EdgePro or AGPTEK or ?

[kilogulf59]

Has anyone done a direct, side by side, comparison of the EdgePro and the AGPTEK?

From my limited research I've learned that the AGPTEK stones probably aren't the greatest. Nonetheless, it will accept EdgePro and other's stones. Other than that, what makes EdgePro (still) so darned expensive and some of the similar type units as well?

Just to be clear, this is the exact item I am considering:

Just in case you need or want to know, my usage is casual home use, mainly kitchen knives, which is why I want a unit like this, and a couple of pocket knives. I have an old GATCO setup that I've been using for years but it's a PIA on the bigger chef's and carving knives. I view sharpening as a chore, not a hobby or pastime, which has to be done and I don't like using grinding wheels or scrapers on my knives. I do use a good steel (which I need to replace) and ceramic stick to touch 'em up and I've stropped, from time to time, as well. I also don't mind spending money, but not throwing it away either.

Any assistance here would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rhodies]

Might as well throw in the Hapstone V7 (). This is what I have and it works, like many other options, EdgePro as well...

 

[kilogulf59]

OK, so the link was removed from my post? Well then, this is the unit that I was referring to....it's listed on Amazon exactly like this "Knife Sharpener, AGPtEK Second Professional Kitchen Knives Sharpen Tool System Fix-angle With 4 Stones(#120, #320, #600, #1500)"

I do see the help in this post? I know there's other options, most much more expensive. I want to know if they're worth 5X's the price of the AGPTEK and why.

Might as well throw in the Hapstone V7 (). This is what I have and it works, like many other options, EdgePro as well...

 

[cbwx34]

...
I know there's other options, most much more expensive. I want to know if they're worth 5X's the price of the AGPTEK and why.

I tried a few of the 'knockoffs"... out of the box repairs had to be made... and they don't hold up over time. Stripped screws, inaccurate angle markings, loose, suction cups fail etc.... all this within a year or less of light use... got them just to see how they worked.

As opposed to my nearly 15 year old Edge Pro, that, even though it doesn't get used that much anymore, still performs without issue.

Also, the stones that come with the clones aren't all that spectacular, although you can get use out of them... not as good as the EP stones.

If you never use a better, more expensive EP, you'd think these were OK... but compare the two, the difference is obvious. (There's YouTube videos that show this, just search for clone Edge Pro).

The model you picked I thought was the "best" of the various ones out there... but still had issues, for example, out of the box, I had to fix the base pivot to prevent it from slipping during use. Other models I didn't think much of at all.

If you rarely plan on sharpening, it might work OK for you and last a while, (plan on making some fixes) beyond that, I'd look at the better models.

 

[Mo2]

the clones are junk. they are so low in price for a reason.

 

[kilogulf59]

cbwx34, thanks for the help. I'm still on the fence but leaning towards not buying the el cheapo as I'd get a POS. If I didn't have bad luck, wouldn't have any luck at all. Maybe I'll see if I can find a used EdgePro. It just irks me at what they charge. I know manufacturing/mass production and they must have, at least, a 300% profit built in.

 

[MikeyConti]

cbwx34, thanks for the help. I'm still on the fence but leaning towards not buying the el cheapo as I'd get a POS. If I didn't have bad luck, wouldn't have any luck at all. Maybe I'll see if I can find a used EdgePro. It just irks me at what they charge. I know manufacturing/mass production and they must have, at least, a 300% profit built in.

I have been considering the same thing by getting the AGPTEK and Quality Stones to suit my needs. But I’ve heard enough bad things about the clones so I am wondering if I should just save and get the Edge Pro Apex 1 for $160.
I’m in a tight spot budget wise due to helping family and leaving a pretty good paying company to a low paying one in VA,
I hate not having money for my hobbies...
3 years ago I would have probably gone after the Wicked Edge Pro-Pack or the Gen 3 Lol

I know I need an Edge Pro Apex 1 for my Tantos, they are going for $160 on Amazon and that’s probably the cheapest I can spend starting out with a Good Sharpener that I can continue to buy Accessories, Stones, etc. when I have spare cash to spend.

I believe Im going to buy a SpyderCo Triangle Sharpmaker first for my Clip/Drop Point Knives I have been EDC’ing for work lately, also depend on them for self-defense just in case. I can get one from a nearby Knife Store for $60, have to wait until next week when I get paid though.

 

[CasePeanut]

if you mostly want to do kitchen knives the sharp maker you plan on purchasing will handle them really well. Add an inexpensive hardware store bench stone for any heavy work and you are set.

 

[Gritomatic]

Hapstone V7 is relatively expensive, but Hapstone M2 ($149) could be a decent option versus Edge Pro Apex 1 ($165).

 

[MikeyConti]

Hapstone V7 is relatively expensive, but Hapstone M2 ($149) could be a decent option versus Edge Pro Apex 1 ($165).

Thanks did not even know about an M2 coming out, https://www.gritomatic.com/products/hapstone-m2-knife-sharpener has them listed at $149 so hopefully it doesn’t rise..

 

[kreisler]

The M2 was 99US$ (shipped?) for early birds in the starter campaign, nice. Personally i started my sharpening experience and skills with similar guided systems (Exduct system, Ruixin system, also Spyderco Sharpmaker system) and they taught me a lot about the capabilities, intricacies, and the clear limitations of such systems.

If i was given/gifted a better quality guided system, i'd be happy to receive and make extensive use of it! In the meantime i am satisfied with maintaining my edges through freehanding on 204UF plus a leather strop. In the long run, the more often you use such a "setup-system", the more tiring the setting up becomes (mentally). I saved all the settings/configurations for my knives@Ruixin system on my smartphone (Notes app) but i would only want to setup the knives@Ruixin, if the edge had nicks, a broken tip, or needed re-profiling for some reason.

In practice, one uses (in the long run) such guided rod systems only at the very beginning, in order to set a perfect geometric bevel (say with mirror polish, no convexing) on all old and new knives you own, say 20 knives. After you're finished with the 20 knives, you'd use only 3-4 of them (EDC, kitchen knife) on a regular basis. And once these 3-4 knives start getting a bit dull, you'd strop them back to life, say 5 or 6 times per month. Yes one could use a guided system for the 5-6 sessions every month. But that's 60-72 times per year. Nobody pulls out the guided system from the drawer, sets it up (configuration) 72 times per year, in practice in RL. In the first year you maybe do it 6 times. That's the reality. In the second year you do it maybe 2 times. And then you already start feeling that you're getting tired of setting up the system, finetuning the angles over and over again each time you want to sharpen one of the 3-4 work horses.

We all have machines, devices or gadgets which we bought with delight and used in the beginning a couple of times (or quite a lot, in the beginning) and then, over time, stopped using it. There is no shame in it. But every buyer should be aware of this phenomenon, which is particularly true for John Doe buying a guided system. (Of course professional knife makers and professional sharpening services setup/configure guided systems 72 times per year no problem)

I wouldn't spend 100US$ on a guided system. Because of their limitations there is still so much which cannot be sharpened well with them (say a recurved blade, S-curved fillet knife, a flexible or thin or narrow or small blade, a long straight blade, big bellied blades with strong curvature, serrated blades, a Victorinox/Wenger SAK, long or big knives in general --- yeah you can sharpen them all somehow on such a system (and i successfully did with much frustration) but you'd try and complete the task once only and then never do it again because you'd realize that etc etc) and if you get the hang of sharpening (thanks to your positive experience with the guided system), you'll end up, like me haha, buying additional sharpening utilities/products/system anyway. For me it was the subsequent buying of the Spyderco Sharpmaker (100US$+). But now i can and do sharpen everything i come across in the household, i don't feel limited anymore.

I love my Ruixin system but it covers only a particular portion of my sharpening needs. If you have 100US$ to spare, buy 3 single Spyderco triangle rods (50US$ total) plus 1 or 2 cheap double-sided bench whetstones (another 50US$ total) instead

The bottom line is: you need to do edge maintenance of your favorite 3-4 work horses 5-6 times per month, or at least 2x per month, right? But the ratio between how much time/efforts/mental energy it requires to maintain these 24 edges (4 work horses * 6 times/month) through a guided system setup and how fast the edge can lose its scary sharpness (ruined in a whiff, depending on usage and steel quality) is abysmal. The ratio is very frustrating and discouraging.

 

[MikeyConti]

The M2 was 99US$ (shipped?) for early birds in the starter campaign, nice. Personally i started my sharpening experience and skills with similar guided systems (Exduct system, Ruixin system, also Spyderco Sharpmaker system) and they taught me a lot about the capabilities, intricacies, and the clear limitations of such systems.

If i was given/gifted a better quality guided system, i'd be happy to receive and make extensive use of it! In the meantime i am satisfied with maintaining my edges through freehanding on 204UF plus a leather strop. In the long run, the more often you use such a "setup-system", the more tiring the setting up becomes (mentally). I saved all the settings/configurations for my knives@Ruixin system on my smartphone (Notes app) but i would only want to setup the knives@Ruixin, if the edge had nicks, a broken tip, or needed re-profiling for some reason.

In practice, one uses (in the long run) such guided rod systems only at the very beginning, in order to set a perfect geometric bevel (say with mirror polish, no convexing) on all old and new knives you own, say 20 knives. After you're finished with the 20 knives, you'd use only 3-4 of them (EDC, kitchen knife) on a regular basis. And once these 3-4 knives start getting a bit dull, you'd strop them back to life, say 5 or 6 times per month. Yes one could use a guided system for the 5-6 sessions every month. But that's 60-72 times per year. Nobody pulls out the guided system from the drawer, sets it up (configuration) 72 times per year, in practice in RL. In the first year you maybe do it 6 times. That's the reality. In the second year you do it maybe 2 times. And then you already start feeling that you're getting tired of setting up the system, finetuning the angles over and over again each time you want to sharpen one of the 3-4 work horses.

We all have machines, devices or gadgets which we bought with delight and used in the beginning a couple of times (or quite a lot, in the beginning) and then, over time, stopped using it. There is no shame in it. But every buyer should be aware of this phenomenon, which is particularly true for John Doe buying a guided system. (Of course professional knife makers and professional sharpening services setup/configure guided systems 72 times per year no problem)

I wouldn't spend 100US$ on a guided system. Because of their limitations there is still so much which cannot be sharpened well with them (say a recurved blade, S-curved fillet knife, a flexible or thin or narrow or small blade, a long straight blade, big bellied blades with strong curvature, serrated blades, a Victorinox/Wenger SAK, long or big knives in general --- yeah you can sharpen them all somehow on such a system (and i successfully did with much frustration) but you'd try and complete the task once only and then never do it again because you'd realize that etc etc) and if you get the hang of sharpening (thanks to your positive experience with the guided system), you'll end up, like me haha, buying additional sharpening utilities/products/system anyway. For me it was the subsequent buying of the Spyderco Sharpmaker (100US$+). But now i can and do sharpen everything i come across in the household, i don't feel limited anymore.

I love my Ruixin system but it covers only a particular portion of my sharpening needs. If you have 100US$ to spare, buy 3 single Spyderco triangle rods (50US$ total) plus 1 or 2 cheap double-sided bench whetstones (another 50US$ total) instead

The bottom line is: you need to do edge maintenance of your favorite 3-4 work horses 5-6 times per month, or at least 2x per month, right? But the ratio between how much time/efforts/mental energy it requires to maintain these 24 edges (4 work horses * 6 times/month) through a guided system setup and how fast the edge can lose its scary sharpness (ruined in a whiff, depending on usage and steel quality) is abysmal. The ratio is very frustrating and discouraging.

You know the first time I went to this Knife Shop here, I wanted info on Sharpening mainly and he demonstrated with the SpyderCo and told me about a friend of his that keeps a Notebook with dates of when he sharpend his knives. So basically he was trying to do every knife within a day or so from what I understood. And the owner of the shop said that’s why he recommends the Sharpmaker as it’s so much easier to setup when you feel like the few EDC knives start getting dull, that way he doesn’t spend much time on on doing 10-20 at a time lol
Which sounds like you are warning me of too.
But yeah, I plan on getting getting the Sharpmaker next weekend when I get paid.
People have only recommended I get an Edge Pro style system for my Tantos

Appreciate the information!

 

[kreisler]

But yeah, I plan on getting getting the Sharpmaker next weekend when I get paid.
People have only recommended I get an Edge Pro style system for my Tantos

Thanks for your feedback on my post, appreciated. The Spyderco triangle ceramic rods (called either 204M, 204F, or 204UF, depending on which stone you're talking about) are definitely intriguing powerful utilities in the hands of an experienced sharpener, and that's the only or really valuable part of the Sharpmaker product. The quality and property of 204F and 204UF is absolutely stunning, a marvel of creation (invention) and manufacturing.
Tbh I am no fan (and no more user) of the Sharpmaker itself (also termed "the 204MF"), i.e. the black plastic box as "V"-holder of the rods. In my other thread i pointed out that the plastic (and the ceramic) does have tolerance issues, depending on the production batch and production unit you're getting; i checked several Sharpmaker units from the same production batch. I hated that. To compensate for the tolerances i spent an entire afternoon figuring out how to compensate them with layers of adhesive tape, in order to reduce wobbliness (play). But with the tighter tolerances you run into the problem of abrading the black plastic even faster; i can see the white rods blackening while pushing them gently into the holes. Depending on which rod i inserted in which hole in which 'rotation', the wobbliness of the rod was just ridiculous. Most owners/buyers overlook and don't mind; the Sharpmaker box is still usable, if the rod is wobbly. It bothered me though. For that money i wanted homogenous equal tolerances of the holes and rods. There is no one to blame. A CNC-milled aluminum box would be the premium solution, but even then the 204M would start getting wobbly over time because the corner lines do wear down.

The three ceramic rods are really great for edge maintenance, when i use them for freehanding (which i call "204-freehanding"). And the black box is really great as carrying case for the three rods. That's how i do it. So summa summarum i am pleased with the Spyderco product (the printed manual is also very useful and nice!). In the end i have no buyer's remorse or regrets, even though i can't and i don't make use of the box as it's intended to be used. Even if the box were made out of aluminum with tight equal tolerances, i wouldn't use it as "V"-holder. I am tired of using the Sharpmaker (box) as it's intended to be used.

AGPTEK is a Chinese operated trading company with HQ in the States. They are famous on amazon for importing&distributing RUIZU MP3 players and similar SZX-made electronics. They buy from Chinese OEM companies (manufacturers, factories) and release the products, with a markup, under their own name ("brand").

The Edge Pro Style sharpening systems are super popular in Eastern Europe including Ukraine and Russia, see youtube. The quality of the included stones can be a hit (original RUIXIN) or miss (fake RUIXIN argh, or ADAEE) but they are all very usable and have their worth: I'd recommend the original RUIXIN stones for use in the system, and the fake stones (because they are too hardbound and coarse) for ruixin-freehanding.

Good luck with your new sharpening utilities, please let us know how you get along with them!

 

[AVigil]

I have a Edge Pro clone, think I paid $24 for it. I replaced the stones with some from Congress Tools. Congress tools stones are 1/4" thick and have a variety at very low prices.

If you need something on a budget this set up works fine.

I will be upgrading to the Hapstone system, they are leaps and bounds higher in quality then any clone or the edgepro.

 

[MikeyConti]

Thanks for your feedback on my post, appreciated. The Spyderco triangle ceramic rods (called either 204M, 204F, or 204UF, depending on which stone you're talking about) are definitely intriguing powerful utilities in the hands of an experienced sharpener, and that's the only or really valuable part of the Sharpmaker product. The quality and property of 204F and 204UF is absolutely stunning, a marvel of creation (invention) and manufacturing.
Tbh I am no fan (and no more user) of the Sharpmaker itself (also termed "the 204MF"), i.e. the black plastic box as "V"-holder of the rods. In my other thread i pointed out that the plastic (and the ceramic) does have tolerance issues, depending on the production batch and production unit you're getting; i checked several Sharpmaker units from the same production batch. I hated that. To compensate for the tolerances i spent an entire afternoon figuring out how to compensate them with layers of adhesive tape, in order to reduce wobbliness (play). But with the tighter tolerances you run into the problem of abrading the black plastic even faster; i can see the white rods blackening while pushing them gently into the holes. Depending on which rod i inserted in which hole in which 'rotation', the wobbliness of the rod was just ridiculous. Most owners/buyers overlook and don't mind; the Sharpmaker box is still usable, if the rod is wobbly. It bothered me though. For that money i wanted homogenous equal tolerances of the holes and rods. There is no one to blame. A CNC-milled aluminum box would be the premium solution, but even then the 204M would start getting wobbly over time because the corner lines do wear down.

The three ceramic rods are really great for edge maintenance, when i use them for freehanding (which i call "204-freehanding"). And the black box is really great as carrying case for the three rods. That's how i do it. So summa summarum i am pleased with the Spyderco product (the printed manual is also very useful and nice!). In the end i have no buyer's remorse or regrets, even though i can't and i don't make use of the box as it's intended to be used. Even if the box were made out of aluminum with tight equal tolerances, i wouldn't use it as "V"-holder. I am tired of using the Sharpmaker (box) as it's intended to be used.

AGPTEK is a Chinese operated trading company with HQ in the States. They are famous on amazon for importing&distributing RUIZU MP3 players and similar SZX-made electronics. They buy from Chinese OEM companies (manufacturers, factories) and release the products, with a markup, under their own name ("brand").

The Edge Pro Style sharpening systems are super popular in Eastern Europe including Ukraine and Russia, see youtube. The quality of the included stones can be a hit (original RUIXIN) or miss (fake RUIXIN argh, or ADAEE) but they are all very usable and have their worth: I'd recommend the original RUIXIN stones for use in the system, and the fake stones (because they are too hardbound and coarse) for ruixin-freehanding.

Good luck with your new sharpening utilities, please let us know how you get along with them!

Interesting about about the Sharpmaker, thanks for letting me know. Yeah, Iv seen all kinds of clonecd electronics sold by AGPTEK name, If i did get it, I would have just waited until I could buy the Stones that are Quality made. I also have been looking at the Work Sharp Guided Stone setup, since yesterday trying to get more info on that. But I will let you know, thanks again!

 

[kreisler]

I also have been looking at the Work Sharp Guided Stone setup,

I am looking at the WS GSS, too. I like what i am seeing. Appears like a quality build!

So yesterday i 204-freehanded my neglected Ganzo G732 which has a much thicker blade than my beloved Spyderco Endura. After 1 leather strop it was able to whittle hair (well, barely so). I find Ganzo's 440C(hinese) steel terrible because of its low edge retention, dulling very fast. But the fact that i can make it hair-whittling sharp manually with 2 ceramic rods (1x 204F, followed by 1x 204UF) and a strop means that i already know how to sharpen a knife and effectively so (little time, little efforts). I would not need the WS GSS. Its grit ratings are too coarse for my resharpening needs.

But i would love to play with it, test it, use it for other sharpening tasks.

 

[CasePeanut]

Worksharp gss is pretty nice. The diamond plates set up the edge and the ceramic hones and strop make it sharp.

 

[Sonnydaze]

Edge Pro Apex is my pick. Have had it five yrs and no problems. Mounted hi-power magnets under knife-holding tray, and makes vast difference in quality of my work. Very happy with it and Congress stones. I use Moldmaster stones from Congress Tools which are made for Edge Pro...Silicon carbide... and Jim Ankerson does use and like these stones for Edge Pro. I use mostly 400 and 600 grit from that company.

 

[Blues]

Yep. Jim is a big fan of the 320 and 400 grits in the Moldmasters. I bought a few at his recommendation and mounted 'em for the Edge Pro as well. Oh, and he recommends using Windex for keeping the stones clean and lubricated.