Home chef/kitchen knife fanatic/folding knife enthusiast- seeking help “upgrading” from whetstones

[Henry lombard]

Hi Henry.

I am certainly no expert but IMHO it is best to have a multitude of sharpening systems. I recently bought a Tormek T4 Bushcraft sharpener. I was going back and forth between the Tormek & the Wicked Edge.

Ultimately, I went with the Tormek because all my knives (100 or more) are outdoor knives and a lot of big choppers. Many had uneven grinds. Not only does it work fantastic for that, our kitchen knives have never been sharper. I had lots of sharpening stuff. Stones, puck for my axes, Gatco Deluxe Diamond sharpener. Because I have to save up for the Japanese waterstone for the Tormek, I am using the Tormek and finishing on my Gatco ceramic stone.

I absolutely love the Tormek. So much faster than doing it by hand. Many people are scared because they think it will grind their blade down to a nub. Not true at all. And, if that is a concern, the Japanese waterstone is the answer. Frankly, I honestly am pondering whether I even need it.

I literally have no hair left on my arms right now. I have easily been able to get every knife hair popping sharp, end to tip. 1095 CroVan, 440 stainless, 420 HC, 1075, D2 tool steel, S7 tool steel, 5160 tool steel, reg 1095.
I know that there are many levels above hair popping sharp but I haven't found a need for that yet. I am very happy with my purchase.

But the Wicked Edge Pro Gen 3 will get knives sharper. The Tormek Japanese waterstone is 4000 grit. It will put a mirrored edge on but a 0.025 diamond paste is like 16,000 grit. I will probably get a WE Pro system at some point before I die, just to play with.

Probably can't go wrong with what ever you choose. Good luck.

Twin,
I hear you on the speed of the Tormek as well as the fact it does a great job for a utility edge. And you’re right, I sure does get any blade sharp. I also agree that different tools / sharpening methods may be better for different uses and thats precisely why I’m looking at guided systems. Well, the interesting and fun factor as well as precision and the ability to take a knife to the next level of sharpness and polish. I guess it’s a passion and obsession? Lol.
Thanks for the input, and good luck saving for the Tormek Japanese water stone. I’ve had my eye on that as well but feel I want to just jump to some manual guided set-up

 

[Spideyjg]

I use wet folded Shop Towels as test/cleaning media. I can't grow enough hair to test with.

 

[Gritomatic]

I have a Hapstone R1 that I like very much, but wound up ordering a TSProf, because the Hapstone won't do the low angle for knives like fillet knives.

TSProf K03 and Hapstone R2 are IMHO "fillet marvels". Do you recall what angle Hapstone R1 was unable to do? I'm researching the minimum angle limitations for different sharpeners, but I don't have R1 now.

 

[UncleBoots]

TSProf K03 and Hapstone R2 are IMHO "fillet marvels". Do you recall what angle Hapstone R1 was unable to do? I'm researching the minimum angle limitations for different sharpeners, but I don't have R1 now.

Thinking about geometry makes my head hurt a bit, but if I am thinking about it right, "minimum angle" isn't really the limitation, nor would it be a single number. Imagine a knife 12" tall (not long). You could get a really low angle there, without hitting the stone on the clamp. Now imagine one 1/2" tall, like a fillet knife. That's where you're going to have issues, and the solution to them, as far as I know, is low-profile clamps that give you more room.

 

[Gritomatic]

Thinking about geometry makes my head hurt a bit, but if I am thinking about it right, "minimum angle" isn't really the limitation, nor would it be a single number. Imagine a knife 12" tall (not long). You could get a really low angle there, without hitting the stone on the clamp. Now imagine one 1/2" tall, like a fillet knife. That's where you're going to have issues, and the solution to them, as far as I know, is low-profile clamps that give you more room.

We are on the same page. I'm checking the minimum angle of different sharpeners using a long-narrow-thin-curved-flexible-fillet knife.
When very acute angles are a subject of discussion, usually it's fillet knives or small EDC knives, 1) a real environment for very acute angles, 2) that's exactly where we got problems like "sharpening the clamp".
When full flat grind is a subject of discussion, usually it's EDC with a distill taper, also real environment and where we got problems.
It's hilarious when a wide and thick Chef knife is used to prove that a sharpener XYZ can handle very acute angles, FFG, long knives, etc.

Back to the topic. I'm trying to figure out whether I'm missing something or R2 and R1 are very different for fillet knives.

TSProf K03, single fillet + whole milled fillet clamps. Got 12.6 degrees min angle for the test knife in triple clamp config. (Below 10 degrees in dual clamp config.)

Hapstone R2 Classic, central + 2 side clamps. Got 10 degrees min angle for the test knife in triple clamp config. I don't remember why I have used spacer screws like that.

Hapstone R2 Lite for comparison. 14.8 degrees min angle.

 

[UncleBoots]

We are on the same page. I'm checking the minimum angle of different sharpeners using a long-narrow-thin-curved-flexible-fillet knife.

Yes, "sharpening the clamp" makes it clear that we're talking about the same thing. I'd love to find some time and play around with this, and get some numbers for the R1, but it will probably be a while before I can do that.