(If you have already seen all of these, just scroll through the post quickly, and sorry for wasting your time.)
I got into knife sharpening two months ago. Whetstone to Lansky to tri-hone to Lansky + base to the Edge Pro Clone. I planned on pulling the trigger on a top shelf sharpener this week, but first I wanted to do a little research. Now I can barely see the light up there from this rabbit hole.
The Work Sharp seems extremely efficient, but doesn't really give you the payoff of getting a mirrored edge after sweating bullets for half an hour.
The Wicked Edge appears to be able to produce the sharpest/prettiest edge that one could hope for. It also appears to be the Apple of knife sharpening companies - it can deliver results unsurpassed by most, but at a cost. It also doesn't play well with others. From what I can tell, the stones/stone holders aren't compatible with other similar systems.
This lead me to, rather, brought me back to the Edge Pro. I've purchased the spring, shaft collar, Angle Cube, and several EP and Congress stones. I'm sure that everyone has their sweet spot between a smooth river rock and a $2000 motorized sharpener, and I think that mine is the Edge Pro. I enjoy the entire process of sharpening edges on this thing. The amount of time that it takes to progress through the stones paired with the actual switching of the stones/blade position is right up my alley. I've been looking for ways to get better results via mods/hacks/upgrades, and here's what I've found so far:
Google: NRA's FrankenSharp
Google: MadRookie (I'm sure everyone has seen this guy's genius.)
Different take on the spring mod:
The Angle Cube - I use this with every stone change.
A sort-of quick release for the drill stop collar.
A turning knob for the same effect.
A stand alone photo of the stone arm pivot that is no longer available from CKTG.
A mod for keeping the edge of your knife aligned with the edge of the blade table.
A variation from above. The outline of the blade is mirrored on both sides of the guide.
A home for the neo magnets on an EPP.
A minimalist clamp attached to an EP Clone.
The more extreme version, utilizing a modified KME sharpener.
A guide adjustment for the Apex so that your stone doesn't get in the way while using the DSC.
I'm sure that there are 100 more like this, and I really hope that y'all can add to this list.
After seeing so many different homemade variations of the system, I've decided to make my own. The last thing left to order is the blade table and the upper base/shaft that it sits on. I'll keep you posted.
I got into knife sharpening two months ago. Whetstone to Lansky to tri-hone to Lansky + base to the Edge Pro Clone. I planned on pulling the trigger on a top shelf sharpener this week, but first I wanted to do a little research. Now I can barely see the light up there from this rabbit hole.
The Work Sharp seems extremely efficient, but doesn't really give you the payoff of getting a mirrored edge after sweating bullets for half an hour.
The Wicked Edge appears to be able to produce the sharpest/prettiest edge that one could hope for. It also appears to be the Apple of knife sharpening companies - it can deliver results unsurpassed by most, but at a cost. It also doesn't play well with others. From what I can tell, the stones/stone holders aren't compatible with other similar systems.
This lead me to, rather, brought me back to the Edge Pro. I've purchased the spring, shaft collar, Angle Cube, and several EP and Congress stones. I'm sure that everyone has their sweet spot between a smooth river rock and a $2000 motorized sharpener, and I think that mine is the Edge Pro. I enjoy the entire process of sharpening edges on this thing. The amount of time that it takes to progress through the stones paired with the actual switching of the stones/blade position is right up my alley. I've been looking for ways to get better results via mods/hacks/upgrades, and here's what I've found so far:
Google: NRA's FrankenSharp
Google: MadRookie (I'm sure everyone has seen this guy's genius.)
Different take on the spring mod:
The Angle Cube - I use this with every stone change.
A sort-of quick release for the drill stop collar.
A turning knob for the same effect.
A stand alone photo of the stone arm pivot that is no longer available from CKTG.
A mod for keeping the edge of your knife aligned with the edge of the blade table.
A variation from above. The outline of the blade is mirrored on both sides of the guide.
A home for the neo magnets on an EPP.
A minimalist clamp attached to an EP Clone.
The more extreme version, utilizing a modified KME sharpener.
A guide adjustment for the Apex so that your stone doesn't get in the way while using the DSC.
I'm sure that there are 100 more like this, and I really hope that y'all can add to this list.
After seeing so many different homemade variations of the system, I've decided to make my own. The last thing left to order is the blade table and the upper base/shaft that it sits on. I'll keep you posted.