Excellent sharpeners and strop.

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Chuck Asher

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Jan 3, 2002
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I have been very serious about sharpening knives for 3 or 4 years. I own around 175 knives and have a lot of sharpening equipment. My sharpening equipment includes three 1x30 belt sanders, a Workshop knife sharpener, a Spyderco Triangle sharpener with diamond and ultra fine rods, paper wheels, about every kind of whetstone, pull through, etc. you can think of, a Tormek T4 and a TSPROF Blitz 360. I also have a variety of strops and an Edge on Up PT50A sharpness tester.

I document every knife in a three ring binder and every time I sharpen the knife I include how it cuts paper and shaves (if it does), other pertinent information and the average BESS score (the average fo 3 to 5 readings from tip to heel) of the blade.

As you can see, I have spent a lot of money on sharpening equipment trying to find out what works for me and a lot of time learning how to get knives sharp. The best sharpening equipment that I have found is the:
1) Tormek T4. This machine, once you learn how to use it, will easily get most blades into the BESS range of 100 - 150.
2) TSPROF Blitz 360. This machine is amazing. Used properly, you can get BESS scores of 50 through 100 (or sometimes lower). About 80% of my knives now have BESS readings under 100 and 2 knives are slightly below 50.

The best strop is MY DENIM PANTS LEG! I have tried several deburring methods including paper wheels, leather belt sander belts, hanging leather belts, etc. Recently I needed to deburr a knife, didn't have another strop handy, and tried my pants leg. It worked so well I started experimenting with this way of deburring. I have been amazed. My pants leg works better than any of the other things I have tried. I recommend trying using your pants leg. You might be surprised at how well it works!
 
I currently own at least 4 or 5 pairs of jeans that've been prematurely 'retired' due to my wearing a thin patch on the left thigh... that's where I've been stropping my knives as I make the finishing touches to my edges. After I wore a thin patch in the first pair or two, I wondered if it was just a coincidence. But now I'm up to four pair, or maybe five, with the same threadbare wear pattern on the left thigh. I've been a believer in denim stropping for a long while now, and the 'evidence' of that is now undeniable. In fact, I need to go jeans-shopping again. I don't have any more decent-looking ones on hand right now. :D

In an effort to save my jeans going forward, I've recently 'repurposed' a scrap of oak flooring toward stropping use. On the unfinished bottom side, I just sanded the oak a bit with some 150-grit sandpaper to smooth out any bumps. That side works well to realign and (perhaps) refine the edges on the knives I like to carry in simple carbon steel like 1095 or CV. On the finished upper side of the oak, I applied an iron-on patch of denim material to do the 'cleanup' after using the bare oak side.

BTW, the iron-on patch material is a ready-made product for patching holes in jeans, ironically. Bought it at Walmart in a 10" x 12" piece, which I cut down to size for my oak & denim 'strop'. As the name implies, just a hot iron is needed to affix the material to the wood. Works like a champ.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I currently own at least 4 or 5 pairs of jeans that've been prematurely 'retired' due to my wearing a thin patch on the left thigh... that's where I've been stropping my knives as I make the finishing touches to my edges. After I wore a thin patch in the first pair or two, I wondered if it was just a coincidence. But now I'm up to four pair, or maybe five, with the same threadbare wear pattern on the left thigh. I've been a believer in denim stropping for a long while now, and the 'evidence' of that is now undeniable. In fact, I need to go jeans-shopping again. I don't have any more decent-looking ones on hand right now. :D

In an effort to save my jeans going forward, I've recently 'repurposed' a scrap of oak flooring toward stropping use. On the unfinished bottom side, I just sanded the oak a bit with some 150-grit sandpaper to smooth out any bumps. That side works well to realign and (perhaps) refine the edges on the knives I like to carry in simple carbon steel like 1095 or CV. On the finished upper side of the oak, I applied an iron-on patch of denim material to do the 'cleanup' after using the bare oak side.

BTW, the iron-on patch material is a ready-made product for patching holes in jeans, ironically. Bought it at Walmart in a 10" x 12" piece, which I cut down to size for my oak & denim 'strop'. As the name implies, just a hot iron is needed to affix the material to the wood. Works like a champ.
Click to expand...

To simulate your left thigh, lay a scrap of denim on top of a mouse pad.
 
tiguy7 said:
To simulate your left thigh, lay a scrap of denim on top of a mouse pad.
Click to expand...
I've always preferred right thighs myself . :)
WDhrVFS.jpg
 
TSPROF Blitz 360 Vs. WE130? I have never heard of, let alone seen the Blitz 360. There are so many "sharpeners" Today.
 
Look up TSPROF Blitz 360 on Google. This sharpener is made in Russia and is very well made (all the parts are made from metal - no plastic - accept the wooden knob you grip to operate it). Once you learn how to use it the results are amazing. The first 2 knives I tried to sharpen didn't get very sharp but after that - WOW! The more I use it the more impressed I become. I recommend checking it out - you won't be sorry. By the way, I saw a post somewhere by a guy that said that he liked the Blitz 360 better than the Wicked Edge.
 
I did not really want to hear that. Or rather I was afraid of that. It looks like it would be a heck of a lot easier for me to operate. I could have saved a Grand. Plus it can take regular stones. Bummer. It is not like I can't still get it.I just don't want all this stuff around here. I do not engage in private sales.
 
There are so many types of great sharpeners out there. My T4 Bushcraft Tormek is on its way. I can get them sharp by hand but it takes too long. I finally gave in to a precision machine. Hope it takes my knives to the next level. The Japanese waterstone wheel will probably be in my future too.
 
Chuck Asher said:
By the way, I saw a post somewhere by a guy that said that he liked the Blitz 360 better than the Wicked Edge.
Click to expand...

I also saw YT video saying he liked the latest Hapstone R2 better than both. Seems there's a lot of guided sharpeners to choose from. :p
 
Hello everyone! TSPROF Blitz 360 is one of the best sharpening tools but is far from perfect. The disadvantages of such systems are variable angle, especially at long distances
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Another disadvantage, in my opinion, is the clamping mechanism
Watch from 4:30 . In my opinion, sharpening systems with a constant angle are much better. Their advantages are automatic compensation of the angle along the length of the blade and automatic compensation of the thickness of the sharpening stone and its irregularities. The only drawback is the impossibility of convex sharpening.
 
I don't understand what you mean with "The disadvantages of such systems are variable angle, especially at long distance." The WEPS-Gen2 video clearly shows that the angle does not change no matter how far from center the stone travels. The second video was interesting as it seems to be the most accurate clamping design I have seen so far, but like anything it has compromises too.
 
Diemaker said:
" The WEPS-Gen2 video clearly shows that the angle does not change no matter how far from center the stone travels
Click to expand...

The demonstration is only valid for straight blades. How many straight blades do you have? Most of mine are curved and the angle really changes relative to the plane of the knife.
To avoid changing the angle, a system with a movable pivot point should be used in my opinion. For me personally, constant angle systems are better. These systems are easy and cheap to make - under $ 100. Geometry and accuracy of workmanship do not matter. The only condition is that the surfaces of the clamping mechanism are parallel.
Another advantage is that there is no need to compensate for the angle depending on the thickness and size of the stone or irregularities on it.
In order not to make the explanation long, I will release a video of Russian-made systems. Russia is a huge country, but there are still a few boys with something between their ears :-))))




Minute 7:00 demonstration of hair splitting

 
Interesting, I have never seen sharpeners like that, thank you! I do see several problems with the design as executed though. The weight of the stone arm, lack of stiffness with the stone arm - ie angle changes, and stick/slip of the vertical rod in the linear bearings all detract from the potential performance, but perhaps intrinsic to the design in the real world. I see what you are getting at and totally agree with you, I just think there are better ways of skinning this cat. I also think the consistency of angle sharpened is far more important than the exact angle sharpened, so the angle changing a little as the tip sweeps down is less important than if the angle changes while sharpening, ie stiffness of the sharpener.
 
A spring will vary its force over its travel so that won't work. A counterweight would be the best option I can think of. Yes, an 8mm hardened steel rod is stiff enough, but the rest of the assembly obviously isn't from the videos.

I think this is getting to be too much thread drift so it's my last post on this. If you want to start a thread to debate guided sharpener designs I would be happy to continue there. It is something I have been involved in for 26 years now and have a lot of interest in it. This design is interesting but not without many compromises, like any of the many other guided sharpener designs.
 
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TwinStick said:
There are so many types of great sharpeners out there. My T4 Bushcraft Tormek is on its way. I can get them sharp by hand but it takes too long. I finally gave in to a precision machine. Hope it takes my knives to the next level. The Japanese waterstone wheel will probably be in my future too.
Click to expand...

I got tired of reprofiling blades by hand. Plus I'm starting to get arthritis in my hands, so that makes matters worse. Nearly every knife that I touch the first time needs to be reprofiled!
So I bought a Wicked Edge 130 and never looked back. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
 
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