KME vs Wicked edge comparison

uilleann

uilleann

Joined
Nov 20, 2016
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I am still a beginning knife sharpener. But I have had the KME for about 9 months and now the Wicked edge Pro Pack 2. Both with lots of add ons. I have been able to consistently get very sharp mirror edges. And I have learned a lot. So I put together this video to show my conclusions of why I opted to sell the KME and get the WE. Note both do great jobs.

 
I think I just saw this on youtube.

What I haven't seen with the wicked edge is if it can follow the edge of a convex? Can it sharpen an entire bevel? From what I seen it mostly is for microbevels?
 
Well it can do a basic bevel and it can do micro or multi bevel edges. I do not think it can follow a convex bevel. It sharpens only in one plane at a time. The KME had a concave rod that will do the curves following of a concave edge, I do not believe that the WE has that.
 
The amount of cant in your blade is likely to be greater than what you're measuring on the steel rule. So spending 1200 bucks has not achieved tolerances any better than the KME (the slop between the KME clamp and the base doesn't affect bevel angle btw).
I think you'll find the Gen 3 clamp will be even worse, because of the incredible amount of uncontrollable torque it generates.
So going by my own experience, you'll then be out around 1400 bucks and still not have a system that will satisfy your OCD.
 
banksy said:
The amount of cant in your blade is likely to be greater than what you're measuring on the steel rule. So spending 1200 bucks has not achieved tolerances any better than the KME (the slop between the KME clamp and the base doesn't affect bevel angle btw).
I think you'll find the Gen 3 clamp will be even worse, because of the incredible amount of uncontrollable torque it generates.
So going by my own experience, you'll then be out around 1400 bucks and still not have a system that will satisfy your OCD.
Click to expand...
The slop in the kme stand does not affect the angles, you are right. Unless you try to used the base for a zero set on the cube. I did not use the base as I had the frame mounted in a vise. The slop was in the main jaw tension bar at the rod hole near the frame, the pull back bar in the jaw, and the surface of the back of the jaws. I could change angles by wiggling the jaw and rotating the jaw. Granted the changes were small in the order of .3 to .5 degrees but thats about twice what I have found in the WE. Is that improvement worth the added money. Probably not for most people but it was for me.

As for the 3rd gen vice. Correct me if I am wrong but vises that clamp the knife are operated by two differeen mechanisms. The older one is like a pivot at the top screw with the bottom screw pusing the top of the vise, levered by the top screw to apply the force on the blade. The newer gen vise, I think, pushes in both vise sides and therefore should be a balance force on the knife. i will see when I get it
 
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uilleann said:
As for the 3rd gen vice. Correct me if I am wrong but vises that clamp the knife are operated by two differeen mechanisms. The older one is like a pivot at the top screw with the bottom screw pusing the top of the vise, levered by the top screw to apply the force on the blade. The newer gen vise, I think, pushes in both vise sides and therefore should be a balance force on the knife. i will see when I get it
Click to expand...

Yes that's correct. But it takes no account of distal taper, causing the knife to skew, especially on FFG blades. Yes you can pack it out with bits of foam tape and the like, but for what is supposed to be a precision instrument, this isn't what I expected, and I sold mine because I couldn't get it to work as advertised.

IMO their claim for the Gen 3 clamp is a stretch:
Vise Jaw is free floating and will clamp almost any type of knife, including fully flat ground blades
Click to expand...


Also be careful if you have coated blades. The Gen 3 clamp damaged the coating on my Izula, even taped up.
 
Thank-you for the thread as I have been looking at both for about a month, it seems I have switched between each one two or three times.. after watching you video, I am settling in on the WE for the following reasons, it seems a like more precise and substantial. When you compare all of the accessories on both they are very close in price.. the price is less of an issue as this purchase should last a long time either-way and relative small when you compare how much I have invested in knives.. I also feel that the stones will last longer on the WE because you have twice as many... the ability to work on both sides of the knife at a time- seems like it would be quicker to get rid of the final burr as you wouldn't have to turn the knife for each stroke.. But in the end I believe that there simply is not a wrong choice between the two.. just feel that the WE is just slightly better when it comes to repeat ability when doing touch-ups.
 
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