Recommendation? New sharpening system

[dkb45]

I've been using a Sharpworx Master 2 for a little over a year now, and I can get decent results off of it but the system just has too much play in it to accommodate any smaller (<4") blade with any notable belly in it, it gets too wobbly at the tip. It's a kitchen knife sharpener and does great on those, but it seems like pocket knives are just not what it's made for. I have a Sharpal 8x3 325/1200 and a Venev Phoenix resin bonded 1200/2000 that I've been using with it, but I need a new system.

I've been looking at the new Cheefarcuut guided system (that also comes with what's supposed to be an awesome sintered diamond 400/1000) but it explicitly says it's not designed for pocket knives. My main alternative was the Xarilk Gen 3 with the new Ruixin resin bonded diamond stones, but finding out more info on those stones they don't seem like they will be what I'm looking for (grit contamination and fast wearing). I know Work Sharp has new resin bonded stones, but I cannot find any info on what holder those are mounted on, as they seem to be magnetic plates, but their guided system with the elite upgrade and resin bonded stones will run close to $300, which is a crap load for a sharpening system.

My hard limit on budget is $300, but I'd like to keep under $200 if possible. For grits I only need what I currently have, 325 (or similar coarse, I'm considering an Atoma 140 if the new system gives me the budget for it), 1200, and 2000 for my finishing stone. I strop on 5 micron after the stones. The system being guided is mandatory, as I'm aging (at only 32) I'm starting to develop fine motor control issues potentially related to genetic predisposition towards PSA, I can't hold an angle to save my life.

I know there is the Hapstone T1/T2 but tariffs make those far less appealing, running around $100/150 total respectively. There's the Anystone sharpener, but I've had issues with all plastic jaws on my old DMT Aligner slipping and flexing. The Toohr 4 seems like the budget version of the Cheefarcuut (or that's the premium version) and has a terribly fiddly build with all the adjustment points and a badly designed clamp for the knife. The EdgePro and Wicked Edge systems start at $200 without any stone upgrades, so that's instantly at my limit.

Hopefully someone can help. Thank you in advance, finding a new sharpening system has been surprisingly stressful and I greatly appreciate any help I can get.

 

[Tensaw]

The TSPROF Pioneer is on sale for $289.

 

[Bigburly912]

You ever thought about buying some decent stones and learning to hand sharpen? You could get started off very well in that budget.

If not somebody had a nice KME setup on here not long ago in your range. I have a buddy that uses it and gets excellent results.

 

[dkb45]

The TSPROF Pioneer is on sale for $289.

Sadly that system is way outside of my price range. I've heard it's an awesome system, but it would run around $400 for that kit because of the tariffs.

You ever thought about buying some decent stones and learning to hand sharpen? You could get started off very well in that budget.

If not somebody had a nice KME setup on here not long ago in your range. I have a buddy that uses it and gets excellent results.

I never got around to learning freehand, but I'm glad I didn't because my new issues with my hands make freehand impossible. I can't hold an angle at all now. I tried learning it since I have a lot more time than I used to, but I can't even hold a Wharncliffe consistently, any belly at all and I'm all over the place. Definitely not digging having these issues at only 32, because just over the past 2 years I've felt them worsening, even if only just a little.

As for the KME, I looked through the sale forum back to August and couldn't find any full sharpening setups for sale, at least that weren't sold.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I would highly recommend the Xarilk Gen 3. It's a clone/close copy of the TSProf Kadet (it seems the patent has expired). It's close enough that all the TSProf accessories made for the Kadet will fit it. There are tons of reviews for it here, on Reddit and Youtube and I have one myself. It's a guided system with clamps that uses the 1x6 stones popularized by the Edge Pro. The Xarilk is just under $100 from Amazon, and even if you splurge for some upgrades it will still come in under your stated budget. When I ordered mine I also immediately picked up the TSProf Quick Clamps which work superbly well. Yeah, at $130 they cost more than the machine but the clamp on a guided system is like the tires for a sports car, you can't skimp or performance will suffer. I'll note there are cheaper clamps that work well and the ones that come with the machine are serviceable. The included diamond stones work fine although they probably won't last all that long. But no matter what you buy the stones are a consumable that will have to be replaced periodically. The great thing is that there are hundreds of stone options by dozens of companies.

You can buy the Xarilk Gen 3 for about $95 (the price fluctuates by a few bucks) and have everything you need to get started. Once you practice with the device to the point where you want/need to replace the stones there are tons of great options. To be honest you don't need many stones to get a great edge. I like to have something very coarse, like the Atoma 140 or Hapstone Start 150, to set bevels and fix chips. Then something in the 400-500 range to get the coarse scratches out and a 1k is about all you really need. I've got 65 or more 1x6 stones but that's more because I'm a sharpening nerd than from any actual need. For a mirror polish you'll want to go to at least 4k but that's not necessary to get a hair popping edge.

 

[dkb45]

I would highly recommend the Xarilk Gen 3. It's a clone/close copy of the TSProf Kadet (it seems the patent has expired). It's close enough that all the TSProf accessories made for the Kadet will fit it. There are tons of reviews for it here, on Reddit and Youtube and I have one myself. It's a guided system with clamps that uses the 1x6 stones popularized by the Edge Pro. The Xarilk is just under $100 from Amazon, and even if you splurge for some upgrades it will still come in under your stated budget. When I ordered mine I also immediately picked up the TSProf Quick Clamps which work superbly well. Yeah, at $130 they cost more than the machine but the clamp on a guided system is like the tires for a sports car, you can't skimp or performance will suffer. I'll note there are cheaper clamps that work well and the ones that come with the machine are serviceable. The included diamond stones work fine although they probably won't last all that long. But no matter what you buy the stones are a consumable that will have to be replaced periodically. The great thing is that there are hundreds of stone options by dozens of companies.

You can buy the Xarilk Gen 3 for about $95 (the price fluctuates by a few bucks) and have everything you need to get started. Once you practice with the device to the point where you want/need to replace the stones there are tons of great options. To be honest you don't need many stones to get a great edge. I like to have something very coarse, like the Atoma 140 or Hapstone Start 150, to set bevels and fix chips. Then something in the 400-500 range to get the coarse scratches out and a 1k is about all you really need. I've got 65 or more 1x6 stones but that's more because I'm a sharpening nerd than from any actual need. For a mirror polish you'll want to go to at least 4k but that's not necessary to get a hair popping edge.

This might be the kick in the pants I need. One of the things I was looking at was the Xarilk Gen 3, it's actually on sale for $82 right now. I planned to get the 3 pack CKTG Edge Pro diamond plates, $30 for the set and reviews are good for them. 120, 400, 1k grit but I'm debating on what 2k I want to get. The only concern I have is with the space between the clamps, can a 2" blade be clamped or do I need to get the single clamp? I'll be sharpening mostly blades up to 3.5" so the single shouldn't be too small to work.

 

[Rob Babcock]

There's a few ways to go about doing small blades. First off, Xarilk just released their Center Y clamp which is only $30. I have one but haven't had a chance to use it yet, so I can't conclusively say but it feels solid and well made. Another thing you can do it move both clamps to the same side of the bar. This actually works very well. I think that if you plan to do a lot of small knives it's probably worth getting the Center Y. Obviously any clamp sold by TSProf for the Kadet will also work but according to some videos I've seen the Xarilk might actually be the better clamp (!). Realistically if the machine is on sale for $82 it's probably smart to just drop another $30 on the clamp while you're at it. I'll probably give it a workout in my shop this week.

I have the 3 pack of CKTG diamond plates but I'm on the fence about them. They definitely work and for the price you can't go wrong. But I don't love the plastic bases. They're fairly rigid but not as rigid as the regular aluminum ones. As a caveat I'll state that I haven't used them a lot yet as I have diamond stones from Hapstone, Atoma and Edge Pro including the Matrix resin bonded ones. For electroplated diamond I think the Atoma is about as good as it gets. The Hapstone Start are also very good and half the price of the Atoma. In a lot of ways the resin bonded ones are in a league of their own as far as durability but they're not as fast as the electroplated. I just checked, the CKtG ones are under $28 right now so it's a no-brainer, especially just to use while you're sussing out the machine.

One thing to note is that the Xarilk isn't built to the same standards as the TSProf, which shouldn't be a surprise give it's 1/5 the price. Before I bought it I watched a lot of Youtube reviews and one guy said he went through it and tightened and adjusted every screw and part before using it. I was prepared to have to do that but mine was perfectly adjusted out of the box. But you might need to double check that all the screws are tight, etc. When I got mine it was maybe $95 so I didn't mind some tweaking but I was pleasantly surprised not to have to. There's a bit more "slop" for lack of a better term vs the Pioneer I got from TSProf which locks up like a bank vault! But every knife I've done on the Gen 3 was beyond scalpel sharp, no issues in use. My copy of the Gen 3 has shown itself to be consistent and repeatable. To be honest, how close to perfect is the very best freehand sharpener in the world? A few degrees? Even a lazy attempt on a fixed angle device is still closer than 99.99% of actual humans can do freehand.

As for stones, the world is your oyster! Nowadays you can get all the Naniwa Chocera stones in a 1x6 as well as nearly all the Shapton Pro and many Shapton Glass. There's the Matrix resin bonded stones from Edge Pro and terrific diamond and CBN stones from Poltova, Venev and TSProf. I have a ton of stones since I've had my Edge Pro for well over 20 years, even have a baker's dozen Japanese natural stones but for me by Ken Schwartz (rest his soul). But I didn't buy 'em all at once of course, and I've learned over the decades that I could get by with just a few if I wasn't purely a knife nerd.

 

[Rob Babcock]

...I'm debating on what 2k I want to get.

FWIW, Gritomatic has nearly all of the Naniwa Chosera stones. I've honestly never found anything as good as the Choceras for most steels. If you have a lot of newer, "uber-steels" akin to REX121 and the like you might be better off just going with diamonds. The Choceras will do a great job on Aogami, Shirogami, ZDP and even HAP40. But with diamonds or CBN you'll never have to wonder if your stone will work on a given steel.

Also don't forget to pick up a strop or two! At CKtG and Gritomatic you can get strops of balsa, basswood, leather, buffalo leather, nanocloth, kangaroo, etc. I tend to use the 'roo leather the most with StroppyStuff diamond emulsion. Yesterday I got a hard polymer strop from Edge Pro which I have high hopes for but my shop isn't open on Mondays so I'll maybe try it out tomorrow depending. I seem to have contracted a bad cold (hopefully not another bite out of the COVID apple) so it depends on if I feel up to it.

I like freehand sharpening, too, but in 2021 I took a spill at work that shattered my right shoulder. After a surgical reconstruction, seven months of PT and 22 months on work comp it's as good as it's likely to get but far from "good as new". My dominant arm is not as strong or steady as it was but the biggest issue is the loss of mobility in the joint. That and it fatigues a lot faster than before. More and more I find myself using jigs to compensate. That's the beauty of doing most of the shop work on belt grinders with angle guide ramps! It minimizes the physical demands on my body. Sometimes it sucks to outlive the warranty of your body.

 

[dkb45]

FWIW, Gritomatic has nearly all of the Naniwa Chosera stones. I've honestly never found anything as good as the Choceras for most steels. If you have a lot of newer, "uber-steels" akin to REX121 and the like you might be better off just going with diamonds. The Choceras will do a great job on Aogami, Shirogami, ZDP and even HAP40. But with diamonds or CBN you'll never have to wonder if your stone will work on a given steel.

Also don't forget to pick up a strop or two! At CKtG and Gritomatic you can get strops of balsa, basswood, leather, buffalo leather, nanocloth, kangaroo, etc. I tend to use the 'roo leather the most with StroppyStuff diamond emulsion. Yesterday I got a hard polymer strop from Edge Pro which I have high hopes for but my shop isn't open on Mondays so I'll maybe try it out tomorrow depending. I seem to have contracted a bad cold (hopefully not another bite out of the COVID apple) so it depends on if I feel up to it.

I like freehand sharpening, too, but in 2021 I took a spill at work that shattered my right shoulder. After a surgical reconstruction, seven months of PT and 22 months on work comp it's as good as it's likely to get but far from "good as new". My dominant arm is not as strong or steady as it was but the biggest issue is the loss of mobility in the joint. That and it fatigues a lot faster than before. More and more I find myself using jigs to compensate. That's the beauty of doing most of the shop work on belt grinders with angle guide ramps! It minimizes the physical demands on my body. Sometimes it sucks to outlive the warranty of your body.

I'll probably stick with diamond stones because that's what I'm most accustomed to, but my Venev Phoenix has shown me how great resin bonded stones can be. I'll probably get a resin bonded 2k at least (at some point) and possibly go higher from there, depending on how I feel. I probably won't get any strops for it, weirdly while I can't freehand sharpen to save my life, I can hold a consistent enough angle for stropping, at least to sharpen and polish. As is the case with all free hand stuff (especially using a medium with flex like leather) the apex isn't super crispy fresh, but I don't round it off. I think it's because higher grits are much harder to round an edge off with, and I usually drop the angle down a touch so I'm getting most of the contact on the shoulder instead of at the apex. Stropping also happens to be a great way for me to stim while I'm watching TV, so it works out well.

Definitely thank you, you gave me the reassurance I needed to pull the trigger on something. I don't plan on the CKTG stones being my forever solution, but considering I'm currently using a Sharpal stone right now I'm very familiar with "great for the price" and "lasts long enough" for stones. Down the road I might experiment with something like a vitrified stone or upgrade to resin bonded for the set, but I'll eventually get an Atoma 140 because I know nothing will hog off steel like that plate. Maybe a CBN, but those are pretty expensive (but it's a good excuse to try one).

 

[Rob Babcock]

Sounds like a good plan. One thing to consider is that you might be able to use the Sharpal 156N with the Xarilk Gen 3. Unlike the Edge Pro which really needs the stones to be mounted to a blank I think the TSProf and Xarilk will allow the use of regular stones as the stone holder is shaped to accept either. The 156N is 6x2.5", maybe a tad heavy but it would probably work. About 20 years ago when there were less diamond stones I the market I had some 2" EP blanks cut and glued a 2x6 DMT coarse plate to it. It was a great option at the time although nowadays the DMTs are kind of dated. I might look over the stone arm tomorrow and see if I think I could use it with a 156N. Stropping by hand is still a good option for sure.

 

[dkb45]

Sounds like a good plan. One thing to consider is that you might be able to use the Sharpal 156N with the Xarilk Gen 3. Unlike the Edge Pro which really needs the stones to be mounted to a blank I think the TSProf and Xarilk will allow the use of regular stones as the stone holder is shaped to accept either. The 156N is 6x2.5", maybe a tad heavy but it would probably work. About 20 years ago when there were less diamond stones I the market I had some 2" EP blanks cut and glued a 2x6 DMT coarse plate to it. It was a great option at the time although nowadays the DMTs are kind of dated. I might look over the stone arm tomorrow and see if I think I could use it with a 156N. Stropping by hand is still a good option for sure.

Sadly my stone is the 8x3, so unless I put a REALLY strong spring into the stone holder, it's not going to stay. I imagine the 1k stone will probably last the longest of the 3 CKTG stones, so whenever I replace the coarsest stone I'll definitely grab either an Atoma 140 or similar CBN stone. I do need to see if Venev makes a 1200/2000 double sided stone that I can use, though. I really like the edges the 2k resin bonded gives me. I actually can't even find a Venev 2k in 6x1 which seems wrong, but it would be my luck that the stone I love for some reason only exists as an 8x3. Because my old sharpener is going to pretty much only be used for kitchen knives (and we throw everything in the dishwasher) I don't think that Venev is going to be getting much use at all.