EdgePro vs. Sharpmaker

[BBQ BOY]

I have an EdgePro now and have difficulty getting my knives sharp. I am a rookie at sharpening knives and have a lot of expensive knives. I do not wan to mess those up but I just do not see where the Sharpmaker is superior or easier to operate as some have told me.

 

[IdahoBackwoods]

Have you watched the EdgePro videos carefully? If you watch them until you're sure you understand them and practice carefully, it's hard to see how you could NOT get good results.

If your knives are not getting sharp, the reason usually is that you are not holding a constant angle of stone to blade. The EdgePro does better at keeping the blade-to-stone angle constant than any other method I've tried. Are you sure you aren't rocking the blade? Some blades don't lie flat on the table, and may need to be shimmed in some way to keep from rocking.

Perhaps you should call EdgePro and talk to Ben Dale himself. He's more than willing to help his customers.

 

[BBQ BOY]

Yes I have watched the video about 10 times.
It is possible that the blade is moving(rocking) while I am sharpening it but I am careful that it doesn't.

 

[DennisStrickland]

the results posted by ankerson & others using the edge pro are impressive .the only reason i have'nt bought one is i keep buying more knives. dennis

 

[sambo.]

just buy a couple of benchstones and a $12 Mora to learn freehand sharpening with.

it really isn't that hard to do.

 

[RevDevil]

I have an EdgePro now and have difficulty getting my knives sharp. I am a rookie at sharpening knives and have a lot of expensive knives. I do not wan to mess those up but I just do not see where the Sharpmaker is superior or easier to operate as some have told me.

Sharpmaker has no clamps, the angles are consistent so long as you don't have a seizure while sharpening. So long as you hold the knife with spine up and the cutting edge down, slice across the stone, you get a decent edge. It may not be all pretty mirror polished and cannot see yourself on the cutting edge, but it does work. :thumbup:

 

[powernoodle]

I could never get a knife sharp on a Sharpmaker. I'm the one guy out of 300 who can't. Thats fine. User error, I'm sure.

I finally gave up and got an Edge Pro. To me, it seems almost foolproof, because it holds the knife at the same angle throughout the sharpening process which is key to getting a great edge.

I slapped a mirror edge on my first try, and now am looking for knives to sharpen.

So I encourage you to go back to the Edge Pro as suggested above and give it another try. Even if its your 11th try. Or give them a call too. Once all of the planets align for you, you will be hooked.

 

[MVF]

I'm with powernoodle (we must be the 2 out of 600). Never got any decent results from my Sharpmaker- except when I just used the sticks freehand. EdgePro was good edges from the get go- although I'm still waiting on being able to "treetop".

 

[SpartanSaint]

I could never get a knife sharp on a Sharpmaker. I'm the one guy out of 300 who can't. Thats fine. User error, I'm sure.

I finally gave up and got an Edge Pro. To me, it seems almost foolproof, because it holds the knife at the same angle throughout the sharpening process which is key to getting a great edge.

I slapped a mirror edge on my first try, and now am looking for knives to sharpen.

So I encourage you to go back to the Edge Pro as suggested above and give it another try. Even if its your 11th try. Or give them a call too. Once all of the planets align for you, you will be hooked.

if only they weren't so expensive, but i gotta be honest, not a fan of your little signature thinger. freaks me out

 

[on_the_edge]

Since you have the Edge Pro, keep working with it and you will eventually get the hang of it. That is really the only secret--keep at it until you get it.

I can sharpen a knife using a variety of methods. I learned many of them not because one way was easy, faster, or superior to another, but simply for the sake of knowing. Some methods were easier to learn, but all were worth learning how to do the right way.

 

[MORIMOTOM]

I'm with powernoodle (we must be the 2 out of 600). Never got any decent results from my Sharpmaker- except when I just used the sticks freehand. EdgePro was good edges from the get go- although I'm still waiting on being able to "treetop".

3/900. or 3/300. whatever, i could never get a knife sharp on the sharpmaker either.


now one of the first things i do when i get a new knife is put a mirror edge on it with the apex.

i do still use the sharpmaker, though. after the edge pro i'll run it over the extra fine stones to confirm the angle, knock of any burr left, and clean up the edge.

i easily get mine shaving sharp, but have never tree topped a hair. not sure how that is accomplished.

 

[vickmacky]

if only they weren't so expensive, but i gotta be honest, not a fan of your little signature thinger. freaks me out

I think its funny as hell

I will second the freehand methods. I have no doubt that the sharpmaker and edge pro produce excellent results, as the picture shows, but I dont like to switch methods, i.e. edge pro at home and then freehand in the field. It just messes up my rhythm. I'm having enough trouble going from v-grind to convex. I keep wanting to hold the convex higher than I should.

 

[Hitzy]

I always looked at the sharpmaker like a kitchen steel, fine for an already sharp knife, but thats about it. It doesn't remove enough material to really sharpen a dull or damaged knife.
I've used a $30 Lansky kit for about a year now, really only use the course (120) and fine(600) stones now, and I'm more that happy with the results. Lets me put different angles on different blades for different uses, and is pretty quick now that I've used it a lot. I stick it in a wood vice when I use it. I've used it on every current steel out there with the same great results.
For keeping a sharp knife sharp, I use one of the Lansky pocket sharpeners with the white ceramic sticks on one side, and carbide steels on the other....about $5.

 

[Heiheit]

I always looked at the sharpmaker like a kitchen steel, fine for an already sharp knife, but thats about it. It doesn't remove enough material to really sharpen a dull or damaged knife.
I've used a $30 Lansky kit for about a year now, really only use the course (120) and fine(600) stones now, and I'm more that happy with the results. Lets me put different angles on different blades for different uses, and is pretty quick now that I've used it a lot. I stick it in a wood vice when I use it. I've used it on every current steel out there with the same great results.
For keeping a sharp knife sharp, I use one of the Lansky pocket sharpeners with the white ceramic sticks on one side, and carbide steels on the other....about $5.

no no no no! Never use a carbide scraper on any knife unless you enjoy destroying them. Carbide scarpers are probably one of the worst things you can use on an edge.. I'd rather cut into cinderblocks than use one of those.

 

[Bierkameel]

I love my Sharpmaker, I get all my knives shaving sharp with it.
Also get the ultra fine rods for it, makes an finer edge.

 

[Hitzy]

no no no no! Never use a carbide scraper on any knife unless you enjoy destroying them. Carbide scarpers are probably one of the worst things you can use on an edge.. I'd rather cut into cinderblocks than use one of those.

I guess it depends on how you use it.....I haven't seen any negative effects.
1 or 2 very light pulls across resets the edge and doesn't even remove any material. I find it great for field use.

 

[RevDevil]

if only they weren't so expensive, but i gotta be honest, not a fan of your little signature thinger. freaks me out

Where is your tinfoil hat?

 

[IdahoBackwoods]

I have an EdgePro now and have difficulty getting my knives sharp. I am a rookie at sharpening knives and have a lot of expensive knives. I do not wan to mess those up ...

One thing I should add to my earlier suggestions: Some knives have a considerable flat surface that rests nicely on the "table" of the EdgePro, and those knives are easier to sharpen well. Other knives have very little flat surface and so are more difficult to hold so they won't rock. IF THE KNIVES ROCK WHILE YOU ARE SHARPENING, THE ANGLE OF THE BLADE EDGE TO THE STONE WILL KEEP CHANGING, AND THIS WILL KEEP YOU FROM GETTING GOOD RESULTS. With a knife that has little flat surface -- a hammer-forged blade, for example -- you may have to pitch it forward so that it lies on its primary bevel. (But if you do this, you will need to change the angle setting on the stone holder.)

Start out with knives that lie flat and don't rock, because you'll find it easier to get good results in the beginning. Also, you should not have to use much downward force on the stone holder while sharpening. The stone floats over the blade lightly. It's the many passes over the blade that do the work, and not a lot of force. If you use much downward force on the stone holder, it will make the blade rock on the table.

 

[fallen1]

i easily get mine shaving sharp, but have never tree topped a hair. not sure how that is accomplished.

Best way for me is a strop and Bark River's green compound. I can do it with a Black Arkansas but it takes a bit longer. Probably because its less forgiving and wayyyy smaller.

 

[MassMatt]

You gotta go with what works for you; I heard great things about both the Sharpmaker and the Edge Pro, went w/ the former as it seemed simpler to use. I have good results with all but TWO kitchen knives, I suspect it's the steel or perhaps there's a strange bevel or something. Recurves can be a bit of a challenge but have been able to get good results.

If you think the Sharpmaker won't take off enough steel, they have diamond rods for it, supposedly they are very aggressive but I've never had a need.