Lansky Turn Box Rod Material

[Salish]

Hello, I have a pretty simple question about the Lansky Turn box sharpening system. Santa brought me one for Christmas which had the diamond steel medium grit rods, and of course the fine ceramic ones. I've been messing around with it and I'm satisfied with its ability to sharpen my typically smaller knives as sharp as I need them to be. I'm still not confident of which angle to use just yet, so I'm pretty much leaving it at the 25 degree angle.

I just bought another one for my brother, but instead of buying the version with the diamond steel rods, I bought the sharpener with four ceramic rods (medium & fine). Can someone tell me the main difference between the diamond steel and ceramic medium grit rods? Do they both do the same job? Is one better than the other? I wasn't paying close enough attention when I bought this online. If there is a huge difference in the performance of the rods I may end up returning the set I bought for my brother.

Thank you.
Cliff

 

[Mr.Wizard]

I haven't use this system but the diamond rods are almost certainly more aggressive when new, so if you are trying to change bevel angles that is likely preferable. However plated diamond will wear out while the ceramic rods could last a lifetime if not broken. More importantly you really don't want to be moving a lot of metal with this type of system anyway as it will take a really long time and result in a wavy bevel and a blunt tip; this is a touch-up setup, not a general purpose sharpening solution.

By the way if you aren't sharpening a chopper or overly rough on your knives you don't need a 25 degree (per side) edge. People often run 10° to 15° per side on high end kitchen knives, and pocket knives usually work well with 15° to 20° per side. (Basic guideline, not an absolute rule.)

 

[Salish]

Some great tips here, thank you very much. I might stick with the ceramic rods and try the 20 degree angle with my pocket knives. I figured this was a "touch up" system and I'm trying to determine which type of stone would be best for me. Thanks again.

 

[l1ranger]

on my knives, I know the 20 is the best options b/c I've already set me edges to be at or below 20 degrees.

when i'm touching up other's knives, I'll start with the 20 and see if it is sharpening the apex and improving the edge.
if not, I"ll switch over to the 25 to reach the apex and avoid trying to reprofile using the turnbox

 

[kreisler]

angles?

maybe the best advice is to use the same angle as the factory angle (Sharpie marker's method). that's one would do, for sure, if the knife is sharpened on a guided system.
also consider 204-freehanding as i did. great stuff.

ah never mind. carry on, all good

 

[Mr.Wizard]

I figured this was a "touch up" system and I'm trying to determine which type of stone would be best for me. Thanks again.

In that case does your brother have knives with high vanadium steel (V > 4%)? Diamond may be required. Otherwise I think the ceramic set will be fine.