It's about time I posted here too. Richard put a convex edge on my Hinderer XM-24 a few months ago and I was so impressed I bought a set of wheels.
The XM-24 has been used an awful lot since then and the edge hasn't needed anything but stropping, it seems to have held up brilliantly. The steel is CTS-XHP.
A couple months before that, I had knifenut1013 sharpen my Gayle Bradley. The edge was very impressive at first, but didn't seem to last long. It was especially bad when cutting anything sticky like cardboard boxes with adhesive labels or tape on them, the edge would get gummed up real quick and not cut until cleaned.
The edge Richard put on the XM-24 just lasts a lot longer. I think there are 2 main reasons for this.
First, it's convex, and therefore undeniably stronger. There is more steel behind the cutting edge, supporting and giving it strength. Convex is the best edge profile for an edge that lasts, no question in my mind.
Second, the edge, while polished to the eye, does have what I guess you would call micro serrations, so it digs in and keeps slicing through material where the polished edge slips over the material. I noticed the difference a lot with pallet wrap. If the knifenut1013 edge is not perfectly clean, from previously cutting through something that leaves a residue for example, it slides over the plastic wrap. The paper wheel edge always slices into it.
I use a straight razor to shave and for that, I want the edge as highly refined as possible, I hone up to 12'000 grit stones and spend ages carefully stropping on horse leather. For shaving I'm in the "highly refined/polished is better" camp, no question. Highly refined is best for push cutting certain things like face hair.
For pretty much every other task I use a knife for, an edge that still has some microscopic texture to it gets through the material better.
I put them both under my microscope and Richard's edge is not as highly polished as one by knifenut1013, but cuts better as a result.
I'm talking about slicing through cardboard, plastic packing tape, pallet wrapping, rope, hose, string and thin soft wire. Hair and thin paper are fun to test with, but who needs to split hairs and toilet paper in the real world? To be fair I still do that for fun and to test the edge is sharp though
I've had the wheels for a couple months and have become so confident/competent that I have sharpened every knife I have on them (100+, some of which are $1000+), plus every knife owned by most of my family, friends and co workers. I've had to regrit the wheels recently. Must be over 500 knives I've done. Everything from a Spyderco Bug up to an ESEE Lite Machete.
I haven't used the edge pro since I got the wheels. I still think about using it to get that awesome looking mirrored bevel we all love but can't bring myself to spend 2 hours when the wheels will do it in 2 minutes and produce an edge that lasts longer for me, even if the wheels won't give that impressively perfect mirror polish, just an extremely good polish.
The edge produced on wheels certainly can split hairs and toilet paper if you finish with a very light, controlled touch.
The wheels do need respect though, you can ruin a knife if not careful, you need to be at least semi "good with your hands".
The 6" benchgrinder cost me $54 and with a £28
speed controller I can run them as fast or slow as I want. I do have a belt sander to but if you're really god it's possible to put a convex on a blade using just the wheels. Light pressure moving back and forth at slightly different angles does it.
So yeah, I love the wheels, thanks Richard!
