- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 975
Ah, Wicked Edge. I was trying to think of that but kept coming up with "Jagged Edge" and it just didn't seem right.
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I thought I'd ruined my ZT 0561
- Thread starter freewheeling
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2012
- Messages
- 482
The wife got me an Edge Pro Apex for Christmas and I spent a lot of time watching the JDavis882 videos to get the skill down. I practiced on some of my beater knives and got pretty good at it. I did spring for the 1K and 10K Chosera stones, as he recommended, and can get what he describes as a "toothy mirrored edge". Looks great and slices like a dream on almost everything!
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 975
NutNFancy did a video about the Edge Pro Apex which he recommends over everything else. I didn't find it as convincing as the Wicked Edge demonstration, but will check out the vids you mention. I think the Sharpmaker is OK except for reprofiling the harder steels and big blades. I eventually got a pretty good edge on my 0561, but it would be more fun to precisely control the edge, and especially for doing compound edges (which I understand is usually the way to go).
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2012
- Messages
- 517
I sent my 0560 to Ben at Edge Pro to take him up on his free sharpening offer, and he said it took him an hour to do the knife, whereas it usually takes him 10 minutes. He had to reprofile before finishing with a micro bevel. I don't remember what the numbers were, but that's what he wrote in a note. Of course, the knife came back with a perfect mirror bevel and the ability to push cut toilet paper. 
As for the Sharpmaker, it's not only not good for reprofiling, it's not very good for bring back a fairly dull edge. It can be done, but it takes a lot of time. To the OP, what I've tried that works is the Sharpie trick, which will tell you exactly where on the bevel the stones are hitting. And maybe the single most important thing to do with the SM is that you must hold the knife exactly perpendicular, and I mean exactly. You may think you are, but if you're not getting the results you want, that may well be the issue. It's critical.
What I ended up doing is to lower my sharpening surface and leaning directly over the knife's spine and going SLOW. I could then see how much I was moving the knife and why I was struggling so much. Keep it perfectly straight and you'll have more success. I'd try those things and see if it improves things.
The SM's limitations are what have me moving to the Wicked Edge Sharpener.
As for the Sharpmaker, it's not only not good for reprofiling, it's not very good for bring back a fairly dull edge. It can be done, but it takes a lot of time. To the OP, what I've tried that works is the Sharpie trick, which will tell you exactly where on the bevel the stones are hitting. And maybe the single most important thing to do with the SM is that you must hold the knife exactly perpendicular, and I mean exactly. You may think you are, but if you're not getting the results you want, that may well be the issue. It's critical.
What I ended up doing is to lower my sharpening surface and leaning directly over the knife's spine and going SLOW. I could then see how much I was moving the knife and why I was struggling so much. Keep it perfectly straight and you'll have more success. I'd try those things and see if it improves things.
The SM's limitations are what have me moving to the Wicked Edge Sharpener.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2012
- Messages
- 975
Reminds me of riding a bike on rollers. The guy who sold me the Kreitler rollers was riding his bike no hands on the rollers at 30 mph. When I got home I couldn't even get up to 10 mph with both hands on the bars without bouncing off and crashing into stuff. Took me almost a year to get good at it by riding in a doorway so that I could recenter when I started to drift off, and could pedal symmetric circles so I didn't bounce. Ultimately it's just "feel," I think. Muscle memory or something.