Best Knife Sharpener

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I think you are being a little to hard on your self. what are you using for equipment to sharpen with? Do you know the hardness of the steels you are working with? good way to tell is take the most coarse stone you have and a knife that is a low grade steel. Take a few strokes on that stone you should feel the stone "cut" the steel as you move it down the stone. Once you get a good feel of this take one of the better steel knives and do the same thing applying the same amount of pressure you used on the first knife. If you feel less drag on this knife than the first than you can do a few things to help you 1. push harder forcing the stone to bite harder into the steel trade offs for this is you will fatigue quickly the stone that you are using will most likely need to be lapped after you are done using it and you will get sloppy trying to go faster with because your hands are getting tired. The thing that I would do is find a finer stone or sand paper to work with, im going to say most coarse stones are 80-120 from what I have felt with my hands. Some stones that are 200-220 coarse I would not consider these to be coarse but they do have a much easier time "cutting" into the harder steels and they remove material plenty fast enough if you keep your stone clean or paper sharp. let us know how you are trying to sharpen your knives because you may be trying to cut glass with butter. I really think that you can do this on your own with a little info from you and help from us here im sure you can do it.

 

I thought I read that he is not doing it any longer. Just concentrating on his own knives. Anyone know for sure?

 

I think that that was the question guys...

 

Yup. And from 3 years ago too.

 

Bahaha, my bad. I usually look at post dates these days. I guess I miss a few.

 

Sorry for bringing back an old thread. I understand that I did not answer the direct question the OP was asking and I feel now that I made a mistake in doing so. I understand that this is a old post and that most people do not like bringing stuff back from the dead but I ran across this about 3 pages back into the archive and started reading it. I thought that I would ask the OP a few questions as to why they felt they sucked, as well as other readers that may run across this thread and feel the same way about them selves. Maybe it would encourage some people to think about what is going on that is making them think they suck.
I apologize for wasting anyone's time, Im starting to feel I am wasting mine as well.

 

Withdrawn, just realized how old the thread is lol

 

.....

 

terrible idea.

 

Hey spudd, I'm actually glad this thread got revived, even if the op is no longer around. I made a similar post about a month ago, talking about how I sucked at sharpening and could anyone suggest a "sharpener for dummies". Several people suggested i take the time to learn a few sharpening basics and many suggested i learn to sharpen freehand with a diamond stone.

I gave it a little thought and realized that I decided I "sucked at sharpening" when I was a teenager. And I decided that based on having nobody to teach me and no decent stone. Well, I'm not a teenager anymore, I'm a 43 year old adult. And I'm pretty damn capable at a lot of things. The world has changed. Nobody taught me as a kid, but there's all the information and videos I could ask for now, and I can afford to buy some decent stones. So I spent some time studying and I got a couple of diamond stones, and you know what? I don't suck at sharpening. In fact, I'm not too bad at all. And im going to get a lot better. Wonder why it took me thirty years to let go of that lie? Humans are funny creatures.

 

Wicked edge

 

Given the amount of time it takes to learn to sharpen knives manually, it seems like one of the electric sharpeners would be the way to go. Anyone know of a particular model that works well? I've found some decent reviews online on Amazon for Chef's Choice. Also found some more in depth information on this best knife sharpener site. Seems like most of them are very similar though. And it would appear from the look of them that they might even be made by the same company.

 

I have never seen an electric sharpener like the Chef's Choice sharpen a knife well. If you want an electric sharpener, I would choose the Work Sharp at 1/2 the price. I personally would not take any unit like the Chef's Choice even for free. I have run sharpening classes where I live and suggest the Spyderco Sharpmaker. All that have purchased this online and are quite satisfied. Almost all want the kitchen knives sharp along with fillet knives and some pocket knives.

 

i would go with work sharp... think it's a really good one

There are some really very good reviews of work sharp at http://www.bestknifesharpeners.net

 

I have one of the GATCO Edgemate Pro Knife Sharpening Systems that got me into sharpening. I think most of the kits do a pretty good job though some are easier to use that others... There is also a pretty big range in the prices too. The Gatco and Lansky systems are under $100, some less than $50, so if you want to see what it's all about then those are good options. Some other high end systems like the KME sharpeners or the Wicked Edge or Edge Pro systems are all more expensive but are a little more ergonomic to use. When it's time for me to get another sharpener, I might spring for one of those other systems. In the kitchen, sometimes it is definitely more convenient to use an electric knife sharpener...It takes 90 seconds to get a new edge and some of the fancier models from Chef's Choice do have 15 degree angles. There are some very good reviews at thebestknifesharpenerguide.com. They have a few of the manual sharpening systems featured and have several of the electric models listed as well.

 

Ever try the Lansky 4 rod sharpener that is like the Sharpmaker? I guess there are only about $20.

Has anyone used/bought one? Liked it?

 

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Yep, and I like my Lansky. Does a great job:thumbup: