Minosharp 550, Suitable for swords?

[BlakeK]

Good afternoon, and Merry Christmas to you all.

I have a pretty large collection of swords (a good few Katanas and Chinese Jian, also the odd gladius and European longsword)... Most of them are "Factory Sharp" and i would like to put a good "proper" sharp edge on them. I used an "Accusharp" on the Gladius which did indeed put a sharp edge on the sword, but the secondary bevel was pretty steep and i'd never dream of using it on one of my Katanas where Geometry is so important. I borrowed my friends 800/1500 grit Whetstone, but i'm pretty useless at using it. I ruined a Ninjato i have trying to use it...

Anyway, i found the "Minosharp 550" which is a Whetstone water wheel type sharpening system. Does anybody have experience with this product? It looks very simple to use, but i am not sure if it is suitable for use with a full length sword? Any info on this or recommendations of similar products that do a better job would be mOst helpful.

Here's a link to the sharpener in question:
http://uk.knivesandtools.com/en/pt/-minosharp-plus-3-sharpener.htm

Thanks.

 

[Jason B.]

Pull through sharpeners are all bad, no matter how hard you want to believe they do a good job they will always produce inferior results. They ruin edge geometry and even the thought of a Accusharp being used on a sword makes me die a little on the inside.

Unfortunately, most "sword collections" contain more wall hangers than live swords. It is of NO USE to sharpen a wall hanger, mall sword, or cheap late night TV ninja special.

To sharpen live swords you need a good quality set of japanese waterstones. I would recommend Nubatama because they are designed for this type of sharpening in mind. This is not a $20 stone or sandpaper from the hardware but premium waterstones that will get the job done right. Expect to spend $200-400 just starting out, this will allow you to maintain the edges. If you need heavy grinding stones and super fine polishing stones then the price goes up.

If your not willing to invest in stones and proper technique for sharpening then I would recommend just leaving them alone. It's not like a knife, the sharpening of a sword is a art form.