lanskys sharpening system

Joined
Dec 6, 2011
Messages
20
does anyone have any thoughts on the lanskys sharpening? ive heard bad things about them but it seems that it would work well and i was wondering what some others thought my cousin and friends i don't trust that much on this stuff.
 
I think they're great to say the least. I've never heard anything "bad" about them. The price is very fair when you consider looking at larger quality stones to free hand sharpen with. Not everyone can free hand sharpen a blade starting out and this is a good way to sharpen a blade.
 
I had never heard of Lansky untill a friend gave me one. I use it anytime I have a really bad blade. Works great. I don't get why people bag on them. They are the same idea as edge pro except you can still afford to eat after you get it.
 
I just bought one a week ago, and while im still in "tinkering" phase, I wish I'd gotten one sooner. I've tried freehand, many times over many years, but i could never quite get it right... I'm now able to keep my bblades sharp without bugging friends or paying someone else. Is it just as good as a talented freehand? Maybe not, but it's pretty dang close
 
They're like anything else - some love them, and some hate them.

I bought one last summer and it works really well for me. I could never get the hang of free hand sharpening, and the Lansky system is pretty much fool proof.
 
yes my cousin has freehand and rebeveled the hole blade with out reprofiling it looks like shit.
 
Like anything else, there are multiple opinions and trade offs.

For a beginner, the lansky is great. For an experienced user, it can also be great. It really is foolproof. The trade off is that some systems are faster, requiring less set up time, etc. I happen to enjoy the time. It is actually therapeutic.
 
Like anything else, there are multiple opinions and trade offs.

For a beginner, the lansky is great. For an experienced user, it can also be great. It really is foolproof. The trade off is that some systems are faster, requiring less set up time, etc. I happen to enjoy the time. It is actually therapeutic.

Very true. and I think everyone should at least *try* freehand sharpening (on a cheap knife at first), if nothing else, to gain an appreciation on how difficult it is (and, how there's just as much art as there is science) in getting a good edge...I tried learning since my boy scout days (far too long ago), My father in law tried teaching me, and I just admire the hell out of how he (and others) can take a something butter-knife dull and making it shaving-sharp.
 
I almost strictly use my Lansky for a nice V edge. really great stuff, though I found the Clamp isnt as accurate as I'd like it to be and as such have switched to using the stones free hand, I can get my knives sharper, faster this way, plus being used to such a small stone size it makes travel sharpening that much easier.
 
they are ok but not the best. there are much better systems otu there. espeically the motorized ones which can run just about the same price but give much much better results.
 
I don't know , I have a motorized 2 stage sharpener, which was right around the same price as the Lansky (maybe 10 bucks more), and I really prefer the lanksy...I know thats just one mans opinion, but consider this: the lansky you get 5 hones as opposed to 2, and multiple angle options (though I've only payed with 17 & 20), and one still feels like they are "taking part" in ones knife maintenance with the manual stones (if that makes sense...sounded right in my head).

I *do* turn to the motorized sharpener for my kitchen knives (read: too long to use in lansy without difficulty)
 
For a newb starting out they are pretty good.I started out freehand sharpening as a kid,so don't have much use for the system.I have sold other people on them though that lacked sharpening skills.
 
The Lansky deluxe kit was my first sharpening system, and still works great! The extra coarse is great for reprofiling really bad edges.
 
A mention is made of the <clamp> not being altogether accurate.
(By Mr Brets-FTW)

Will there be anything I might do to hedge against that?


---Tnx in advance, Paul
 
Any clamped system will have that associated inaccuracy with the marked angle settings on it. It depends entirely on the size and positioning of the blade in the clamp. The angle settings are based on one hypothetical blade size (positioned just so). If the blade is narrower (edge closer to the clamp) than the 'hypothetical' fit, the actual angle will be steeper. If the blade is wider (edge further away), the actual angle will be more acute. The only sure-fire way to get the correct desired angle is to measure it, and adjust the blade position to fit. Very long blades will also impact the accuracy, as some portions of the edge will be much further away from the clamp, depending upon where the clamp is positioned.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top