EdgePro....opinions?

Shadow213

Shadow213

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Joined
Jan 5, 2005
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I've been thinking about getting an EdgePro system, and because I know that there are alot of knifeknuts out there that have nothing but praise for this system, I'd like to ask is it as good people say it is?

Not only that, but how do you decide on which system to choose? :confused:

Opinions?

Thanks
 
Here's my take on the EdgePro.

If you are serious about getting a good edge... sell a production knife and buy an EdgePro Apex.

I did a long time ago and would still buy one today for three times the amount.

-j
 
Thanks for the reviews, you guys. I'm still kind of reluctant of getting one of these sets because of the $$. Decisions, decisions.....

I do have a 204, as well as some DMT Diafold and whetstone, and I can usually get a shaving sharp edge, but the edge that the EdgePro can put on your blade is what really has me curious.

I suppose the best system to start out with would be the Basic Apex?
 
my pal from work just bought and received the apex "deluxe" system, and put it to use. he brought in two knives today, a Buck 119 and his AFCK...

i'm floored. period. i've never seen such a beautiful edge. i don't know how he (or any of you with the E-Pro) did it! simply amazing. symmetrical, continously even bevels, mirror-polished to perfection. better than factory by leagues. the most amazing part was that he never practiced; he just "started".

so, that's not a review, just a reaction to someone who's seen the work of the E-Pro up close and in person, with no previous knowledge. i'm gettin' one, i just don't know when. how in the heck am i gonna justify this one to the wife?!

abe m.
 
Well--I'm an Edge Pro convert. Had the Deluxe system for over a year now. Makes reprofiling a breeze, which I do now for all my new knives because it's so easy and I know what egde angles work for me. I also love the way it removes only the barest minimum of metal to get an extremely sharp edge. I love having a mirror edge on my Sebenza!

Another plus is the speed of doing a drawer full of kitchen knives. Less than 15 minutes and my 8 Henckles are ready to go, plus all 16 of my steak knives.

I have the scissors attachment and it works as well as the rest of the system. I hate those nicks the kids are forever putting in my scissors. The Edge Pro takes them right out and I can get a barber-scissors like edge on all of my office scissors.
 
Shadow,

If you're an anal-retentive stickler, and you like your edge reprofiled, the bevels even and continuous, mirror-polished, and yet sharp enough to shave at the hairtop level... the EP is for you.

Its strength is in keeping the bevels completely even and then polishing it. This gets you an attractive finish as well as a blazingly sharp knife. It becomes trivial to feel the limitations of a steeper edge angle and advantages of a narrow edge angle.

If you're sloppy or casual about your edges, and don't really care; if you don't want to go through the ritual to get something optimized, then the EP is not really for you. It takes some practice and getting used to, and the whole mess of setting it up and using it can be a pain if you really don't care much about your edge quality.

-j
 
Shadow213 said:
I'm still kind of reluctant of getting one of these sets because of the $$.
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stone-jig.jpg


Here is a cheap alternative to an Edge-Pro or Spydie Sharpmaker that uses whatever sharpening stones you already own. If you do woodworking, it is fairly trivial to make from scrap wood. If you don't do woodwork, have a sawdust-making buddy or local woodshop do it for you.

The stone is not attached to the jig. It just rests against the angled support brace. The jig is just used to hold the stone at a fixed angle. That way you can simply replace the stone with finer grit stones as the edge sharpening progresses.

Getting the angle super-exact will take some doing, but isn't hyper-critical. (the jig shown is 15-degrees off-vertical = 30-degree included angle) Get the angle close to what you want, sharpen your blade, then go beat hell out of your knife knowing you have a simple way to re-establish the edge if it gets totally blown out. ;)

However, to approximate the adjustability of the E-P you would have to have a number of these made up with different angles. But the material cost to make them is really low.

Shadow213 said:
I suppose the best system to start out with would be the Basic Apex?
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IMHO yes. Ben Dale, owner of Edge-Pro, says that the Professional model is more for folks who will be sharpening knives professionally, i.e. full-time usage. I talked to him about the models and he said that for the vast majority of knife owners/collectors the Apex model is plenty robust enough for a lifetime of their relatively infrequent sharpenings.

I bought from Ben Dale the cheaper Apex with the stone upgrade kit so I'd have all the grits for the E-P. I liked the Apex + upgrade so much that I bought another one as a spare when it came up for sale on the forums. I later got two extra of the coarsest stones because they are the ones I use the most (for reprofiling edges) and because they are the stone that wears out the fastest.
 
RokJok said:
Here is a cheap alternative to an Edge-Pro or Spydie Sharpmaker that uses whatever sharpening stones you already own. If you do woodworking, it is fairly trivial to make from scrap wood. If you don't do woodwork, have a sawdust-making buddy or local woodshop do it for you....However, to approximate the adjustability of the E-P you would have to have a number of these made up with different angles. But the material cost to make them is really low.
Click to expand...

Dude, get crankin'! Start building those suckers and selling them to BF members. That post is as good as a patent to forum members. ;)

I'd buy one and I've GOT an EdgePro. Always looking for more options.
 
Whatever you do, don't get a lansky diamond sharpener. The diamond abrasive on my stones wore off reprofiling one 3inch 154cm folder. Wish I had put that money toward an Edgepro.
 
RokJok said:
stone-jig.jpg


Here is a cheap alternative to an Edge-Pro or Spydie Sharpmaker that uses whatever sharpening stones you already own. If you do woodworking, it is fairly trivial to make from scrap wood. If you don't do woodwork, have a sawdust-making buddy or local woodshop do it for you.

Isn't this essentialy what the SharpMaker is?
Click to expand...
 
yeah, that homemade setup is like the Sharpmaker but it uses your existing stones, that's the advantage. I think using a system is a mixed bag. It's nice to have a perfect edge but it's also nice to hone freehand. I use a large bechstone to raise a burr, then I switch to an old model sharpmaker to smooth the edge. Then I strop on leather with polishing compound. The thing that a lot of people don't realize is that you don't need to hold an exact angle to get a knife very sharp. It is also true that a system like the EdgePro will get a knife sharper than most people can do by hand. In short, I would recommend buying some quality benchstones, one rough, one fine, and the Sharpmaker, and a strop. Just my $0.02.
 
I LIKE doing it freehand... I can get a very precise and thin angle on my knives. Freehand works well if you get a lot of practice in.
 
Freehand works well when you get good at it. But the Edge Pro allows you to get perfectly even, mirror polished bevels so your knife just looks sharp. There's something to be said for that. As for the $$$ consideration; at the time I bought mine, I was in high school making between $400 and $500 a month. The Apex with a stone upgrade was about half a month's pay. I've never regretted it for a moment.
 
looks great. what model is worth getting when doing things like a machete and WSK (not that I have a WSK yet but still saving)? :)
 
allyourblood said:
i'm gettin' one, i just don't know when. how in the heck am i gonna justify this one to the wife?!

abe m.
Click to expand...

What I did was tell her how much easier it would be for me to keep all her kitchen knives sharp. lol

Gordon
 
Actually, I have a 204, DMT 6" fine whetstone and a couple of DMT Diafolds that I've used up to this point on keeping my knives sharp. I've just read quite a bit on the EdgePro and have heard alot of great things about it that my curiousity has been driving me nuts.

I might go ahead and just get the basic system for now and upgrade later on. I'd really like to get consistent, even, and polished edges on my blades and I think that the EdgePro will help me do that. :D
 
gaj999 said:
What I did was tell her how much easier it would be for me to keep all her kitchen knives sharp. lol

Gordon
Click to expand...
Just tell her what I tell my wife about all of my Callaway Golf Clubs...."I get 'em special for about 5 bucks apiece. Kind of matches up with all her clothes which "were on special for about 5 bucks apiece". We've been married 34 years so I guess both stories work!
 
Being the "gotta have kind of guy" I just ordered one of the Apex Pro Edge systems. Being the kind of person who always tries to get to perfection, I'll let you know if this works better than the Sharpmaker.

Being kind of new to this whole knife thing, I think that I have my knives, kitchen and personal use, "pretty sharp" but I'm not sure that they have attained this "hair-poppin' scary sharp" that I keep reading in these posts. In fact, I'm not really sure just what the term means.
 
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