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While this review is not about a knife, I thought I'd share with you my impressions of a sharpening system I recently acquired. The product is called the ProCombo Deluxe Shaping and Honing System and it is made by Hand American Made. Their website is located at Handamerica.com, although as of today (5/5/04) it is being updated and therefore you may not be able to view all the products or place an order.
I ordered the system a couple of weeks ago and when it did not arrive as soon as expected I called the company and talked to the owner, whose name I cannot recall as of this writing, unfortunately. Regardless, we had a good conversation and he explained the holdup and promised a quick delivery. The product arrived shortly thereafter and he had included a ceramic and smooth steel along with the ProCombo Deluxe at no extra charge. Now that is what I call good customer service.
I quickly set up the system and proceeded to sharpen an older Busse Badger Attack, one of the straight handle INFI versions with the continously curving blade profile. Before I reveal how it performed let me tell you something about the system.
The ProCombo Deluxe is a unique device utilizing spring loaded clasps on either end of a long narrow double level Corian base. The clasps hold strips of silicon carbide wet/dry paper or a specially fabricated two-sided leather hone that fits neatly over the base and into the clasps. The ProCombo deluxe comes with an ample supple of silicon carbide paper ranging in grit from 100 to 2500 with many intermediate levels inbetween. The kit also came with a container of chromium carbide powder for treating the natural side of the leather hone, and a canvas mat for placement under the paper for sharpening convex edges. The clasps securely hold both the paper and the leather hone in place with no slippage making it easy to draw a blade across either medium in a stropping motion.
Back to the Badger Attack. Although no instructions came with the ProCombo Deluxe, information on how to use it is available on the website. I followed the instructions listed there for obtaining a razor convex edge. I started with 100 grit and finished with 2500, using an intermediate 800 grit inbetween the course and fine grits. Afterwards, I stropped the blade on the natural leather hone loaded with the chromium carbide powder. This produced an edge that I can only describe as "Dozier" sharp, which as anyone who has ever owned and used one of Bob Doziers knives straight from the shop knows is hair-popping scary sharp.
I then proceeded to dress up the edges on several more of my knives, including a Sebenza, Busse Natural Outlaw, Ontario RTAK, and a Tops Pasayten. The ProCombo Deluxe produced similar results in each case - a razor edge with minimal effort and in a relatively short period of time. One caution - If you press too hard while stropping on the paper you will produce a wire edge. This can be removed by simply stroking the blade edge forward over the paper a couple of times, but it can be avoided altogether by not pushing down on the edge while stropping and instead relying on the weight of the blade itself to main contact with the sharpening surface.
The ProCombo is not cheap, but it does offer a great deal of value for the price. I have sharpened many knives over the years using any number of sharpening systems and stones and I have never produced as sharp an edge as quickly and easily as with the ProCombo Deluxe. I recommend it as a primary sharpening system for all your knives and tools. And before anyone asks, I have no affiliation with Hand America Made what-so-ever, and no, this is not a paid endorsement.
I ordered the system a couple of weeks ago and when it did not arrive as soon as expected I called the company and talked to the owner, whose name I cannot recall as of this writing, unfortunately. Regardless, we had a good conversation and he explained the holdup and promised a quick delivery. The product arrived shortly thereafter and he had included a ceramic and smooth steel along with the ProCombo Deluxe at no extra charge. Now that is what I call good customer service.
I quickly set up the system and proceeded to sharpen an older Busse Badger Attack, one of the straight handle INFI versions with the continously curving blade profile. Before I reveal how it performed let me tell you something about the system.
The ProCombo Deluxe is a unique device utilizing spring loaded clasps on either end of a long narrow double level Corian base. The clasps hold strips of silicon carbide wet/dry paper or a specially fabricated two-sided leather hone that fits neatly over the base and into the clasps. The ProCombo deluxe comes with an ample supple of silicon carbide paper ranging in grit from 100 to 2500 with many intermediate levels inbetween. The kit also came with a container of chromium carbide powder for treating the natural side of the leather hone, and a canvas mat for placement under the paper for sharpening convex edges. The clasps securely hold both the paper and the leather hone in place with no slippage making it easy to draw a blade across either medium in a stropping motion.
Back to the Badger Attack. Although no instructions came with the ProCombo Deluxe, information on how to use it is available on the website. I followed the instructions listed there for obtaining a razor convex edge. I started with 100 grit and finished with 2500, using an intermediate 800 grit inbetween the course and fine grits. Afterwards, I stropped the blade on the natural leather hone loaded with the chromium carbide powder. This produced an edge that I can only describe as "Dozier" sharp, which as anyone who has ever owned and used one of Bob Doziers knives straight from the shop knows is hair-popping scary sharp.
I then proceeded to dress up the edges on several more of my knives, including a Sebenza, Busse Natural Outlaw, Ontario RTAK, and a Tops Pasayten. The ProCombo Deluxe produced similar results in each case - a razor edge with minimal effort and in a relatively short period of time. One caution - If you press too hard while stropping on the paper you will produce a wire edge. This can be removed by simply stroking the blade edge forward over the paper a couple of times, but it can be avoided altogether by not pushing down on the edge while stropping and instead relying on the weight of the blade itself to main contact with the sharpening surface.
The ProCombo is not cheap, but it does offer a great deal of value for the price. I have sharpened many knives over the years using any number of sharpening systems and stones and I have never produced as sharp an edge as quickly and easily as with the ProCombo Deluxe. I recommend it as a primary sharpening system for all your knives and tools. And before anyone asks, I have no affiliation with Hand America Made what-so-ever, and no, this is not a paid endorsement.
