Best sharpener for unsteady hands?

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farmboy

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Aug 31, 1999
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(If this is the wrong forum, mods, I apologize in advance....)

I have a bit of a palsy due to an illness from a tick bite a few years ago, and my hand isn't as steady as it used to be. I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker that I can do OK with, but anything more than light maintenance is pointless.

I can bring a dull blade back to life with a bench stone, but I'm too unsteady for anything I'd call sharp. I just ain't what I used to be, unfortunately.

I'm betting a good guided system similar to a Lansky would work a little better in my case.

Sharp knives mean a lot to me, but when it comes to spending, I don't want to say the sky is the limit, either. I can see spending as much on a good working sharpening system as I would a good working knife.

Any suggestions?
 
I'm thinking the Wicked Edge Sharpener would be good. The Edge Pro requires you to hold the blade still on a flat area of the blade, and I recall someone having a complaint about that because his hands weren't steady. So a clamp system is really the best way to go for you.

I don't have very steady hands either, though I suspect our definitions of "unsteady" are worlds apart given that my preferred method of sharpening is effectively a mini-belt sander.
 
DMT aligner clamp, just the clamp.

You can use it with bench stones, sandpaper over glass, or with the DMT stones if you go with the kit. As long as your stones are the same height a simple 10 dollar clamp will go a long way to giving you a sharp edge.
 
I would suggest the DMT aligner clamp, and possibly the Wicked Edge if you want to spend a bit more. So basically +1 to the posts above.
 
I got a DMT Aligner from the Bay today, unopened package but it's defective! No retaining pin/lug on one of the knife clamps, can't fix the guide rod in place=useless.
Contacted DMT by e-mail hope they replace this, and it's annoying as I don't live in the USA. LOOKS a good system though!
 
Noctis3880 said:
I'm thinking the Wicked Edge Sharpener would be good. The Edge Pro requires you to hold the blade still on a flat area of the blade, and I recall someone having a complaint about that because his hands weren't steady. So a clamp system is really the best way to go for you.
Click to expand...

You can glue a hard drive magnet or a rare earth magnet or two up under the working area on the Edge Pro. It helps hold the knife in place and steady it.
 
DMT Magna Guide with a full set of diafolds. Use the guide for perfect edges or freehand (folders) with the dia-folds. I love mine - no looking back on the Smiths, Sharpmaker. Way more versatile than the DMT aligner too IMHO. :thumbup:
 
Any clamped & guided method would be pretty good. Having said that, I think the DMT Aligner clamp, used with your bench stone, would probably solve a lot of issues for you quickly, at very minimal expense. I haven't tried it myself yet, but have been tempted to for some time now. Have read quite a lot of good things about it here.

I have used the Lansky & GATCO systems for a while. The one possible issue, with either of them, is you still need a fairly steady hand. The hones are relatively small, and it's not too hard to skip/bounce/chatter them across the edge, even without any disabilities. The clamps for the Lansky & GATCO are a little more 'fumblesome' too, in that you have the (loose) screws to deal with while positioning & adjusting the blade in the clamp, and also for adjusting the rods in the hones (done with a set screw on the Lansky, at least; the rods on the GATCO retract into the hone for storage, w/no screws).

By comparison, it looks as if the screw adjustments for the DMT clamp are pretty much captive/self-contained on the clamp (correct me if I'm wrong, guys). Might be a bit easier to handle that clamp during the setup. Combine that with a stone on your bench, and I'd think that'd make for a pretty stable setup.
 
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The Wicked Edge is sweet, no doubt - I'll grant you that. But, I can get just as good of an edge on my DMT Magna-Guide starting with an x-coarse, coarse, fine, x-fine, and xx-fine.

I don't have any more need of steady hands that you'd need with a wicked edge of other guided system.

You can a DMG-4 Magna-Guide Quad Kit at Amazon for about $60 and only need to buy an x-coarse/coarse to have them all - this gives you an extra coarse stone which is good.

A couple of strops and you're getting mirrored edges. I'd like a Wicked Edge but when I can duplicate it for less than 1/3 the price - I have to pass. :)
 
Lansky Diamond pro system is all you need. Works as well on my $500.00 knives as it does on my $25.00 knives. Great for reprofiling a blade or minor touch-ups. Check Amazon.com
 
knifenut1013 said:
DMT aligner clamp, just the clamp.

You can use it with bench stones, sandpaper over glass, or with the DMT stones if you go with the kit. As long as your stones are the same height a simple 10 dollar clamp will go a long way to giving you a sharp edge.
Click to expand...

+1
It'll work a charm.
 
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