Best option to sharpen "expensive" knives?

Freedom556

Freedom556

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2015
Messages
238
So I'm not super into the knife hobby/collection thing but I have owned several knives ranging from $150-$900.
Everytime I purchase an expensive knife (expensive to me at least) I plan on carrying it daily when I'm not at work. I've finally gotten over the fear/guilt of carrying my knives and scratching/ putting wear on them but now my only issue is sharpening them.

I usually end up selling the knife because I don't know how to properly sharpen it in the future. The only sharpener I own is a spiderco sharp maker. Some of the knives I want to purchase have weird/different angles that I can't sharpen on my own. Is a wicked edge worth the money and will I be able to sharpen basically any blade style with it? I'm still a noob. Thanks for the help.
 
It's not the price, it's the blade steels and profiles that you need to take into account.
A lot of people love the Wicked Edge or Edge Pros - you can get a great edge with any rig and the right stones. I think they have trouble with thick spines.
 
The easiest thing you can do is send the knife off to a professional sharpener when needed. Obviously you need to ensure that they are not a cowboy and don’t wreak it by doing a bad job on a belt grinder, but it is an option.

Otherwise you go down the powered / system / freehand route. They all have their pros and cons. On systems, as said above, low angles can be an issue.

Serrated edges and recurve styles are more difficult to sharpen. The former typically requires a tapered rod and the latter narrow stones to get inside the recurve. High alloy steels need diamonds to sharpen them effectively.
 
Like Ourorboros said it comes down to the steels and the profiles. If you are into the PM steels that have 4% vanadium then you would most likely need some diamond stones or a fair amount of patience without them to try to sharpen them. Honestly I would probably spend some money on a sharpening system then sell dull knives and move on to others. You will come to a point where you really liked a knife and sold it for something that appeals to you less. I have an Edge Pro Pro model with pretty much everything they make for it. It is enjoyable to put a good edge on a knife. There are many threads here going through the various pros and cons of the various systems. Take some time and look around here for information.
 
It comes down to a simple value judgement. If you feel the thing is too expensive to use, then don’t use it. Either put it away for a later date or sell it and buy something that you would be comfortable using.

Whatever the sharpening mechanism, if you touch the blade, it will no longer be in original condition and if you just use the knife it would be in “used condition”. When you get to that point, you have already made the decision and you are just trying to keep the thing in a functional condition. There will be marring and corrosion accumulating on the blade. Accept it and move on. Just sharpen the thing with your preferred tool and stop sweating the minor tool marks. Whatever damage you may do will soon be covered by the additional damage from use and subsequent sharpening. The good part is that you will get to work on the knife frequently, so you will constantly have the opportunity to repair prior damage; and so long as the thing cuts to your satisfaction, you would be getting the job done.

I would avoid most professional sharpening services. They are not intended for you, they are intended to service cheap commercial products like the stuff used in restaurants and meat processing plants. They tend to add too much wear and can damage the heat treatment. The exception would be to return the thing to the original maker for a periodic refinishing (makeover). Then again, no matter how well the makeover it will never be new again.

Stop thinking about the minor marks on the blade as flaws. They are a normal part of the process and add character to the knife.

n2s
 
As a culmination of this hobby, I finally have two custom knives, one fixed, one folder ... I know from both knife makers that they would love to see the knives used, scratched, etc.

I still hand-sharpen on wet-stones, like my dad taught me 50 years ago. Edges are not show-quality, but they are very sharp.

Forget the price, just use them .... that's what they were made for.
 
I love my Wicked Edge WE130. I bought the Pro Pack III so the Low Angle Adapter (LAA) and the Gen 3 Jaws for 1/4" blades were included. I added 12" Guide Rods to it to help with taller blades and acute angles. They have 14" and 15" Guide Rods available now.
I still need to get the Scissors and Chisel attachments. I'm getting there slowly but surely.
I also have added aftermarket accessories for it through guys on the WE forum. They are great - SS Micro-Adjusters that increase the adjustment range easily, stone covers, stone stops, and ball joint boots.
But you can use rubber grommets for stone stops and cut off nitrile glove fingers for ball joint covers. I did that until I could afford the accessories.

WE130-4a.jpg
 
Last edited:
I would get the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker. When a blade goes on it for the first time I use the diamonds and reprofile it to the 30 or 40. I don't care what it was from the factory. Thin slicy blades get a 30. Something more heavy duty gets the 40. Most pocket knives get the 30 with a 40 microbevel and touchups on the 40. Works great for me.
 
I totally get what your saying about an expensive pocket knife.

You’ve found the answer. Get a wicked edge system and you’ll be happy. It sounds like you can afford it. I got the WE-120 with a wide variety of stones up to 2200. I’ve owned a handful of pocket knives around the $300 range throughout the years and always hesitated to really use them until now because I hated that they were never quite the same. Now they are perfect maybe better than the factory edge.

Cons of a WE for me... they don’t do some of the low angle filet knives or tantos. Not a huge fan with kitchen knifes either. sometimes I’ll reprofile a kitchen knife with coarse diamonds but prefer Waterstones for kitchen knives
 
rm41400 said:
I totally get what your saying about an expensive pocket knife.

You’ve found the answer. Get a wicked edge system and you’ll be happy. It sounds like you can afford it. I got the WE-120 with a wide variety of stones up to 2200. I’ve owned a handful of pocket knives around the $300 range throughout the years and always hesitated to really use them until now because I hated that they were never quite the same. Now they are perfect maybe better than the factory edge.

Cons of a WE for me... they don’t do some of the low angle filet knives or tantos. Not a huge fan with kitchen knifes either. sometimes I’ll reprofile a kitchen knife with coarse diamonds but prefer Waterstones for kitchen knives
Click to expand...

I don't know how long you have had your WE, but maybe the Low Angle Adapter will fit your vise? That could help with more acute angles. I have no experience with the WE120 so I really don't know.
As for Tanto's, I understand the instructions to mean that a Tanto should be sharpened in two sections. You sharpen the long part as one blade, and then sharpen the tip as if it was one blade. I have not sharpened a Tanto yet myself.
 
Thanks for the tips on tantos and the low angle adapter.

Despite the minor drawbacks mentioned I really like the WE and think most people would be very happy for your average pocket knife and much more. Strong recommendation.

I haven’t felt like buying a low angle adapter when I can just use my waterstones and I don’t own a Tanto (just worked on my buddies).No biggies to me just a general observation for the OP in case it mattered to him or others.
 
rm41400 said:
Thanks for the tips on tantos and the low angle adapter.

Despite the minor drawbacks mentioned I really like the WE and think most people would be very happy for your average pocket knife and much more. Strong recommendation.

I haven’t felt like buying a low angle adapter when I can just use my waterstones and I don’t own a Tanto (just worked on my buddies).No biggies to me just a general observation for the OP in case it mattered to him or others.
Click to expand...

There is also a Tormek adapter that some Wicked Edge owners use to sharpen those real acute angles like Japanese cutlery knives and such. Some even build tracks and put 3 or 4 WE vises inline for sharpening swords.
The new 14" & 15" Guide Rods that WE sells now would help with that stuff also.
 
You can sharpen any steel with a set of diamond hones, from coarse to fine. I prefer to sharpen my tools freehand as that seems to me more versatile than the various systems. An aligner helps to re-establish the edge/bevel on a very dull blade but is only needed infrequently if you keep 'em sharp.
 
Freedom556

Whatever amount of money you spend on a sharpening sysytem be it a free hand stone set or 1 of many systems to choose from, it is a good investment to maintain ALL of your knives with.

I used a Lansky along with many bench stones for 40 years until getting the KME system which I do like better, I cant speak for the WE but the KME is a pretty good bang for your buck system.
 
I had seen this now I cannot find it. I am mentioning it in case anyone can. It is a hone guide. A guided system for a regular diamond stone. This one was different because it was fully adjustable. So if you had or got full size DMT stones or similar and this I think it might provide very good results. Without knowing free hand technique. I think this thing was just under 2 bills.a full set of DMT bench stones is about a grand. So, one would have to decide if it is an alternative to a base WE130 unit. It only sharpens one side at a time of course. Although overall if considering changing out stones. The bench stone route might be much faster.

A lot of extra expenses are avoided. The ball joint boots, rod stops. You won't need low angle. Of course I went and loaded my WE. I honestly prefer free hand on the DMT bench stones and sometimes SIC.I personally have no need for the hone guide. I would consider it if looking at systems. The WE did bring back an edge I could not manage free hand though. I had to use after market parts on it. The blade was wasted. Well, my vote is for stones. Get a guide if required. I say this because the actual sharpening surface is much more substantial. You can pay for diamonds or machinery. It is just my opinion. I have both and others. I do not mean to offend anyone. In the end everyone is welcome to get whatever they please.

If anyone wants to have a good laugh. Go to Harbor Freight. Check out their 4 sided Diamond sharpening block.
 
If you're that into knives, but are limited by sharpening, then a WE sharpening system would be a great investment. There is a learning curve, but it's not difficult. You still have to know about raising and removing burrs. But the WE makes that stuff easy.

Another option, after you've dulled your knife, is to send it off to a pro sharpener on the forum. Have them put a 30-degree inclusive angle on the edge. Then maintain that edge with the 40-degree setting on your Sharpmaker. It's super fast and easy to keep an edge sharp with a microbevel.

When the microbevel finally gets too thick, send it off for a new 30-degree inclusive bevel.

Sodak's sticky should help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top