Fiskars RollSharp-best for the bucks?

[dePaul]

Hi all, another sharpening issue. Before I started collecting knives more seriously, I always used Fiskars RollSharp to give my knives a good working edge. The gadget costs about 6 bucks and it works pretty well. The angle you´ll get is about 40 deg.

However lately I bought the 204 and was able to put on a much steeper edge (30 deg) on my kitchen knives.

Here is the question. Is the 204 so much better? I don´t think so. The easy handling of the Fiskars, the price, the level of sharpness and the size make the Fiskars IMHO a better buy. And the 40 deg edge will last longer that the 30 of my 204.

Of course, you will argue; why don´t I put on the 40 deg. angle with my 204. The anser is simple. Fiskars does it better and easier

But then again, maybe I am just not proficient enough working with the 204.

 

[Hugo]

Fiskars is ok, specially in the beginning. But I've seen knives with totally dulled edges resulting from the RollSharp. I don't own one myself so I can't comment what is the reason... but I guess the RollSharp wears (or maybe breaks in someway) and it may reach a condition when instead of sharpening it will actually dull. I do think that this happens only with time and use, so be aware of this when using old and much used RollSharps.

But for kitchen knives, why would you use 40 degrees if you can use 30? The smaller the angle the better it is for kitchen use IMHO.

Hugo.

 

[dePaul]

Yes I know Hugo, but after a conversation with Harold Arimoto of Mac Knives Inc, I am not so sure that 30 deg is the best angle even for kitchen knives. Here is the message I received from him:

Paul,

Thanks for your message. You have a good understanding of what truly defines
a great knife. Most chefs and so-called knife experts believe that heavy, forged
knives are the best. However, in actual use, the most important components are
blade thinness, fully V-taper grind, sharp V-angle, alloy, and hardness. Since you
are familiar with these theories, you will very much enjoy our knives which are
the finest available.

In either case, I strongly recommend our SR-2 Rollsharp. This is made in Finland by Fiskars and you might be able to find one locally. It is simple and foolproof to use. About 10 stokes through this sharpener and our MAC knives stay razor sharp. Since it only takes 5 seconds, it will save you money by purchasing the MBK-95 and the SR-2 rather than the SBK-95 (unless you want the absolute best).

Well Hugo I am a little bit confused, as you may understand.

 

[Tommi]

Hugo was referring to my RollSharp thing experience.

It was initially my parents but they used it wery seldom. After some time (4-5 years) the plastic was so worn out that the blade was able to turn in the slot and reach the bottom of the stones channel. blade should be in the sharpener where the dashed line is :

When I used it I didn't notice it and wonderred why it(my cooksknife) was dull. I used more force and repeated the sharpening rolling about 20-30 times. Then the blade was really dull and I inspected whet was the problem and noticed that while stones and axel were OK the supporting system was too worn out that there was no way to fix it. I tried to use it but it was wery frustrating as the knife kept turning.

When it was OK it produced good kitchen edge. Stones seem to be of same ceramic as spydercos white stones but are textured to rougher surface. I'd estimate that it produces edge like spydercos grey stones flatly. The edge that RollSharp makes bites well esp. to tomatoes etc.

I'd say that it lasts about 1000 sharpenings.

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"Good tools to sustain life, or at least make life more convenient"
-James Mattis

[This message has been edited by Tommi (edited 11-12-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Tommi (edited 11-12-2000).]

 

[dePaul]

Originally posted by Tommi:

The supporting system was too worn out.

Thanks for the evacuated reply. I believe, you are right. I have also been using the rollsharp for several years, however not that often as you (I presume). I managed to get 2 of those little wheels, so after the first one will be worn out, I just make a switch. I was thinking. What about to somewhat build up a new fundament for the tiny wheel? Maybe using Casco Plastic Metal?

I also agree with you that it is kind of similar to Spyderco´s stone featuring a rougher surface. Maybe the best possible way to sharpen a kitchen knife would be a combination of rollsharp and then some strokes on the white spydie stones?

 

[Hugo]

Tommi, I wasn't sure if it was yours or one of my relatives... they must have had the good experiences then

dePaul, interesting remark from Mac knives... as I understand they (and Japanese knitchen knives in general) have very sharp angle. I was told by a keeper of a shop that sells many different Japanese knives, that Macs use 10 degrees sharpening angle... (I wasn't quite sure to believe that though) But if you now sharpen it to 20 degrees, the sharpening is very fast as you need to remove much less metal. Maybe this is why they recommend that. Notice also, that Spyderco sharpens for example Military to less than 20 degrees, but still they always recommend using Sharpmaker at 20 degrees position.

Hugo.

 

[Hugo]

Tommi, nice picture BTW! Quiet day at work?

Hugo.

 

[Codeman]

I've used a similar roller-type sharpener made by Meyerco. These types of sharpeners have one serious problem. If you have a blade with a noticeable knick in it, these sharpeners can easily make the nick bigger. What happens is the knick catches on the stone. Since I really messed up a blade doing that, the sharpener has disappear into the abyss, never to hurt a knife again.

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Knowledge without understanding is knowledge wasted.
Understanding without knowledge is a rare gift - but not an impossibility.
For the impossible is always possible through faith. - Bathroom graffiti, gas station, Grey, TN, Dec, 1988

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