Hey Fred, (and all the fine people who have posted on this thread),
I do not make knives, nor do I have sophisticated equipment to put the "edge" on knives. I am one of the previously aforementioned hunters who has working knives and a large selection of hunting knives and EDC's. Believe it or not, there are some very educated hunters and outdoors type men who wish they had a device that could put a quality edge on their blades with a few quick strokes! I believe that I am your target market. As an avid hunter and due to the fact that my parents owned one of the best gun store/sporting goods store here in Augusta, GA, I have accumulated a large number of production fixed blades and folders as well as quite a collection of hand made knives. My uncle was a knife maker of some renown in this area of the country. I was taught how to put an edge on a blade, pretty much any blade, the old fashioned way........using stones and oil. At any given time you will find bald spots shaved on my left arm as I am right handed. I like 'em sharp. Thinking back, I probably changed every angle on every blade to the "tried and true" angle I achieved on the stone, and that was determined by gut....not too steep, not too flat, once on the right, once on the left. I am not a long time member of Blade Forums, however, I am a lifetime knife owner and I have read this entire thread with great interest. I do have something to say about your ERU. The ERU is EXACTLY the device I am looking for!! I would love a device that would not only put a quick edge on my blade, but also allow me to keep the same angle on the edge that the manufacturer originally matched to the knife. Maybe it's just me, but that makes one hell of a lot of sense! I am assuming that the maker of the knife put what they thought was the optimal edge angle on their blades. I would like to keep the same angles when I sharpen them. Obviously, it would be a great tool for use out in the field as I skin five or six deer that my family members took down. However, I also think I would find it useful at the house. I switch out EDC's depending on whether I am in a suit or if I am in casual clothes or even jeans. My knives get used, except some of my custom knives which have the original edge that was put on them years ago and don't get used. I don't plan on ever having to sharpen those! As you can all attest, it is amazing how often you use a blade if you have one in your pocket! I learned that if you don't let your knife lose its edge, it is much easier to "touch" it up and keep the blade nice and sharp. Most of the labor and time saving devices out there seem to be limited to 30 degree angles. I have learned from this thread that 30 degrees may not be the correct angle for optimum sharpness. In addition, as has already been pointed out, they eat up the steel in the process. I will admit that I don't know much about the technical aspects of a knife edge with bevels, micro bevels and such. I can't really tell if those magnified edges in the pictures will shave the hair on my arm, but pic number two seems to have a pretty nice edge to it. I know sharp by testing, and I can tell if the edge is "pretty" and consistent with my naked eye. With that being said, I applaud your ingenuity and would like to buy one of your devices. I will even re-post and let all the fine people on this thread know what a regular guy thinks about the ERU. After all, it's guys like me that buy the custom knives that some of you produce. In summary, Fred, I would like to buy one of your ERU's to use on my working knives. Let me know how I can go about getting my hands on one. I will share it with my friends and family and provide a respectful and honest review.
Regards,
Donnie
, Fred
