Eze Sharp

K

Knight-of-Ni

Joined
Dec 27, 2015
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6
So I'm currently on the search for a nice sharpener, looking to get something kinda high end, but not insanely expensive (>400), so I was looking at the Edge Pro, but then I found this Aussie sharpener, the Eze Sharp, it looks like everything I want in a sharpener, but I'm still a bit skeptical. So, have any of you guys used it and what are your thoughts on it? For what it's worth, I use a Sharpmaker right now, and while I can get a hair shaving edge with it, it's still a bit too coarse for my preferences, and it takes FOREVER to reprofile an edge (and yes, I do have a few knives that need this done badly).

Edit: I should add that I have some large fixed blades I'd love to put a better edge on, largest is a RTAK II, I can keep it sharp, but I'd like to put a better edge on it, not super fine, but just more polished.
 
Get the sharpmakers diamond or CBN rods which will speed things up, and there are the ultra fine rods to bring it to a more polished edge. The diamond/cbn rods behave the same so get either one not both, and that will speed up the process greatly but it still won't be lightning quick to reprofile the edge to the proper angle but it will make it bearable. I own the sharpmaker with diamond and ultra fine rods if your curious and the ultra fine rods will refine the edge greatly and my diamond stone makes it bearable to reprofile, though it still takes a while.

Never heard of the Eze Sharp but from looking at it it appears to work like a DMT Aligner, Lansky, Gatco, KME, etc in the basic design. I would personally spring the stones for the sharpmaker or get the KME sharpener in your situation. But with a large fixed blade keep in mind your going to have to work in sections so don't let that dissuade you.
 
What kind of system are you looking for? What kind of edge(perfectly flat, or is a convex okay)? Are you willing to practice much? Space limitations?

My personal choice after going through stones, DMT diamond plates, the sharpmaker, the edge pro, and the Worksharp(1st version), is a large 1x42 Kalamazoo belt sander.

It'll do the job quickly, and can ruin a blade just as easily, which is why I would recommend lots of practice first. But that aside, it's very flexible in how you can use it, and I've thinned out some knives and changed the blade profile with it as well(regrinding hardened steel).

I should also point out that the EzeSharp says it can sharpen blades "up to" 7 inches in length. Your RTAK II has a 10 inch blade, and I doubt even the Edge Pro would be suited for it.

The Kalamazoo itself would probably run right at $300. Depending on how many belts you buy, it might go a little past $400, but I'd feel pretty confident in saying it's probably the last sharpener you ever need. I certainly didn't buy anything else after that.:thumbup:
 
Bob6794 said:
Never heard of the Eze Sharp but from looking at it it appears to work like a DMT Aligner, Lansky, Gatco, KME, etc in the basic design. I would personally spring the stones for the sharpmaker or get the KME sharpener in your situation. But with a large fixed blade keep in mind your going to have to work in sections so don't let that dissuade you.
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The Australian Eze Sharp system that OP is referencing to is not the same as the American EZE-lap systems.
 
Nice video on Youtube by Preparedmind101 on cost effective sharpening systems just recently posted, FYI!
 
There's an accessory that lets it do 10" blades. I'm looking for just a nice flat edge, something I can touch up in the field with a Sharpmaker. Space is a bit of an issue, I could fit the Eze Sharp fairly easily or the Edge Pro. Not sure about a belt sander, or if my room mates would tolerate the noise.
 
Unless you are in Australia check out the KME sharpener system. For about $220 you can get 4 diamond stones and 1 strop and 1 grade CNB. For $205 you get the free strop and no CBN. Fast shipment and good results for me.
 
The KME is interesting, but it doesn't look quite as durable as the Eze Sharp. I'm in the States, but I'm sure I could get my hands on and Eze Sharp, or pretty much anything for that matter lol.

The other option is the Edge Pro, the main thing I don't like about it is there's no way to clamp the blade down, and you have to switch hands, which would mess me up a bit.
 
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I had the EzeSharp a few years back... didn't think much of it. Seemed to be well built, but every time I used it, it always seemed a bit "off"... things just never seemed to line up quite the same when I'd set it up, and it took a lot of fiddling to get things lined up, and angles wouldn't be the same when I'd flip a knife over. It doesn't do smaller knives very well at all, and I personally didn't like moving a large stone over the knife... you can't see what you're doing, and it's harder to give a light touch to a knife, especially when finishing an edge. Flipping the stone over can change the angles a bit too, unless you spend time trying to keep the stone centered. I actually found it worked better using the rod and stone holder from an Edge Pro in it, but there was no advantage to doing that over just using the Edge Pro, so I sold the Eze Sharp. Also found the Edge Pro more versatile in where you can set up... it's harder to find a good solid place to clamp the Eze Sharp to than you'd think. I kinda got the impression using it that it's more for a kitchen or industrial setting, where you want to just keep a workable edge on a larger knife.
 
cbwx34 said:
I had the EzeSharp a few years back... didn't think much of it. Seemed to be well built, but every time I used it, it always seemed a bit "off"... things just never seemed to line up quite the same when I'd set it up, and it took a lot of fiddling to get things lined up, and angles wouldn't be the same when I'd flip a knife over. It doesn't do smaller knives very well at all, and I personally didn't like moving a large stone over the knife... you can't see what you're doing, and it's harder to give a light touch to a knife, especially when finishing an edge. Flipping the stone over can change the angles a bit too, unless you spend time trying to keep the stone centered. I actually found it worked better using the rod and stone holder from an Edge Pro in it, but there was no advantage to doing that over just using the Edge Pro, so I sold the Eze Sharp. Also found the Edge Pro more versatile in where you can set up... it's harder to find a good solid place to clamp the Eze Sharp to than you'd think. I kinda got the impression using it that it's more for a kitchen or industrial setting, where you want to just keep a workable edge on a larger knife.
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Well, I guess I'll have to pass on it then. It looked like it might have been better then a Edge Pro, but from what I'm hearing, it's not. I'm just put off a bit by the all plastic construction of the Apex, and the Professional model is a bit more then I'd like to spend. Key work: like to, if it's worth it, I'll save for it.
 
Knight-of-Ni said:
The KME is interesting, but it doesn't look quite as durable as the Eze Sharp. I'm in the States, but I'm sure I could get my hands on and Eze Sharp, or pretty much anything for that matter lol.

The other option is the Edge Pro, the main thing I don't like about it is there's no way to clamp the blade down, and you have to switch hands, which would mess me up a bit.
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The KME is plenty durable, and I feel is the best bang for buck in the clamped systems.
 
+1 on durability for the KME. Nothing to really wear except the nylon bushing. A touch of oil and your good on that. Lots of videos on youtube on use and care. The edge pro looks to me to still require some hand eye for the tip sharpening.
 
The eze-sharp is very good for large kitchen knives and choppers where you may not need the bevel to be perfect. It sharpens along the entire edge very quickly and puts a sharp edge too.
 
Comparing the EZESharp with the KME or Lansky is like apples to oranges. I have the EZESharp and lots of others (OCD?).

The EZEsharp is a big. solid sharpener that has spring-loaded flipovers. They require a good grip and they will hold the blade solid as a rock. You mount full-sized stones (I mounted a Norton IB8 on one of mine). It allows you to use the marker trick to match bevels and quickly sharpen a knife.

It's true that the angles are not precise when flipping the knife. In my experience, they're not off by as much as most freehand sharpeners likely are (a couple of degrees). I have found that a piece of kraft stick (popsicle stick) under the blade shims mine up to near perfect (less than a degree- pretty good!). When changing stone holders, I use the angle cube to duplicate the angle w/o problems. By sliding along the rolling rod on the upright, you can maintain the angle easily vs. Edge Pro or Wicked Edge, which may vary along the length of the blade (controversial, I know).

You can use the Edge Pro arm, esp. with a pipe to extend it. It works well and eliminates the problem of adjusting for different stone holders. That's what I do with small blades.

In a nutshell, I'd recommend it if you are sharpening medium or large knives and need to do it within a reasonable amount of time. It will handle large chef's knives and slicing knives (like used on buffets) without fuss (easier than an Edge Pro or Wicked Edge in my experience). You can do pocket knives knives if you grind the corners on the small flipover, but the other systems are better for that. I'd HIGHLY recommend anybody using the EZESharp to buy an angle cube- it's essential!

Hope it helps.
Dave
 
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