Good Beginner Sharpening System

we are supposed to be here to help another member pick a good sharpener not win some internet pissing contest... i said my piece and told the TS which one i think he should get... you can continue marking your territory however you see fit..I hope my info helped you Mcoe01.
 
1x30 inch belt sander with grits in the 400, 600, 900, leather belt with extra, extra fine green compound has opened up a new world of sharpness. The belt sander is very fast, like 1 to 5 five minutes or less to a mirror edge. I had a Lansky and another blade holding guided stone sharpener. On the straight part of the edge it worked great, but the belly, curve, and tip always less sharp. This went on for years. Pissed, that what I had was not working, I bought a Smith's diamond rod. Made knives sharp all the way to the tip but nothing hair popping or mirrored. This belt sander with a leather belt is the bomb. BOOM! Scary sharp knife.
 
Your post did help furf and the problem with a belt sander is just the set up. This is something that I want to be able to keep in a dorm room/apartment and not need an extra storage space. Hence why paper wheels and sanders are slightly out of the question because I want to take my room mate into consideration as well and a noisy machine is not the best thing. Like you said most people sharpen at home and I might occasionally carry it with me at work. I just like versatility between the guided system and the free hand option that the Magna set offers. I am sure the aligner and the magna are both great systems, but gonna go with the versatile option.
 
haff202 said:
1x30 inch belt sander with grits in the 400, 600, 900, leather belt with extra, extra fine green compound has opened up a new world of sharpness. The belt sander is very fast, like 1 to 5 five minutes or less to a mirror edge. I had a Lansky and another blade holding guided stone sharpener. On the straight part of the edge it worked great, but the belly, curve, and tip always less sharp. This went on for years. Pissed, that what I had was not working, I bought a Smith's diamond rod. Made knives sharp all the way to the tip but nothing hair popping or mirrored. This belt sander with a leather belt is the bomb. BOOM! Scary sharp knife.
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What rod exactly are you talking about haff202? A guided hone for the kit or a rod like a butcher's/chef's rod & handle that you stroke the blade down? How do you get that tip super sharp - exactly? :)
 
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Mcoe01 said:
Your post did help furf and the problem with a belt sander is just the set up. This is something that I want to be able to keep in a dorm room/apartment and not need an extra storage space. Hence why paper wheels and sanders are slightly out of the question because I want to take my room mate into consideration as well and a noisy machine is not the best thing. Like you said most people sharpen at home and I might occasionally carry it with me at work. I just like versatility between the guided system and the free hand option that the Magna set offers. I am sure the aligner and the magna are both great systems, but gonna go with the versatile option.
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Maybe the WorkSharp Knife & Tool Sharpener? It takes up 1/3 of the space of a Bench Grinder and it's about as loud as a vacuum cleaner. Dust could be a potential issue depending on how much metal you're taking off. The only catch is that aftermarket belts are a must unless you want your knives to end up looking like boning knives;).
 
Noctis3880 said:
Maybe the WorkSharp Knife & Tool Sharpener? It takes up 1/3 of the space of a Bench Grinder and it's about as loud as a vacuum cleaner. Dust could be a potential issue depending on how much metal you're taking off. The only catch is that aftermarket belts are a must unless you want your knives to end up looking like boning knives;).
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I'd really like a WorkSharp, but previously we discussed the volume of belts it consumed and having to go to other companies to obtain a full range of belts - plus the extra cost of them. Also a lack of polishing only type belts.

Maybe the company has moved all of the equipment (extras) under their roof whihc would help me buy. Also, anything motorized makes me fearful of buggering up my blade very thoroughly and very quickly. :eek:

I do want one though. maybe some day if they carry everything in one online store.
 
cziv said:
I'd really like a WorkSharp, but previously we discussed the volume of belts it consumed and having to go to other companies to obtain a full range of belts - plus the extra cost of them. Also a lack of polishing only type belts.
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Work Sharp now stocks P400, P600, 1800, as well as diamond belts(for ceramics). Price is a bit steep per belt though, but it might beat $12.50 for shipping. And does the 6000 not qualify as a polishing belt?

Maybe the company has moved all of the equipment (extras) under their roof whihc would help me buy. Also, anything motorized makes me fearful of buggering up my blade very thoroughly and very quickly. :eek:

I do want one though. maybe some day if they carry everything in one online store.
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Personally, I've had more mishaps sharpening on my DMT stones freehand. I suggest practicing with a Mora or some other cheap knife first, as with all sharpening systems(WE and EP are no exceptions).

I do agree that the company really should carry a full compliment of belts for their product, though it's hard to imagine they would ever include all the grits in the included set. Still, looking at their current offerings, what they have is enough to put a hair popping edge on your knives.
 
Smith's chef rod is what I bought in a diamond coat, grit unknown. Stroke the rod up or down. The rod made my knives sharp but not like the belt sander did. The leather belt on the sander made all the edge a mirror edge. As for the tip of knives, I DO NOT run the blade all the way across the leather belt on the sander. I stop when the tip of knife reaches the middle of the leather belt. I practice on the leather belt with old dull razor blades and when you run the blade across the leather belt 100% the tip of razor just seems to disappear. This happens very fast. So trial and error and some Youtube tips, it is best to power strop 50% or less of the leather belt width. The Arbor Freight 1x30 inch belt sander fits in a milk crate with room to spare. You play the radio louder than the belt sander noise level. I do use the top cover when leather belt is running for compound does get around and always safty glasses.
 
if you are not going to do convex edges i would get the paper wheels. no belts to buy and they last a long time. i have a set that is 20 years old and still going.
 
Arbor Freight 1x30 inch belt sander was $39.99 - 20% coupon store pick up.
Compound and belts plus leather belt($12) was $30 with $7.50 shipping.
120 grit was as fine as I could get around here. Big box stores or local hardware.
Less than $65 BUCKS.
Shipping alone could have paid for more belts. 60, 80, 120, grit belts were under a dollar each and locally available but nothing finer grit or a 1x30 inch leather belt.
 
haff202 said:
Arbor Freight 1x30 inch belt sander was $39.99 - 20% coupon store pick up.
Compound and belts plus leather belt($12) was $30 with $7.50 shipping.
120 grit was as fine as I could get around here. Big box stores or local hardware.
Less than $65 BUCKS.
Shipping alone could have paid for more belts. 60, 80, 120, grit belts were under a dollar each and locally available but nothing finer grit or a 1x30 inch leather belt.
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Ya need some kind of motor with that don't you?
 
I found it. All they offer is 80 & 120 grit belts. Wher can you get some proper belts for it? Thanks, I'm ready to get one if I can find some higher grit & polishing belts.
 
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Google is not that hard. Your a gold member.......I used ECON Abrasives out of Texas. There is a listing of knife supply houses in Bladeforums.com, Good luck.
 
haff202 said:
Google is not that hard. Your a gold member.......I used ECON Abrasives out of Texas. There is a listing of knife supply houses in Bladeforums.com, Good luck.
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Thanks, I googled belts for awhile last night but your suggestion has the highest grits and best prices. I was topping out at like 600 grit belts in my searches. Thanks for the tip. We have a store about an hour away and I'm going by there on Thursday, I'll definitely have a look see.
 
ECON is where I purchased mine. Bear in mind that a belt will leave a much finer polish for a given grit than you might think.

When I was starting out with my Kalamazoo, I purchased (from econ) 3 each of 120, 220, 320 and 400, along with a single belt each of 15u and 9u. Two SurgiSharp leather belts, and a bar each of their Green Extra Fine and White compounds finished up the kit. I sharpened quite a lot of knives with those belts, and their results were entirely satisfactory. You'll wear out the coarse ones a lot faster than the fine ones, I've noticed.

Lee Valley is another good place that has a very wide selection if that's more convenient for you, I know Lee is much easier for our friends up north (being based out of Canada and whatnot).
 
What does 15u and 9u mean? Where do you find the SurgiSharp leather belts? All these are at ECON? Thanks.
 
Yes, Econ has all of those.

When you see a "u" specified, that usually refers to microns. I've left you a visitor message with the links to Econ's respective pages for the different items I mentioned. Their price on the leather belts is about 50% better than anywhere else I've spotted for the same thing.
 
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