Carbide knife sharpeners. . .thoughts?

[atomicjoe23]

I have these two carbide knife sharpeners (tow bottom tools in the picture, the top tools are thread chasers for single pointing in a lathe) that were given to me by one of the toolmakers at work. . .they have delrin handles and use carbide turning inserts as the sharpener.

They work extremely well. . .one quick stroke down both sides of the blade and a knife is SHARP!!!!

What are you guys thoughts on these. . .they work great for my pocket knife and my belt folder (Buck Alpha Dorado), but I don't know a lot about knife sharpening and I'm just starting to get into custom knives. . .

. . .would you guys use them on a hand-made knife or leave them to the utility knives?

Thanks for the input

 

[knarfeng]

What are you guys thoughts on these.

They remove more steel than necessary.
They don't leave a smooth surface. They tear the steel rather than grinding it.
A poor way to sharpen.
Not recommended except in an emergency.

 

[richard j]

if you do a search (on the forum) you will find out that knarfeng is right. give them to your worst enemy and never use one of them again. i would rather use a rock. is that the only thing you have to sharpen with?

if you want a system that will sharpen anything you have in a few minutes (after a little practice to learn how to use them) check out the paper wheels. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=578787

i have been using them for 20 years and they work great.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Here's a pic to illustrate what Frank (knarfeng) described above. To quote, "They don't leave a smooth surface. They tear the steel rather than grinding it."

This is an edge produced from a crossed-carbide sharpener (pic linked from this site --->: http://sharpeningtechniques.blogspot.com/2009/12/micro-photos-of-identical-knives-after.html ):

 

[richard j]

i loaned my fairly new uncle henry steelhead fillet knife to my dad so he could cut up a deer he shot down south. it got dull and my bro in law used a pull through sharpener on it and tore the crap out of the blade. it had deep grooves like in the picture that remained for quite some time and took many sharpenings to clean up. needless to say i'll never loan out any more of my knives.

 

[knarfeng]

final thoughts:
I would not willingly use a carbide sharpener on ANY knife, whether custom or utility.

Once you use a knife which has been properly sharpened, you will better understand how poorly carbide sharpeners work.

Hang out here for awhile and do some reading. These fellas can show you how to properly sharpen.

 

[Cpt. Thomas]

I carry one in BOB bag FOR EMERGENCY USE ONLY.... and I have to really be in the creek in chicken wire canoe emergency to use then :-( Heed the above advice........ they are bad for your blade.

Capt. Thomas