Best sharpening system for ~$50

I like the DMT Aligner and the Lansky Deluxe systems for about $50. I'd assume you are not interested in learning to freehand. Those systems will allow almost anybody to produce sharp edges.
 
I'd assume you are not interested in learning to freehand.
Click to expand...

I dunno. I think I could be talked into it. I've always liked manual transmissions, pump shotguns, straight razor shaving, and everything else where I put in the effort to really do it myself rather than have a system do the work for me.
You guys have given me a lot to think about. Thank you for that! Time to go do my homework on this!!!
 
Buy some stones. If you can hone a straight razor you can sharpen a knife, you already have the hard parts (pressure and stroke) down IMHO. All you really need to learn is finding and holding the correct angles. A sharpie on the bevel will get you the correct angle, so you are down to learning to hold that angle. A little practice and that is easy, too.
 
19-3ben said:
I dunno. I think I could be talked into it. I've always liked manual transmissions, pump shotguns, straight razor shaving, and everything else where I put in the effort to really do it myself rather than have a system do the work for me.
You guys have given me a lot to think about. Thank you for that! Time to go do my homework on this!!!
Click to expand...
Cheap education to help you decide what kind of stones you need and talk you out of a system :D
If you have a dollar tree near by they have sharpening stones for one dollar , with under 5minutes of prep ( round/flatten corners and maybe flatten the stone face), you can be ready to sharpen a dollar store (or grocery store) knives ... you already have experience with waterstones and strops, well this is the other end of the spectrum, super hard stones, you can put 20lb easy when grinding without damaging the stone :) (ease up when microbeveling)


This is method I use more or less how to sharpen a knife - Joe Calton and maybe read more info here, here and here and here
 
Nah, sandpaper adds up quick.

Axes take some time.

The work sharp home sharper is a great option. It can repair and reprofile edge quick with the 325 grit diamond plate. It also comes with a base that prevents slipping and gives hand clearance for free hand sharpening on a table.

Another options is a few king water stones maybe a 400/600 combo and a 1000 grit for $50 but with out a diamond plate to flatten them and build a slurry you would need to be resourcful. Also no base complicates things. Perhaps a folded towel at the edge of the table could do.

My most important sharpening tool is the 220 grit coarse diamond stone and my adjustable stone base with rubber feet.

Coffee mugs, leather belts and newspaper could supplement the hight grits in a pinch
 
I guess sandpaper could add up quick, if you were re-profiling things all the time.

I've purchased a like $4 pack of sandpaper... twice since I joined bladeforums? But I might not do much sharpening compared to others. I mostly think of it as a good cheap way to see if you can learn freehand sharpening (the skill) well enough to bother buying a good set of stones in the future.
 
ocnLogan said:
I guess sandpaper could add up quick, if you were re-profiling things all the time.

I've purchased a like $4 pack of sandpaper... twice since I joined bladeforums? But I might not do much sharpening compared to others. I mostly think of it as a good cheap way to see if you can learn freehand sharpening (the skill) well enough to bother buying a good set of stones in the future.
Click to expand...

Sandpaper can last a long time for the average edged tool user. Offers a lot of convenience. The Norton Econo stone at HD is also a nice option for starting out.

There are dozens of possibilities, all have their trade-offs.
 
You already have a 6000 and 8000 so why not add a 1000 and leveling stone?

The 1000 grit stone is the basic sharpening tool, it's coarse enough to set bevels and fine enough to produce a good useable edge. Following the Murray Carter method you can use the 1000 and 6000 in conjunction for sharpening edged tools, the gap seems large but it works well on all but the most wear resistant of steels.

Keeping it simple I would recommend the King 1000 Delux with leveling stone to keep everything flat. Once you get comfortable I would recommend saving up and buying a dedicated set of stones for knives and tools while keeping your combo stone for your razor. It just makes everything much easier.
 
I like the DMT aligner kit. The guide is handy for reprofiling and the stones can be used free hand as well. I'm starting to learn more about stropping to make the edges last longer.
 
Jason B. said:
The 1000 grit stone is the basic sharpening tool, it's coarse enough to set bevels and fine enough to produce a good useable edge. Following the Murray Carter method you can use the 1000 and 6000 in conjunction for sharpening edged tools, the gap seems large but it works well on all but the most wear resistant of steels.
Click to expand...
HeavyHanded said:
Sandpaper can last a long time for the average edged tool user. Offers a lot of convenience. The Norton Econo stone at HD is also a nice option for starting out. There are dozens of possibilities, all have their trade-offs.
Click to expand...

Hi guys, I've got kind of a related comment,
just something you're probably aware of thats worth mentioning,
non-flat geometry can produce high pressure on a stone
I tried grinding a short folder with deep hollow
very small contact points on stone made the norton economy slurry heavily instantly basically just wasting grit
I imagine a soft bond waterstone like the king 1000 would have crumbled in half :)
the dollar tree hard stone took about 10 times more force without issue
I even loaded it with slurry from the norton economy :)
 
I wouldn't be working toward high levels of force on a stone as a SOP even if you aren't seeing big negative effects. The contact area of pretty much any V bevel will be very high relative to applied pressure overall, especially if it has a notable belly. Will be tough to get the best out of the stone in terms of finish, tough to deburr cleanly, tough to keep the stone in good shape.

Imagine what only a pound of pressure applied with your hands works out to when applied to a 2mm x 1mm area on a thin cutting edge. Amount of force should be as light as possible unless working hard on a stone that's a bit too fine for the task, and even then that only applies to waterstones and vitreous stones and should still be moderate. Even diamond will either glaze or have the diamonds tear out. Is better practice to use a more coarse abrasive and or increase one's hand speed if one is available.

The King 1k is a pretty stout stone all in all. It will groove if worked in one spot, so should be moved around, but that goes for all stones really, if just to spread the swarf around. Is not the fastest but is a nice reliable and inexpensive stone.
 
If you want to learn freehand sharpening, try watching our own "Jackknife" in action!

[youtube]SEMLu8e34ck[/youtube]

[youtube]Twduvki8m90[/youtube]
 
For less than $ 32.- shipped, it is hard to beat the Ruixin Pro.

I added a 3 piece set of diamond stones (200, 500 & 800 grid) for $ 9.95
A 20x20x10 mm Neodymium magnet which is strong enough to keep my knives in place for $ 5.-
A drill stop collar for $ 2.-
And I also made 6 aluminum blanks from a 1 meter strip of aluminum which was $ 6.- to be used with 3M polishing tapes

So everything you see in the picture (except the knife) for just $ 55.-

21359795031_57e70cf82b_c.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top