So I ordered a Car-Bee multi head sharpener for my Bradley Kimura IV. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried it and if so how well does it work? If its no good can you advise me on another good sharpener? I have a bunch of whetstones but don't trust my skills enough to sharpen my favorite EDC with them.
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Knife Sharpener
- Thread starter Kite09
- Start date
I'm not sure what kind of stones I have. I know I have a soft Arkansas stone and a couple of which my grandfather gave me. The one i bought is this one http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=AOBSHARP
Jason B.
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Jun 13, 2007
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- 11,196
A mora or DMT aligner clamp + a bench stone can teach you a lot about freehand sharpening. Norton makes affordable dual sided bench stone for about 20 dollars too.
The above items are cheap but can be very effective, not going to give you hair splitting edges but will get it more than sharp enough.
The above items are cheap but can be very effective, not going to give you hair splitting edges but will get it more than sharp enough.
What about all this talk about "DMT diamonds being ripped off the plate after 10 min of use or 1 year" or whatnot? There was a thread with lots of "confirmation" of this rumor. I haven't noticed it on my XC or F, except on the corners of the stone, and it may or may not have happened on my EF, although I can still get really sharp edges with it.
A DMT Aligner clamp and a couple of sheets of wet/dry sandpaper will set you back about $15.00. If you get some 220 grit, 400, 600, 1000, and 2,000 grit papers you'll be able to put a mirror finished razor sharp edge on most any small knife in less than 30 minutes.
(You can also use the DMT Aligner with any bench stones if you want, but they cost more money.)
The DMT clamp will also teach you a lot about maintaining edge angles when sharpening, so eventually you'll be able to freehand sharpen quite well!
Stitchawl
There is nothing better than an EdgePro. The Sharpmaker is a great sharpener to use for general touch-ups, and makes a good companion to the EdgePro. The Sharpmaker can be used alone, but lacks the versatility of the EdgePro.
If you are only sharpening a couple of kitchen knives and a few pocket or hunting knives at home, either of these will last you a lifetime. You might find that you need a new 120 grit stone for the EdgePro after 5 years or so, but that's about it. Perfect tools that will give you perfect edges. :thumbup:
Stitchawl
The Apex with a good selection of stones can do everything (except scissors) that the Pro model can do. Although made of plastic, it is remarkably sturdy and mine shows no wear after 15 years of use.
Stitchawl
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,768
i've owned a crapload of different sharpeners, including (but not limited to): Lansky, Sharpmaker, EdgePro.
Kite09 - Lansky's are not that expensive and i know you said you like freehand, but the Lansky is an amazing tool. if you look around, you'll find a basic Lansky pretty cheap. only downside is you really don't wanna try sharpening longer blades on it. i find it's good out to 4.5" and that's it. the Sharpmaker is junk, in my opinion, if you REALLY want one, i'll sell you mine. the EdgePro is probably going to be outside your budget, but is second to NONE (in my experience).
Kite09 - Lansky's are not that expensive and i know you said you like freehand, but the Lansky is an amazing tool. if you look around, you'll find a basic Lansky pretty cheap. only downside is you really don't wanna try sharpening longer blades on it. i find it's good out to 4.5" and that's it. the Sharpmaker is junk, in my opinion, if you REALLY want one, i'll sell you mine. the EdgePro is probably going to be outside your budget, but is second to NONE (in my experience).
So the Carbee came in. It works on cheap knives but not on good ones. So I'm going to look into investing into some good whetstones. I'm thinking of getting a 400 grit, 1000 grit, 5000 grit, 10000 grit, and then a 12,000 grit. This will take me a long time to buy these all but it would be worth it in the end. Could I skip buying any of these or would all of them be necessary? And besides a strop and guide would anything else be needed to make the most sharp edge possible?
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- Jul 22, 2009
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If you just want a sharp edge, a bench grinder and a set of paper wheels will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100. The resulting edge will be sharp enough so that you probably won't notice it for a while if you happen to cut yourself(went through my nail and into the skin). Total sharpening time is about 2-3 minutes, depending on how obsessive you are about the edge. I ordered another slotted paper wheel to see if the Chromium Oxide compound I have can make my edge even sharper.
People say it's a form of freehand, but I find it much easier than freehanding. Given the amount of time it takes even a skilled person to sharpen a knife, I honestly can't recommend it if you need that knife to be razor sharp before you clock in for work. But if you have some free time to kill and need to relax, freehand might be your cup of tea.
I bought some DMT Duosharp Plus benchstones a while back, but never really touched them since. I also don't trust myself enough to put one of my folders on them just yet. I might try again with my Mora knife tomorrow, but 5 bucks says the edge will be nowhere near a mirror polished edge.
People say it's a form of freehand, but I find it much easier than freehanding. Given the amount of time it takes even a skilled person to sharpen a knife, I honestly can't recommend it if you need that knife to be razor sharp before you clock in for work. But if you have some free time to kill and need to relax, freehand might be your cup of tea.
I bought some DMT Duosharp Plus benchstones a while back, but never really touched them since. I also don't trust myself enough to put one of my folders on them just yet. I might try again with my Mora knife tomorrow, but 5 bucks says the edge will be nowhere near a mirror polished edge.
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2009
- Messages
- 1,421
Just a quick comment, it will make it extremely polished but the resulting edge has no bite to it. Great for whittling hair.
But for an EDC knife, it seems to be an overkill. I prefer a little bite to the edge.