Ken Onion Worksharp vs Kalamazoo vs ?

MVF

MVF

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I had decided to go for the Kalamazoo over the original Worksharp because of belt speed and width, but now along comes the Ken Onion edition with adjustable belt speed and a bit more width. I just finished reading the results of a search and the KO gets great reviews, so now I'm wondering- is it worth saving the money and the space and getting the KO over the Kalamazoo? Is there something else I should be considering?

I currently have a Wicked Edge that I'm thinking of selling to finance its replacement. I found I prefer convex edges and long for the speed and ease of power assisted sharpening. It also seems like either of the powered choices would be handier around the house than the WE. If I'm missing something here, please let me know - I'm tired of losing money every time I try something new!

Thanks for any help, Mike
 
Kalamazoo all the way my friend. I had Edge Pro, Ken Onion Worksharp both sold, they can not came close to Kalamazzo, once you get the hang of it you will love it very very fast. Get some good belts for it
1x42 I like Trizact belts but Pop's has some good belts for $1.75each
Happy sharpening
 
I have a worksharp, and a WE. And to be honest I love the WE more, alot more. The convex edge of the work sharp is nice, but I like the final edge I can get with .5 micron strops. The worksharp takes 5 mins to sharpen and the WE takes me about 20. 15 mins of saved time doesn't mean sqat to me but ymmv. You already have one of the best guided systems on the market, I'd keep it and get the worksharp.
 
I don't have experience with any others but I recently got the Ken Onion Worksharp and am very pleased. I really like the variable speed. I've gone crazy sharpening everything around the house. I got my axes to a good sharp working edge (I thought) but when I tried them I found they would shave hair. My arm looks like hell but I have a lot of sharp tools.
 
I sold my wicked edge and bought a worksharp. I got the hang of the WS quickly, and have gotten some nice edges on it. I use it for kitchen knives and my outdoor work knives, along with sharpening knives with small blades. (secondary blades on traditionals mostly) I found that it quickly and easily sharpened, but sometimes the edges were not the most even.
Because of this recently re-bought the wicked edge. For putting a crazy edge on a knife, nothing can beat it. Additionally, for my knives that I really want an even edge on the wicked edge is almost idiot proof.
So I have both, and use both. They compliment each other well and if you can swing it I would get both!
 
Jastab said:
I have a worksharp, and a WE. And to be honest I love the WE more, alot more. The convex edge of the work sharp is nice, but I like the final edge I can get with .5 micron strops. The worksharp takes 5 mins to sharpen and the WE takes me about 20. 15 mins of saved time doesn't mean sqat to me but ymmv. You already have one of the best guided systems on the market, I'd keep it and get the worksharp.
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I have and would never get rid of my WickedEdge..... I also have the first version handheld WorkSharp. I'm currently saving my pennies for the KO edition.

I would love a Kalamazoo but don't have the shop space for it.

When it is more than I want to do on the WE, I use the WS if/when I have a lot of profiling and chip removal.
 
I love my Ken Onion WS. I think for the money it delivers a great edge. Certainly good enough for my humble needs.
 
I've got the WSKO and have done quite a bit of sharpening with it. It's a fantastic tool for what it is: Small, portable, variable speed, and makes great edges in a medium amount of time.

The 1x42 Kalamazoo is a much larger, much more powerful tool. I think the cost difference doesn't really play in much. It's more a question of space for mounting and using it. I'd expect the Kali to be much much faster than the WSKO, which is good and bad. It saves time, but requires more care also. If I had dedicated shop space, I'd probably have a Kalamazoo too. It's kind of hard to take with you though, so the WSKO really wins in the portability department.

Do you expect to sharpen a lot of beaten up blades? Are you going to mess around with knife making or modification? If so, the Kali will do it all faster.

Good luck!

Brian.
 
One thing I found myself wondering about my 1x42 belt grinder, is what it would cost to convert it to digital control, for variable speed. I actually started looking around for a 1x30 belt machine that was variable speed. Then I figured the WSKO was variable speed. That to me is a huge advantage, my 1x42 belt machine is a good one--a Burr King, but to convert it to Digital Control variable speed, was about a grand. So no go on that option. If you have the place for it, and you can make your Kalamazoo variable speed that would tip the scales in the favor of the Kali, but if it's just fixed, which is usually 3450 rpm's which is just to fast IMO, I would lean towards the WSKO. As another poster stated a WE + the WSKO is a really sweet ying & yang setup.
 
Thanks all! It looks like I can't go wrong here no matter what I do- everybody seems to like what they have. The reason I like the Kalamazoo 1sm is because it's only 1750 rpm (more importantly that translates to 1800 sfpm). Some of you may have talked me into giving the WE another chance, though.

Unless some later comments change my mind, I think I might hang on to the WE and get the KO (I couldn't afford to get the Kalamazoo + belts without selling the WE). That way I can learn with the variable speed and if I do really prefer the belt enough I can sell them both and get the Kalamazoo. Still going to lose money, but what can you do? Thanks for the help!
 
Hello MVF,
I think you'd do well to get the WSKO and keep the WE.. I actually don't use my WE much now. I use the WSKO and the paper wheels (Razor Sharp Edgemaking System), and the Edge Pro when taking it with me. I think I'll sell my WE before you get a chance to sell yours (just kidding)!

Good sharpening,
Dave
 
The Ken Onion Work sharp with the blade grinder attachment is what I use a lot now for sharpening knives for people at work, also it's great for those larger kitchen knives. A friend wishes that they would just sell the motor and blade grinder attachment as a set by itself, as he would get it but never use the original fixture.

For me, it's great, you can get the blades edge right up to the belt easily, and as long as you have steady hands, it's pretty fool proof, just remember to lift the blade off before it reaches the edge of the belt, or you might round the tip off, that's a trouble with any belt sharpening I think.

For my pocket knives, I hand sharpen using a set of Shapton stones that are made to work on an Edge Pro, holding the stone between my thumb and ring finger on my left hand and the knife in my right. Making stropping type passes on the stone, so I'm not forcing the edge into the grit...which also helps prevent slicing off a bit of my fingers if I get over zealous ;)

I've not seen this Kalamazoo, but the KO variable speed seems to work just fine, they have 18" belts 1" wide and seem to last a while too.

G2
 
1800 sfm is too fast for sharpening hardened steel edges without damage to them. The KO is a nice machine if your satisfied with convex edges.

Fred
 
I use the 1SM, it's perfect for doing Regrinds and sharpening. The speed is perfect and if you use good belts like the Norton Blaze the blade will stay nice and cool, dipping in water occasionally is standard.

Here is a TSF beast I reground last night, (don't mind the dirty blade, I just set the bevel with my SG500)

E72D1C09-33A2-4ECB-A909-B99FB8E62CA4.jpg
 
Nice Jason, ground down pretty thin and the bevel looks nice and even too.
G2
 
Jason B. said:
I use the 1SM, it's perfect for doing Regrinds and sharpening. The speed is perfect and if you use good belts like the Norton Blaze the blade will stay nice and cool, dipping in water occasionally is standard.

Here is a TSF beast I reground last night, (don't mind the dirty blade, I just set the bevel with my SG500)

View attachment 586047
Click to expand...

Nice work Man! No need for apology, always look forward to your pics.
Russ
 
Thank you,

I'm starting to get comfortable with Regrinds, it's pretty tough to get that bevel thickness even when the blade does not start that way. This TSF was really thick right before the belly which made it a bit tricky to grind but I am very happy with the results. Not REK quality but I'm working my way up :)

I would like to upgrade to a 2x72 but for the price I'll probably just weld one up myself. Besides having a wider grinding surface the belts last longer than the 1x42 belts which could eventually be a concern if you do volume work.

I truthfully don't use my grinder a lot, German Kitchen knives or anything with soft steel is basically what I use it for. It was a very worthwhile investment though and I have no regrets with the purchase.
 
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