- Joined
- May 5, 2000
- Messages
- 1,478
Finally got my EdgePro in action tonight. I planned to watch the DVD and sleep on it, and then of course I put it together just to see how it all fits. And then of course I wound up sharpening knives.
First things first: You can do with an EdgePro in four minutes what we all try to do with a Sharpmaker in four hours. After doing one blade, you feel a little silly for trying it any other way.
Other things: It's stunningly easy to make pretty, straight bevels. Maybe that doesn't matter, but it's cool. More importantly, it's pretty easy to get rid of a burr. The EdgePro makes it a little more systematic as opposed to the usual crapshoot.
Still other things: It's not very messy at all. Much less than I expected. Easy to set up and take down too. And easy to switch stones. I'm not sure about putting away the coarser stones wet--even after you wipe them, they're obviously still wet--but we'll see how that goes.
When I watched the DVD, I felt kind of bad about not getting the Pro model, as it's obviously made very well, but I don't care now that I've used my Apex. Actually the one issue I found--and maybe this applies to the Pro too--is that it can be tricky to hit the very heel of a blade when you hold it on the right side, because the pivot rod sits in a pocket on the right of the machine. It's hard to explain, but it means that the stone reaches the heel easily on the left side but not as easily on the right. Maybe this is addressed by how you adjust the shelf.
Finally, the whole hand-switching thing: maybe I have unusually good dexterity, but I never even gave this a second thought. It's just not a big deal. I mean, the thing is essentially a jig after all, and its job is to help keep an angle. It shouldn't matter which hand does what.
I can't believe I waited five years to get this thing.
First things first: You can do with an EdgePro in four minutes what we all try to do with a Sharpmaker in four hours. After doing one blade, you feel a little silly for trying it any other way.
Other things: It's stunningly easy to make pretty, straight bevels. Maybe that doesn't matter, but it's cool. More importantly, it's pretty easy to get rid of a burr. The EdgePro makes it a little more systematic as opposed to the usual crapshoot.
Still other things: It's not very messy at all. Much less than I expected. Easy to set up and take down too. And easy to switch stones. I'm not sure about putting away the coarser stones wet--even after you wipe them, they're obviously still wet--but we'll see how that goes.
When I watched the DVD, I felt kind of bad about not getting the Pro model, as it's obviously made very well, but I don't care now that I've used my Apex. Actually the one issue I found--and maybe this applies to the Pro too--is that it can be tricky to hit the very heel of a blade when you hold it on the right side, because the pivot rod sits in a pocket on the right of the machine. It's hard to explain, but it means that the stone reaches the heel easily on the left side but not as easily on the right. Maybe this is addressed by how you adjust the shelf.
Finally, the whole hand-switching thing: maybe I have unusually good dexterity, but I never even gave this a second thought. It's just not a big deal. I mean, the thing is essentially a jig after all, and its job is to help keep an angle. It shouldn't matter which hand does what.
I can't believe I waited five years to get this thing.
