Greetings: A short boring story of why, I feel. the Edgepro is excellent at addressing my needs. In the mid to late 1960s, I worked summers as a counselor at Ten Mile River Scout camp in NarrowsBurg NY. For three of those summers, among other tasks, I gave presentations on wood craft and camping from late June till Late August to what seemed like thousands (really hundreds) of campers (all Boy Scouts). This included, among many other things, knife and hatchet maintenance. My enthusiasm was good, my sharpening skills were not. This camp was operated by the Greater New York City Boy Scout Councils. At least 95 percent of the scouts were New York City boys, an area not noted for it's vast wood crafting opportunities and a tradition of outdoorsmanship. For many this was their first opportunity to use a knife or hatchet on anything other than a popsicle stick. Among these city boys, there were a few, who after my brief demonstration on the nuts and bolts of sharpening, were putting edges on their equipment that were embarrassingly superior to mine. I suspected these boys had previous experience in sharpening. Nope. Questioning revealed that this was their first, or at best, maybe third time sharpening anything. My conclusion then ~ these kids are making me look bad. My conclusion now ~ some people are naturally better at sharpening than others. Practice can improve results but only to the limit of personal ability. Can't be good at everything. My grandfather, a cabinet maker, could put outstandingly sharp edges on his knives and tools using three oil soaked bench stones that were so badly dished they could be used as soup bowls. My father, his son, could not. Fast forward to today. IMO, whether a novice or expert sharpener, there are three primary PERSONAL components involved in sharpening: Technique, practice and talent. I can study techniques. I can practice for years. But talent still eludes me. Not unlike why some knife makers are amazing artists and artisans while others are good but they are not great. It appears that free hand sharpening is a combination of art and science. I don't possess the art but I can utilize the science. My cooking sucks but I still enjoy a good meal. My sharpening skills are not the best but I still appreciate a keen edge on my knives. Enter the EdgePro. Although my skills are minimal, the EdgePro is, in my experience, the best readily available method or system that allows me to get a very sharp edge on every blade I've sharpened. I would not be foolish enough to attempt to compare my limited knowledge and ability with those of KnifeNut1013 nor hope to compare my posts with his substantial history of contributing to this forum. However, I see the Edgepro as a tool which allows me to consistently approach the level of results that he and others can produces by their personal talent and abilities. It lets me get an Edge like a Pro. IMO it works fast and well. Hence it's popularity. I'm still working on using my bench stones and other systems but as of now, the Edgepro gives me great results without frustration. OldDude1
Originally Posted by knifenut1013
"The precise bevel look nice but in use tend to show the most wear and sometimes even small chipping, something I quickly found out with one of my CPM-D2 blades."
There have been several concepts presented on different forums that I have not as of yet been able to fully grasp and understand. THIS is the most recent. Can ANYONE explain, in simplistic terms, what is being referenced here ? Is this wear cosmetic or structural or what ? Is it easily visible or only observable at the microscopic level ?
. Also, I do not think I could accurately sharpen the tip with the hilt hanging four feet away with all that leverage on my left hand while moving the stone with my right.
That leaves me all the 'Main Gauche' to sharpen. MUCH easier!! LOL!