DIY Kitchen Knife Sharpener, kinda cool idea

A device of convenience for people who lack the enthusiasm for Sharpening. Problem is, this place is full of enthusiasm. Haha, yea it's neat but it's not going to get alot of traction here on a place for people that love knives.

I'm sure Rachel Ray could sell them by the millions. But it's no revelation to a knife person. Just not going to get the performance of just rubbing a piece of steel on a abrasive rock yourself and putting that money into better abrasives and practice.

So it gets chucked into the pile of endless gadgets and contraptions that never end unless you learn how to sharpen and can escape the endless buying of gadgetry.

But hey, it was a cool video, the man has craftman skills. Probably a great gift idea for family members that simply don't care about knives. Hah shocking, I know, but there isn't enough time in life to love everything. Gotta pick n' choose.

I'll take two! hahahha
 
Honestly looks like a pretty good unit all things considered. End of day, pull throughs properly used shouldn't result in any worse edge than one could get using a draw-pass with a file on lower RC steel. And one can get a pretty good edge with a file.

I thought they (pull throughs) were junk too until I actually tried one with an open mind and desire to get the best outcome I could.
 
nine4t4 said:
Thanks to mods, for choosing the appropriate thread. But commenting that they didn't watch it, had nothing to add feels worthy of a response. He could have said nothing, rather than take the effort to say nothing. I agree most pull throughs are BS but this guy put some thought into it. Read craytab's post again, especially if he made a complaint.

The post isn't an endorsement of pull throughs, hence the preamble, but of a guy that did it, possibly, a bit better.

I think that others have taken the same view, not their thing either, but they watched it. And some watched it and had nothing to say, so they didn't.

Funny how forum mods look at posts with utter capriciousness and not objectiveness. As the thread unfolds there are people that appreciated the video, and did not appreciate Mr. "I'm too sexy" even, if like me, they think pull throughs are lazy and generally ruinous.

Seriously, are the community standards such that a douchey "non-statements" are more defensible than being called out for one. Nevermind, monetization is the answer.
Click to expand...
This is a forum... Stop getting upset.

It's a pull through sharpener. He should not have to watch it. Us knife nuts know about these things.

Honestly if people don't want to learn it's best to send or take them to someone who can sharpen them correctly. Or take some time to learn.

These tools pray on people who just don't know what it's actually doing.
 
Last edited:
Very good video.
I got to give the guy some credit for thinking outside the box and nice execution of this contraption.

I don’t understand why some members here get so worked up about stuff like this.

Does anyone seriously believe this guy is “praying” on the uninformed knife user???
 
willc said:
Does anyone seriously believe this guy is “praying” on the uninformed knife user??
Click to expand...
lol I don't know what to say. I Edited my post before your reply. Sure I don't think he is praying on people... But the fact is he doesn't know what this style sharpener is doing to that edge.

In general pull through sharpening systems are praying on folks who don't know any better due to its ease of use.
 
Last edited:
Pull throughs induce swales near the handle that can be a pain to correct. It starts slow but gets fugly.

If all the did was jack the cutting edge that is much easier to fix than a reduce and reshape.

Look at these geometric headaches.
20180101_115633.jpg


Sometime they leave a big scratch on each side but I wasn't digging though the pile for one.

Jim
 
What about Fred Rowe's ERU? I don't know if he's still selling it, but didn't that get reasonably good reviews here from forum members?
 
Spideyjg said:
Pull throughs induce swales near the handle that can be a pain to correct. It starts slow but gets fugly.

If all the did was jack the cutting edge that is much easier to fix than a reduce and reshape.

Look at these geometric headaches.
20180101_115633.jpg


Sometime they leave a big scratch on each side but I wasn't digging though the pile for one.

Jim
Click to expand...

It’s likely the manufacturers leave the heel thick & obtuse. I have a Tramontina like that, the heel is as thick as the stock at spine. Unless the sharpener remove that thickness, put in a notch, etc. this will surely happen even using stone/free hand.

HeavyHanded said:
I've seen grooved steels do a similar job.
Click to expand...

Likely both manufacturers problem (above) and the sharpener doesn’t know better.
 
I think a lot of non-enthusiasts are intimidated by the idea of sharpening knives. It takes a lot of practice to become proficient at hand sharpening. I think a pull through is perfectly fine for the average kitchen knife user who would otherwise never sharpen their knives. A poorly sharpened knife is better than a totally dull knife. If i could give advice to people considering pull through sharpeners, i would suggest they look to the spyderco sharpmaker instead. I would not want to use a typical pull through to sharpen my knife. But if i were stuck on an island with nothing but a pull through sharpener, i would use it.
 
jalapeno said:
What about Fred Rowe's ERU? I don't know if he's still selling it, but didn't that get reasonably good reviews here from forum members?
Click to expand...

Yes it did. As with some of my tinkering he did a bunch of mods to the basic unit - spacing the cutting heads, doing a precision grinding of the cutting faces, adjustable angles.

I tried one out and as I've mentioned before, overall folks can get into a lot less trouble with one of these than with some of the other gadgets out there, including benchstones.The ERU is a solid little unit.

I don't use pull-throughs, but after tinkering with one they really aren't as deserving of the scorn as one might might think - just have to understand how it works and how to avoid the common issues.
 
Chris "Anagarika" said:
It’s likely the manufacturers leave the heel thick & obtuse. I have a Tramontina like that, the heel is as thick as the stock at spine. Unless the sharpener remove that thickness, put in a notch, etc. this will surely happen even using stone/free hand.



Likely both manufacturers problem (above) and the sharpener doesn’t know better.
Click to expand...

Thick bolsters don't help. Right out of the block some of these don't make contact stem to stern - is only going to get worse without some reduction.
 
HeavyHanded said:
Thick bolsters don't help. Right out of the block some of these don't make contact stem to stern - is only going to get worse without some reduction.
Click to expand...

Exactly, but we’re getting OT here.

Even though I’d not use it as I have practiced enough for my need, and having more stones now, I think the invention is interesting and useful for those not wanting to learn, and at least he uses proper stones.
 
brownshoe said:
Same here. I always thought I'd like a second career as a stone/concrete cutter and corer. Looks like a neat job.
Click to expand...

Me, too. But my job as King here at the castle is a full-time job. Can't throw rocks around like I could when I was a kid.

Seriously, I admire that guy's craftsmanship skills, his presentation and his idea. Me? I rock knives back and forth on a big water stone until they get all roundy-convex edged because I get tired. Across the blade, not lengthwise. I don't make scalpels, nor cut cardboard or skive leather or carve all day. If that device will keep a kitchen knife in good shape without damage, I'm all for it. Got tired of sharpening good kitchen knives for my wife when they would just get banged into ceramic plates or pounded through frozen meat and bones.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top