Bevel unevenness and sharpener recomendation-sharpmaker issues

[j3jymann]

I have run into a bit of a problem, I got myself a sharpmaker a few months back and figured it would be a great way to touch up my knives and keep them sharp but I've run into a problem with quite a few of my knives. The bevels are not even, it's very consistent (up to the point that I am starting to question whether my sharpmaker is aligned properly or not) on a lot of my knives the bevel is quite uneven and I can't seem to get rid of it. In the most extreme case (my gayle bradley) even on the 15 degree setting to do a back bevel I will only barely hit the edge (as if my bevel is lower than 15*) on one side and sharpen perfectly fine on the other. I've found this from doing the sharpie test and it does vary from knife to knife how much it will be but I only have 2 knives that are actually even on the grind (511 and tenacious). I'm sure I'm using it properly, I'm not tilting the knife one way or another so it's not that I'm not getting the angle properly, it's straight up and down.

So, I'm looking to find a way that I'll be able to fix this, I've been looking at some other options that will be a little more effective of being able to rebevel my knives evenly and could use some suggestions on which would be the easiest/best for this/least likely to have my ruin my knives while trying to rebevel.
Looked into the paper wheels because to me there's a big attraction to the power tool to be able to grind my bevels even, I figure I'll be able to take off a decent bit of metal and so many people rave about them, BUT I'm also kind of worried about them because I figure they're most likely the easiest of my options for me to be able to destroy my knives on and I don't really have space or a workshop to put them in.
Second option I looked at was the edge pro apex, I figured the exact angles I can get on this and wide range of sharpening stones will be able to help a lot on getting an even edge on my knives, BUT I read just recently that someone ruined their knife trying to fix an uneven bevel on the edge pro because to get the angle down to where it needed took too much metal off the knife or something, also this seems to be the most expensive option by far.
Third option that I've seen around here and intrigues me is the workshop, that little tiny belt grinder. This appeals to me because it's fairly cheap, and puts a convex edge on knives BUT if I have convexed edges, while I do like them I wont really have as easy of a time touching them up on the sharpmaker between sharpenings and I'm not sure what range or availability of different grades of belts I can get for this device.

Any other options or suggestions would be helpful, yes I know I should learn to sharpen freehand on a sharpening stone, I was doing that when I was a little kid in cub scouts and after all that time... I am still very unskilled.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Uneven bevels are common on a lot of knives, straight from the factory. I'm sure nothing's wrong with your Sharpmaker.

Any of the guided systems, such as EdgePro, Wicked Edge, DMT Aligner/MagnaGuide, Lansky, Gatco, etc., can go a long ways towards evening up the bevel angles, for the most part. Any uneven-ness beyond that will generally be insignificant. Virtually all knives will also have some asymmetry of the primary blade grind, meaning the blade, as a whole, will be 'thicker' on one side of the centerline, than the other side. That will also impact the symmetry of the edge bevel itself. Don't worry about 'ruining' a blade simply by having to remove a lot of metal to even the bevels up. Sometimes, that's just what needs to be done.

If you're not accustomed to using powered sharpeners, I'd avoid them for now, or at least use some 'cheap' knives to get aquainted with them.

And you CAN use a Sharpmaker to touch up a convex edge. Just use the 40 degree setting to put a microbevel on it. Even a convexed blade still has what's essentially a V-bevel on it, at the very edge. Most of the performance benefits in a convex are in the shoulders BEHIND the edge, which needn't be touched at all.

 

[bobmellon]

on the other hand, if you do not have the equipment to reprofile your edges, and do not feel like getting it, then on the bevel that is maybe not being sharpened all the way, don't go straight down on the sharpmaker, angle your hand appropriately until you are reaching the entire bevel.

 

[HeavyHanded]

You must be doing plenty right to notice the factory bevels on most knives are horrible, even on the higher-end makes. I swear, not realizing this from the get-go proved to be a major obstacle to my learning how to sharpen - "Not again, what am I doing wrong??!! I'd better change how I'm doing things...." Life gets a lot easier once you accept the first time sharpening a knife from a factory is going to be unpleasant. Sometimes its not, but most of the time its actually worse than you plan for.

From what I hear, the Sharpmaker is great once you've done the initial grinding. You can try learning how to regrind on your belt sander, but that's likely how most of the screwed up ones are formed at the factory, and its not much easier than learning how to passably free-hand.

Your best bet probably, and I hope some folks that own a Sharpmaker can chime in, is to rest some heavier stones (diamond, Crystalon etc) on the rods, one side at a time, and use the Sharpmaker itself to cut a clean bevel. I'm certain I've read other posts similar to yours and people have gotten good results doing just that, and some people have even wrapped sandpaper around the rods.

 

[Pete84]

I'm sure the Sharpmaker is fine. If you're wanting to reprofile your edge effectively and don't want to drop $50ish on diamond rods, you can wrap large grit sandpaper around the fine rods and clip/rubber band them at the top & bottom. It'll remove material just fine and costs about $3. And for a whopping $6, you can get two grits... say 120 and 220. Then move along to the gray Sharpmaker rods.