Lansky Deluxe 5 Stone System

Herlock · Sep 9, 2015

Hi there! I'm writing to possibly get some advice and guidance. I am considering buying this sharpener from Lansky. I have used the search function

and got some inputs, but would like some more specific hints.

I am able to sharpen free hands on a KAI stone 400 -1000 grit. "Able" means I can get a decent working/hair shaving edge. It takes quite a long, though. In the fields I rely on a Fallkniven DC4, I can get a decent working edge on most of my knives. Kitchen knives (IKEA), they go straight into the Chef's Choice 120

.

Given this, do you think I will get some real benefit in getting a Lansky? Is it better to get the stones or the diamonds?

Thanks for your kind attention and support! Ciao!

TravisH · Sep 9, 2015

If you can get sharp edges with stones, just get more/better stones, including a diamond like the DMT Dia-Sharp 8" or 6".

The main benefit of a 'system' is holding a consistent edge angle, especially for the novice and sharpening-challenged.

If you still want a system, go with diamond. For the money, the DMT Deluxe or Pro Aligner system is better than the Lansky. (I have both)

Oh wait, you have a Chef's Choice 120?!

Forget everything I just said. Dump all your stones and save your money. Just use the 120 for everything. After all, if crappy edges are good enough for the tools you use everyday, it's good enough for the rest.

aesmith · Sep 9, 2015

I have that Lansky set, but if I were doing it again I'd get a diamond set with fewer hones. The reason is that I find the Lansky slow and fiddly to set up, so have ended up using it really only for resetting bevel angles and not for getting the final sharpness. I do normal sharpening by hand which is quicker, or with a Sharpmaker (even quicker still).

gadgetgeek · Sep 9, 2015

I agree with travis, if you can get an edge, go with that, if you want a guide, go with something that will help you use a bench stone, and work from there. The Lansky 5 stone is not really that great in my opinion. I never used the extra course stone on mine (its like a cinderblock) rarely used the course, wore out the medium, liked the fine, and found the extra-fine to load far too fast to be useful. So thats two good stones, and three less so. its just a matter of size, there is not much material there. I did use some of the diamonds, I had two medium stones, as they wear they get finer, so I started with one, and got another once it wore, so I would start with the new one, and work to the old one to finish.

as far as the 120, do lots more reading around here, and then decide if you want to get some real sharp knives. There are better ways, but to each his own.

cbrstar · Sep 9, 2015

I bought the cheap Lansky 3 stone standard set, I kinda wish I had sprang but the better set.(But in a way it worked out better for me). I quickly realized I wanted a honing stone, so I bought the yellow Ultra Fine Hone...Only to find out it wasn't straight and pretty much junk. I then bought the Super Sapphire Hone, which lucky for me was on sale and by far a much better hone.

I understand why your looking at the Lansky. For myself it wasn't that I couldn't use a sharpening stone and make my Knife sharp, it's that I couldn't seem to make a constant angle across the blade, and as I bought more expensive knives, that started to bother me more and more.

The Lansky takes 90% of the guess work out, but it's not a quick solution. I do get a nice clean razor sharp edge from it. The main short coming is you may have difficulty if the knife is either too big or too small.

That being said, my chef friend can get the same results if not better, in 1/4 of the time and effort with his Japanese water stones. But he's also had years of practice and does it daily.

aaron1972 · Sep 9, 2015

aesmith said:
I have that Lansky set, but if I were doing it again I'd get a diamond set with fewer hones. The reason is that I find the Lansky slow and fiddly to set up, so have ended up using it really only for resetting bevel angles and not for getting the final sharpness. I do normal sharpening by hand which is quicker, or with a Sharpmaker (even quicker still).

Plus one on this, I would definitely get the diamond set if I bought another set again.

TravisH · Sep 9, 2015

aesmith said:
I do normal sharpening by hand which is quicker, or with a Sharpmaker (even quicker still).

I use a Spyderco Sharpmaker for maintaining edges that are already sharp. Even a Lansky 4 Rod Turn Box would work well. And much quicker than any system.

I only use my DMT and Lansky systems for edges that are dull, damaged, or for reprofiling.

Herlock · Sep 10, 2015

Hi there! Thanks for the feedbacks so far. I will think it over a bit more. The issue is exactly that, I can get a decent working and - sometimes

- shaving sharp edge on the bench stone but they end up in being all "convex-ish". That's why I am looking at a "system". Don't want to spend hundreds of EUR.

About Chef's Choice...

... actually guys, I can't complain very much about the edge quality of my cheap kitchen knives when run into that... grinder

. My bad but not so different from what I get today on the stones. Need to practice more

. My complaints are more that knives sometimes get scratched and I don't manage to sharp properly the part of the blade closer to the handle. Also small or big sporting knives don't really fit in... yes, I have tried...

JasonJ · Sep 10, 2015

It sounds to me that you have "ok" technique with sharpening freehand, and just need to hone your sharpening skills instead of buying a new system.

I have a set of three stones I use freehand, as well as a smiths guided sharpener. I find that the guided sharpener (like the Lansky) is good for resetting an angle and has a very niche use. I thought I'd use it more.. but it turns out that even as an amateur, I still get a better edge on my three freehand stones. My highest grit stone is 1000 and then I move to a leather strop with green compound. Its a dulled mirror finish but depending on the steel and blade thickness can shave electrons off of the Oxygen in the air.

Try using a black sharpie marker on the edge bevel of your knives while taking them to the stones... check it every 3 or 4 passes to see if you need to adjust your angle. This will help prevent turning flat bevels all into convex-ish.

Or only have and use scandi-ground blades. Those get very sharp and are so easy to maintain.

Herlock · Mar 14, 2016

Hi there! A little update about this

. So, eventually, I bought a Lansky System, the one with the 5 stones and I added (little later on) a coarse diamond hone, a fine diamond hone and a leather hone. Frankly speaking, it has been a journey, ups and downs and some frustration. It took me a good 5 months of YT video tutorials

, dedication and practice (on cheap knives in the beginning) to learn how operate the system properly and get out the results I expected. But finally I managed! I am able to put a good shaving edge on all of my knives :thumbup:! The most difficult thing, for me, it has been to find a good way to clamp properly the knife. The rubber pads the Lansky came with literally sucked. They came off at the second attempt to sharpen something. I got a good input from a YT guy who was using layers of duct tape folded (he said 7 or something). Once I did this trick, I managed to get the blades locked up decently enough to operate. Second tip I learned is to lock the rod in the position between the fingers when holding the clamp with my left hand. This reduced a lot the up/down play and helped me in maintaining the right angle. Then I learnt to be patient

. It takes the time it takes, up to half an hour, going through the hones, from the medium to the ultra fine and leather strop. This doesnt bother me too much, its more or less the same with the KAI stones I use. I have a beer, some music and enjoy. All in all, I am satisfied with the Lansky now. Rather low-cost and effective solution for me, being one who likes my knives sharp by I am not obsessed with getting wicked edges or hair popping ones. Few pics from my efforts yesterday, just to share

.

scubisino · Mar 15, 2016

I have the 5 stone lansky system, it takes some time and practice to learn how to operate the system, but the result are very good.. Like Mr. Herlock says, put some music, relax, have a beer..... here some pics of the result... just the standard stones and the final strop on the back of my leather belt, no polish compound, only the raw leather.

Valdezrl · Mar 15, 2016

I bought a Lansky 5 stone kit as well. Had to add the extra coarse diamond stone for reprofiling and a couple of the leather strops. Very happy with the system and can get a mirrored hair popping edge.

sharp_edge · Mar 15, 2016

Thanks for sharing. I have also used a Lansky 5-stone system for a few months and agree with what's said above about it. I find I use the medium and fine stones the most, then come the coarse and the extra fine. The extra coarse stone is the least used. When I need to reprofile edges, the extra coarse actually does not remove steel faster than the coarse one for whatever reason. The extra fine stone seems to polish the edge more than sharpen it, i.e., using it might not necessarily make the edge sharper (of course I am talking about after using the fine stone).

There are two limitations with this system. It is difficult to keep the same consistent angle for a knife that needs to be sharpened repeatedly over time. This always demands the use of a sharpie and then try out using the fine or extra fine hone to find the correct (previous) angle. Also, the system is really a less optimal choice for long blades (>4") and re-curved blades (e.g., ZT 0200). Therefore, I recommend against it if you are to sharpen your chef's knife.

The marked angles (17, 20, 25, etc.) are really for reference, because the width and thickness of the blade, the distance between the tip of the clamp and the edge, and the angle between the two clamps (are they parallel or angled) all affect the actual dps of the finished edge. Again, this makes the use of a sharpie almost mandatory.

One problem that I am yet to find the cause and solution is with some folders the Lansky system produces different degrees/bevel widths on two sides (granted the difference is not big). I aligned the two clamps side by side and they match perfectly, so that could not be the reason. I am not sure if it is due to the rubber on the tips of the clamps. Maybe one is slightly thicker or softer than the other? Perhaps I should just strip the rubber and use folded Scotch tape? Or maybe these folders were ground asymmetrically in the factory (although I highly suspect it as these are ~$100 quality folders)? I wonder if anyone has ever encountered the same problem?