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Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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ERU sharpener review. Latest Feedback 2/14
- Thread starter Fred.Rowe
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Thanks for the correction. I new that, but my fingers refused to strike the correct key. It is rated at 95 by the manufacturer.
Thanks for your post, Fred
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My grandfather's words of wisdom: "Don't knock it until you have tried it." If it works as advertised, you may have a winner there. Most people other than the "extreme knife knuts" on here (myself included) want a quick down and dirty sharpener that will get their knives back up and cutting what they need to cut with little effort or expense expended. I sharpen a lot of kitchen knives that have usually been abused with a cheap pull through sharpener or an expensive "Chef's special" electric knife destroyer by the owners. They were almost to a person satisfied with the results from their efforts. After having their knives "really sharpened correctly" (in my opinion at least) they were astonished with the results and the resulting ease of use with their knives. Something like this if successful would put a lot of people like meout of business. Which in my case is not to bad as I am retired and only sharpen knives as a hobby and as a very limited income. (enough to buy a cup of Starbucks every so often) I hope you are successful and look forward to the final product.
Blessings,
Omar
In my knife shop I can put an edge on a blade that should be illegal, it is so sharp its dangerous to be around. That kind of edge is not what the majority of knife users can safely use or in truth need to complete most task, outside doing field surgery.
I've carried one of them on my hip for the last year and its so useful, when working at some tack and finding your edge has dulled, to slip the ERU out, set the angle and strop. The knife is ready to continue the task.
I appreciate the endeavors of people who work to attain the sharpest edge imaginable but the majority of knife users would just like to be able to cut meat or slice veggies.
Thanks for posting, Fred
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Fred, very interesting design, every sharpener had its place, if that weren't so there wouldn't be so many different systems out there. I think you've hit on a deficiency inherent in most if not all pull through sharpeners, the inability to compensate for varying angles.
Having been a fabricator/millwright/machinist for all my life I'm always looking to improve on any concept, I think you've got something there. I'd love to test it out and write an honest review about it.
I've been freehand sharpening for 40 years, I've tried most systems, (Spyderco, Lansky, Edge Pro, Gatco, DMT) but for ease of use and convenience I prefer stones and hones but I'd love to field test your system, I'm intrigued.
Best of luck Fred and keep on building that better mouse trap, there's a market out there for sure as evidenced by all the "...please help me out an edge back on my knife." threads out there.
Having been a fabricator/millwright/machinist for all my life I'm always looking to improve on any concept, I think you've got something there. I'd love to test it out and write an honest review about it.
I've been freehand sharpening for 40 years, I've tried most systems, (Spyderco, Lansky, Edge Pro, Gatco, DMT) but for ease of use and convenience I prefer stones and hones but I'd love to field test your system, I'm intrigued.
Best of luck Fred and keep on building that better mouse trap, there's a market out there for sure as evidenced by all the "...please help me out an edge back on my knife." threads out there.
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E-mail sent!
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I am generally against pull throughs because I can sharpen a knife, but very few people I know can. This is the kind of product that will definitely be good for an ax or machete, and with a little proper technique be good for any knife that needs an edge quickly that doesn't need to be perfect. Some people just plainly can't handle sitting down for an hour or more and sharpening their knives, and once they learn what angles they like they can use this tool around the house until they get stones, and around the shed until it finally wears out.
Remember, not all pull through sharpeners are made equally. I have one that actually gives a wonderful edge, but can't handle any steel more wear resistant than around AUS-8. It barely even scratches VG-10, and S30V laughs at it. For simple carbon steel, though, it gives a hair popping edge in a few minutes, and barely removes metal.
Remember, not all pull through sharpeners are made equally. I have one that actually gives a wonderful edge, but can't handle any steel more wear resistant than around AUS-8. It barely even scratches VG-10, and S30V laughs at it. For simple carbon steel, though, it gives a hair popping edge in a few minutes, and barely removes metal.
What a wonderful idea! Obviously this isn't a device to replace EdgePro, WE, or even the DMT Aligner. It is, as you say, a 'Field Sharpener,' and as such, combines safe, effective results with portability. If in fact it works as claimed, and we have no reason to think otherwise, this could be the new and better 'mousetrap' the world has been waiting for! I'll be keeping an eye out for your opening sales. I'd love to try out this device!
Stitchawl
Stitchawl
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Email sent Fred.
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I am also; I hate pull through sharpeners. But this is a different experience. Its matching the angle of the carbides to the bevel at the edge. This does not do bad things to the edge it does good things. When it cradles the edge with the carbide strips; each pass makes the edge more true. Knives I've carried for a year have the most beautiful edge on them. There is really no comparison. I will be taking some pics this week of edges that I have maintained at length with this tool. It will be a good way to share the results.
Thats correct; its not supposed to be used as a replacement for a Lansky. Used in conjunction, where you know the edge angles your working with and you can renew the edge whenever needed. Its handy and amazingly accurate. We spent a great deal of time making sure that was the case.
Fred
Have you used it at all on edges that have come from the factory poorly ground, or on edges that have been seriously neglected? I'm thinking it wouldn't really be able to do much to an edge that has been really badly neglected or poorly ground to begin with.
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I'll be curious to see how it handles the different steels out there, I don't have anything to fancy but some ATS34, some VG10, some 440s, a little bit of everything from softer to super hard, I think I even have a piece of Stellite/Talonite from the late Rob Simonich I can try it on.
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It depends on the amount of time you have to invest. Its surprising how much can be done with it. Each edge is a puzzle in itself until its been trued to a specific angle. As I said above, it makes glaring, the many imperfections in an edge. Unless the edge has been established in a controlled manner its hard to say what your dealing with. I sharpened a mid 60's factory scandi ground blade in early summer, it was a nice old knife and it had not been used a whole lot. The bevels looked like they had spent the last 50 years in the bottom of someones fishing tackle box. It was carbon and not stainless. It took me about an hour, with the ERU clamped in my shop vise to bring the bevels/edge back to an almost new state. Scandi grinds are truly suited for this tool. I have one I'm working on as I sit in my easy chair talking with my family, this evening.
I've applied for a patent on this so I don't mind explaining the concept. At the core of the patent is the position of the faces of the carbides. They sit 3/32 off center of the radius point of the disc. A thirty second either way and you cant produce this series of angles. It does not work radially. I've been through that.
I grind blades using known bevel angles and set specific angles at the edges of the knives I make. I use a Bubble Jig and follow up with the ERU. When I finish with the finest grit in my sharpening process and have a nice wire edge from tip to plunge, I take the knife to the ERU clamped in the vise and with one pass at the specified matching angle I've been grinding with, remove the wire edge from the blade. Its pretty neat. From there on its easy to maintain the edge; you know the angles.
Fred
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So, it's like a rather aggressive honing steel? Not designed to remove much if any steel, just there to take the burr off and smooth it out?
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I would say thats a good interpretation. When an edge is has dulled slightly there is no need to remove steel. If you work on a a blade for an hour in an evening you can reshape an edge a good deal, but thats not the main purpose . My interest with this tool was maintenance over regrind.
I'll get some edge pics up that will help a lot. Pictures are worth a thousand words and the like.
Fred
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Very much looking forward to those pics. This crowd may be a hard sell (you know, because we are the elite ), but I personally hope it works well.
In any case, I believe you'll get honest and fair assessment here.
), but I personally hope it works well. In any case, I believe you'll get honest and fair assessment here.
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Sir,
Yes, I agree that Fred has corrected a defiiciency and things have definately improved in the last 15 years or so but for many years the market has had plenty of gadjet sharpeners that were just junk and belong in the trash can.
There are still plenty of those rolling wheel type sharpeners around that I can remember since my parents were young and newer electric kinds that are brutal on a knife. These ether take off way to much metal or don't really sharpen and just tear at the edge.
I just want our newer sharpener buyers to use a little caution because there are still plenty of junky gadjets on the market.
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I think this might be a good product but you're likely not finding your target audience here. It's really better for the general public who don't shave their forearms on a regular basis and consider knife maintenance to be a chore.
I guess the question is, what is your anticipated price point? I'm thinking it needs to be somewhat competitive with the cheapie pull throughs (Smith's etc.) to really be a big seller. That said, the ability to pick an edge angle is appealing *to me* and if inexpensive enough I could see myself buying a few as gifts for people who could benefit from having something like this around (you know those people, you go to their house and try to help them cook dinner and next thing you know, you're looking for a coffee mug because you're making tomato puree instead of tomato slices...)
I guess the question is, what is your anticipated price point? I'm thinking it needs to be somewhat competitive with the cheapie pull throughs (Smith's etc.) to really be a big seller. That said, the ability to pick an edge angle is appealing *to me* and if inexpensive enough I could see myself buying a few as gifts for people who could benefit from having something like this around (you know those people, you go to their house and try to help them cook dinner and next thing you know, you're looking for a coffee mug because you're making tomato puree instead of tomato slices...)
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I gotta disagree here, the wilderness and survival guys aren't all elite or hair whittling experts, their needs are different than the guy who wants to fillet hair, they need a quick reproducible edge on their field knives, these are working knives that typically aren't more acute than 25°.
There's always room for improvement on any design, if this takes a field sharpener to the next level I'm all for it, who wants a full set of stones and hones in the woods? Aren't we making a compromise when we take a 2 sided pocket hone into the field instead of a complete set of stones?
If you want the perfect edge bring in a belt grinder, if you want a perfectly serviceable edge you will have more options and I think that's what this is about.
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If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, one of grandma's favorite sayings. I'm used to heavy critique; it's taken 5 years to have my Bubble Jig grinding system accepted in the industry. There everywhere now.Very much looking forward to those pics. This crowd may be a hard sell (you know, because we are the elite
In any case, I believe you'll get honest and fair assessment here.
I did take a few pictures of my EDC's; a small double blade pocket knife and one of my own creations out of 1084. They have only seen the ERU sharpener over the last year and a half. The pics aren't the greatest, not one of my accomplishments, but you can see the edges are smooth and even. These blades are always sharp and that is easy to maintain, with the ER on my belt.
I worked on this scandi last evening for a half hour. Its a factory blade, with a lot of 120 grinding marks in it. The sharpener is set to match the bevel angle. As you can see by the magic marker that I have the angle set just a little to high. Its set a 22 1/2 I think I will lower it to 22 degrees even.
I will put up more pictures of the scandi blade as the bevels are refined. The scratches are pretty deep, but it will be a good test.
Ah yes, the rolling wheel sharpeners. There is nothing those things cannot destroy.
I could have drilled a hole in it and put it on a lanyard an put it in with the neck knives; but thats not what this is at all. I would have stayed at home if this was about bringing another worthless gadget to market. There are plenty of those out there as you point out.
We are so conditioned to what carbide "V" sharpeners do to a knife blade as the rule of thumb that for some its hard to see where this could be different.
I assure you that is not whats happening here. Knife making in general is a matter of producing exact angles and proportion and that includes, most of all, "The Edge"
Thanks for posting Lawrence
Fred
I have no interest in selling a million, with my own TV ad. In the consumer reports the many sharpeners tested in the adjustable category were found to be off as mush as 7 degrees, with none of them accurate to withing a degree. The ERU on the other hand is accurate within 1/2 degree each and every time its set. This is a precision tool, not to be confused with cheap plastic sharpeners that tear up your fine cutlery.
If you can afford the 75.00 cost of the ERU and are a discerning knife person, I would suggest you purchase one for yourself.
Thanks for posting Ted, you will prove yourself correct shortly.
I am an accomplished sharpener. I say it with all sincerity. I have been studying and making sharp knife edges for 17 years in a serious manner.
I know what sharp is and how to get there. Not bragging its what many of us have worked hard to learn.
I agree this tool will fill that huge hole for people who need a tool they can learn to use easily, be very accurate over a wide range and is portable.
Then again, it is so accurate as well as adjustable, that it will find service with people who have a broad sharpening knowledge.
After spending two years working with this, I am convinced that a great edge is all about maintaining the correct angle when sharpening.
Fred
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