Anybody have one with just the basic stones? I've read a lot about the EdgePro on the forums and about the killer edges one can produce with it. I just ordered the Apex with the basic stones. Is that killer edge possible with the basic setup or is the stone upgrade necessary?
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EdgePro Apex
- Thread starter kutch133
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You should be able to. I have a Pro model, but I think the stones are the same. Usually you stop with the 220 or 320 grit depending on what kind of edge you want. Some people like to go to 600 grit and then polish with the 3000 grit tape. While this is great for shaving hair off your arm, it's not that aggressive for normal cutting tasks (cutting cardboard, rope, paper, etc.)
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It's not that a polished edge isn't as good, it just isn't as aggressive. For pushcutting tasks, a polished edge is perfect. For slicing tasks, a coarser edge tends to cut more quickly. The downside is that it will dull faster as the micro-serrations break off. The basic stone set will allow you to get a very good slicing edge, you'll just have to be very careful with your last few strokes to take off the burr without forming a new one. I alternate one light stroke on each bevel 4 or 5 times to finish off a coarse edge on just the stones.
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I think you should be getting the 180 grit and the 220 grit stones with your Apex model. As has been said, those two grits should work fine with a little care at the end. Shaving sharp should be easy to achieve with a little practice.
I suspect that pretty soon though, you're going to want to try the finer stones on some of your knives. The variety of cutting edges you can produce is impressive with some of the finer grits. The extra $35 bucks for the upgrade set is really worth it IMO.
FYI, Dale (of EdgePro) was cited on a recent thread as saying that he sometimes uses 180, 320, and 600 grit in succession then finishes off with 3000 grit to polish - if you want a polished edge.
I suspect that pretty soon though, you're going to want to try the finer stones on some of your knives. The variety of cutting edges you can produce is impressive with some of the finer grits. The extra $35 bucks for the upgrade set is really worth it IMO.
FYI, Dale (of EdgePro) was cited on a recent thread as saying that he sometimes uses 180, 320, and 600 grit in succession then finishes off with 3000 grit to polish - if you want a polished edge.
The Tourist
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I've had the professional model for about four years, and I used to polish everything 'mirror' with Ben's 4000 series tapes, which I special order. Of course, then, my usual knife had a 16 to 18 degree edge. Fragile, yes, but with the Edge-Pro you can have a fresh mirror edge whenever you choose.
I got into Striders and they came with more of this 'toothy' edge. And I learned something.
I put the edge of a Strider under a lighted loupe. True, the edge was shaped and worked with a more coarse grit, but the very edge, perhaps a 1/32, was MIRROR. If appears they buff after a sharpening.
This can remove the final burr or wire-edge, but I thought about it. To initiate a cut, you must begin a slice, in effect like making a 'pilot hole.' Once this slice has begun, the toothier edge finishes the cut.
I still use the mirror edge 80% of the time for my EDC knife because I usually cut paper and UPS boxes. And I augment that with a SuperKnife if I'm cutting lots of boxes to flatten them for the trash.
I'm just careful to lightly polish or strop a coarse sharpening and I get good service.
I got into Striders and they came with more of this 'toothy' edge. And I learned something.
I put the edge of a Strider under a lighted loupe. True, the edge was shaped and worked with a more coarse grit, but the very edge, perhaps a 1/32, was MIRROR. If appears they buff after a sharpening.
This can remove the final burr or wire-edge, but I thought about it. To initiate a cut, you must begin a slice, in effect like making a 'pilot hole.' Once this slice has begun, the toothier edge finishes the cut.
I still use the mirror edge 80% of the time for my EDC knife because I usually cut paper and UPS boxes. And I augment that with a SuperKnife if I'm cutting lots of boxes to flatten them for the trash.
I'm just careful to lightly polish or strop a coarse sharpening and I get good service.
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- Nov 16, 2002
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- 9,948
Kutch133,
You can get hair-popping edges with the medium and fine hones supplied in the the Apex kit. The other stones and blank are for those of us who want to reprofile the edges and then see how sharp we can get them.
You can get hair-popping edges with the medium and fine hones supplied in the the Apex kit. The other stones and blank are for those of us who want to reprofile the edges and then see how sharp we can get them.
Cliff Stamp
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Roadrunner :
A more coarse edge will last longer during slicing than a polished edge. If you are push cutting then it will go blunt faster as the teeth break off.
-Cliff
A more coarse edge will last longer during slicing than a polished edge. If you are push cutting then it will go blunt faster as the teeth break off.
-Cliff
The Tourist
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Cliff,
Isn't that a benefit of the Edge-Pro? You get the edge you like the best, and if it goes dull, so what?
I can set up my professional model in a few minutes. I mark the blade of a knife I've never seen before, and adjust the arbor in minutes. For a knife in rotation, it's faster.
In fact, it's so easy that if you try 'toothy' and don't like it, you can polish in a few minutes.
The hardest part is making the edge uniform on your first sharpening.
Isn't that a benefit of the Edge-Pro? You get the edge you like the best, and if it goes dull, so what?
I can set up my professional model in a few minutes. I mark the blade of a knife I've never seen before, and adjust the arbor in minutes. For a knife in rotation, it's faster.
In fact, it's so easy that if you try 'toothy' and don't like it, you can polish in a few minutes.
The hardest part is making the edge uniform on your first sharpening.
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I disagree, Ichabod.
The hardest part is not trying to reprofile every knife in the house down to <10 degrees per side.
The hardest part is not trying to reprofile every knife in the house down to <10 degrees per side.
The Tourist
Banned
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Thom, I hear you. 
I know the feeling of "just a little more, a little more, a little more..."
Had it happen last night. I bought an All Weather Companion to use in the soon-coming Wisconsin slop. If it got dinged, I wasn't going to care.
It arrived with a 'serviceable' edge. It would cut, most non-Edge-Pro guys would have thought "it looks sharp to me."
The edge was 'this close' to being uniform, so I thought I'd give it a 'touch up.' After it was uniform and refined to the 600 grit, I figured, what the heck, I have an old 4000 tape on its fixture, a little flash couldn't hurt.
Now it was 'very sharp,' a heart beat away from 'spooky.' I put rouge on the strop and feathered the edge. Now there were cosmetically gray spots on the bevel. I polished with the tapes to remove the rouge, then stropped to 'make sure' it was still spooky.
Now I have a beater knife with a perfect mirror razor edge. The edge cost me more than the knife--and 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back. It sure was fun!
And no one's 'putty knife' is sharper!
I know the feeling of "just a little more, a little more, a little more..."
Had it happen last night. I bought an All Weather Companion to use in the soon-coming Wisconsin slop. If it got dinged, I wasn't going to care.
It arrived with a 'serviceable' edge. It would cut, most non-Edge-Pro guys would have thought "it looks sharp to me."
The edge was 'this close' to being uniform, so I thought I'd give it a 'touch up.' After it was uniform and refined to the 600 grit, I figured, what the heck, I have an old 4000 tape on its fixture, a little flash couldn't hurt.
Now it was 'very sharp,' a heart beat away from 'spooky.' I put rouge on the strop and feathered the edge. Now there were cosmetically gray spots on the bevel. I polished with the tapes to remove the rouge, then stropped to 'make sure' it was still spooky.
Now I have a beater knife with a perfect mirror razor edge. The edge cost me more than the knife--and 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back. It sure was fun!
And no one's 'putty knife' is sharper!