Edge pro apex on sebenza questions

Bladenoobie1

Bladenoobie1

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Jul 20, 2012
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I'm considering getting an edgepro apex for my sharpening needs, more specifically my sebenza, but I have a few questions.

Are the waterstones and the polishing tapes that come with the apex sufficient enough to cut stainless steels like the s35vn in the sebenza or cpm 154?

Should I invest money in buying aftermarket stones? Which kit would you recommend recommend, and if I were to get the Apex kit 1, what aftermarket stones should I get from it and where?


I want to be able to get a hair whittling edge with a near mirror finish.


Thanks,
Bladenoobie1
 
I'm considering getting an edgepro apex for my sharpening needs, more specifically my sebenza, but I have a few questions.

Are the waterstones and the polishing tapes that come with the apex sufficient enough to cut stainless steels like the s35vn in the sebenza or cpm 154?

Should I invest money in buying aftermarket stones? Which kit would you recommend recommend, and if I were to get the Apex kit 1, what aftermarket stones should I get from it and where?


I want to be able to get a hair whittling edge with a near mirror finish.


Thanks,
Bladenoobie1
 
I've found that they have shapton pro, glass, and chosera edge pro sets. I won't put a link because I don't believe they're a bf authorized dealer. They're all relatively in the same price range, but I don't know which one to get. I did read that the glass are the best with high wear steels. The grit progression is as follows:

Shapton glass:
320 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
500 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
1,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
4,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
8,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone

Shapton Pro:

Edge Pro 220 Grit Stone
Edge Pro 400 Grit Stone
320 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
1,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
5,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
8,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone

Chosera:
Edge Pro 220 Grit Stone
Edge Pro 400 Grit Stone
400 Grit Chosera Stone (l. green)
1,000 Grit Chosera Stone (d.green)
3,000 Grit Chosera Stone (maroon)
5,000 Grit Chosera Stone (gray)
10,000 Grit Chosera Stone (blue)
 
Yes those stones will cut the new high alloy steels. I've been thinking about the apex 4 kit myself but I can already freehand a nice even bevel using my DMT's and Spyderco ceramics so I figure spend the $ on more knives:D For a mirror finish you will need to progress through the grits and finish with the tapes and strop, good luck on your sharpening adventures:thumbup:
 
That's good to know. I also read that the stock stones are not uniform in thickness. If I were to get after market stone sets, like the shapton or chosera, would it have the same problem?
 
The stones are the same thickness when they are new, just use the different sides of the stones when you use it again, Ive been using the edge pro stock stones for awhile and I always alternate what side I use after each knife I sharpen, I say give the stock stones a try at first I get great edges all the time with the stock stones, then when they wear out then upgrade to some new stones.
 
Sounds good. Another concern I have is value, being that if I did choose to buy aftermarket stones, I would spend a lot more money than if I just purchased the set. I may just get a set with stock stones, but if you had to choose between the glass, pro, and the chosera, which one would you pick and why?

I do like the splash and go feature of the shapton, but soaking stones is not an issue for me.
 
I can't speak for any other stones except for the stock EP stones and they don't require a soak, just add water, sharpen, add a little more water, sharpen you get the idea. I've heard nothing but good things about the chosera stones, and IIRC they require a five minute soak before using, All I can tell you is that I have sharpened a lot of different steels on my EP and never had a problem with the stock stones, I always get razor sharp edges, I would suggest getting the apex 4 I believe it is that comes with the 120-1000 grit stones along with the 2,000 and 3,000 grit polishing tapes. It's more than enough you need to get a screaming sharp edge, and they are A LOT cheaper than aftermarket stones.
 
As jwolf said the stock stones are plenty good enough for even ZDP-189.

I actually purchased the EP because I couldn't sharpen some 78 rockwell ZDP.

It takes more technique than actually product to get the mirror polish, you have to fully go through each stone and remove all the grind lines up the progression and finish off with the polish tapes.
Also as you get up into the higher grits and especially the polish tapes you want to use alot of water and very little pressure, otherwise the steel builds up on the stones and tapes and won't let you get a true mirror polish. Blue painters tape is your friend, you will want to tape up the table and the blade to keep it from getting scratched up.

If you really want something special look into the Chosera stones. I purchase them thinking that it was just a gimmick, but I can get a hair whittling sharp edge on the 400 grit Chosera stone, and a TRUE mirror polish with the 10K Stone. No need for the polish tapes or even a strop.

Also they cut sharpening time in half even though I have to change stones fairly often.

If this is the first time sharpening with the EP I would recommend using some old kitchen knife or something you don't care about.

Also you MUST use a sharpie to get the bevels exact, and if you really want a hair popping edge I would suggest getting an angle cube, as each stone might be a hair of a degree off.

Also, if you sharpen quite often I would suggest getting the flattening kit, which will help as you sharpen you can develop low spots where you sharpen the most, and it helps clean the grit out of the stone.

Good luck and take it easy, you'll learn quickly! Have fun! I enjoy sharpening and use it as a calm pass time.
 
I use my EdgePro on all my Chris Reeve knives. It is the only sharpening system I use and I am very pleased with the results.
I prefer a different edge angle than the knives come with and for establishing this initial bevel I use the diamond stones available from EdgePro. The diamonds make this job faster and easier so, for me, they are well worth their additional cost. I use both the Fine and then the Super Fine to establish my initial bevel. After that I maintain that edge with an occasional sharpening using the EdgePro 320, 600, and 1000 grit stones, followed by the polishing tapes.

If you do not desire to change the initial edge bevel on your blade and are happy with the way it comes from CRK then the diamond stones are not necessary and the regular stones will do the job of maintaining the edge. The polishing tapes will bring out the best in the finished edge and after that an occasional careful stropping works for me to maintain it.

Congratulations on moving up to the EdgePro system. I'm sure you will find it well worth the cost. :)
 
I've found that they have shapton pro, glass, and chosera edge pro sets. I won't put a link because I don't believe they're a bf authorized dealer. They're all relatively in the same price range, but I don't know which one to get. I did read that the glass are the best with high wear steels. The grit progression is as follows:

Shapton glass:
320 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
500 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
1,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
4,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone
8,000 Grit Shapton Glass Stone

Shapton Pro:

Edge Pro 220 Grit Stone
Edge Pro 400 Grit Stone
320 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
1,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
5,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone
8,000 Grit Shapton Pro Stone

Chosera:
Edge Pro 220 Grit Stone
Edge Pro 400 Grit Stone
400 Grit Chosera Stone (l. green)
1,000 Grit Chosera Stone (d.green)
3,000 Grit Chosera Stone (maroon)
5,000 Grit Chosera Stone (gray)
10,000 Grit Chosera Stone (blue)

I'm proficient--at least to my standards in freehand sharpening, but sometimes I just want a rigged system to get those really consistent clean bevels I can't get with freehand. As with flattening stones, will wet dry sic-carbide sandpaper be good enough?

EDIT:

They do have a slightly more expensive version with chosera stones that include an angle cube, strop, and a few other accessories.
 
The stones on the EP can cut through and reprofile any steel from 440A, 440C, S30V, S90V all the way through S110V. I know because I've done it. Using diamond stones is a bit overkill in my opinion, they remove a lot of metal with minimal effort and that is not the best way to do simple sharpening or touch ups.

Buy the kit first. Get some experience with it, and build skill and confidence using it. When you get to that point, then you can worriy about buying accessories and gizmos. You gotta learn to ride the bike before you can start doing wheelies.
 
You can compensate for varying thickness by using the "drill stop collar trick". The stones will differ in thickness sooner or later as you flatten them.
 
RevDevil said:
The stones on the EP can cut through and reprofile any steel from 440A, 440C, S30V, S90V all the way through S110V. I know because I've done it. Using diamond stones is a bit overkill in my opinion, they remove a lot of metal with minimal effort and that is not the best way to do simple sharpening or touch ups.

Buy the kit first. Get some experience with it, and build skill and confidence using it. When you get to that point, then you can worriy about buying accessories and gizmos. You gotta learn to ride the bike before you can start doing wheelies.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I feel pretty reassured that the stones it comes with will do fine. I'll probably buy a apex 4 kit and go from there.
 
Have you considered the Wicked Edge. For the price your going to pay for the upgraded kit with the better stones you can pick up a Wicked Edge system.
It uses diamond stones so you don't have to worry about them wearing down and having to flatten them. It also doesn't make as much of a mess as the Apex
with all the slurry you get when dealing with ceramics stones and water.
They both are great sharpening systems and you will achieve the best sharpest blades you have ever seen. But just wanted to throw out another option that
you might be interested in.
 
I've tried Choseras on the EP. They're nice. I'm still using the stock stones that came with my EP and they're just fine.

I find that I get a nice toothy edge if I just go up to 320 grit, then use their ceramic honing rod. While not hair popping sharp, it's a very useful edge that takes minimal effort. Those hair popping edges go away real quick once you start cutting up cardboard. The toothy edge also bites into tomatoes well, which higher grit edges don't seem to.

I have the fully decked out EP kit that goes up to 6000 grit. I hardly use those higher stones anymore.
 
I have been using an edge pro on my sebenza (S30V) and other users from Busse for a couple of years. I get great results and highly recommend the system for pretty much any knife.
 
If leather is enough to hone a Sebenza or any other super-duper-knife, I'm sure any ol' stone will do..! ;)
 
Looks like I'll grab an apex 4 and buy an angle cube to go with it. That aside, are there any major benefits to using the chosera or shapton stones?
 
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