Well, this was a good thread but now it looks to be headed to whine and cheese... Not anymore, I'm done with that part.
At any rate, I've been thinking about the W.E. and thought up a few pros and cons. Please don't hesitate to correct (or agree with) me.
Pros
*Once the blade is clamped, sharpening looks to be a very fast process Yes, and so is reprofiling.
*Diamond stones cut well regardless of blade material (this system would appear to quickly sharpen ceramic knives) They do cut quickly across a variety of steels. I don't know about ceramics... haven't done any.
*Diamonds are very hard-wearing leading to a long life assuming the system is manufactured and used correctly. My time is short, so can't say. They have broken in typical to diamond stones, and now seem to be holding up well.
*Color coded stones would appear to increase the speed of the process as well as preventing misidentification. Yes, and I think the newer ones will also be marked with the grit #. I actually made up a list when I first got it... would be nice to see an included color coded sheet if they're not labled.
*The makers appear willing to redesign certain aspects of the machine and introduce improved stones/strops in response to consumer requests Yes, and in my case, and a few others, he made a couple of custom setups to try. Clay is very open to new ideas and suggestions.
*Sharpening both sides at the same time should prevent the formation of uneven bevels and offset center lines. Again, it also appears to increase the sharpening speed. Yes, and it also pretty much eliminates the formation of burrs and wire edges... a very strong plus in my mind.
Cons
*Since the blade is clamped, the sharpening angle changes at the off-center extremes such as the tip of the blade. Additionally, since a lot of the blade is not supported on longer knives the tip will tend to wiggle during the process which, if not controlled for, would produce a sloppy edge. The angle change is not much, there's actually some photos on the website talking about it, under the FAQ page. I learned something I didn't know before... it's not the length that changes the angle, it's the movement "off the plane" as you go around a curve toward the tip. A misinterpertation of this also is sometimes made because some knives as you approach the tip, also move into thicker metal, so the bevel gets larger to keep the same angle. This isn't specific to the WE. For the "wiggle" part, the system comes with a support/brace that you can use on longer thin blades to support it and control side to side movement. Thicker knives it's not an issue.
*Custom mono-crystalline diamond stones available only from the manufacturer are expensive I'm not sure comparing it to other stones, but I think you're right here.
*Diamond stones don't expose new abrasive as they wear like other stones do. If the diamonds fall out or get pushed into the matrix the stone will permanently lose cutting ability. True I guess, although all stones could be damaged in some manner (drop a waterstone for example). So I guess I would say... shouldn't with normal use.
*Angle only goes down to 15 degrees which prevents one from grinding a low primary bevel or for other specialized tasks. Yes
*The system appears to require a permanent or semi-permanent installation to a surface or heavy object. Portability appears low. Not really. I would say not as convenient as the Edge Pro for example, where everything folds up in a kit, but certainly not a stationary setup. The newer base they sell is heavy enough to work on, but not the weight of the granite plate... I can carry it in one hand. You can of course, create your own. But you wouldn't need to, for example, bolt it to a bench.
*The makers/inventors appear to be faltering under the weight or responsibility of being a new manufacturer with a potentially hot product. Although they've demonstrated good showmanship with their videos and public demonstrations, there appears to be a number of cases where purchasers were made to wait many weeks to receive their orders, promises were broken, etc. All this may change in time as the company owners gain experience. True, although I'm not sure faltering is a good word... they are making changes to meet the demand. I would say that there is a little more room for improvement, and they are working to adapt to these needs.
I will probably keep an eye on this system but I'm not opening my wallet any time soon. I believe the inventors did a good and innovative job of improving the shortcomings of clamped sharpeners, but they also spent too much time on the cosmetics of the design and it's visual appeal and in doing so failed to address core design shortcomings while introducing some new ones.
