Please Help Choosing Sharpening System

[gunmike1]

Edge-pro- A serious sharpening tool. Can closely match your existing knife bevels. (That is important if you just want to sharpen without having to waste time re-profiling.(Bolding added)) Great personal customer attention and support from Edge-pro. Drawbacks are it is more expensive, somewhat messy (water drip and splash), and "show-knives" must be taped to avoid fine scratching.

Considering the performance improvements that can be realized most knives SHOULD be reprofiled to thinner angles, most times much thinner due to overly thick factory grinds. You then only apply an appropriate microbevel, I usually use 15 degrees on my stuff because it is handy, but more or less angle can be used depending on what you are cutting and if you are getting satisfactory results. You will have much higher cutting ability, better edge retention, and much easier sharpening, as micro bevels only abrade a tiny amount of steel instead of the whole bevel. You only have to reset the main bevel every few months, I only do it when I start noticing it taking more time to apply my microbevel or it starts becoming noticable. This is a much more efficient way of sharpening, but the Edge Pro will give you beautiful, even bevels, and very sharp bevels, and I'm sure it can add a microbevel. However, I have read that a lot of people use the edge pro to backbevel their knives and the Sharpmaker for the microbevel. I thought the microbevel idea was stupid when I was a newbie, but now I will never sharpen without them again.

 

[Suerte]

I use a Lansky clamp with DMT stones from their Aligner kit. They even have a ceramic hone now. I like it myself. Either the Lansky or DMT's Aligner clamp will visibly scratch the blade somewhat (more so with my Spyderco Delicas than my SAKs). So if having a unmarred blade is your goal, you might not want to use a clamp system.

 

[matt321]

You then only apply an appropriate microbevel, I usually use 15 degrees on my stuff because it is handy, but more or less angle can be used depending on what you are cutting and if you are getting satisfactory results.

Is the 15 degrees the micro bevel or the back bevel and do you mean 15 degrees as in 30 degrees inclusive or 15 degrees inclusive.

Thanks
...matt321

 

[gunmike1]

Is the 15 degrees the micro bevel or the back bevel and do you mean 15 degrees as in 30 degrees inclusive or 15 degrees inclusive.

Thanks
...matt321

15 per side, or 30 inclusive for the microbevel. Backbevel of 10 per side on Heavy Duty knives, as thin as I can get on lighter duty stuff (6-8 per side). Once you get to 6-8 per side you have to start avoiding twisting cuts as they will chip, but a quality steel should hold 10 per side back bevel with a 15 per side microbevel easily for most knife duties.