Lansky sharpener

H

hellgap

Joined
Dec 17, 2008
Messages
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I would like to hear what people know and think about the lansky system. The way i understand it , it puts the edge on but doesnt hone. I think they are designed for easier way or method but dont hone or even really sharpen they just put the correct angle on the steel. Am i correct??? I use a 700 grit water stone then swithch to a 1000 oil granite stone and finish on a 1500 oil stone then i buff a few times to really get it sharp for lasting power. Am i correct or am i missing something. Kellyw
 
I use a Lansky and I finish off with green compound on a home made strop. It has put a great edge on some, and not so great on others. This may be that my eyes did not see if the re profiling was complete or not. I use a magnifying glass and sharpie to make sure I have profiled correctly. I cannot shave hair on the back of my hand with the Lansky until I micro bevel ( I use either a 20 0r 25 for major bevel, and then 30 for micro bevel with hone) this usually makes it shaving sharp, then I like the way the strop polishes up the blade. What I do not like about the Lansky:
1. The clamp is a pain and it does not hold well to many knife spines.
2. The small stones load up fast and require cleaning after every use.
3. I have scuffed mirror finishes while knife falls out of clamp and stone hits face of blade. I do not do this barefoot!
4. I cannot use 17 degrees on most of my slippies because the stones make contact with the clamp for this angle.
5. I love to hate my Lansky:D

What I do like about it:
1. I am no good at free hand sharpening. So the finish looks like a factory bevel.
2. It makes for a razor sharp durable edge on my Schrades and Case knives. I still need to figure out what I am doing wrong on certain steels.
3. It does give fair results for the price.;)
 
I started sharpening by hand as taught by my father in the early/mid 60's. I thought that anyone that couldn't free hand in a good Washita soft should have their knives taken away from them.

However at this point, I will concede there are easier and possibly better way than spending a few months/years learning how to free hand on a 2"X8" stone. I was pointed to the Lansky system about 20 years ago by a custom knife maker I met at a gun show that told me he set the grind angles on his knifes on the Lansky.

I am with CJ65 on the love/hate relationship. Mostly love, but the system has its drawbacks. Here are some of each as I have experienced them:

Pros:

+ Affordable, almost inexpensive. Stones are great quality, and using honing oil with them I have used the same ones for about 10 - 12 years now. Replacement stones are inexpensive.

+ This tool can reprofile the edge on just about any blade up to about 4 inches long. I recently used the regular alox stones and honing oil to reprofile my Shallot with S110V. No problems with that, and it will touch up that steel effortlessly

+ With practice, you can grind out nicks and resharpen a hard steel blade in just a couple of minutes. Medium hard steels even less.

+ The set fits nicely into its box, and sets up in seconds. You get 3 -4 stones in the set depending on which setup you get, and this is like having 3 - 4 regular sharpening stones. It enables you to go through all the grits as needed without pulling out all the old cumbersome bench stones

+ The serrated edge stone makes sharpening even the aggressive, toothy serrations a snap

+ The repeatability of the grind angle is more than easy. No frustrated grinding of uneven edges with this system. Better edges mean better edge holding ability.

+ Lansky now offers a couple of new stones, one that is a 1000 grit (yellow) and the 2000 grit (sapphire/blue). These will easily transform just about any knife it can hold onto (see below) into a razor

Cons:

- This thing is almost impossible to use without the pedestal. Come on... for a couple of bucks why would they leave that out?

- To be able to use the clamp, the blade MUST have a flat surface for it to clamp. So on a full ground, flat ground blade, forget it. SOL. You literally cannot hold the blade straight in the clamp due to its flat jaws being able to grasp a steeply angled surface like my Tenacious

- I have found that any blade over about 4" - 5" can have the geometry of the grind screwed up due to the changing length of the rod pivot point to the stone position on the blade. For example, if you clamp the blade in the middle, the angle of the grind is less the farther you get from the pivot point due to the increased angle. So on a larger blade, you will have more angle by the pivot point (clamp) than you will as the stone gets farther away from the pivot

- You can sharpen a slightly recurved blade with ease, but a real sow belly or something like a Kershaw Bump, forget it


I would like this system more if they would make the guide wires less flexible, a model with a larger blade clamp and a larger guide slot (for larger knives).

As it is, you can sharpen larger knives on it (I sharpen my Buck 119 on it) but you must have a flat spine on which to move the clamp. A wider clamp with a longer guide slot would not only give you the ability to sharpen large knives without moving the clamp, but due to the ability to have a longer stroke you might be able to sharpen faster.

I like the system enough to buy more stones when I get these worn down, but if I had recurves or a lot of large knives I would probably look at another system to back this one up. To me, no one system is perfect.

I would not trade this system for any other for sharpening my old folders in the shoe box. Especially for smaller blades this thing kicks butt.

As always, your mileage my vary.

Robert
 
I've always struggled with hand sharpening and haven't yet spent much time trying on the belt grinder or invested in something like an EdgePro. I've been using a DMT angle guide (you can buy the guide alone, or with stones sort of along the lines of the Lansky.) It's inexpensive, I've had reasonably good luck with clamping blades of various sizes without too much trouble, and you can use it with existing stones that you already have. Although a little fidgety, I've finally been able to put razor sharp edges on blades for the first time in my life.
 
Ive had a Lansky with natural stones for atleast 10 years, I bought the diamond stones off ebay a few years ago, and have yet to replace any of the stones, they are very durable. The diamond stones do cut faster and dont load up near as bad as the natural stones. Im pretty much of the same opinion of the other guys it has good points and bad points, but it does work. Ive also found on full flat ground knives, that as others said are difficult to get in the clamp correctly, if you put a piece of painters tape on the part of the blade your clamping too it doesnt slip around and is easier to get aligned.
 
I learned to sharpen about 20 years ago using a Lansky (before that I didn't have a clue). Since then I learned to freehand sharpen. I find the Lansky fantastic for establishing a new edge angle with the courser diamond hones and then finishing freehand. Very effective and rewarding.
 
I use a Lansky.

All the above comments have merit.
Midnight flyer especially hit all the points.

It is a struggle to hold a full flat grind blade straight.
The little cutout grove at the lips make it worse, not better.
I find that I position the clamp on the ricasso to get a flat spot and I grip it deeply in the clamp.

I have replaced the slot screws with hex or torx sockets, but that's just because i hate slot screws.

I don't like the origional case the set comes in.
The pedestal and clamp is a must for me and it was not made to fit inside the case.
I find that the oil in the hones dries out and the case has warped on me.
have some tupperware for the kit. I keep the hones in nice little tubes and well soaked in kerosene. This reduces loading of the stones.

Those bent wires are shabby and every time I use it I intend to change that.
 
I use an EdgePro for all my main sharpening but also have a DMT (with diamond hones) which is similar to a Lansky. I bring it to work all the time and sharpen everyone's knives with excellent results. Super simple and extremely compact is what I really like.
 
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The stones do load up pretty quick. I wish they were a little bit bigger and longer too. I use a small piece of tape on the spine which helps the clamp to grip better. Overall not to bad of a system. One thing to add or ask, has anyone tried the new diamond grit stones for the lansky. I had wondered if they would not load up as fast.
 
The Gatco system is almost exactly the same except is has larger stones.

I suggest it over the Lansky.

Mike L.
 
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