pull through sharpeners - any good?

Q

qs668

Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
1
Hi,

Are mechanical pull through sharpeners any good ?

I'm looking to get something to sharpen my 8in dexter russell white handled fish filleting knife but i don't really know how to use a stone or a steel.

Was thinking of getting a Chefs Choice 450 vs kasumi diamond sharpener.

Does anyone have an opinion on these mechanical pull through sharpeners or pull through sharpeners in general - i know it's not for the purists but i'm not confident with a stone or steel and the other systems are too expensive for me right now.

Many thanks,
storm
 
These pull through 'sharpeners' mostly work by clawing off steel from the edge.
Some are a little more refined, but all work on the same principle.This damages the edge.
Entirely feasible to use on a $5.00 old knife kept in the fishing tackle box and occasionally used, but NOT recommended on the sorts of knives used by enthusiasts on this forum.

Not to be confused with the V ceramic rod devises, Sharpmaker 204, that might be your best bet .
 
Has anybody else tried the Myerco Sharpen-It?

It actually seemed to get a decent review, and looked as small as anything you could use in the field.
 
I have a Chef's Choice which I rarely use any more.
As other Forumites said, it takes off too much steel from both the edge and the side of the blade.
I made the mistake to sharpen a nice slip-joint with it, which resulted in a poor sharpness and blades scratched all over. :mad:
It is still usable for putting quickly some edge on the cheap, completely dull kitchen knives though.
 
Actually, Gerber makes a little ceramic one that works very well in the field and has two pairs of crock sticks set at a 30 degree angle. One is coarse grit and the other is a medium-fine grit. They run about 5.00 and work very well until the steel build up on the ceramic renders them useless. They do not pull too much steel off like the carbide or diamond sharpeners and they are cheap and compact. Granted, they won't put an edge on like a 204, but they serve their intended purpose well.
 
I don't mind the ceramic ones for a quick touch-up, but anything more involved, I'd much rather a stone. I have a pair of crossed steels, and those things are quite abrasive. Ruins an edge.
 
It's too bad those small ceramic ones don't have set screws or some way to adjust the angles.
 
These things generally only work to set micro-bevels and thus the angle really isn't critical. They are usually set at ~20 degrees per side and there is no reason to be that obtuse on any knife outside of heavy tacticals, and on them you are going to want a more serious sharpener because their edges can get damaged. The small v-rod pull throughs will reset an edge which has been properly profiled very quickly, just a few passes. It won't get as sharp as a full size sharpener, and it won't stay sharp as long , but it is better than still using the knife blunt.

-Cliff
 
Do yourself a favor and invest in a Spyderco sharpmaker. Watch the instructional video and you'll have a razor's edge on everything you own in no time. (absolutely the best $50 bucks I've ever spent on a non-knife item)

As for the pull throughs - You can't beat the little $2 Normark ceramic sharpener for a quick filet knife touch-up when you're camped out by the lake or river and can't use a sharpmaker.
 
I just picked up one of these yesterday at Wal-Mart for $1.26. I doubt it will fully sharpen a dull knife it does a great job of touching up blades. I think it will work great when I'm away from my Sharpmaker. It is the same as the gray Normark/Rapala but it only has fine grit. I'll probably pick up the gray dual grit model then give the red one away to a friend. It appears to be 40 degrees (20 per side).

froogle_image
 
If you are going to invest any money in knives, learn how to sharpen them properly. Those cheap gizmos just wreck your knives, and chew away good steel prematurely and unnecessarily with mediocre results.

Pick up a copy of John Juranitch's book, "The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening" or get your hands on a copy of the Edge Pro instructions. These resources will help you establish the bevel, and then keep your knives razor sharp with a diamond steel or ceramic rod in between reprofile jobs.

An EdgePro is a super investment, but good results can be obtained freehand as well.

It's not very difficult with the right information (resources) and some practice.
 
You can clean the pull throughs with an abrasive brush and some cleaner, a small tooth brush can work + some comet. You can also just use a very abrasive cleaner and apply it with a q-tip or similar and then rinse/wipe it off after a few minutes.

-Cliff
 
I just tried the Chef's Choice at Cabela's(a great place to go and sharpen your knives for free, all the electric machines were plugged in), on smaller pocket/pen knives it sucks because you can't get the blade in far enough to sharpen all the way back to the beginning of the ricasso.

Short of learning to effectively use a slackbelt grinder/sharpener, Tormek, or Tru-Hone, I'd suggest an EdgePro if your serious about sharpening yourself, or spend the time and practice on a set of bench stones till you become proficient sharpening freehand.

When I say practice I mean really practice, I've spent hours a day freehand sharpening for 30 + years only in the last 12 have I really reall gotten any good.

I'm sure someone will link to some sharpening sites with lot's of tips.

Sharpening Made Easy

Steve's Knife Sharpening Links
 
I found that I can clean my ceramic pull through by squirting a bit of Soft Scrub on the rods, "flossing" them with a piece of cord, then rinsing it with warm water.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top