Never sharpened anything...

C

ChuckBuck

Joined
Oct 19, 2004
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What is THE BEST shrpening system available today. I'm talking about razor sharpness, ease of use, (I'd like ti to be as foolproof as possible, because, yes, I'm a damn fool) and completeness within the system ( don't want to have to keep buying more stones and various other pieces, I want everything you need in one package.) What does the system consist of and how much $$$. I'm very new to knives and have never used a sharpening stone (successfully) in my life. I have a KABAR D2 Extreme that is fairly sharp, but I know it could be much sharper.

Thanks for your time

Charlie
 
It really just takes some practice, no matter what system you use. I have a few different ways to sharpen, but I have found that after some practice I get the best edge with some simple sandpaper and a leather strop. super cheap, and after practice you'll be slingin arm hairs at will. Freehanding will take longer to get a feel for than some other methods, but once you get a feel for it there is no need to tote around your fancy sharpener while hiking or hunting, all you need is a small stone or some sandpaper.
 
I think free hand is the way to go. You'll be able to sharpen a knife anywhere that a stone is available.

Buy a couple of DMTs (fine and extra fine) and start practicing.

David
 
You're going to get quite a few replies to this I suspect.

An almost foolproof system that comes with everything you need, has complete step by step instructions and will allow you to sharpen just about anything is Spyderco's Sharpmaker 204. Virtually no skill or previous sharpening experience is required to get that shaving sharpness on your kife.

The only disadvantage is that your knife must already have a 15 or 20 degree edge already on it. Knives can be reprofiled on it but you either need to buy the diamond rods or wrap sandpaper around the rods.
 
Charlie:

You need to get the Edge Pro Apex. I have never been able to sharpen a knife well but with the Edge Pro and a little practice, I have become a shapening maniac! I'm getting edges that I never thought I could. It's not cheap but well worth the investment. I never had the patience to hand sharpen a knife. I sharpened a pocket knife for a friend of mine at work and he can't believe how sharp I got it.
 
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool - But the Sharmaker 204 is nearly foolproof. If you don't let your knives get too blunt, the 204 will give you a shaving sharp edge every time with little skill and effort.
 
Looks like another Sharpmaker vs. Edgepro thread is starting. I suspect that this will come down to 50-50 as usual.

I have the Sharpmaker, true that reprofiling takes a bit of time but for the price difference, you cannot really complain.

The Sharpmaker is good value for the money and it does every thing that I need it to do. Simple to set up as well.

Free hand is of course a great skill to learn and have. The problem I had is that I tend to scratch up my knives and success rate, for me at least, was a bit touch and go.

Could get a good edge on some days or some knives, on others I couldn't.

I only use my Sharpmaker now and results are consistent.
 
If you will settle for nothing less than all of the qualities stated in your post I would say go for the EdgePro Apex. A unit with all of the stones, polishing tapes, etc. will run about $200. But this will be able to sharpen any edge angle, and reprofile a blade fairly easily.

If that is to much the 204 Sharpmaker is very good too. It will be a bit more work to reprofile an edge, and it has only 40 and 30 degree angles. It is a very good system though, and what I use. Initailly setting the edge to one of the angles provided can be a pain, and time consuming. After that though touch ups are a breeze, and I would think much faster than the Edgepro.
 
Buy a cheap knife to practice with and use wet&dry sandpaper on a flat surface. Thats all any sharpening comes down to is a flat abrasive surface and moving the knife against it at a constant angle.

Only a light pressure is needed.

Read this too.
 
The Sharpmaker can sharpen a lot of stuff, from knives to axes, and from fishing hooks to nail clippers. You can also learn some freehand techniques with the 204 if you really want to, but unless you are looking to become a freehand magician, using it as described in the booklet or video will be more than sufficient in getting a good edge.
 
A ultra fine diamond rod, gives you that nice polished edge with hair popping results...but they take a bit of skill like anything, and to get skill you need to practice. :)
 
I got a 6" Norton India stone several years ago that's a combination coarse and fine. It was something like 20 bucks and it was probably the best investment that I've made in the world of knives. It can handle almost every sharpening need and it puts on a really nice edge.

Learning to sharpen freehand takes some time and can be a little frustrating, but it's totally worth it, IMO.
 
Edge Pro Apex.

I am "dexterity-challenged." I can't wire a plug without fusing myself to the National Grid. Freehand on a stone I can turn a lightsabre into a dog toy. With Mr. Dale's fine product, I can produce a hair-splitting edge.

With the Edge Pro Apex, all human fallibility is compensated for. The stones are clamped at fixed, repeatable angles. The blade is steadied on the blade table. All you have to do is push and pull.

In the police we have a saying: "You can make something idiot-proof, but you can't make it f****** idiot-proof."

Ben Dale has.

maximus otter
 
I'd vote for the Sharpmaker. Much less daunting/user friendly than free-hand with a stone or sandpaper. Watch the video, read the booklet, do what Sal says, and you will get a good result immediately. Think about how many knives you have and how often you (honestly) think you're going to sharpen them. You can always "graduate" to an Edgepro if you feel the Sharpmaker's not working for you, but why invest $200 in a system you may find you only use a couple times a year?
 
Another vote for the sharpmaker. Very good product. Very good price. I now know that I can sharpen my knives and have begun to try freehand and convex edges. When I dull the h*ll out of my blades practicing that, the sharpmaker brings them back to life.
 
near fool proof. I'd start with a set of ceramic crock sticks mounted
at angles on a commen base, (don't recall any specific names).
All you need to do is run the blade down the length of the sticks as if
you where slicing off a thin layer, do the same on both sides of the blade
and your done. What I wouldn't do is use an over the counter
electric sharpener, they can trash a blade quicker than you can turn them off.
 
Your two hands are the best tools for sharpening.
The sharpmaker requires that you can hold the knife vertically, not run off the tip and the knife to have an edge angle at 40 degrees inclusive or less
 
I'm also challenged when it comes to hand sharpening. If you want reliable results, but faster than the results you'll get with the Sharpmaker (that's assuming you start with a blade at something other than 15 or 20 degrees), you could try the arrangement I use. I use the course stones of a Gatco clamp system for getting the burr on both sides, then I finish using the Sharpmaker. A Gatco system costs about $25; the Sharpmaker about $45 (total cost for both about $70, which is considerably less than the EdgePro).

Nothing at all against the EdgePro (!); I've often considered getting one. It's just that I only sharpen maybe a dozen knives a year, so if I can get shaving-sharp results using the 2 systems I have, I can't justify spending the money. Now, if I were sharpening weekly, I'd probably think differently ;)
 
The Edgepro Pro is the most complete, most fool proof system I know of. Its the one I use the most and if I could only have one sharpener it would be the one.
 
edb said:
I'm also challenged when it comes to hand sharpening. If you want reliable results, but faster than the results you'll get with the Sharpmaker (that's assuming you start with a blade at something other than 15 or 20 degrees), you could try the arrangement I use. I use the course stones of a Gatco clamp system for getting the burr on both sides, then I finish using the Sharpmaker. A Gatco system costs about $25; the Sharpmaker about $45 (total cost for both about $70, which is considerably less than the EdgePro).

Nothing at all against the EdgePro (!); I've often considered getting one. It's just that I only sharpen maybe a dozen knives a year, so if I can get shaving-sharp results using the 2 systems I have, I can't justify spending the money. Now, if I were sharpening weekly, I'd probably think differently ;)
Click to expand...
The first time I saw my reflection in the edge of my Gerber Covert, all my doubt over having spent $455.00!:eek: on the Pro Edge Pro dissolved into that beautiful edge... It was like nothing I had ever seen before... The transition was so sharp that it looked like someone had attached an angled mirror to the edge of my blade.
 
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