I Need Some Advice

[CutleryMaster62]

I am looking for a good way to sharpen my ESEE-3 MIL but I don't have steady hands so I don't think I could use something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Also, I don't want to mess up the powder coat unless it happens during use. So, my question is: What do you guys think I could use to sharpen my knife?

TTAWR!

 

[GallantEdge]

The Lansky system will give you some assistance in keeping the stones at the proper angle to the knife blade. There are other guided systems but that is the first one that comes to mind.

http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/parts_accessories.php

 

[tyr_shadowblade]

I am looking for a good way to sharpen my ESEE-3 MIL but I don't have steady hands so I don't think I could use something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker. Also, I don't want to mess up the powder coat unless it happens during use. So, my question is: What do you guys think I could use to sharpen my knife?

Well, I wouldn't worry so much about scuffing the powder coat. That will occur anyway with repeated use. If you want to keep it looking factory new buy another one and leave it in the box, keeping the one you have as a user. Whenever I find a commercial blade that I really like I end up accumulating several: one NIB, one that I carry and use, and a beater that I carried and used until it became a beater.

I cannot sharpen knives well due to my disability, so I've accepted my limitations and have other folks who are really good at that sort of thing do it for me.

Now, what I'm going to say next is probably close to blasphemy here at this forum: I am going to recommend that you check out an overpriced and inferior sharpening system. Experts will tell you all sorts of reasons why you should avoid this POS, but it is easy to use and gets your knives sharp and I've used it in the past on cheap knives with factory grinds (do not use it on a custom). Thing is called a "Warthog" and they do not seem to have a website. The only place I've seen them sold is at gun shows, and occasionally one pops up on eBay. Thing consists of a frame that holds a pair of spring loaded honing rods together that give way to resistance as you pull the blade through. A brother of mine had one in his store for customer use and it worked great . . . for some things. Certain grinds will not sharpen properly with this system.

 

[KennyB]

Well, I wouldn't worry so much about scuffing the powder coat. That will occur anyway with repeated use. If you want to keep it looking factory new buy another one and leave it in the box, keeping the one you have as a user. Whenever I find a commercial blade that I really like I end up accumulating several: one NIB, one that I carry and use, and a beater that I carried and used until it became a beater.

I cannot sharpen knives well due to my disability, so I've accepted my limitations and have other folks who are really good at that sort of thing do it for me.

Now, what I'm going to say next is probably close to blasphemy here at this forum: I am going to recommend that you check out an overpriced and inferior sharpening system. Experts will tell you all sorts of reasons why you should avoid this POS, but it is easy to use and gets your knives sharp and I've used it in the past on cheap knives with factory grinds (do not use it on a custom). Thing is called a "Warthog" and they do not seem to have a website. The only place I've seen them sold is at gun shows, and occasionally one pops up on eBay. Thing consists of a frame that holds a pair of spring loaded honing rods together that give way to resistance as you pull the blade through. A brother of mine had one in his store for customer use and it worked great . . . for some things. Certain grinds will not sharpen properly with this system.

Is this the system you were talking about?
http://www.v-sharp.com/product_details_2009.php?ProductID=107

There are a number of sharpening systems available which would be called "guided", which simply means that the angle is fixed in some kind of mechanical form, and you the user are only left to concentrating on rubbing the entirety of the blade on the stone. Some of these systems are extremely simple, one-piece setups that are sort of "training wheels" for free-hand sharpening, to ones that are just meant for a cheap precise way of sharpening, on up to some of the more expensive professional setups. Here are the ones I know of:

Razor Edge Systems Angle Guide: http://www.razoredgesystems.com/pro...lvm_fly2_grey.tpl&product_id=20&category_id=4

This is simply a clamp that you put on to the back of your knife blade which keeps it at a fixed angle while you pass it over the stone. This one uses screws, there are other versions of this style guide available.
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/toshgu.html
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/chshgu.html

The big disadvantage with guides of this style is that the guide itself will wear on the stone, so overtime it becomes impossible to preserve the angle you sharpened your knife at. Otherwise, it requires marking of where exactly you put your knife into the clamp/clip at in order to get the same angle each time.

Someone already posted a link to the Lansky guided-rod setup, but DMT also makes a similar product called the "Aligner" and another "Magna guide". These products work very similarly to the Lansky, and the great thing about them is that you can set your own angle. However, they also have the problem of needing to be marked in order to put them back in the clamp correctly and get the right angle.

http://theconsumerlink.com/DIAMONDMACHININGTECHNOLOGY/detail/TCL+ADELUXE/118
http://theconsumerlink.com/DiamondMachiningTechnology/detail/TCL+DMG-4/0

There are some more expensive and extensive guided sharpening systems if you want to get really precise. EdgePro makes several systems, the most popular of which I would say is the Apex. There is also a system called the Wicked Edge Knife Sharpening system that some users here like.

http://www.edgeproinc.com/
http://www.wickededgeusa.com/info.html


There's also this sharpener being discussed in the Maitenanace section called the "Work Sharp Knife Sharpener" which is basically a hand-held belt grinder. It seems to do a fairly good job from what I've read.

 

[tyr_shadowblade]

Is this the system you were talking about?
http://www.v-sharp.com/product_details_2009.php?ProductID=107

Yep, that's it. Worked great on my Sharpfingers and vintage 80s balisongs. Was told not to use it on a convex grind. Would not work on a couple small knives from Himalayan Imports that were over 1/4" thick and ground like an axe. It was fine for small cheap knives that were hollow or flat ground. I know it is probably crap and I should be ashamed for endorsing it, but it worked for me. I would be unable to sharpen a knife otherwise.

Would be interested in hearing your thoughts about that system and its limitations.

 

[KennyB]

Yep, that's it. Worked great on my Sharpfingers and vintage 80s balisongs. Was told not to use it on a convex grind. Would not work on a couple small knives from Himalayan Imports that were over 1/4" thick and ground like an axe. It was fine for small cheap knives that were hollow or flat ground. I know it is probably crap and I should be ashamed for endorsing it, but it worked for me. I would be unable to sharpen a knife otherwise.

Would be interested in hearing your thoughts about that system and its limitations.

Looks like a pretty decent system to me. It's far from one of those carbide pull-through sharpeners if that's what you're thinking. There's only a few things that I see as problematic with this system, primarily the fact that since it's spring-loaded the user cannot adjust how much pressure is being used. This might cause some issues with deburring.

Other than that, the system itself seems okay, but the documentation that the company produced is pretty flawed. I think a person would be fine using it if they had some sharpening knowledge pertaining to edge geometry and working with a burr, but otherwise the instructions could tend to become misleading for two reasons. One of which, the instructions suggestions that 17 degrees is "not sharper, just more delicate and will wear faster than 25". Of course this doesn't make much sense, as it calls into question why they would provide the 17 degree adjustment if it doesn't make the blade any sharper than 25 degrees, but only makes it more "delicate". I think that's a little less likely to mislead people as much as the "time" windows it puts on doing the grinding work. It suggests two minutes for "extremely hard steels" like 154cm, D2 and S30V, but as many different companies run these steels at different levels of hardness I find it hard to believe that going by time is going to get consistent sharpening. That being said though, as long as you know how to check for a burr, the user can still use this appropriately. However as I said before, deburring may be difficult because of the preset pressure in the spring.

I think it would probably work quite well for home use though. For one thing, most people aren't going to require a burr raised to reach their desired level of sharpness, and they can always just grind longer if they think they need to. As for the burr, if they use the steels like suggested in the directions that shouldn't be an issue, but I still see it as a problem beacuse the directions never mention anything about a burr; so if the user were to finish up sharpening on the final stones and get an edge that just tears stuff apart they may think it's not working and just spend more time sharpening and enlarging the burr.

All in all it doesn't seem like a bad system. When you really think about its design, it's kind of like a Sharpmaker but with a 90 degree guide to prevent the user from wobbling.

 

[theWARTHOG]

it is obvious that kenny b read the instructions and watched our videos, thank you for doing so...it is rare.

clarification on angle as per instructions...that was written due to so many customers trying to sharpen their pocket knives (or kitchen chopping blades) at 17 degrees because they see a more narrow V, they think it will make it sharper. most pocket knives are sharpened between 22-25 degrees as to provide durability to the edge. Most kitchen knives are sharpened between 15-20 degrees based on the soft materials being cut (meats, veg) on wooden chopping block, thus not requiring a "durable edge"

since the sharpener is preferred by people that use a knife for a living (Butcher, Taxidermist, Chefs, Fishing Charters & Hunting Guides) they have the option for their industry angle (Fishing & Taxidermy = Filet knives = 17 degrees) (Chefs & Butchers = Kitchen Cutlery = 20 degrees) (Hunting = Pocket and Thicker blades = 25 degrees) (Butchers & Taxidermist = Cleavers = 30 degrees). All angles will shave!

this sharpener is intended for working knives and provides super fast touch ups for people on the go...it is a simple, yet effective design that provides consistent pressure on both sides and constant angle from Heel through the Tip.
Hope that helps.