Only Sharp Knives Are Interesting- the Sharpening Thread

amunderdog said:
Well, The nerdy tests a measurable difference.
knifesteelnerds.com

Does Sharpening with a Grinder Ruin Your Edge? - Knife Steel Nerds

You have to sharpen a new knife a few times to get it cutting well. Right? Or do you? Are knife manufacturers improperly sharpening their knives?
knifesteelnerds.com knifesteelnerds.com

Been looking at many approaches.
Tormek - Paper wheel on grinder motor - Mouse trap.

Wet, slow, belt, may be the answer for efficient ability to process anything.
Am going to have to invest. As my diamond plates have failed.

Great feedback so far. Thanks
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I wouldn't recommend a Tormek for knives unless you are doing commercial kitchen knives. Their system is amazing, simple and works for most applications. The fatal flaw is in their knife jigs, they don't use self centering clamps... the lower clamp jaw is fixed in place, so the edge being sharpened is never centered on the rod holding the jig, you end up with different sharpening angles on each side.

It's not very noticeable on a thin commercial style kitchen knife but drop anything in that's thicker and your edge is not going to be even and your angles will be off.

Sorry, save your money. Unfortunately there's no magic bullet, all systems have faults you just need to find the one you can live with most.

I have steered many people to KME and stand by their design as the best IMO. Their centering clamp is near foolproof and their diamonds plates are the best I have ever used, you can table mount the blade for fast stock removal or hold the clamped assembly in your hand for detail work.. It's also 100% made in the USA and the least expensive of the top 4-5 systems. After that I would suggest the Edge Pro. Entry point is inexpensive but stones are a lot of maintenance, also a bit steeper learning curve, to get a fully outfitted system would be less than you likely have in your TSPROF but more than a KME with diamonds.
 
cpirtle said:
I wouldn't recommend a Tormek for knives unless you are doing commercial kitchen knives. Their system is amazing, simple and works for most applications. The fatal flaw is in their knife jigs, they don't use self centering clamps... the lower clamp jaw is fixed in place, so the edge being sharpened is never centered on the rod holding the jig, you end up with different sharpening angles on each side.

It's not very noticeable on a thin commercial style kitchen knife but drop anything in that's thicker and your edge is not going to be even and your angles will be off.

Sorry, save your money. Unfortunately there's no magic bullet, all systems have faults you just need to find the one you can live with most.

I have steered many people to KME and stand by their design as the best IMO. Their centering clamp is near foolproof and their diamonds plates are the best I have ever used, you can table mount the blade for fast stock removal or hold the clamped assembly in your hand for detail work.. It's also 100% made in the USA and the least expensive of the top 4-5 systems. After that I would suggest the Edge Pro. Entry point is inexpensive but stones are a lot of maintenance, also a bit steeper learning curve, to get a fully outfitted system would be less than you likely have in your TSPROF but more than a KME with diamonds.
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I really like my KME system. No issues getting consistent results as long a you setup the system correctly and use proper pressure.Screenshot_20230101-191648_Chrome.jpg
 
Touched up the edge on the CR35 today. 600 fine diamond, fine ceramic, strop w/schmoo.

qSsYvn.jpg
 
cpirtle said:
Order a Spyderco Sharpmaker, then set your edges below 20 degrees with the TS PROF, I like 15 but up to 18 is fine. Once you set the edge with your TS PROF you'll never need to go back to it unless you really bugger up your edge. Touch-ups are fast and easy with the Sharpmaker. For mall nicks you can get the diamond rods later.

You'll find out with guided systems that sharpening a knife on them the second time has its own learning curve. Unless you position the knife in the exact same spot in the clamp and have your angle set exactly the same, you need to re-true the edge each time. I consider guided systems (even my own) a one time sharpening solution unless necessary, touch ups should be done by other means.

All of this is just my opinion based on 20+ years of using guided sharpening systems.
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How many of y’all have the same experience with guided systems? Been looking and debating whether to spend the $ on a nice one… yoko yoko I feel like you use yours fairly often. I’m sure this is up for debate like most things… I’m not super experienced in sharpening and get scared doin much on good knives. Have good results with those dmt file stones used in original vid for touch ups… almost pulled the trigger on some nice wet stones… everything adds up as far as $ spent and I know there’s a lot can be done with budget choices… I have a number of knives around the house that could really use some work. A ton of choices out there. Going to find some cheap knives to really mess around with but uncertain as to the system I should get… open to suggestions!! This group has been great btw! Appreciate everyone’s posts, helpfulness etc.

To expand a little, for someone who really geeks out on things… Will I end up spending 2x the money upgrading over and over? That’s part of what goes through my head on this stuff… again I’m sure it’s super subjective
 
metaltamer said:
How many of y’all have the same experience with guided systems? Been looking and debating whether to spend the $ on a nice one… yoko yoko I feel like you use yours fairly often. I’m sure this is up for debate like most things… I’m not super experienced in sharpening and get scared doin much on good knives. Have good results with those dmt file stones used in original vid for touch ups… almost pulled the trigger on some nice wet stones… everything adds up as far as $ spent and I know there’s a lot can be done with budget choices… I have a number of knives around the house that could really use some work. A ton of choices out there. Going to find some cheap knives to really mess around with but uncertain as to the system I should get… open to suggestions!! This group has been great btw! Appreciate everyone’s posts, helpfulness etc.

To expand a little, for someone who really geeks out on things… Will I end up spending 2x the money upgrading over and over? That’s part of what goes through my head on this stuff… again I’m sure it’s super subjective
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Chad is correct of course. I would say that I don't find it too difficult to note the setup and roughly match it next time, although I too mostly use it for the initial sharpening. On knives I make myself I use it starting with no edge at all. I got the 50/80 grit stones for my Wicked Edge for this reason.
There is a learning curve in general. It's very easy to slip and scratch the plunge or the bevel. It's also possible to cut or poke yourself in various ways from having a sharp knife clamped firmly up in the air. Overall I like the system although it took a while to recover from the cost. I haven't really had to pay for upkeep or additions since.
 
metaltamer said:
How many of y’all have the same experience with guided systems? Been looking and debating whether to spend the $ on a nice one… yoko yoko I feel like you use yours fairly often. I’m sure this is up for debate like most things… I’m not super experienced in sharpening and get scared doin much on good knives. Have good results with those dmt file stones used in original vid for touch ups… almost pulled the trigger on some nice wet stones… everything adds up as far as $ spent and I know there’s a lot can be done with budget choices… I have a number of knives around the house that could really use some work. A ton of choices out there. Going to find some cheap knives to really mess around with but uncertain as to the system I should get… open to suggestions!! This group has been great btw! Appreciate everyone’s posts, helpfulness etc.

To expand a little, for someone who really geeks out on things… Will I end up spending 2x the money upgrading over and over? That’s part of what goes through my head on this stuff… again I’m sure it’s super subjective
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I agree with Richard338 Richard338 100000 percent

I started on a hapstone v7 but did not like the magnetic table the blade sits on

I love my hapstone r2 like Richard338 Richard338 said there is a learning curve for all sharpeners

If I remember right my hapstone r2 is the basic model and I'm still using the venev diamond stones I purchase with my v7 years ago... 0 up keep and haven't purchased anything else for the sharpener

(Plus I find sharpening on my system kind of relaxing)

I'll also add it's cool to see what edge on what steel works the best for your uses!

I cut a lot of thin paper and plastic with my folders all day at work and use my DEK 1 for cardboard or any other heavier cutting , both are actually sharpened and stropped different to my preferences
 
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metaltamer said:
How many of y’all have the same experience with guided systems? Been looking and debating whether to spend the $ on a nice one… yoko yoko I feel like you use yours fairly often. I’m sure this is up for debate like most things… I’m not super experienced in sharpening and get scared doin much on good knives. Have good results with those dmt file stones used in original vid for touch ups… almost pulled the trigger on some nice wet stones… everything adds up as far as $ spent and I know there’s a lot can be done with budget choices… I have a number of knives around the house that could really use some work. A ton of choices out there. Going to find some cheap knives to really mess around with but uncertain as to the system I should get… open to suggestions!! This group has been great btw! Appreciate everyone’s posts, helpfulness etc.

To expand a little, for someone who really geeks out on things… Will I end up spending 2x the money upgrading over and over? That’s part of what goes through my head on this stuff… again I’m sure it’s super subjective
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I think as long as you go with a kme kit w/ diamond stones or something nicer, you'll be happy. There's a lot to choose from.

For me, I don't care about mirror polished edges. I just want it sharp and usable. Every blade I've sharpened on the kme has been razor sharp in a reasonable amount of time. The results are repeatable and consistent.
I do think the hapstone or tsprof systems are probably better, but not enough to justify the added cost for my uses/enjoyment. YMMV.

I wouldn't go with the lansky system. It's a good budget option, but it leaves a lot to be desired. If you geek out, you definitely wouldn't be happy with that one. I made that mistake a long time ago.

You could still end up forking out a good chunk of $$$ if you start getting into all the lapping films and exotic stones/strops though. Just depends on what you want and how deep down the rabbit hole you go.

Couple things to keep in mind. A lot of systems struggle with larger blades. They don't have a long enough arm to reach the entire length of the edge. Also, the curve of a blade will cause a fixed angle system to create larger bevels. It's just an inherent flaw with these types of sharpeners. It doesn't really affect the knife's performance though.

It's also pretty easy to build your own setup. I only did it because the kme won't sharpen a 10 inch blade very well. Gough customs has a good video about it. You can set it up to accept stones instead of files.

 
I use a wicked edge. No complaints really. The guided systems will all have a learning curve but whichever you choose you’ll achieve good results pretty quickly.
Most of the time I field sharpen my knives with whatever I have with me. This would be freehand sharpening which I am overall pretty horrible at. Especially on small stones or cards, which is usually what I have at my disposal. They always end up a little asymmetrical. When my edge gets bad enough due to my sharpening or some other evil I’ve inflicted on my knife, I go to the Wicked Edge. For my EDC knife/s this is a few times a year.
It is cathartic, and most of the knives I put on it I am basically just honing the edge or polishing.
Was it a good investment? Sure. I own a fair amount of knives. But really I wish I had used the money for another CPK EDC of some flavor.
What’s done is done.
 
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carnifex knifeworks said:
Snip…

Also, the curve of a blade will cause a fixed angle system to create larger bevels. It's just an inherent flaw with these types of sharpeners. It doesn't really affect the knife's performance though.

…snip…

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I think this is an inherent flaw in human thinking.
Are you talking about the edge bevel getting wider as you round towards the tip of the knife?
If so, this should happen on most knives if the edge angle is consistent. It’s a result of the thickness of the material changing behind the edge bevel as you get closer to the spine. On a lot of knives anyhow.

We want to see an edge bevel that is a consistent width the entire edge because… our brains are stupid and think in two dimensions most of the time because it’s easier. But it can leads us to false conclusions.
 
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Cap’n Smudge said:
I think this is an inherent flaw in human thinking.
Are you talking about the edge bevel getting wider as you round towards the tip of the knife?
If so, this should happen on most knives if the edge angle is consistent. It’s a result of the thickness of the material changing behind the edge bevel as you get closer to the spine.

We want to see an edge bevel that is a consistent width the entire edge because… our brains are stupid and think in two dimensions most of the time because it’s easier. But it can leads us to false conclusions.
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I should have been more specific.

The angle you're sharpening at when using a fixed angle system changes when you get to the curved tip of the knife. It's an effect of the fixed angle sharpening systems. I'm not going to try to explain it beyond that or get into how it can be proven mathematically. Those conversations aren't fun.

The difference in sharpening angle caused by the fulcrum of the sharpening arm and the curvature of the blade manifests as a widening bevel.

Does it matter performance wise? In my opinion, not really. Personally, I don't care. It is noticeable though and it bugs some people.
 
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