Apex Edge Pro, Wicked Edge or KME Sharpening System For Busse & Kin Knives ??

Azula Gun Holsters

Azula Gun Holsters

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Sep 19, 2016
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After several hours of back and forth research it looks like the Apex Edge Pro, Wicked Edge and the KME sharpeners seem to be at the top of the list.

Would appreciate any info and feedback on these to get that hair popping edge on the small and large Busse & Kin blades.

Have only used a lansky in the past and then a ceramic stick for decent results. Need to move up to the next level.


Thank You
 
Sharpeners have been covered quite a bit recently in here, so a little searching will probably get you a lot of great info. I personally went with the Wicked Edge and am quite happy with my purchase.
 
They are all good systems, don't think you would go wrong with either but nothing beats doing it by hand :thumbup:
 
ExtraBaconPlease said:
They are all good systems, don't think you would go wrong with either but nothing beats doing it by hand :thumbup:
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I agree, all men should know how to drive a stick shift, start a fire without matches and sharpen a knife by hand. ;) :D Learn to sharpen first, then buy the gizmos for convenience later.

Having said that, I prefer the one inch kalamazoo belt sander, it still gives that craftsman freehand feel, but is really fast. The belt sanders also inherently produce a convex edge which imo is superior in any kind of hard use knife.

Rob does do a good job tempting me with his beautiful signature mirror polished edges, but I just can't make myself go to a fully supported system like that, plus I like the convex edge.

Note also some of the clamp and sharpen systems have a maximum blade thickness that will limit their use on the larger Busse knives.
 
mach 5 said:
I agree, all men should know how to drive a stick shift, start a fire without matches and sharpen a knife by hand. ;) :D
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Tick, tick and..tick ! :)

mach 5 said:
Having said that, I prefer the one inch kalamazoo belt sander, it still gives that craftsman freehand feel, but is really fast. The belt sanders also inherently produce a convex edge which imo is superior in any kind of hard use knife.

Rob does do a good job tempting me with his beautiful signature mirror polished edges, but I just can't make myself go to a fully supported system like that, plus I like the convex edge.
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I agree i couldn't go to a full system like that and if i was to buy anything other than water stones and strops it would be a belt sander or that small belt work sharp thingy

In regards to the convex edge, i agree they are the best edge but i still prefer the V edge for hand sharpening on stones and in field.
 
My son bought a little kit from Bass Pro called the "Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener." He had never sharpened anything in his life, and all of the sudden he's getting hair popping razor edges on blades, and I'm like WTH is this? It's a compact belt system, pretty slick. They also make a Ken Onion edition, which is a little bigger.

[video=youtube;PUV0gctUP4o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUV0gctUP4o[/video]
 
Azula Gun Holsters said:
Have only used a lansky in the past and then a ceramic stick for decent results. Need to move up to the next level.


Thank You
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If the knives that you have can be sharpened with the Lansky (size wise) than the KME would be a very good choice.
For really large knives I would go for the Wicked Edge.
 
I have a work sharp ken onion edition and I love it. It is very fast and easy to use. It is basically a belt sander with angle guides.

There are a lot of belts you can use from coarse to very fine.
 
For those with the Ken Onion Work Sharp I highly recommend the optional blade grinder attachment. Excellent results. You can even get strop belts that come with red and green compounds.
 
slight said:
I have a work sharp ken onion edition and I love it. It is very fast and easy to use. It is basically a belt sander with angle guides.

There are a lot of belts you can use from coarse to very fine.
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Do you let the belt run all the time or do you start after placing the blade and stop when the tip reaches the middle of the belt?
I tried the Worksharp a few times and have the feeling that my technique could be better somehow.


In general I just strop my Busse knives with leather and fine compound. Or on ceramic, if there is more to fix.

The Wicked Edge is a great tool but only good for bigger blades if you have the Gen II with pro pack II or the Gen III.
With the earlier versions you will have angle inconsistencies.
 
i just ordered a KME as the research i did suggested it was good for my needs, more cost effective than the edge pro and also any downsides were easily remedied.

i have many stones which are nice and great for touch ups, but for setting the angle and getting things precise is not great unless you have lots of practice.

i have a ken onion work sharp and it scatches the blades and is uneven on one side. it just collects dust. i was thinking about getting the attachment but what a waste of money if it didnt come with that in the first place, i shoulda just started with a KME or an edge pro.

here are some really great points listed about the wicked edge on massdrop convo https://www.massdrop.com/buy/wicked-edge-precision-sharpener/talk
seems there are so many addons its insane. not worth the investment since the other systems do just as well.
 
Worksharp is one of many tools, but one that can aggressively reprofile and damage a blade if you are not careful. There is not alot of room for error!

I personally use an edgepro for thinning and maintain edges with a ceramic and a strop.

Let me know if I can be of any assistance in your pursuit of a super sharp Busse :pig:

zygS0Ht.jpg
 
Mo2 said:
i just ordered a KME as the research i did suggested it was good for my needs, more cost effective than the edge pro and also any downsides were easily remedied.

i have many stones which are nice and great for touch ups, but for setting the angle and getting things precise is not great unless you have lots of practice.

i have a ken onion work sharp and it scatches the blades and is uneven on one side. it just collects dust. i was thinking about getting the attachment but what a waste of money if it didnt come with that in the first place, i shoulda just started with a KME or an edge pro.

here are some really great points listed about the wicked edge on massdrop convo https://www.massdrop.com/buy/wicked-edge-precision-sharpener/talk
seems there are so many addons its insane. not worth the investment since the other systems do just as well.
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Thanks for the input. Please calrify. Did you say the edge pro was not great for setting up the angle or the KME ? or did you just order the KME as you had the edge pro ?

I think and am leaning towards the KME at this point.

Appreciate all the the responses
 
jakob.k said:
Do you let the belt run all the time or do you start after placing the blade and stop when the tip reaches the middle of the belt?
I tried the Worksharp a few times and have the feeling that my technique could be better somehow.


In general I just strop my Busse knives with leather and fine compound. Or on ceramic, if there is more to fix.

The Wicked Edge is a great tool but only good for bigger blades if you have the Gen II with pro pack II or the Gen III.
With the earlier versions you will have angle inconsistencies.
Click to expand...

I stop it once I get to the tip. Then switch sides, set the knife on the guide and turn it on again and pull the knife through.

The most important thing is following the edge as you draw the knife back.
 
Azula Gun Holsters said:
Thanks for the input. Please calrify. Did you say the edge pro was not great for setting up the angle or the KME ? or did you just order the KME as you had the edge pro ?

I think and am leaning towards the KME at this point.

Appreciate all the the responses
Click to expand...

Edgepro is excellent at setting a repeatable angle on a blade. However, the ability of the device to hint at angle changes based on the thickness of the blade. As such, use of a digital angle cube is warranted if you want a discrete number. Without an angle cube you can hit ballpark within a standard deviation or two of the angle markers. If the angle number is not important, it will give you feedback about whether you are hitting the edge or thinning the blade. PM me if you want to have a discussion.
 
They are all great systems. All will have a learning curve. With four different systems purchased now, the KME is my favorite to do a full sharpening and/or re-profile.

I keep a couple of Sharpmakers out for minor touch-ups. Also a stack of strops. In my personal experience, once I've redone an edge on the KME and achieved the best bevel possible (even front to back and side to side), unless a blade has been worked really hard or abused, it usually doesn't even need to go back to the KME. I'll try returning the edge with a strop, and if not, a few swipes on the Sharpmaker then re-strop. About half of my knives go straight from the box onto the KME to fix factory edges. The rest I try to get some use out of first.
 
bflying said:
They are all great systems. All will have a learning curve. With four different systems purchased now, the KME is my favorite to do a full sharpening and/or re-profile.

I keep a couple of Sharpmakers out for minor touch-ups. Also a stack of strops. In my personal experience, once I've redone an edge on the KME and achieved the best bevel possible (even front to back and side to side), unless a blade has been worked really hard or abused, it usually doesn't even need to go back to the KME. I'll try returning the edge with a strop, and if not, a few swipes on the Sharpmaker then re-strop. About half of my knives go straight from the box onto the KME to fix factory edges. The rest I try to get some use out of first.
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Thanks, this really helps. Going to give KME a try
 
Well, just found a work sharp that I had been given as a gift a few years ago and was hiding away. Tested it out on a couple of cheap knives Did not want to destroy a Busse. Seemed to do a decent job on the Condor. Paper cutting sharp and shaving sharp just not super polished sharp but it is sharp and will shave all the hair on your arm if you kept going.

Could see where it would be useful to re-profile a damaged edge. The plastic edge guide is a little flimsy .

Going to get the KME and give it a try. Spoke to them and they said up to a 10" blade on the KME

IMG_2853_zpsafpmy4uk.jpg


IMG_2854_zpsutw8uvnf.jpg
 
Azula Gun Holsters said:
Thanks for the input. Please calrify. Did you say the edge pro was not great for setting up the angle or the KME ? or did you just order the KME as you had the edge pro ?

I think and am leaning towards the KME at this point.

Appreciate all the the responses
Click to expand...
sorry I ment the stones, not the two systems, which should be way more capable and precise than stones/freehand.

i would also look into a http://tsprof.com/?lang=eng if you have the extra money. i would assume its better than all the systems.
 
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