Edge pro general questions. Looking for a great system.

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rc3mil

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Ive tried the Sharpmaker. I have found that unless the edge of your knife matches up perfectly with the 30" or 40" settings, your sharpmaker is useless. Either go out and buy the diamond rods (which i have not tried) and the ultra fine stones or some other reprofiling stones or devices and you will probably be set. Well over $100 spent by now acquiring all the necessary tools in order to maintain and get that scary sharp edge that allot of people want. Sandpaper can also be used as a cheap alternative to the diamond rods. I have done this on one of my kitchen knives and it took me 3 hours to reprofile and get the knife "factory sharp". I made a similar post about my sharpmaker problems but i will not get into that here. If you would like to read the thread it is available here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=733020

I recently bought a Norton waterstone and i do get better results than the sharpmaker. I used it to reprofile a smaller knife than the one i did on the sharpmaker (same steel, same brand knife) and it came out almost factory sharp. I am happy with the results. But yet again, it took me 3 hours to get it to that level of sharpness and being married with 2 kids and having a full time job which requires knife usage every day, I simply just don't have the time to sit there for 2 - 3 hours and sharpen a knife. Nor do i find sharpening a knife to be enjoyable. I find it tedious and time consuming.

So after all that blabbering, instead of dishing out a whole lot of extra cash on systems and stones and accessories, i was considering just getting the Edge Pro Apex Kit #4 and being done with it all.

What are your thoughts? How long does it usually take to reprofile a blade and put a scary sharp shaving edge on your blades with the Edge Pro? In all honesty, does the Edge Pro work really well and very easily? And do you think it is worth the $235? Is it easy to use or is it gona be a hassle and take me 3 hours to sharpen a 1095 blade like the Sharpmaker and Norton Waterstone? I have always sucked at angles so is this going to be a huge issue when using the Edge Pro?

I am looking for an easy to use system which gives great results in a relatively short time.

If it usually takes you guys about 3 hours to sharpen up your knives, let me know please but i find it a little hard to believe.

Open to all experiences and opinions on the matter. I gladly appreciate any and all feedback posted.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

rc3mil
 
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It takes 20 to 30 minutes to reprofile and sharpening a knive with my edgepro apex. After the reprofiling is maintaining the edge a breeze, I use a sharpmaker for that purpose.

The learning curve is short and steep and enjoyable. You get a nice even shiney edge, sharp from handle to tip!

I spended the money and never looked back. I recommand to keep your sharpmaker for touchups and the apex for reprofiling and heavy maintnance. Setting up the apex takes some time. Buy an extra 120 grid is recommanded.

Marthijn
 
The very first blade I sharpened with my edge pro I had tree-top trimming sharp in about 20 min. If I have a LOT of reprofiling of a thick blade, it might take an hour or two, but sharpenings from then on only take 10 min or less. And that's taking a very thick blade down to about 20 deg inclusive.

The EP is the best investment I've ever made in knives. It taught me what sharp really is.
 
Well i pulled the trigger and ordered the Edge Pro Apex #4 Kit with 1 extra 120 grit stone. I hope this thing is as easy and good as you guys say it is. Scheduled delivery is Friday so i have to wait almost a week but in the end, itl probably be worth the wait.

Thanks for the recommendations.
 
It doesn't take 2-3 hours to sharpen a knife. To reprofile a knife, it takes longer than that, but not for a regular sharpening.

I still think you should ditch the idea of a magic sharpening system and just learn to sharpen a knife. If you think using a stone is time consuming, it's because you don't know what you're doing. If you know how to sharpen a knife, you'll know that it takes longer to set up a system than to whip out a stone, pass it, and then rinse it clean.

If you're really looking for speed, I recommend a belt sander or bench grinder.
 
sodak said:
Let us know what you think!
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Will do :D

Also, im guessing there are different levels of sharpening with different words attached to them. Hair popping and hair whittling i understand but what does "tree top trimming" mean lol.
 
I think the EP is the best you can get personally but it does help to be able to do things with both hands. I've talked to a few that bought it that found it was a learning curve to get past the weak hand sharpening. Some people are all right handed or all left handed but pretty much way short on their weak side so if you are one of those then it may be a bit of a re-learning process to get used to when you flip the blade and switch hands.

The course stone can scratch up blades pretty bad and this can be bothersome to some. There are ways to get around that and if you follow the instructions that is one way. I tape off the blades personally but thats just me. I find that more full proof than the method used in the instructions. I love the sharpener. Regular maintaining of a folder with this system is very quick. If you are reprofiling a blade to a new bevel angle expect to take a lot longer and some high wear resistance steels may be a chore but it will get the job done and usually in a very controlled manner that you cannot achieve easily the old fashioned way using a bench stone. It is also not going to burn the blade like belt sanders so in my opinion its the best of the methods available even with its short comings.

STR
 
rc3mil said:
Will do :D

Also, im guessing there are different levels of sharpening with different words attached to them. Hair popping and hair whittling i understand but what does "tree top trimming" mean lol.
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TTT is taking the knife over, say, your forearm, about an eighth or quarter inch above your skin, against the way the hair grows. TTT means the knife will dig in and start cutting the hair without touching the skin on your arm. It's the first test I do on my straight razors when measuring sharpness. Then come whittling a single hair...
 
I love my sharpmaker. Ironically it seems to work best on spydercos, makes sense. Benchmades as well.

speaking of 1095, the sharpmaker doesnt seem to work well with tool steel for some reason
 
mark at chefknivestogo.com has posted some rather simple videos of his edgepro he uses and really for someone who is afraid to learn to freehand or just plain refuses to go that route there really isnt anything better if I was buying a device it would be edgepro or gizmo

the gizmo takes full waterstones on the same principle as the edge pro
 
Uz4u said:
I love my sharpmaker. Ironically it seems to work best on spydercos, makes sense. Benchmades as well.

speaking of 1095, the sharpmaker doesnt seem to work well with tool steel for some reason
Click to expand...

1095 is not a tool steel its a carbon spring steel, (no d!#kishness intended)
 
The difference between using a guided system like an EdgePro and freehand on a benchstone is that the guided systems set the angle for you. That's it. You still have to be able to hit the edge, you still have the take care of the burr, you still have to use proper pressure and know when to move onto the next stone. There is still a learning curve.

The EdgePro is a much faster system than the Sharpmaker. The stock coarse stones are pretty crappy otherwise it would be even faster. DMT stones for EdgePro are available though.
 
my issue with jigs is if it breaks your screwed if they all of a sudden stop cutting the stones the size to fit it also screwed. I hate adding something to the mix that doesnt contribute a fundamental skill for something like sharpening knives

sharpmakers are really just another name for trash in my opinion others may disagree but I had one I got as a gift it is barely capable of maintaining an edge let alone sharpening.

the edgepro while being easily 30x the sharpmakers usefulness still removes a skill.



free hand sharpening isnt hard and for arguably a couple hours of messing around you can learn how to sharpen any knife at least as well as the manufacturer and with a little more practice can make the knife stupidly sharp.

really all that involved is rubbing metal on a rock and if you are stranded in the woods and need to sharpen a knife you can easily pick up a stray rock that will scratch the steel and if it leaves a scuff it can remove steel. If it can remove steel it can sharpen a knife.


dont get me wrong the jigs are nice but I am a fan of learning a skill that could easily come in handy if life takes a turn for the worst
 
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