My fellow knife enthusiasts I need some assistance. I have carried knives my entire life. As a police officer, I carried a Strider SMF in my vest trauma plate pocket and a Microtech SOCOM auto in my front right pocket. Both fantastic knives and they were kept razor sharp by a local sharpening service. I have been retired a few years and have pretty much retired those two knives as well for obvious "legal" issues. I know edc a Kershaw cryo 1555ti and a Spydie persistence. Now to the point, I would like to maintain their edge myself. I have looked at several sharpeners from a simple whet stone to an expensive system. Too many choices. I feel somewhat embarrassed to ask your opinions on this matter, but I learned long ago, it pays in the long run to simply ask the experts. Consider yourselves to now have been duly queried? I am new to the forum and appreciate your help!
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newbie needs sharpening help
- Thread starter homey
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2013
- Messages
- 1,580
Welcome to the forum and thanks for the service as an LEO. For me, the Spyderco sharpmaker is my go to sharpening system. Very easy to maintain an extremely sharp edge. I touch up my users on it when needed and in between the touch ups I use a strop, usually after a heavy days knife use. This works for me and keeps the knife happy. You may also want to check out the maintenance sub forum here as well. Plenty of folk here that can offer their experiences as well.
Welcome to the forum and thank you for your years of service.
Learning to hand sharpen is the best way to go but for those of us who find it too challenging there are several good, inexpensive options. Start by looking into the Spyderco SharpMaker and Lansky systems. I own and use both. Which is the better of the two is a subject for constant debate. I tend to lean towards the Lansky but the Spydie definitely has its place.
Learning to hand sharpen is the best way to go but for those of us who find it too challenging there are several good, inexpensive options. Start by looking into the Spyderco SharpMaker and Lansky systems. I own and use both. Which is the better of the two is a subject for constant debate. I tend to lean towards the Lansky but the Spydie definitely has its place.
Thanks two votes for the spyderco sharpmaker. Any ideas on a good online store. Right now I have been using Amazon, mainly for the discounts. Contrary to popular belief, City retirement means budgeting. Lol
Welcome to the forum. And, yes, thank you for your service. I will not bash anybodys sharpening system. If they are happy and it works GREAT. As for me, I chose an Edge Pro. I am not sorry for my choice. With some small amount of practice and a whole lot of reading I am getting edges that I am proud of. There are a plethora of good systems out there. Just do a lot of research before you make a decision. Enjoy.
If you want to sharpen your own knives, rather than rely on the service that you seemed happy with, my best advice would be to first learn the theory behind sharpening knives. Any sharpening system will work well, if you know what you're doing. Any system can fail to give your knives a good edge if you don't know what you're doing.
It will help you if your know enough about your blade geometry and steel type to choose an edge profile that best fits your needs. So you may need to reprofile the edge and then settle into a sharpening system to maintain a sharp edge at that profile.
One thing to remember is that no one here can guess what will work best for you, just as we can't guess what knife you'll like best. Some people prefer to freehand on expensive or inexpensive stones, others prefer guided systems, others prefer power systems, such as paper wheels, belt grinders or the WorkSharp.
Freehanding takes time and practice to do well. Guided systems, such as the EdgePro or Wicked Edge, can produce incredibly sharp and properly profiled edges, easily. An inexpensive Sharpmaker can give you good edges if your edge profile matches the stone angles and you know how to raise and remove a burr.
I personally, like the Wicked Edge system, backed up by a Sharpmaker for quick edge maintenance. Others prefer the EdgePro, which is also excellent. The Lansky can give very good results, and is a lot cheaper, but it won't match the Wicked Edge or Edge Pro.
It's easy to tell you a system that can make your edges very sharp, but it's impossible to tell you which one you will like. I had an Edge Pro for a short while, and while it is an excellent system, it was too messy and required too much maintenance for my tastes. But for lots of people here on the forum who really know their stuff, the EdgePro is what they prefer. Personal choice is extremely important, but not predicable.
Lots of threads here on sharpening. You'll want to know how to reprofile an edge, which means deterring what the profile angle is. You'll want to know how to raise a burr the full length of both sides of the edge and how to remove it. You'll want to know how to recognize a burr. You'll want to know whether to add a micro bevel.
We have thread after thread asking what's the best system to buy. Invest in yourself first, by which I mean learn the basics of the art, then invest in a go-to system.
It will help you if your know enough about your blade geometry and steel type to choose an edge profile that best fits your needs. So you may need to reprofile the edge and then settle into a sharpening system to maintain a sharp edge at that profile.
One thing to remember is that no one here can guess what will work best for you, just as we can't guess what knife you'll like best. Some people prefer to freehand on expensive or inexpensive stones, others prefer guided systems, others prefer power systems, such as paper wheels, belt grinders or the WorkSharp.
Freehanding takes time and practice to do well. Guided systems, such as the EdgePro or Wicked Edge, can produce incredibly sharp and properly profiled edges, easily. An inexpensive Sharpmaker can give you good edges if your edge profile matches the stone angles and you know how to raise and remove a burr.
I personally, like the Wicked Edge system, backed up by a Sharpmaker for quick edge maintenance. Others prefer the EdgePro, which is also excellent. The Lansky can give very good results, and is a lot cheaper, but it won't match the Wicked Edge or Edge Pro.
It's easy to tell you a system that can make your edges very sharp, but it's impossible to tell you which one you will like. I had an Edge Pro for a short while, and while it is an excellent system, it was too messy and required too much maintenance for my tastes. But for lots of people here on the forum who really know their stuff, the EdgePro is what they prefer. Personal choice is extremely important, but not predicable.
Lots of threads here on sharpening. You'll want to know how to reprofile an edge, which means deterring what the profile angle is. You'll want to know how to raise a burr the full length of both sides of the edge and how to remove it. You'll want to know how to recognize a burr. You'll want to know whether to add a micro bevel.
We have thread after thread asking what's the best system to buy. Invest in yourself first, by which I mean learn the basics of the art, then invest in a go-to system.