Best Sharpening System for under $100

oops, guess I timed out before finishing.

Anyway, like I said, The Edge Pro has the smallest room for error as far as affecting the outcome of your blade.

If you decide to go with the stones, there's a very detailed free hand sharpening technique by Jeff Clark on the General Forum here in the "Problem Sharpening, need help" thread by lasersailor184 (last post 10.4.03 I think).

:cool:
 
I recommend reading Bladeforums faq on sharpening
HERE
AND
A must read is the Razoredge Book of Sharpening that RoadRunner mentioned and linked to. If you can't find it to borrow. BUY it from Razoredge.
Best $20 you can spend.
It pays to understand sharpening before putting time in. I could've saved lots of time if I understood before I sharpened and tested.
The cost of the SharpMaker with the diamond stones is about the same as the EdgePro Apex.
I view the Sharpmaker as a maintenance tool that will maintain my sharp edge. I love it for that purpose.
It can take a long time to put an edge on a dull knife.
I use a Lansky with DMT diamond stones. I use a xcoarse and a fine if I have to reprofile a blade.
Many to most knives out of the box need to be sharpened or reprofiled to get a good "keeper" edge.
To maintain my edge I use a strop with rouge. Sometimes I'll use the SharpMaker. Does an excellent job when I keep the blade straight.
Regardless the type of sharpening.
Technique is everything. Consistancy of the stroke etc.
I find freehand very difficult to do. I haven't invested enough time in it to learn correctly.
Doubtful I ever will.
Now for some blasphemy.
My Chef's Choice 120 does an outstanding job of sharpening also. I use it a lot.
Just brought it to work to sharpen all the knives here and my mates knives from home.
Tom
 
Originally posted by panella
If you're either new to knife sharpening or just not accomplished at it, I'd recommend the Edge Pro with the stone upgrade and here's why: The Edge Pro has a very defined technique for using it. You can buy a tape with the system and the inventor will show you THE proper way to use it. Not the "best" way or "my" way or the "Blue Mountain" way. This can not be said for stones or some other sharpening systems (I haven't used the Sharpmaker).
Click to expand...

Good point panella, and thank you for the kind words :) . I actually have not seen the Edge Pro tape, but I've spoken with Ben Dale on the phone to get a few good tips. He's a great guy to do business with and really helps out with service after the sale. FWIW, the Sharpmaker also comes with a video featuring Sal Glessar, president of Spyderco. I haven't watched it either to be honest, but others who have say that it's very informative.

Oh, and for any of you who may be interested in trying out the Edge Pro, a little birdie told me that there might be a pass-around raffle soon for a Professional model. I plan to get in on it just so I can compare the Apex and Professional models.
 
Skarb is less than 100. Infinite angle adjustment; use of any sharpening stone, one clamping for blades up to 12". In a test Talmadge found skarb and edge pro equal in producing extremely sharp edges.
 
Lansky Diamond Kit. I have two Sharpmaker sets and a couple of bench stones and they work great too , but after a few years of using the Lansky, I prefer it.
 
The higher cost of the Edge Pro system is soon forgotten when the new owner realizes just how versatile this system is.

Don't buy a system that limits you to only two angles.( Sharpmaker )
With all the new exotic steels becoming available, the ability to be able to 're profile' your edge becomes very appealing.
Also to be able to polish a secondary bevel to a mirror finish and then have a narrow cutting bevel edge a few degrees higher is great.





If you do get a Sharpmaker, watch for rounding of the tip.
Many people use SM so they must be good.

Depends on what you want to accomplish.[
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WOW, you guys are awsome, I never thought I would get so much helpful information. After a lengthy review of what has been said, the only thing that I really do know is that I should buy that book that Roadrunner mentioned and I will search this sight for the "Problem sharpening, need help" string. If I were to get the Edge Pro with the upgrade who should I get it from and how much money am I looking at? If I was to get the SM and a coarse stone what kind of stone should I get? I should have emphasized that I have handled knives my whole life being a hunter and fisherman and enjoy keeping them sharp but have never educated myself on the matter. I am very inexperienced compared you fellas which I did not know till after making the first post. I want to have extremely sharp knives and learn the art of getting them that way. Now that you know more about me, do any of the recomendations change? Thank you again for all help! Looking forward to hearing More!
 
Would a sharpmaker be able to resharpen my Strider SLCC back to it's original edge sharpness?
 
Here's a link to the Edge Pro website http://business.gorge.net/edgepro/ . I highly recommend buying direct from Ben, just it's a rather small organization and if you have any trouble or questions, he's the man to talk to. The Apex with a stone upgrade will run you $167 shipped. I recommend getting a coarse stone as well, and the tape probably wouldn't be a bad idea either, so add $19 if you really want to go hog wild.

Exactly what type of coarse stone to get is a matter of personal preference. Most knuts would agree that diamonds are the best for stock removal, DMT and EZE-Lap both make quality stones. www.knifecenter.com www.leevalley.com and www.woodcraft.com all have a large selection of sharpening products, diamond stones included. If it were me, I'd probably get one of these http://store.knifecenter.com/pgi-ProductSpec?DMTD8C . If you do a little searching you may find a slightly better price, I'm not sure as I haven't priced these before.

torment, I'll leave your question to the Strider experts. I would guess yes, or at least I can say that the SM would get it very very sharp with a little practice. I've never handled a Strider so I don't know what their NIB sharpness it.

Also, good luck! Let us know how it turns out for you.
 
I really like the SKARB. I find it particularly good for folders which I find tricky to do on the edgepro ( I own a professional model).I find that using the SKARB with the spyderco extra fine ceramic stone gives the most even, polished edge I`ve obtained so far. It`s not suitable for all blade types but neither is any other system.
 
crayola hit the nail right on the head. A small 1x30 or 1x42 belt sander can be had for under $100 - and as low as $40.

Get a leather belt for it and load it up with green compound for "power stropping".

Get a set of medium to fine belts (220 to 800) for general profiling and edge beveling.


You can not only sharpen, but maybe even build a few of your own knives down the road. Ultra-versatile tool.


Re: your 2nd post

First, an explanation.

Sharpening is basically a 2-step process: grinding and polishing. You grind a bevel, then polish it until it is sharp.

If you have already ground the bevel you want, why would you want to take your knife back to a stone? or a hone, rod, etc.?

The trick is to just keep it well-polished by stropping on a regular basis.

Also, be sure to start with high quality steel that holds it's edge so that you're not stropping every time you use it. Even if you have to anyway, it's still much better than taking it to the stone even once a month.

Just 2 days ago, I sharpened a 25" long khukuri that weighed 5 lbs. on my 1x42 sander. Not only can it shave hair and pushcut paper, it cuts through a 2x4 in less than 10 cuts and still shaves hair. A sharp edge is not necessarily a brittle edge! ;)
 
The edgepro is the best manual sharpener I've ever used, period. A small, belt sander with practice and you can sharpen anything that needs sharpening. Contrary to what some may think, you can use a belt sander without taking off excessive steel, actually, you can remove less than with a coarse stone. My two cents.
 
Oh NO!!
Dan, you've got me thinkin again and that ain't natural
You make a lot of sense with the belt info
Egads!
Soon decision time
:)
Tom
 
Pendentive,
Thank you for the advise. I have another rookie question for you and who ever else would like to answer. I have read all the faqs that I could find on this site and was wondering about the steel you buy. How the heck do you make sense of it all, hardness, toughness, heated right... and once you figure all this out, what is the best way to go about buying the exact knife that you think you need.:confused: All this info is great, thanks again.
 
For choosing a good steel, just listen to some of the folks here and see what they like. Just remember, there are many excellent steels available.
Pendentive really knows how to put a convex edge on a blade, I seen his cd on convex sharpening and believe me, he does have it down pat!!
 
Incase you weren't sure- Sharpmaker.

I've tried several systems- standard hones, The RazorEdge system, Lansky, and a myriad of crock stick systems- The Sharpmaker is by far the easiest to use and most effective sharpening system I've seen. Its also very cost-effective, because its reasonably priced,long lasting, and it actually works.

Anywho- if its your first "real" sharpener, its a great choice. Like the rest of us, I'm sure you'll try 100 different thingsover the years. Good luck!
 
The sharpmaker bar none. I have tried many an none were as EASY as the Sharpmaker. If you want one that is less expensive then go with the Spyderco two sided hone ($15.00). It's 5" long with one side in fine and the other side in med. Comes with a leather case and is made from the same "High Alumuna Ceramic" that the Sharpmaker has. It is so easy to free hand sharpen your knife to a razors edge. So far it has worked well with a variety of different steels.
 
Has anyone used the GATCO sharpening system that Cabelas sells for about $38? It looks like it uses the same principle as the Apex system although I'm sure it's not as nice (you get what you pay for). It's just that I can't possibly see myself spending that much money for the Apex, at least at this point, since I'm just dabbling a little bit in knives and not sure if I really want to collect/build them. The GATCO system also looks as if it is relatively idiot proof with the way it locks your blade in and has specific slots for different angles. I'm not looking for anything revolutionary here, but would the GATCO be good enough just to put a nice sharp edge on my hunting knives? Thanks!
 
The sharpmakeer is a good sharpener for knives that don't need profiling. I would not want to reprofile any blade steel with a Sharpmaker.
 
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