edgepro

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ChuckBuck

Joined
Oct 19, 2004
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I got a few knives sharpened buy a guy the other day and he was using the Edgepro Professional model. He sharpened all my knives very very well, esp my CUDA Dominator which he re-ground to 15 degrees I.E. he had to remove a lot of metal. The CUDA had been VERY, badly abused, as in cutting plastic sheets like on asphault to cover the ends of ductwork for the new medical center. Anyway the CUDA was litteraly so dull it couldn't even cut packing tape, I thouhgt it was lost forever. This guy brought it back to better than it was out of the box. Sorry for rambling. My question is, can you use the EdgePro Apex or Pro model, to get an edge fine enough to shave arm hairs with ease? The guy who did my knives did an excellent job, but when I asked him if they would be sharp enough to shave hairs off my arm, his response was "I don't take them down that far." I took this to mean that the equipment is capapble, but it takes a while longer...I'm seriously considering buying one for myself.
 
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can you use the EdgePro Apex or Pro model, to get an edge fine enough to shave arm hairs with ease?
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ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Achieving shaving sharp is trivial with an E/P (either model). You'll be able to tree-top hairs with ease. Then, if you get the polishing tapes, you'll be able to whittle hair. You will be able to cut yourself and not know it except that you'll start to notice blood dripping. No, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm being completely straight up with you. The E/P is an awesome sharpener (either model).
 
Yes, it's easy(you WILL need practice). More importantly a shaving sharp edge is the bare minimum any knife should be taken to. You can put a shaving sharp edge on with a coarse diamond stone, once you manage an armhair shaving edge with a coarse stone then you can move on to a finer one. At least that's the way I do it. I have the apex model, it's an excellent tool but I only use it for knives I want a perfect edge on, and those will cut hairs above the arm.

Edit: With ted on the "oops, man good thing I didn't cut myself OMG THE BLOOD!!!". I have done that a couple times.
 
It sounds like the guy is afraid you will hurt yourself. After he lowered your bevel, he would have needed only a few more strokes at a slightly higher angle to get a wickedly shaving sharp edge. The hard work was in lowering the bevel, not achieving a shaving edge. It's hard to explain how easily a shaving edge can be achieved with a properly used angle guide system, and as systems go, the Edge Pro PRO or Apex is the best available right now.
 
I have the Pro and can easily get a shaving sharp edge with the coarsest stone. I just have to be careful to use very, very light passes for my final grinding, and to get rid of the burr. It will easily tree top hair on the finer stones. There is a learning curve, but it is fast and you will learn a lot that will help you freehand like a pro if you ever decide to learn that as well.

It's also true, that with the polish tapes you won't feel cuts much at all until after they happen and you see them. But for my D2 and working knives, I like to leave a coarser edge, and finish with stropping.
 
If you want a good sharpener, then the Apex is your choice.
Easy and fast learning curve and takes your blade to a higher level of sharpness with ease! You will never regreat one.

Actually I regreat in the past years having spent money on a complete sharpmaker instead of jumping right into this one, but by then I though that I wouldn't need such a sharpening system. :D
The sharpmaker is faster for quick touch ups (that's why I still don't sell it), but the edge pro is definitly a must for anyone who is serious about knives.
 
The EdgePro will certainly put a shaving edge and and more on your blades. I use mine mostly for rebeveling a blade or straightening a bevel. I use a Sharpmaker for weekly touchups.
 
What they all said and more! The EdgePro concentrates your best efforts at sharpening so that your investment in time pays off in sharp edges more quickly than with other methods. And unlike other high-yield manners of sharpening (i.e. belt-sanders or the DMT D8XX diamond benchstone plus a couple waterstones), your edges will look more uniform and, well, pretty right from the get-go.
 
The guy was (about50%of the time) pushing pretty hard on the stones, really putting his weight into it, is that normal?
 
I wouldn't say it is abnormal, just not good on your stones. He was lowering your bevel, and he was trying to get the job done quicker. It also creates deeper scratches to have to polish out. As long as he let up on the pressure when the stone reached the very edge, then he didn't do anything wrong. This heavy pressure is only good for grinding away steel, and then there might be some damaged steel that needs to be sharpened away from the edge. On the sharpening stage however, starting out with medium to light pressure and ending with feather light pressure is necessary for a razor edge.
 
Achieving an edge that shaves arm hair is fairly easy even on a very course stone if you know what you are doing. When a knife shaves arm hair then I consider that at least a good start, otherwise it needs work. A really sharp and polished edge will easily pop hairs above the surface of your skin, but this may be too much depending on the use of the knife.
 
It sounds like he left your knives dull. He removed material but he didn't leave you with a refined, sharp edge.

I agree with the comments above. An edge that shaves hair is a start. If he didn't get you to shaving sharp he didn't sharpen them.
 
I'd have to agree with almost everyone on this one. Theres no need to be putting your body weight into sharpening, and even without moving up to a stropping, or finer grit stage the knife should be shaving hair quite easily. I find that less pressure in the final stages of sharpening is the only way to go. Not sure why but the light touch in the final steps is what really makes 'em "scary sharp"
 
ChuckBuck said:
The knives can shave arm hair, but not with ease, you gotta kind of scrape em off.:(
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He either didn't remove all of the burr or your knife needs steeling,I can get kitchen knives to shave at 21 deg and a 200 stone. You should see what happens at 13 deg and a 800 stone
 
I bought an Edge Pro Apex, their non professional model, and I'm disappointed in the results I get. It's well made, they are nice people and answer all questions but I feel it's a design flaw. The knife is not in any way clamped to provide a constant angle. You hold it down with one hand while working the stone with the other. Any shift and the angle is changed.

I may not be a concert pianist but I have done much of my own rifle work, art work, I work with my hands everyday doing electronic repair, things that take coordination. I find there is no way I can hold the blade with one hand and sharpen with the other. I get a sharp knife eventually but when you hold the blade to the light you will see all different angles.

I bought an Edge Pro on the recommendation of a friend that's a professional knife maker, he uses the top of the line Edge Pro. But he has learned that he needs to clamp the knife to get a even edge, holding it by hand as the instructions state doesn't give a professional result. Unfortunatelly you cannot adapt a clamp to the Apex, or at least I haven't found a way.

What do you Apex owners do to keep the blade from shifting?
 
Bit of practice was all it took. Some blade grinds are more difficult than others but I got the hang of it pretty quick. On some knives it's possible to remove the guide clip and use the guide as a clamp.
 
Recoil Rob said:
I bought an Edge Pro Apex, their non professional model, and I'm disappointed in the results I get. It's well made, they are nice people and answer all questions but I feel it's a design flaw. The knife is not in any way clamped to provide a constant angle. You hold it down with one hand while working the stone with the other. Any shift and the angle is changed....
What do you Apex owners do to keep the blade from shifting?
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I felt that way for about 10 minutes, too. It does take a bit of practice, but after learning it I've come to see the lack of a clamp as the systems chief virtue. All clamp systems I've ever seen either scratch the blade or get in the way of sharpening at low angles, and most do both. Plus, with clamps you normally have to unclamp & reclamp repeatedly when sharpening long blades.

The key, as allude to by Ben Dale, is not to over-hold it. That is to say, a light touch works best. Most knives don't take much pressure to hold on the ramp- gravity does most of it.

The only time I have any issues now is with goofy shaped blades. I sharpened my dads Junkyard Dog and it doesn't seem to have a single flat spot! Eventually I found a good compromise that holds hard and got a damned good edge on it.

The key is to practice and not get discouraged. If I can do it you almost certainly can!:D
 
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