Lansky Sharpeners

Joined
Feb 6, 2000
Messages
631
I'm Thinking of getting a Lansky sharpener, they look pretty good, but all i've read has been PR put out by the company. I need opinions from users, or the address of a page where there's a test.
Thanks in advance
James

------------------
People who say knives are innefective weapons have never been stabbed
 
James, I would definetly not reccomend a Lansky. I have a Deluxe model, and I have found that the guide rods are not all uniformly straight. With the coarse stone you may be sharpening at a 21 degree angle, and then the fine stone may sharpen at 24 or 25 degrees. The clamp is also somewhat poorly designed. Now, if you are no good at hand sharpening, it's better than nothing. And I suppose that the results could be improved by using the same rod for each stone, that would probably at least make the bevels closer to the same. Personally, I reccomend Edge-Pro. I broke down in January and bought an Apex, and I haven't regretted it. Now my mom's afraid to use her kitchen knives
biggrin.gif
, and I could shave with my Ka-Bar if I wanted to. My arms are just about bare from constant shaving tests. In short, I love it. You can polish with up to 3000 grit, which leaves a mirror edge that you can actually see your reflection in. The URL is http://www.gorge.net/business/edgepro/ if you'd like to check it out. Ben Dale, the owner, will sharpen a knife with it for free if you send one to him with enough money for return shipping. I wouldn't advise doing this if you don't plan to buy one; once you've seen what it can do it may be impossible to resist! It comes at a price though, if you don't want to break the bank like I did, you might be interested in a Skarb instead. It's a little more than a Lansky system (at least the Deluxe model) but I think that it's worth it. There is a review here at http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001354.html . It sounded good to me, at least as good as an Edge-Pro when used with water stones, which aren't extremely expensive. Hope this helps, and feel free to e-mail me if you'd like to know more about the Lansky.

------------------
Just because I talk to myself does not make me crazy. Now, when I listen to myself, that makes me crazy.
 
I use a Lansky Deluxe and like it.
The rods on mine are all straight and I can get all my knives to shave. The stones could be a little bigger but other than that you can't really beat it for the money.
 
Roadrunner how many Lansky systems have you seen, that you can say all the guide rods are not the same? Couldn't a simple bend be easy to fix? I have a Lansky and it has worked just fine for 3 or 4 years. Now, I would not compare a $20 system to a $200 system. Just maybe it is the user and not the system that does not work well.
 
Tahnks for the promt response people. I know it's been said, but this place is a home away from home. One important thing i need to know is how long it takes to sharpen a relatively dull kitchen knife to a good edge?
There is a local market where i live, and i was thinking about setting up a small sharpening booth, that is the only way i could ever justify the Edge-pro. $275 for a sharpener? If anyone has tried the sharpening idea before, tell me how it went.
Thanks for all your help.

------------------
People who say knives are innefective weapons have never been stabbed
 
James,

One important thing i need to know is how long it takes to sharpen a relatively dull kitchen knife to a good edge?

Not long at all, especially if it is of common high carbon steel. If you don't have to reprofile the edge, you'll have a shaving edge in no time. You have to reposition the clamp along the edge if you're sharpening a really long blade though, and work in sections.
 
I own a Lansky and found it usefull for knives that have a "flat" spine that the guide can be clamped to.
There are some knives where clamping of the guide is difficult, if not impossible like my Puma White Hunter for example or knives that are flat ground or daggers. It is also a major pain to continually move the guide when sharpening larger knives.

------------------
Kevin Miller
My Personal Interests Page
kevinandtrish@sympatico.ca
Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face always.
 
James,
I have both the Lansky Deluxe system and the EdgePro Apex, which i just recieved about 2 weeks ago. I have to agree with Roadrunner in that the EdgePro is superior. I had never sharpened a knife before buying these two systems and found the EdgePro more precise and easier to use. I'll admit that I have only sharpened 2 knives with the EdgePro so far, so it IS a small sample to compare.
One thing that was particularly helpfull to me was watching Ben's video. For a newbie like me, it helped to see the process in action. I believe it comes with the top-of-the-line system and is $10 more if purchased with the Apex system. It's well worth it for someone who is new to sharpening.
Regarding the Lansky; I just don't like the clamp and I think the hones are too "dinky".


------------------
"It is wonderfull to be here in that great state of Chicago" - Vice President Dan Quayle
 
James,

Forgot to mention: the disadvantage of Lansky (and similar clamp systems) is when you sharpen two blades with different widths, and you use the same angle on both, you'll end up with two different edge angles, with the narrower blade having a higher/bigger angle.
 
I have a Lansky sharpener, and have used it to good effect for years. No problems, rods are straight. Best used for shorter knives where you can sharpen the entire blade without having to move the clamp. Sometimes a slip of leather of inner tube rubber inside the clamp will help the clamp hold onto a spine that it doesn't like. Try to put the clamp on the same spot each time you sharpen the knife. The angle guide does not give exact angles due to blade width or distance from the clamp, but who cares, it works.

On the other hand I bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker last fall, and the Lansky has not bee out of the box since.


Mike
 
James,
I would recommend the GATCO Edgemate Pro sharpening system. It's comparable priced. It works similarly to Lanski one, has better clamp and works well for me during one year of hard use. Hard because I'm testing knives and have to resharpen them frequently and sometimes from very dull condition.
I resharpened a dozens of knifes with good results and minimal stone wear out, replacement stones are available also. I would like if the finest stone in this set would be a bit finer; you may have to take a finishing touch on extra-fine oilstone.
However the main disadvantage of all similar sharpening systems is the difficulties to clamp up the blades with extended back edge, spear point or dagger type blades.
Another disadvantage is non-consistent sharpening angle from one sharpening session to another. If you will clamp up the blade slightly differently (and you will certainly!) in next sharpening session you will sharpen the same blade to different sharpening angle. It's pretty difficult to "catch" the same angle especially if you have to sharpen a lot of knives and you can't remember the clamp position on the blade.
Tri-Angle Sharpmaker by SPYDERCO allows to skip both these problems. It's extremely easy to work with and can be used as flat bench stone also if you wish to sharpen your blade to another than "programmed" sharpening angle. Price is also comparable with mentioned sharpening systems.


------------------
Sergiusz Mitin
gunwriter
Lodz, Poland
 
Hey James!

I have the gatco diamond system and the lansky deluxe.

I like and use the lansky system a lot.
The gatco disappointed me a bit, because their angles are not 11°, 15°, 19°...but it works well.
The rods of my lansky are all straight.

If you want to resharpen dull kitchen knives really fast, get some diamond hones.
If you have problems with long knife-blades, get a second clamp. You can position this additional clamp on the blade and you dont have to reclamp every 30 seconds.
If you want to sharpen a 'difficult blade' like a dagger or something, attach 2 layers of duct tape to the clamp to avoid the blade from slipping away.

I have the lansky for 3 or 4 years now and it works pretty well. Of course the edge pro is superior, but who needs to check his haircut in the mirror-edge of a kitchen knife? With very little practice you will be able to get a razor edge with the lansky in a few minutes.

I know the lansky is not very popular on this forum, but i love mine.
biggrin.gif
 
Back
Top