Freehand VS Manual VS Machine

E

EpicHam

Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
73
So after poking about on the forum a bit I realized something.
There are people who swear by their 9 stone freehand sharpening styles.
[video=youtube;3UEmX9ocKes]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UEmX9ocKes[/video]
[video=youtube;SIw5ChGOADE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIw5ChGOADE#t=310[/video]
There are those who swear by their manually driven rigs such as Sharpmakers, EdgePro and Lansky.
[video=youtube;CY6DJ0PQxyA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY6DJ0PQxyA[/video]
Then there are those who sleep with their mechanical grinders .

So here is the big question?
Which one is the most effective?
Freehand , Manual or Mechanical.

And when it comes to freehand .. which style??
The Japanese Uraoshi?
The western pull grind?
The Chinese 9 stone ?

This is getting seriously confusing.
 
No such thing as "most effective", that's why all the different methods still exist! They all work, and they all have the potential to get knives crazy sharp. As a quick rundown, it is my opinion that freehand gives the most versatility, guided manual methods give the most accuracy, and powered methods take the least time.
 
bpeezer said:
No such thing as "most effective", that's why all the different methods still exist! They all work, and they all have the potential to get knives crazy sharp. As a quick rundown, it is my opinion that freehand gives the most versatility, guided manual methods give the most accuracy, and powered methods take the least time.
Click to expand...

I agree with this 100%.

I do a mix, I use the DMT Aligner to reprofile blades, than free hand using the stones to sharpen them after that. For free hand style, never heard of any of those methods, still relatively new to taking sharpening seriously and my technique/skill keeps changing rapidly on what feels right. But as long as I get good results and they keep improving it doesn't matter too much how I sharpen my knives.
 
Bob6794 said:
I agree with this 100%.

I do a mix, I use the DMT Aligner to reprofile blades, than free hand using the stones to sharpen them after that. For free hand style, never heard of any of those methods, still relatively new to taking sharpening seriously and my technique/skill keeps changing rapidly on what feels right. But as long as I get good results and they keep improving it doesn't matter too much how I sharpen my knives.
Click to expand...

Hmmm...
I got a question tho.
Is faster better for freehand ?
Cos I see all these asian master knifesmiths going at it like hamsters on redbull when they are sharpening their knives.
[video=youtube;t39rhQs6Hqc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t39rhQs6Hqc[/video]
On the other hand, for western freehand master knifesmiths , they take it slow and gentle .
[video=youtube;heASQGup7nw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heASQGup7nw[/video]

What's up with that?
 
Speed is part of practice and advancing your skill. I sharpen very fast on waterstones because I have developed the skill to do so but when finishing the movements always slow down and become more precise, even when it still looks fast. If a beginner tried to duplicate this they would likely cut themselves very badly.

The most efficient way to sharpen is with a machine because of pure speed. The manual method offers the best angle control at the expense of flexibility. Freehand is the final path which eliminates all restrictions of other "systems" and allows the crafts person to create whatever edge they desire.

Like knife steels there is never just one best, if there was we would all have it and no one would ask questions.
 
They're all just different ways to do the same thing, it's just about personal preference. Grinders are fast and risky, wheels are the medium, and stones and systems are slow but worry free. Also, you can zone out sharpening by hand or on a system and not worry about destroying your knives :P
 
Ask your self why your are sharpening (if the answer is not to make the knife sharper you should not be sharpening), and there are many ways to get razor sharp but at the end of the day as long as it is as sharp as you want/need how you did it does not mater as the results. I prefer free hand but that is how I learned and it takes some skill but I think it is cheaper to get into than buying an expensive jig. just my .02 hope this helps.
btw the fastest way to sharpen is with a 2X72 grinder and a buffer but I would not recommend that unless you really know what you are doing.
 
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