Best Sharpening System

Check www.skarb. Joe Talmadge found that our unit was surpassed by the edge pro only in having better production values. This has been changed with the new model.

Kim Breed in his test for Blade magazine, sharpened a large custom blade and commented that this was the only clamp system which had left no marks on the blade
 
By the way, you DON'T need a 2000 grinder for sharpening! If you want to make knives a lot, then get that grinder.

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"Come What May..."
 
Just thought I'd toss in my 2 cents worth.
I have used many different systems, and just keep coming back to my old stand-by, a Norton India Meatpacker's 10" medium/fine combination stone, and a 1" leather strap nailed to a 1" piece of wood, dressed with white diamond bearing jewler's rouge. I get a polished edge that I can and do occasionally shave with. Kelly
 
no matter what else you get, pick up a sharpmaker 204 too. It will be great for quick touch ups and things like scissors and stuff with weird angles.

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Always remember - you are unique, just like everyone else.
 
Hi Everybody,
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Thanks very much for all your generous and thoughtful inputs. Guess for the faint-hearted all these are enough to make one more confused than before he/she begin asking. I see many factions out there from the down-to-earth, Stones Gang, to gadget-equipped, Clamps Gang. There is no right and wrong ways of sharpening. What everyone sets out to achieve is to get a correct, consistent angle everytime he/she sits in front of a sharpener.

So now, I think I've pretty much decided on getting the "Skarb" system. Does anyone out here has anything to add/change/delete to convince me otherwise?
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"Chance favors the prepared mind" -Sun Tzu
 
The Tormek produces a concave edge, right? How good is this type of edge vs. other methods, specifically the Edgepro?

I know grinder or freehand are probably the BEST methods--as long as you have/acquire the knowledge to use them. I'm lazy, er, economical with my time, and will settle for slightly less than perfection if it is easy (or significantly easier) to get consistent results. The Tormek seems a bit more forgiving by way of the slow speed and continuous water cooling.
 
I get good results with this combination:
1. DMT DuoFold Fine/ExtraFine
2. Gatco TriSeps OR Black Arkansas stone
3. Steeling
4. Stropping on a leather strop with paste.

I also have the Sharpmaker, which I also like, and find has a short learning curve.

I've tried Gatco clamp-on sharpeners, and the damn sharpener always loses the grip of the knife. In my opinion, not recommendable.
Others may have different opinions.

I have the Razor Edge Book on Sharpening by John Juranitch, and he goes into detail about the angles and other sharpening tips.

I began to get consistent results once I tried to slow down the process. One must not be impatient, or you have to do it twice.

/Thomas
 
i use as follows -

GATCO clamp on system for tanto chisel edge blades, which i cant seem to get right for some reason w/out

soft arkansas benchstone, about 8" long, 3" wide - works good for gen'l sharpening

DMT duafold fine/xfine - works good for gen'l use also, faster than soft ark, but not as good on big knives because, well, its not very big - wanna get a DMT benchstone but they are high$$

henckel steel - for touching up the kitchen knives


got a ceramic for the GATCO sytem, a 'finishing stone' - cost like $12 - i use it more than any other to pput that hair poppin edge on - just use free hand though, have never even once used w/system, wanna get 1 of those spydie ceramics that run $50, i bet they rule!!!

i honestly think i could get by on a DMT benchstone, fine and a extra fine, and a ceramic stone of some kind - or a good set of ark stones - unless of course it includes sharpening 1 of those &$@# chisel grinds lol


sifu
 
Researcher,
I think that you should get an Edgepro. I got an Edgepro Apex ealier this week and I was able to get great result (mirror polised shaving sharp edges) that look and work fantastically. I looked at skarbs website and personally I think the Edgepro is a better system. After using the edgepro for two days, I wonder why anyone would want to us a clamp type sharpener. It is so much easier to use when you can just hold the knife yourself. So far I have sharpened my three year old Benchmade Mini Stryker, which has a very worn down edge. It is now sharper than it came from the factory. Next I did my Microtech LCC, which hadn't been sharpened since I bought it in December. It now has a perfectly symmetrical edge that looks like a mirror and is hair popping sharp. Last night I sharpened my Mad Dog Thin grip Pack Rat, which is a 4.5" x 3/16"thick small fixed blade. I thinned the edge out a bit with the coarse stone and proceded to bring it to razor sharpness just like the LCC. I am getting these results after using the Edgepro three times. I can only imagine what comes with more practice.

Another great thing about the Edgepro is attention to detail. Ben Dale includes precise notes and a very good instruction booklet. After reading it two or three times you don't even really need to refer to it again. Ben also includes grit for flattening the stone, a new washclothe for wiping the unit off, and a water bottle for the water stones. I know these things don't seem like much but they give you a clue on how well thought out the whole system is. The stones are awesome. It is so nice to be able to just hose them down with water to get them clean and not have to use oil while sharpening.

If you are serious about getting the best sharpener bar-none, I think you should get an Edgepro. If you have any questions at all email me.

[This message has been edited by Sesoku (edited 06-29-2001).]
 
Originally posted by Sesoku:
Researcher,
I think that you should get an Edgepro.

Hi Sesoku,

Thanks very much for your good advice. Mmm...now I am tempted to change sides. Looks like you're now a die-hard Edgepro-person! All the best in your future sharpenings!
Click to expand...
 
It is no the best sharpening system or device as well as it is no the best knife, car, gun, wife etc.
I can satisfy all my sharpening needs with three units:
  • 6-8" long coarse diamond bench stone for edge reprofiling, you can use one from DMT for better performance or from Eze-Lap for better cost efficiency.
  • SPYDERCO Tri-Angle Sharpmaker for edge finishing and later for quick touch up.
  • Double-sided 4" folding sharpener (folds like balisong knives), also either from DMT or Eze-Lap for outdoors use.

If you are not going to reprofile your edges Sharpmaker could be quite enough. It's hard to beat in bang for buck competition. Greatly probably you will consider later that it is not enough for you however. Well, when you can add subsequent devices according your particular needs. But I bet your faithful Sharpmaker will be used continuously
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[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 06-29-2001).]
 
I bought an EdgePro Professional model and I sent it back. Yes, it does get your knives very sharp, but I could in no way justify the price that it carried. It took WAY too long to sharpen all knives. I used the course stone, it does cut like crazy, but it started to scoop out after one knife, and I used the prescribed pressure. My recommended method is a low speed grinding wheel to establish relief coupled with the sharpmaker. Gives all my knives a very sharp edge, not as sharp as the edge pro, but much faster and with less fuss. Belt sander works good too; am also taking time to sharpen free handed.
 
Actually the 'Forum counts 12'186 Members.
That will give you approximately 14'000 best
sharpening methods. Why 14'000?
Well while reading all these best methods, some 'mites may have changed their opinion....
Happy sharpening :)
 
I am all for what carlrexhubbard says the edge pro can put scratches on the blade. even though it is not a clamp system.Plus you can by a good dmt stone and a 203 are 204 for twice as less as what the edge pro cost. and get the same results.But if you ask me the sharpmaker is the quickest. cheapest. easiest. best sharpener you can by. but the only flaw is it is a bit hard to reprofile a dammaged edge but that is what the coarse diamond stone is for.
 
Since working as a meatcutter in the early 1970's I've tried lots of different sharpening systems. It seems over time I've tried way too many of these, thanks to my curiosity about "Will this new method/gadget work better than what I've already tried?"

My current favorites are my EdgePro Apex for reprofiling & achieving a Scary Sharp mirror edge, then using the Spyderco Sharpmaker or a ceramic stick (shaped like a butcher's steel) for in-between touch ups. If you never use & abuse your edges to the point that they need chip repair, reprofiling, or other major edge work done to them, the Sharpmaker would probably be enough. Just don't drop the Sharpmaker's sticks on a tile floor or a ceramic sink. They chip real easy. :eek:

As noted the downsides of the EdgePro are:
  • The price. ;)
  • The water/slurry mix needs to be wiped up once in a while as you use the unit. However, I find the wipe-up less hassle than oil as used on Arkansas stones or water soaking Japanese water stones. IME it's a negligible part of the process, especially given the impressive results it can deliver to even a rank rookie.
  • It can scratch the side of the blade resting on the slanted table. Since my knives are all intended to be users, not collectibles, I don't mind if minor scratches happen to the blades from sharpening. They're smaller than the ones I put there myself while using the blades. If scratches are an issue for you though, you can tape the blade sides to prevent this happening.
The upsides of the EdgePro are:
  • Its ability to be reset CONSISTENTLY to the exact same angle. No mucking about trying to get the angle of the edge by feel as in hand sharpening.
  • When sharpening a few knives, it's a quicker setup than the clamp-type sharpener I tried. Just set down the knife you're done working with this grit stone, pick up the next knife, set it on the slanted table, and off you go.
  • Its ability to give either slightly toothy or mirror smooth edges with precision, depending on the grit of the last stone and the pressure you apply to the blade. Yeah, I know, this is true of hand/clamp sharpening too. But to me the EdgePro gives a quantum leap in the amount of control over this compared to hand sharpening.
  • Ben Dale's A-1 Top-Notch customer service. This guy is a dream to deal with. He is super responsive to either phone calls or emails. He gives absolutely exemplary support & enthusiastic info, even before you buy his unit.
I haven't yet tried the Tormek, other slow-speed grinders, or driven belt systems. But their appeal is pretty apparent, especially for those considering a move toward fully convex edges or who would need to sharpen massive numbers of seriously dulled blades. Likewise with stropping, which I intend to investigate in the next couple of months, since those who use it give it consistently high praise for hair-popping edges.
 
Learning to do this by hand would be great, but I've never met anyone who can produce a clean bevel (viewed under magnification)along a 10" blade by hand. With some practice, smaller blades (planes/chisels) are do-able by hand, but even there a sharpening guide of some sort (Veritas, for example) will make it possible for the novice to consistently produce results superior to those obtained by an experienced professional doing it by hand.

The Tormek is great---I've used it to sharpen the blades for my jointer and planer & it works well. For knife sharpening, it's a bit cumbersome. Let's face it--MOST of your knife sharpening will probably be done in the kitchen on the MRs's knifes. You want something that's portable, simple, and won't cause those eyes to tighten up when you drag it out. (Setting up the Tormek in the kitchen causes this reaction by the Mrs. virtually every time.)

Try the SKARB system with some of the razoredge 6 x 2 inch hones. No fuss, no muss. Although it won't do serrated blades, it'll handle really large kitchen knives just fine with no mess and only about 30 seconds of setup.
 
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