Does anyone sharpen knives with a carbide tool sharpener?

K

KooKooforKukripuffs

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Jul 25, 2018
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I have many types of sharpeners, 1x30 belts, wet stones, pucks, ceramic and diamond rods and diamond flats. I never been worried about mirror edges or edges so keen they could split a hair. I'm usually fine with a paper slicing edge or even a toothy working edge.

I have several carbide tool sharpeners that are generally used as ferro rod strikers but recently saw a video of a guy who sells little plastic discs with a carbide bit in it. Forgot the name. Well he was able to get a really nice edge in a very short time using it and I figured I'd try his technique on a few knives with my tool sharpener. It works really well and in little time.

The basic key is using very light pressure. It works really well.

Just curious if anyone else uses simple methods like this? I'm even known to use the unfinished ceramic ring on the bottom of a coffee mugs in a pinch.
 
I have owned several, including a yellow guarded Stanley branded version, for work knives supplied in issued tool boxes.

If you place a piece of white paper under the knife, you can see the finer than human hair metal shavings which fall.

They take off a LOT of metal, and used only for disposable tool knives.
 
The only carbide sharpener I use is the ERU http://edgeru.com/. It works very well for its primary intended purpose (field sharpening), but it's on a whole other level from the cheap carbide sharpeners from Wally World, etc., in terms of quality and precision. I've yet to find a cheapie that worked for me.
 
Use a carbide sharpener on a box cutter or small blade like a SAK classic (one you don't care about) and do it several times and you will see the damage and how much these pull through can do. Let's just say the metal removal and damage is very pronouced to say the least.

If you want to sharpen your knives quickly just get a work sharps field Sharpener and either reprofile at 20 degrees or less and use it to touch up your knife. I find it to be as quick or quicker than a pull through sharpener and the results are better. Nothing magical about it, just the various grit sizes for diamond and ceramic in a small easy to use package with guides to help in consistenty with no set up to speed up the process.

I used to use a Gerber EAB with a pull through sharpener or the worksharp in a previous job that didn't allow me to use a knife but I stocked shelves so I broke down several pallets of boxes in a shift so I sharpened the box cutter a lot. Now I do work that's closer to construction for the last few years and I used the work sharps field Sharpener mostly and more recently switched to the dmt credit cards since they fit easily in my safety vest but it takes more time. In this job I abuse the knives more and bringing the edge back quickly is my goal.

On another note if you want a carbide sharpener look into the ERU it's the only one e I would trust.
 
The carbide sharpener i am referring to is not a pull through. I would never use one of those except on a disposable knife. The one I was using was a blue hawk bought from Lowe's. Similar to the one in the second video. But I do think the poker chip would make a good keychain sharpener.

The sharperner that sparked the curiosity was the sharpensbest poker chip. I'm not interested in the particular knives he is choosing to sharpen, only the method.


 
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Where would you go to get an ERU? Web site link has no purchase option? o_O
Please send PM if a vendor is not a BF member. Thanks.
Ray
 
G. Scott H. said:
The only carbide sharpener I use is the ERU http://edgeru.com/. It works very well for its primary intended purpose (field sharpening), but it's on a whole other level from the cheap carbide sharpeners from Wally World, etc., in terms of quality and precision. I've yet to find a cheapie that worked for me.
Click to expand...

How is that ERU? My experience with carbide sharpeners has tended towards them being edge dullers.
 
It actually does produce a very decent edge. Instead of tearing the edge up as most cheap carbide jobs do, it leaves a smooth and sharp edge behind. I think the free adjustability (within the range allowed by the unit itself) has a lot to do with this, allowing you to match the angles of your existing edge, instead of scraping and tearing off metal at an angle different from that of the edge.
 
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