First sharpening system

H

Herr_Noobien

Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
528
So I have about 30 knives in my collection (all of which get used in my rotation) and I don't actually have a sharpener :confused:
I've been reading a bit about sharpeners and my head has started spinning so I thought I would ask here.
Budget is about $150

A couple of options I have been considering are:

1) Full Sharpmaker setup
I can buy the sharpmaker, diamond rods and two ultrafine rods. However, apparently the sharpmaker is not very good for reprofiling edges even with the diamond rods. So far I only have Spyderco's, SAK's and a couple of Bucks which I think have good edges (20 degrees or very close to that) so I shouldn't need to reprofile them although I have a couple of SAK's with rolled edges. The problem is that I will be buying knives that aren't Spyderco's which will likely need to be reprofiled.

2) Lansky Deluxe Sharpening set
Not as idiot proof as the sharpmaker due to the clamp (depending on how you clamp the blade, you may end up with different angles). However, these come with extra corse hones which might make reprofiling much easier.

3) Lansky Deluxe Diamond Sharpening set
Erm, what's the difference between this and the normal deluxe set? :o

Any other recommendations are welcome as long as it's not freehand. Firstly, I'm a university student at the moment and things look like they're going to be very busy so I probably won't have time to learn how to sharpen freehand using stones (although it seems like an excellent skill to have). Second of all, I probably suck at freehand sharpening and any attempt to do so will result in grievous bodily harm and/or global thermonuclear war :D

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
DMT Aligner with diamond stones. It does what you want it to do at half the price you want to spend. Enough said.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
DMT Aligner with diamond stones. It does what you want it to do at half the price you want to spend. Enough said.

Stitchawl
Click to expand...


:thumbup::thumbup:

You can get the kit with C/F and EF/EEF then add the XC and be set. With practice you will have better edges at the Coarse stone than what most factory edges give you.
 
As somebody with a sharpmaker (1st), DMT aligner (dia-fold and the 4" stones), a warthog multi-angle sharpener, paper wheels, and about to have a wicked edge as they clear the back log...

I would recommend, for you, the Work Sharp Knife and Tool Sharpener.

You don't want to learn free hand, don't have lots of time, and you have 30 knives in your collection. It'll save you time, give you nice edges, and take care of you until the OCD and the 'better edge' kicks in.

If you don't want to do a power tool, then I would echo the sentiment on the DMT aligner setup. Actually, if you want to sink the full $150, you should be able to do both.

I love all my sharpeners (well, almost), and I use what fits my mood and objective. If I'm trying to go zen, I do by hand. If I'm trying to be hands on but want a better edge, I do a guide. If I want very quick and very sharp, I brake out the paper wheels. If I need a convex edge, the harbor freight or the worksharp fits the bill. If I want to do semi-zen and touch up, the Sharpmaker and I spend company.

Based on what you said, number of knives and current lack of interest in learning to sharpen by hand (it'll change, you have too many knives for that not to eventually change) and you are a university student (lacking in time), the Worksharp knife sharpener seems like a good match for you (for now).
 
Herr_Noobien said:
2) Lansky Deluxe Sharpening set
Not as idiot proof as the sharpmaker due to the clamp (depending on how you clamp the blade, you may end up with different angles). However, these come with extra corse hones which might make reprofiling much easier.

3) Lansky Deluxe Diamond Sharpening set
Erm, what's the difference between this and the normal deluxe set? :o
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, just to clear things up, the 'Lansky Deluxe Sharpening Set' (referenced in your #2 option) uses standard hones (not diamond). It just has more of them (wider grit selection) than the lowly 'Lansky Standard Set'.

So, long story short, the difference is the diamond in one set, but not in the other.

Edited to add:
By the way, I'm not necessarily endorsing (or knocking) the Lansky. I have one of each of the 'Deluxe' set, and the diamond set. Used 'em quite a lot, got some great edges on a bunch of knives. But they do take some getting used to (the clamp setup). Having said that, I've heard good things (as are you in this thread) about the DMT Aligner. I have several DMT hones, and I know they're good. Haven't tried the clamp yet (but I might, one of the these days ;)).
 
Last edited:
Haven't used it myself yet, but the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener seems promising.

My first system was the Edge Pro, which gave me an almost perfect edge. However I would often have a "wider" edge near the tip compared to the rest of the blade. As well, any uneven grinding or off-center edge would show up with one side having a "wider" edge than the other side. Also it got tedious changing the tape on the table after every 10 minutes because the stone would inevitably hit the table somewhere. I can't even imagine taping the blade because the tape around the edge itself needs to be removed in order to actually sharpen it(rectangular tape with a curved blade don't mix). Then there's the issue of one stone being a different thickness than the others, as well as the occasional flattening of the stones. Also, the average time it takes me to sharpen one knife from 120 grit to 1000 grit takes about half an hour or so.

Everything got a LOT easier when I purchased my Paper Wheels, which sped everything up considerably. It would take about 5 minutes or less to get a dull knife to push cut paper. Edges look very sloppy and there's always the risk of grinding too much of the edge off. However, the edges are 100% functional and spooky sharp. Only a few knives are able to pop my leg hairs off(though I have very thin hair), but they're all good enough for the job and they all leave very deep cuts in my fingers.


So I figure power tools are the wave of the future. I like the semi-convex edges I get from freehanding, but I'm not consistent enough to get a mirror polished edge(close though), and it's not nearly sharp enough to push cut paper. Thus, the Work Sharp. Since the belt is flexible, it makes for an easy convex and should be much more forgiving(if freehanding). With the guides it should be as consistent as the Edge Pro, but with the speed of the Paper Wheels. The only real downside is that there are only 2 angles for the guides, but nothing stops you from freehanding your own angles.

Again, I don't have this system myself, but I did put an order in for one. Cost of the system is $69.95 not including shipping. I went a little extra and got some extra belts from Micro-Mesh(about 52 cents per belt) in order to have some more options in between the sharpening and polishing belt and beyond(a 1200MX or 3 micron belt IIRC). Total cost is about $100. Given that the Paper Wheels plus bench grinder cost me about the same, I still feel pretty good about my purchase thus far.
 
I'll second the DMT. Simple and very effective. What Knifenut says about getting a better than factory edge off the coarse stone is very true.
 
I actually have all of those systems and they all pretty much suck compared to a paper wheel which I just got. I would highly suggest you get a paper wheel system. It is freehand but its much easier then one would think to get an edge I could never get with a Sharpmaker setup. The lansky system is ok but the thing is that you cant really get the L metal guides (extensions i guess you could say which go on the stones) perfectly flat and even between the 5 different stones. Yes you can get better more consistant angles if you could possibly get all 5 straight but then your technique has to be spot on and after that you gotta really work your arse off to get a good edge. A paper system can be had for like 30 bucks and seeing as the lansky system cost easily twice as that, I'd give the paper wheels a try first seeing as its one of the cheaper options and is so much better. I got my paper wheel yesterday and today I put a razor edge which can litterally split hair in about 5 mins on a 15 year old machette which never ever had a edge anywhere near sharp! you could litterally occationally battle someone with a butter knife and you'd get beat. now im some what scared to weild this thing cuz its so damn sharp.


The only other options I would seriously consider is the Edge Pro or the Wicked edge system. their probally worth their money compared to the 3 other options you gave but their both 200+ dollars easy!
 
eccvets said:
I actually have all of those systems and they all pretty much suck compared to a paper wheel which I just got. I would highly suggest you get a paper wheel system. It is freehand but its much easier then one would think to get an edge I could never get with a Sharpmaker setup. The lansky system is ok but the thing is that you cant really get the L metal guides (extensions i guess you could say which go on the stones) perfectly flat and even between the 5 different stones. Yes you can get better more consistant angles if you could possibly get all 5 straight but then your technique has to be spot on and after that you gotta really work your arse off to get a good edge. A paper system can be had for like 30 bucks and seeing as the lansky system cost easily twice as that, I'd give the paper wheels a try first seeing as its one of the cheaper options and is so much better. I got my paper wheel yesterday and today I put a razor edge which can litterally split hair in about 5 mins on a 15 year old machette which never ever had a edge anywhere near sharp! you could litterally occationally battle someone with a butter knife and you'd get beat. now im some what scared to weild this thing cuz its so damn sharp.


The only other options I would seriously consider is the Edge Pro or the Wicked edge system. their probally worth their money compared to the 3 other options you gave but their both 200+ dollars easy!
Click to expand...
...So I take it you tried the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener already? Because they seemed to be put on back order pretty much everywhere, which to me says something;).

I would expect it to be like the Paper Wheels, but with the purchase of separate belts, you get a LOT more grit options leading to much prettier and smoother mirror edges.

First candidate for testing would have to be my ESEE Izula, as it is relatively cheap, carbon steel, and I use it daily. Though I might want to do a Mora knife before that.
 
Noctis3880 said:
...So I take it you tried the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener already? Because they seemed to be put on back order pretty much everywhere, which to me says something;).

I would expect it to be like the Paper Wheels, but with the purchase of separate belts, you get a LOT more grit options leading to much prettier and smoother mirror edges.

First candidate for testing would have to be my ESEE Izula, as it is relatively cheap, carbon steel, and I use it daily. Though I might want to do a Mora knife before that.
Click to expand...

havent heard of it but it seems like it has a few flaws.

A: cost
B: having to replace the belts
C: having to hold the system down with one hand
D: time and effort

it does seem like a good system though and if these paper wheels werent so quick and easy and cheap and if they didnt work, I'd pick up one of these systems to give it a try.


Oh I forgot to mention the tormek but that thing cost like... a lot!

25-35 bucks for a paper wheel system is just too cheap to pass up and for me, its the best system I have personnaly used.

I wonder how much slack you can put into the Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener so that you can put a convex edge on to it.
 
A 1x42 belt sander with disc from Grizzly is 150 plus shipping but if you shop around you can get a used one cheaper, then you will need belts. The plus side is that leather stropping belts are really fun, especially loaded up with diamond spray. The only downside is the changing of the belts. When I go out to mine, I bring a few knives, so I can do all one grit belt, then change the belt, do each knife again, and work down to the leather belt. I keep the leather belt on now and just give a one minute touch up. I do it just above the platen where the belt has some slack. I have never been happier.

I don't use all of the guards on my old contraption, they rattle too loud. It may be unsafe, but I only have to remove one wing nut and one top shield pull down on the spring arm and change the belt, it really is not that big of a deal. Very sharp, very quick and very satisfying. I would say pretty easy too, I am not too steady, and I get a nice burr all the way across. I may change my mind if a belt breaks and sands the top of my head! I do always wear goggles. I am getting a different wheel to slow the belt down a bit.

Enjoy.
 
Oops, forgot to check back here (things have been very busy these past couple of weeks). I think I'll go for a DMT setup. A couple of questions though, should I get the Magna guide and Diafolds or stick with the Aligner? Also, are you supposed to swipe the blade along the stone or go back and forth along the length of the blade? Lastly, what's the difference between standard and diamond hones :o
 
Herr_Noobien said:
Oops, forgot to check back here (things have been very busy these past couple of weeks). I think I'll go for a DMT setup. A couple of questions though, should I get the Magna guide and Diafolds or stick with the Aligner? Also, are you supposed to swipe the blade along the stone or go back and forth along the length of the blade? Lastly, what's the difference between standard and diamond hones :o
Click to expand...



ooo, good luck with that... diamond hones last longer but who cares when your not gonna get as sharp as an edge as you want. Wait, did you want a razor sharp knife or just a sharp enuf blade. if you just need a knife sharp enuf, I guess the lansky system will work but it will still take you a sh*t load of time and effort for mediocre results. Hey look at it this way, we all cant be doctors, some ones gotta sweep up and take out the trash huh? good enuf for you is good enuf.
 
Your abilities or lack of with any sharpening tool is not the tools fault. You would be surprised what some of us could do with a brick and a piece of newspaper.

OP, if you have no intention on freehand then just get the aligner. You should be able to find a complete kit from XC-EEF on amazon. You can move the stone in two ways, single swipes down the entire length or zig-zag overlapping strokes for faster metal removal. The DMT only has one set of stones.
 
I am also looking for my first fixed sharpening contraption system. Which sharpening system is the best at handling full flat ground blades? Maybe get the DMT stones and combine it with the KME edge system? I'll probably go with the Edge Pro Apex system in case I do not make up my mind on a cheaper alternative..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top