain areas to compensate for uneven factory grinds, or adjust to a slightly more obtuse angle as you approach the tip so as to maintain a more consistent bevel width.

A final thought: Be careful with that 6000 ultrafine Micromesh polishing belt. It's flexible in the extreme and so more likely to fold over your edge and blunt it. I love Micromesh products but I avoid those polishing belts.

Good luck with your sharpening.

Andrew
 
Last edited:
Not trying to hijack, just a question for AFAustin.
Reading through your post I was wondering if you have tried any different emulsions for stropping?
For heavy duty stropping I use Tormek’s PA-70. I believe Vadim from Australian Knife Grinders stated it’s 3-6 mu although I’m not sure that’s correct as it seems that is still debated. It is more aggressive than my 3-6mu polycrystalline diamond emulsion and removes material faster. I only use 1mu diamonds to finish if I’m creating a polished or mirrored bevel.
Just a thought. If you’re happy with your results, carry on.
 
Gottagofishn said:
Not trying to hijack, just a question for AFAustin.
Reading through your post I was wondering if you have tried any different emulsions for stropping?
For heavy duty stropping I use Tormek’s PA-70. I believe Vadim from Australian Knife Grinders stated it’s 3-6 mu although I’m not sure that’s correct as it seems that is still debated. It is more aggressive than my 3-6mu polycrystalline diamond emulsion and removes material faster. I only use 1mu diamonds to finish if I’m creating a polished or mirrored bevel.
Just a thought. If you’re happy with your results, carry on.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your question and comment. I'm not familiar with the Tormek PA-70, but sounds interesting and I'll add it to my watchlist.

Besides the compounds I mentioned in my (long-winded) post, I also have a leather hand strop loaded with DMT 3 micron diamond paste, which was recommended a while back by David / Obsessed with Edges. I mainly use it on the few "super steel" knives I have.

I also have leather strops, one with Bark River black compound and one with Bark River green compound, which I rarely use. If I want a bit of shine, I've got a denim-on-paint stick one loaded with Mother's Mag polish. And finally, a bare denim one for a couple of "clean up" strokes at the end.

So I have way too many strops, but they tend to build up over the years....

Andrew
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top