pull-through vs electric?

I have used both in the past & in my opinion both hog off way too much metal. I use Spyderco ceramic rods now & am very pleased with it. If you dont mind the mess the Arkansas stones will do a great job also!:thumbup:
 
I wouldn't use an electric sharpener on any of my knives. They take off too much metal and don't give a good edge. Perhaps some of the highest-end electric sharpeners are OK?

Ceramic rods are the way to go. Comparing price, features, and ease of use, I'd say the Spyderco Sharpmaker is the best sharpening product on the market today. Way cheaper than a high-quality electric sharpener.

Some people around here are huge fans of Japanese water stones and leather stropping. Different strokes...

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Appreciate the inputs guys, I don't really like spending my limited time as it is sharpening blades so I am looking for the least expensive good sharpener that will do most of the work, I was told that the Chefs Choice series of Electric Sharpeners wood good but they cost over $100 so I was thinking of the pull-through types. I do understand that with any pull through or electric type, I can expect that the blades will be worn down prematurely, I don't mind, just want o get something that will sharpen both my knives and especially Cleaver with little or no effort from myself, can you guys recommend anything specific for the above please? Thanks.
 
I think pull throughs are okay for touch ups as long as they are ceramic or diamond. I use a Rapala/Normark ceramic pull through for touch ups when I am away from my Sharpmaker. I am not a fan of the tungsten carbide metal pull throughs.
 
I'd never let any of my quality blades anywhere near an electric sharpener.

I honestly don't think that the pull throughs are any good either, unless by pull through you are including the back and forth ones like the sharpmaker.
 
mikehende - Totally your call on how you do your blades, but If you've got cheap knives that you rarely use, go for a pull through.

If you've got knives that mean something to you, and you want to take care of, or get mega sharp with an edge that will hold - buy a sharp maker -the only trick is to pull them straight down over the rods. If you do that your good to go.

You can get the kit, and a step by step quick video, for around $40.

Personally i'd recomend taking a few minutes to learn the basics of free hand, but if you don't want to mess with that, get the Sharpmaker.

Best Regards
 
I don't have quality knives and am not a knife buff, I just want a sharp knife to use whenever without having to spend the time to sharpen them which is why I think a pull through might be better for me but on the weekend when I am cutting meat and need to use my cleaver, this is where I really need the help, I need to know if the pullthroughs will sharpen a Cleaver effectively enough?
 
There are two types of pull-throughs and neither one of them is likely to meet your needs. There are pull-throughs that have sharp tungsten carbide scrapers. These chew off more material than you want to spare for small knives and leave a weak edge for cleavers. The other type has small ceramic rods inside that abrade material from the side of your edges. These only work on soft and slightly dull blades. For most purposes they don't remove enough material to do serious sharpening.

You are best off if you can find a V-rod honing system. These have a couple ceramic rods stuck into a wooden or plastic base. The rods are about 8 inches long. You hold your blade with the spine oriented upwards and stroke your edge down the length of the rods. There are many manufacturers of systems like this. The Spyderco Sharpmaker is the best, but other brands will work. For example I have one that uses round rods from a company called Idahone. I think that they may also manufactur for the Messermeister label.
http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=8894&src=Froogle&cam=Products&kw=8894
 
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Looking at the sharpmaker, I don't understand how that works really. Can anyone give an idea of how this works, an online video somewhere would be ideal if possible.
 
I have owned several Chefs Choice machines over the years....all relegated to the landfills in a couple of states. They are expensive and IMHO never really gave a great edge. Now considering that the targets for these devices, have probably never really used a "sharp" knife nor will ever go to the effort to properly sharpen a knife or maintain it, the machine is okay. Fast and better than nothing.

Personally I use an Edge Pro PRO Model to set up a knife the way I want it. If the primary edge is at 30 degrees or 40 degrees, then I can touch up on the Sharpmaker. If not, I would use the Edge Pro for touchups as you have literally an infinite variety of angles to choose from. I find that the Edge Pro ceramic steel is an excellent tool for a couple of very delicate strokes and you are back to razor sharp.
 
mikehende said:
Looking at the sharpmaker, I don't understand how that works really. Can anyone give an idea of how this works, an online video somewhere would be ideal if possible.
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Unless you take the time to understand all of the underlying principles to sharpening, there is no simple explanation other than Trust Us....it works as long as you have a decent edge on the knife with a 30 degree or 40 degree (inclusive edge).
 
If you can get to a local knife shop have them show you how a "Crock Stick" type sharpener works. Often they have one sitting on a counter for customers to try. Basically you have two abrasive rods stuck into a base. The rods are tilted away from vertical (and away from each other) to form sort of a V. Typically the left rod is tilted to the left by about 15 or 20 degrees from vertical and the right rod is tilted to the right by the same amount. If you hold a knife blade vertical and stroke it down one of the rods you will hone the edge at that same 15 to 20 degree angle. As you stroke down the rod you draw the knife towards yourself so that the abrasion works across the entire edge. You alternate honing on the left and right rods to keep your edge symmetrical.

The Sharpmaker system uses triangular rods rather than cylindrical rods. You can use the edges of the rods to slide into the contours of serrated blades so that they can be sharpened. You can also use the edges of the rods for faster material removal on nonserrated blades. You can use the flat sides of the rods to get a fine edge on regular smooth blades.
 
Thank you very much for the explanation. On average, approximately how many strokes and how much time will it take for me to sharpen a "Cleaver" with this unit please?
 
mikehende said:
Thank you very much for the explanation. On average, approximately how many strokes and how much time will it take for me to sharpen a "Cleaver" with this unit please?
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I don't think that there is a simple answer to this question.

The variables are:

1) The existing edge angle. Does it match up to the 30 degree or 40 degree angle offered by the Sharpmaker.

2) Sharpness of existing edge. If its dull you'll spend a lot of time putting a new edge on it.

3) Hardness and type of steel.

My thoughts would be that given we are talking a cleaver here (not Wally or Beaver or June and Ward) that I would use a coarse benchstone and reprofile the edge to 30 degrees or less (inclusive). I would then take it through all of the 40 degree steps on the Sharpmaker.

You may have 30 minutes involved.
 
Well, who makes the cleaver? (if its a POS chinese stamped steel cleaver with a poor heat treat it'll never get sharp) If the bevels are all set and the blade isn't that dull, 5 minutes and you'll be done. If it's seriosuly dull, prepare to wrap the rods with sandpaper and work a little longer, don't worry, we'll guide you through
 
Yes, this Cleaver is a heavy sucker with a "Made in China" stamp and I spend a lot of time sharpening it which is a real pain to get it reasonably sharp and that sharpness only lasts until I finish cutting up a chicken so it's like I have to sharpen it every time I use it, I finnaly got fed up and is the reason why I am looking into "Electric" sharpeners or at least, pull-throughs. 30 minutes or so is way too long for me to be spending sharpening this cleaver, maybe I should get another better cleaver?

I will need one that's heavy to cut through tough bones like pork shoulders/legs, any particular cleavers in mind for this job?
 
Thanks for the link, just out of curiousity, what do you guys use to chop bones or do you buy all "sliced" meat?
 
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