Best Sharpening System

J

jwalker497

Joined
Jul 28, 2007
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So I need to learn how to sharpen knives and am looking for an easy system but very effective. So far I am comparing the wicked edge to the Apex 4 but would love to know if there are others I should consider. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I read the link but still dont understand what product you are referring to paper wheels? Im confused. I am looking for a simple, quick and effective system. I tried sharpmaker but it didnt work for me. I am considering Edge pro or wicked, any feedback would be helpful
 
There you have it, jwalker497,
The wheels plus richards tutalage and you will have the best edge money can buy.
The only thing i've seen sharper edges on is on actual razors. And these edges actually cut too.
 
GATCO Professional with extra fine and ultimate finishing hones and a stropping for the finish.

Good Luck
 
I'm assuming you want to sharpen your own knives and not pay someone else to do it. It's not that hard and you don't need a lot of expensive equpment to do it. We teach Tenderfoot Scouts to do a decent job of it all the time. Are they perfect? No. Do they learn well enough to have reliable blades? Yes.

So, go to Lowe's or Home Depot or any Walmart, anywhere they sell a decent array of tools. Find a stone that has coarse grit on one side, a finer grit on the other side. Get a small container of sharpening oil; ought to be sold with the stone or right next to it. Then, watch any one of a number of videos on YouTube that tell you how to use that stone.

If you get diamond stones, you can forgo the oil and use water instead -- so I'm told. Never used them myself, but people I trust like them a lot, so I am mentioning them.

This may not be exactly what you want to hear, but it's a good idea to know how to sharpen by hand, eye and feel. You will have a much better appreciation for the craft.

Then, when you are consistently turning out a decent edge this way (buy a bunch of cheap used kitchen knives at Goodwill to practice on, so you are not grinding down your favorite blade all the time!), consider this: Lansky Sharpening System

I'm giving you the link to the manufactuer's website, but you can get them used or new for just a few bucks on Ebay -- I got my kit from a soldier returning from Iraq who was trying to cut down on all the gear he had to ship. Felt pretty good about sending him the bucks and making his life a little easier. My set has coarse, medium, fine, and ceramic stones, plus a ceramic V-shaped stone for serrated edges. I strop the knives on the inside of an old leather belt and have a very sharp edge that lasts.

There are likely to be folks who will pooh-pooh the Lansky system. Yes, there are better sets. Maybe someday you and I will move up to them. But dollar-for-dollar, you can get a darn good edge with a Lansky set.
 
I agree, Lansky is a pretty darn good system for the money. Some folks will bash the clamping system or the actual mechanics of use, but once you are able to get a rythym going along with touch, you can put a shaving sharp edge on any knife.
 
The belt sander in your shop, and thirty bucks worth of belts, including a leather one to power-strop for the final finish with some green buffing compound. With a few practice runs, it's amazingly fast and easy.

Watch the heat, and don't let it start to warm up, dip it to keep it cool as often as you need to, usually every couple passes. :)
 
I have an Edge Pro and paper wheels and a belt sander and individual stones. You can get a good feel and technique with any of them. It just takes practice. If you want the most fool-proof system to start, go with the Edge Pro. There is still a learning curve, but it is the easiest and can give as good an edge as anything. I don't have a Wicked Edge but it appears to be the same idea as the Edge Pro with a different way of going about it. The paper wheels and belt sander will be faster but a whole lot more room for error. But I talked to Richard J and had some scary sharp edges very quickly. You can get that 'mirror finish' better by going down through the very fine grit stones with individual stones (takes a lot more practice) or the Edge Pro or Wicked Sharp (easier). It all depends on what you want to do. I say pick one and work with it until you master it. If you are asking someone who has tried several systems and asking me which one I'd take if I could only have one...It would be the Edge Pro.
 
Karda said:
There you have it, jwalker497,
The wheels plus richards tutalage and you will have the best edge money can buy.
The only thing i've seen sharper edges on is on actual razors. And these edges actually cut too.
Click to expand...

Im sorry but I dont understand what youre reccomending.
 
They are recommending paper wheels. They are wheels to be put on a bench grinder, take the buffing wheel, wire, or stone that comes with the grinder off and replace them with the wheels. One is abrasive and the other is simply a slotted paper wheel. Abrasive to remove metal and the other to hone the blade. Go to youtube and search for paper wheel sharpening. You will see some in action. Richard J's site linked above has a lot of information on them as well, including where to get a set.
 
i am ham fisted where sharpening is concerned, tried many systems,only one i have had good results with is the edge pro,
 
You might consider the Worksharp or WSKTS as its also known. Just do a search and all kinds of threads will pop up about it. I got mine for $60 and I love it. Like other sharpeners it does have a learning curve so start on your cheaper knives but it works great. Remember the search function is your friend in situations like this. Do a search on any system you are interested in and you will find lots of threads from users.
 
I'd say there is no best, just what works the best for you. what kind of edges and knifes are you sharpening? what lenght knifes will you be doing. How sharp is sharp enought for you? is your time important to you or does punishing yourself for hours on end give you more satisfaction then getting the same edge in minutes so you can focus on more important things like girls/guys or making money appeal to you more? how much money do you got to blow? what equiptment have you tried so far and what types of tools do you already have such as belt sanders, grinders? do you believe that the apocalypse will occure soon and/or do you live in another fantasy world where eletricity does not exist?
 
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