Recommendation? Knife Sharpener for a beginner

[AlexSav]

So I've recently started liking knives and things like thay, I have a couple high quality laser aslo but wanted to get into knives. I was wondering about a knife sharpener for my two blades one is a Benchmade I got from a friend and other just a normal fixed blade I think it's a lmf2 and pretty much wanted to see what your guys reccomdations? I've heard good things about the sharp maker plus diamond rods for 110 or should I go something low end like the lanksy kit? I've also heard the bet kind of gets it all done is the edge pro Apex 3 kit I'm willing to spend the and 200 dallor for it if it's reallyw jt also should I just get a stone and start from there? Thanks for any help guys I'm a pretty much just trying to get into this hobby

Edit: I ordered freehand knife sharpening stones that came today wish me luck on learning how to use the.

 

[Eversion]

I have both a Lansky and the base Sharpmaker. You'll get a waaay better edge if you put the time in with the Lansky. With the 5 stone Lansky set, a great mirrored edge is possible.

I have the Sharpmaker for knives that are either too big for the Lansky, or have a recurve or serrations, or won't clamp well. The Sharpmaker is good; it'll get you a razor sharp edge much quicker than the Lansky. But once you get past the quirks of the Lansky, you can't screw up a guided system like that.

I would recommend picking
up both to see what you like more. If you're only going to get one, though, the Sharpmaker can do just about anything, whereas the Lansky can only do basic knives.

Of course, the single most important thing for sharpening is:

Get a strop.

A leather strop with some green compound is the single most useful thing for creating and maintaining a scary sharp edge. I use one on a wooden block with a smooth and course side.

 

[AlexSav]

I have both a Lansky and the base Sharpmaker. You'll get a waaay better edge if you put the time in with the Lansky. With the 5 stone Lansky set, a great mirrored edge is possible.

I have the Sharpmaker for knives that are either too big for the Lansky, or have a recurve or serrations, or won't clamp well. The Sharpmaker is good; it'll get you a razor sharp edge much quicker than the Lansky. But once you get past the quirks of the Lansky, you can't screw up a guided system like that.

I would recommend picking
up both to see what you like more. If you're only going to get one, though, the Sharpmaker can do just about anything, whereas the Lansky can only do basic knives.

Of course, the single most important thing for sharpening is:

Get a strop.

A leather strop with some green compound is the single most useful thing for creating and maintaining a scary sharp edge. I use one on a wooden block with a smooth and course side.

Thanks so much for the reply I was thinking of getting the lansky I just hear the new design was bad with the rubber piece coming off and stuff, but this reassured me since poeple are still using it will get it soon thanks

 

[jfk1110]

I second the statement, get a strop! It's the best way to maintain a hair poppin(literally)edge!!! There's lots to choose from. I got the billy strop from Stropman.
Unless you are cutting rocks, a strop is the best way to keep em sharp!!

 

[Eversion]

Thanks so much for the reply I was thinking of getting the lansky I just hear the new design was bad with the rubber piece coming off and stuff, but this reassured me since poeple are still using it will get it soon thanks

Yeah, the Lansky is definitely not the highest quality thing ever. It's pretty much the bare minimum quality you can get away with and still be able to do good with it. But it does work with a little convincing.
I plan on getting a KME or something of the like a bit later. But you can't beat the price of a Lansky considering what it's capable of.

You just have to consider things like making sure your guide rods are straight, that they sit in the stone holder the same way, etc. There's good videos on YouTube about that.

 

[AlexSav]

I second the statement, get a strop! It's the best way to maintain a hair poppin(literally)edge!!! There's lots to choose from. I got the billy strop from Stropman.
Unless you are cutting rocks, a strop is the best way to keep em sharp!!

Hello thanks for the reply I went on lansky website they have a dedicated strop for there kit like a Separate buy is it worth getting?

 

[AlexSav]

T

Yeah, the Lansky is definitely not the highest quality thing ever. It's pretty much the bare minimum quality you can get away with and still be able to do good with it. But it does work with a little convincing.
I plan on getting a KME or something of the like a bit later. But you can't beat the price of a Lansky considering what it's capable of.

You just have to consider things like making sure your guide rods are straight, that they sit in the stone holder the same way, etc. There's good videos on YouTube about that.

Thanks for the reply I will try my best to keep those rods straight for sure

 

[Eversion]

Hello thanks for the reply I went on lansky website they have a dedicated strop for there kit like a Separate buy is it worth getting?

I personally use a standalone strop instead, so I don't have to rig the clamps up again every time I want to touch up the edge just a little bit after a day's use. A freehand strop is also far more forgiving than freehand stones, so I don't find I need the guided one. A standalone strop is useful for all sorts of blades, too, instead of just what'll fit in a Lansky.

 

[AlexSav]

I personally use a standalone strop instead, so I don't have to rig the clamps up again every time I want to touch up the edge just a little bit after a day's use. A freehand strop is also far more forgiving than freehand stones, so I don't find I need the guided one. A standalone strop is useful for all sorts of blades, too, instead of just what'll fit in a Lansky.

Do you have a specific one you like that you can recommend? If so please do tell me where orto get it. Thanks for the help so far

 

[Eversion]

I use a cheap Beavercraft strop on a wooden block you can find on Amazon. It's pretty difficult to mess up something as simple as a piece of leather and some compound, though; there are so many options that'll work just as well.
I'd recommend for a beginner to get a pre loaded strop, though, as it seems pretty easy to rub the compound in, but you usually don't get a very even coating on until you get a feel for it first.

 

[Craig James]

Strops can be beneficial, but they don’t replace accurate sharpening of blades, be it free hand or on a guided system. They won’t magically make your knife sharp.

There are a number of people that I have seen rather quickly upgrade from both the lansky or sharpmaker to a more advanced guided system such as the edge pro, wicked edge, ts prof or KME.

I’d recommend you do the research before buying to fully understand the pros and cons of these systems. Personally I have no experience here as I free hand

 

[AlexSav]

Thanks for the reco

I use a cheap Beavercraft strop on a wooden block you can find on Amazon. It's pretty difficult to mess up something as simple as a piece of leather and some compound, though; there are so many options that'll work just as well.
I'd recommend for a beginner to get a pre loaded strop, though, as it seems pretty easy to rub the compound in, but you usually don't get a very even coating on until you get a feel for it first.

Thanks for the recommendation will check out what's on eBay and that one on Amazon. Thanks again

 

[AlexSav]

Strops can be beneficial, but they don’t replace accurate sharpening of blades, be it free hand or on a guided system. They won’t magically make your knife sharp.

There are a number of people that I have seen rather quickly upgrade from both the lansky or sharpmaker to a more advanced guided system such as the edge pro, wicked edge, ts prof or KME.

I’d recommend you do the research before buying to fully understand the pros and cons of these systems. Personally I have no experience here as I free hand

Yea I had been doing some research for sure before buying, I was thinking doing free hand but I felt I couldn't invest that much time learning due to college and work but I've heard with guided systems there is a much faster learning curve plus I really didn't want to go over 100 dallors unless it's was extremely beneficial, I did take a look and research the edge pro but it seemed for the actually decent kit it was 225 while buying the lansky which I plan on stay for a while was a much more affordable solution for a beginner like me
Thanks for the help

 

[scottc3]

Sharpmaker has been around a long time, so lots of 3rd party stones, hacks, tips and tricks. There is a reason so many folks start with the Sharpmaker. But you are required to hold knives vertical consistently to grind wicked sharp edges. Go watch Sal's instructional video that comes with the kit, on YouTube or elsewhere.
I've sharpened scissors and fish hooks with it in addition to knives, including serrations. I've reset edges with 240 and 400 grit silicon carbide wet and dry sand paper held to the Spyderco stones top and bottom with small binder clips, using trailing edge passes. I have not bought the diamond rods, but love Spyderco's Ultrafine Rods, ~3 to 4 micron or 4000-6K grit for honing edges back to life.
To be sure I have read other users calling Spyderco's kit a sharp-maintainer more then a maker. And that is what it was designed for, as it comes, with two sets of fine grit rods: Medium ~12 to 14 micron or 800 to 900 grit, and Fine ~7 to 9 micron or 2000 to 3000 grit. You say your in college, so use a free printable protractor and stuff around you to tilt the Sharpmaker to get angles other then 30 and 40 degrees easy peasy.
Keep an open mind about free hand sharpening with stones, as you can lay the stones flat and side by side, in the bottom trays of the kit's plastic container and practice on those cheap kitchen knives, that old pocket knife in the bottom of the toolbox, fillet knife in the fishing box etc. I've not done this but others report it works.
The tool never made the man, but men make their tools. Just sayin.

 

[jfk1110]

I suggest checking out stropman.com! He passed away, but two FELLAS took over. Quality products and.comes with compounds included. Have .mine for 7 yrs and like I said as long as you are not cutting rocks and sandy material you should go for the strop first. As for a.sharpener, I personally have and use a worksharp belt model. Whatever you choose to do, test your skills.on a.cheap kitchen knife or other low cost knife to get a hang of all the.idiosyncrasies every system will have! Good luck

James

 

[Mikel_24]

I got to go agains the grain here and suggest you have a look into the latest RUIXIN model. It is called RUIXIN PRO RX-008. Have a look at it in YouTube. It is a guided system that allows for infinite adjustment of the angle (does not have fixed slots like other guided systems). It is robust, cheap, many grits available (wetstone and diamond). The benefit of this system over others I have seen is that you clamp the device to the table so it is rigid and solid, then you can flip the knife without unclamping it, so the angle stays the same as you do either side and progress through the different grits.

You can source from China no problem, the price is going to surprise you, I promise.

I also own a sharpmaker and while it is ok for maintaining edges and quick touch ups, any reprofiling or heavy sharpening (think ruined edge) takes foreeeeeeeeeeeeever. Since I bought the RUIXIN I only use the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups and serrated edges, but I no longer sharpen straight edges on it.

Mikel

 

[Eli Chaps]

Strops can be beneficial, but they don’t replace accurate sharpening of blades, be it free hand or on a guided system. They won’t magically make your knife sharp.

There are a number of people that I have seen rather quickly upgrade from both the lansky or sharpmaker to a more advanced guided system such as the edge pro, wicked edge, ts prof or KME.

I’d recommend you do the research before buying to fully understand the pros and cons of these systems. Personally I have no experience here as I free hand

I 100% agree. The Lanksy is cheap and limited and not worth the time or money. If you want to do it right, and use a system, spend the money up front and get a high quality system with heaps of versatility that you will be able to sharpen many different knives on (pocket, kitchen, etc.) for the rest of your days.

I've had a KME for years and it is an excellent system. Check out the R.P.S.H. kit. Great place to start. But as Craig said, there are other quality systems out there too and they all have pros and cons. For me, all things considered, the KME wins out but you should do the research to make an educated decision.

 

[Ben Dover]

I recommend Edge-Pro. It's money very well spent.

There are cheaper ways to go, the the EP will just about do it all.

 

[AlexSav]

I got to go agains the grain here and suggest you have a look into the latest RUIXIN model. It is called RUIXIN PRO RX-008. Have a look at it in YouTube. It is a guided system that allows for infinite adjustment of the angle (does not have fixed slots like other guided systems). It is robust, cheap, many grits available (wetstone and diamond). The benefit of this system over others I have seen is that you clamp the device to the table so it is rigid and solid, then you can flip the knife without unclamping it, so the angle stays the same as you do either side and progress through the different grits.

You can source from China no problem, the price is going to surprise you, I promise.

I also own a sharpmaker and while it is ok for maintaining edges and quick touch ups, any reprofiling or heavy sharpening (think ruined edge) takes foreeeeeeeeeeeeever. Since I bought the RUIXIN I only use the Sharpmaker for quick touch ups and serrated edges, but I no longer sharpen straight edges on it.

Mikel

Thanks for the post I checked it out, it's interesting seems cheap and things but I'm worried about the quality is it any good I mean there are tons of Chinese ones but which ones are actually good out of all of them?

 

[Alberta Ed]

I find freehand sharpening to be more versatile. A set of diamond hones and a simple angle guide are all you really need to sharpen any knife.