Best sharpening system/tool(s) for a noob?

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onecalledjimbo

Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
42
As some of you might know, I have decided (99% sure) to purchase a Pacific Salt. I realized that I have no experience or tools to sharpen such a good knife. I don't even have the tools to sharpen a junk knife!

What is the system/tool(s) that has the best quality/ease of use/price ratio?

Thanks
 
Hey I noticed that you (A.P.F) are a Linux user. I currently dual boot Fedora and Vista, Vista only for a few things and for friends to use. I love Fedora!
 
Lansky system is the one I use. Takes a little time to learn to use it but it is time well spent.
 
onecalledjimbo said:
Hey I noticed that you (A.P.F) are a Linux user. I currently dual boot Fedora and Vista, Vista only for a few things and for friends to use. I love Fedora!
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Gettin' crowded around here, what with all these danged penguinistas! :D

Oh, and +1 for the Sharpmaker, paper wheels, and even the good old fashioned buffing wheel with compound.
 
Sharpmaker. Learn how to use it well with what is supplied. If you need to reprofile edges or ZDP189, buy the diamond hones. If you need incredibly fine edges the ultra-fine hones are worth it. I have 3, one for the kitchen, one for the workshop and one at our vacation home. I have an edgepro and seldom use it because it is too much effort to set-up. I never had much luck with the Lansky system. I can sharpen our entire kitchen knife "collection", (10 blades) in about 15 minutes to hair popping edges. IMHO, it's impossible to beat and is what I use to train Cub and Boy Scouts for sharpening. If an 8 year old can use it......
 
Another big +1 for the Sharpmaker. It's completely idiot proof and works great.
 
Sharpmaker to start with. It's quick, easy, and very versatile.

If you find yourself sharpening lots of knives every day, look at the EdgePro.
 
onecalledjimbo said:
Hey I noticed that you (A.P.F) are a Linux user. I currently dual boot Fedora and Vista, Vista only for a few things and for friends to use. I love Fedora!
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I don't want to 'jack' your thread, Jimbo, but I have a clean install of Linux Mint (Elyssa) on the box. I just couldn't go back to Windows if you put a gun to my head. It is nice being able to do what M$ does, only faster and with less resource use. And viruses, worms, etc.? Well we don't do no stinking malware. :D
 
A.P.F. said:
I don't want to 'jack' your thread, Jimbo, but I have a clean install of Linux Mint (Elyssa) on the box. I just couldn't go back to Windows if you put a gun to my head. It is nice being able to do what M$ does, only faster and with less resource use. And viruses, worms, etc.? Well we don't do no stinking malware. :D
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Mac.... :D

And a couple of Ubuntu/Fedora installs..... ;)
 
+1 for sharpmaker

The video that comes with it will give you a lot of background info, and you don't need a lot of skill to get decent edges with it. Great for the price. You can also place the triangle stones in the base and use it as a quasi-bench stone to practice that as well.

I also own the DMT Aligner kit (the magna guide for the dialfold, and the one with the four inch stones). It's good too, and easier to maintain angles, but longer to adjust and use.

If you get the magna guide, you might also want to buy a DMT angle mate... it's a cheap piece of plastic that you attach to the diafold and helps you get the right angle on your stroke. It helps train your hands for when you don't have anything else or are 'just' using a stone.

I'm collecting/testing sharpening gear in 2009 as one of my preparedness items (heck, I even got a hunter honer, a smith's abrasives pocket pal, gerber ceramic $2 jobbie.. bestglide tungsten carbide for emergency field use, etc).

The only reservation I have on the sharpmaker is if you have messed up knives (kitchen knives with decent size nicks, etc), you'll need something coarser then the brown stones to remove metal, unless you like growing old waiting for your tool to be usable.

They make diamond stones for the sharpmaker (~$50), but lots of folks buy a DMT blue (coarse) stone, 6" or bigger, to do the repair work and then move on to the sharpmaker. I have the ultra fine (some say 8000 grit equivalent) for the sharpmaker, but I don't see myself buying the diamond hones for it. I'll be getting the DMT coarse bench stone.

These are just my 2 cents, taxable in Ohio. Hope it helps!
 
www.edgeproinc.com

Sharpmaker is fine for touching up an already sharp 30 or 40 degree edge, but it is extremely limited for actuallly sharpening a dull knife or re-bevelling an edge. It also only allows 30 and 40 degrees. Most of my knives are 20-30 degrees.

IMHO, the Sharpmaker is a great adjunct to your primary sharpener, but a poor choice for the primary itself.
 
Ben Dover said:
Sharpmaker is fine for touching up an already sharp 30 or 40 degree edge, but it is extremely limited for actuallly sharpening a dull knife or re-bevelling an edge. It also only allows 30 and 40 degrees. Most of my knives are 20-30 degrees.

IMHO, the Sharpmaker is a great adjunct to your primary sharpener, but a poor choice for the primary itself.
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Do you mean 30-40 degrees as in 15-20 degrees each side? Is 15-20 degrees bad?
 
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