Best Sharpening Gadgets / Machines Available?

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Augus7us

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Oct 9, 2014
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I would like to get some opinions on what folks think is the best sharpening gadget out there.

I have japanese stones and can sharpen on my belt grinder but I'm looking for something like the Tormek. It looks like it fits the bill in that it is: small, precise, mechanized and very versatile with lots of upgrades and add-ons.

What I don't like about it is that it is a wheel and all my blades would have a hollow ground edge on them. Maybe I am over thinking that aspect of it but I would really prefer something that allows for a flat ground edge similar to what I can get on a water stone but more precise. I have seen a video of someone in South America if I recall that had a Tormek style device where the wheel was mounted horizontally. I have tried in vain to find this but so far have not had any luck.

I've also looked at stuff like the wicked edge. I imagine it would work well but I think I'm going to lean towards something with a motor so I can do batches of knives more quickly and something that grinds wet.

Short of buying some giant machine, if money were not an issue what would you use?

-Clint
 
There are several knife edge grinders out there. Most are not all that good. Some are good but are expensive. Tru-Hone make a superb one, but is really expensive.

What they all do is grind an edge ... which you can do yourself for much less.

A good edge making gimmick is a ceramic and plastic spine clip for sharpening Japanese and other kitchen knives. You clip is on the spine and it will make the edge angle very even and repeatable. They sell them for almost nothing on ebay and probably kitchen stores.
Here is one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAIDEA-Knif...471884?hash=item27e426ca0c:g:EP0AAMXQtUxTdbM3


Final answer:
$2000 machines and $300 stones won't do anything by themselves. It is practice and procedure that makes sharp knives.

Grind, refine, sharpen, hone, strop.
 
Last edited:
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
There are several knife edge grinders out there. Most are not all that good. Some are good but are expensive. Tru-Hone make a superb one, but is really expensive.

What they all do is grind an edge ... which you can do yourself for much less.

A good edge making gimmick is a ceramic and plastic spine clip for sharpening Japanese and other kitchen knives. You clip is on the spine and it will make the edge angle very even and repeatable. They sell them for almost nothing on ebay and probably kitchen stores.
Here is one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAIDEA-Knif...471884?hash=item27e426ca0c:g:EP0AAMXQtUxTdbM3


Final answer:
$2000 machines and $300 stones won't do anything by themselves. It is practice and procedure that makes sharp knives.

Grind, refine, sharpen, hone, strop.
Click to expand...

I often thought of making something like this but never got around to it. For $3 I will not bother. Do you just change the mounting depth to adjust the edge angle?
 
really all you need is repeatably on the edge angle (straight razors have thick spines for a reason )
 
"A good edge making gimmick is a ceramic and plastic spine clip for sharpening Japanese and other kitchen knives. You clip is on the spine and it will make the edge angle very even and repeatable. They sell them for almost nothing on ebay and probably kitchen stores." Stacy Apelt
I had one of these, never used it. Stacy mentioned them awhile back, tried mine. Love it.
Repeatable and Consistent = Sharp Knives WDLIII
 
0a9f14fa73c1c5df0fe11a5d101a234e.jpg


This is what I did. About a dollars worth of 1" steel with a hole drilled in it and the clamp from my lansky. Took sharpening time from 2 hours to about 7 minutes. You could use it against your platen, wheel, or slack belt for flat, hollow or convex grinds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Matt R said:
I often thought of making something like this but never got around to it. For $3 I will not bother. Do you just change the mounting depth to adjust the edge angle?
Click to expand...

I suppose they may come in different angles/thickness. But, in reality, the angle they make is fine for almost all kitchen slicers. Just clip it on right up to the spine and sharpen.

The biggest thing that it changes is the language coming out of my mouth. With accidental scraping of the upper bevels virtually eliminated, I curse a lot less.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I suppose they may come in different angles/thickness. But, in reality, the angle they make is fine for almost all kitchen slicers. Just clip it on right up to the spine and sharpen.

The biggest thing that it changes is the language coming out of my mouth. With accidental scraping of the upper bevels virtually eliminated, I curse a lot less.
Click to expand...
I'm going to give one a try. I usually set my bevels on my grinder and finish them on stones. I guess I can figure out the angle once I get it so I will be close right off the grinder. I would like one of the ERU's Fred has one day.
 
Makita makes a makes a horizontal wet wheel grinder, the Makita 9820-2. Works well on jointer and planer knives, chisels, plane irons, and if you take off the tool rest, it works pretty well on knives. Be prepared to have wet swarf slung around the shop and onto your belly.
We have a Tormek in the shop, but I almost never use it to sharpen a knife. In the time it takes to fill the water reservoir and set up the tool rest and knife jig, I can have the blade half done on the diamond stones. I'd have to finish the blade on the stones anyway, the Tormek wheel is fairly coarse IMO. I use a "Razor Edge" guide, but only because 20 years ago when I bought it those plastic and ceramic guides weren't available.
 
Are we talking about sharpening a new made unsharpened knife?

I think if you already have a knife grinder you already have a good edge grinder, you just need a way to control the angle of the edge. I did it with an extremely simple hanging parallelogram:

[video=youtube;u0Iu_EEyEIU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Iu_EEyEIU[/video]

This controls the edge angle very accurately, and it maintains that angle going around the tip.

I like to follow up with a few light passes on a fine black Arkansas stone to hone away the burr.

It's my opinion that all powered edge grinding ought to be done slow and wet. This is based on experiments I've done to see how out of whack things need to get before starting to lose hardness in the edge.
 
I use hypereuctoid steels with thin edges for most of my knives, so I never use the grinder to sharpen.
 
Willie71 said:
I use hypereuctoid steels with thin edges for most of my knives, so I never use the grinder to sharpen.
Click to expand...

I do as well, thats why I made alterations to one of my grinders, changing it to VS and wet. Great for grinding bevels after heat treat as well.
20150707_011804.jpg
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Are we talking about sharpening a new made unsharpened knife?

I think if you already have a knife grinder you already have a good edge grinder, you just need a way to control the angle of the edge. I did it with an extremely simple hanging parallelogram:

[video=youtube;u0Iu_EEyEIU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Iu_EEyEIU[/video]

This controls the edge angle very accurately, and it maintains that angle going around the tip.

I like to follow up with a few light passes on a fine black Arkansas stone to hone away the burr.

It's my opinion that all powered edge grinding ought to be done slow and wet. This is based on experiments I've done to see how out of whack things need to get before starting to lose hardness in the edge.
Click to expand...

I like it , simply and efficiently .But how will future buyer sharpen this knive and maintains that angle going around the tip?
 
The Tru-Hone stuff looks kind of like the CATRA system and is priced about the same. Even the small "home version" of the CATRA is $1000. You are right about cost in general. The "cheapest" machines that I have seen consistently good feedback about is the smaller Tormek and it is not what I would call cheap either. at $400 before you start adding fun accessories.
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
There are several knife edge grinders out there. Most are not all that good. Some are good but are expensive. Tru-Hone make a superb one, but is really expensive.

What they all do is grind an edge ... which you can do yourself for much less.

A good edge making gimmick is a ceramic and plastic spine clip for sharpening Japanese and other kitchen knives. You clip is on the spine and it will make the edge angle very even and repeatable. They sell them for almost nothing on ebay and probably kitchen stores.
Here is one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TAIDEA-Knif...471884?hash=item27e426ca0c:g:EP0AAMXQtUxTdbM3


Final answer:
$2000 machines and $300 stones won't do anything by themselves. It is practice and procedure that makes sharp knives.

Grind, refine, sharpen, hone, strop.
Click to expand...
 
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