Purchasing Sharpening System. Am I on the Right Track?

P

P. Ortiz

Joined
Feb 24, 2013
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I'm in the market for a sharpening system and after narrowing my search to the Work Sharp Ken Onion Elite ($199), Wicked Edge GO Deluxe ($399) and KME Deluxe Kit ($319), I think the Ken Onion with grinding attachment might meet most of my requirements. Although I can afford more, I'd rather spend somewhere around $300. The WE GO at $399 would probably be at the upper range of what I want to spend.

My blades range from very small folders like a Case Swayback Gent and a Fallkniven U2, to slightly larger folders such as my Buck 112's and a couple of Enzo Birk's. The bulk of my collection consists of small 6" OAL or under fixed blades ranging from very slender knives like some of my Arno Bernard Bush Baby series, to my much beefier Boker Solingen Pry Mini and L.T. Wright Hevi Patriot. Besides these, I also have a complete set of quality kitchen knives as well as a convex edge Fallkniven F1 and some hatchets.

What I like about the WS Elite is that it comes with the blade grinding attachment and that I can add every belt grit and strop available, while remaining at my $300 mark. I also like that I don't have clamping limitations, since some of my knives are hollow ground and/or not very tall. As I understand it, with the WE system (and possibly KME), 5/8" or so of the blade must remain exposed from the clamp, leaving out my smaller blades. Alternatively, I can buy a separate low angle attachment for the WE, which would then push the price higher.

I have good hand/eye coordination and a very good feel for this type of work. I think that the WS KO with grinder attachment would be fine for the knives I use very day. However, I'm wondering if this system and the right set of belts can achieve a finely finished look for my collector-type knives, without having to resort to a guided system and the greater blade-type limitations imposed. Thanks in advance for your input.
 
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Eli Chaps said:
If you have good hand/eye coordination and a very good feel for this kind of work, why bother with a guided system at all?
Click to expand...

Mainly for time and consistency. I should probably add that I'm mainly interested in the WS KO for the blade grinding attachment.
 
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P. Ortiz said:
Mainly for time and consistency. I should probably add that I'm mainly interested in the WS KO for the blade grinding attachment.
Click to expand...

My experience is time is actually better with bench stones. With practice, consistency is not a problem either.

But, best of luck.
 
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I've heard great things about the Wicked Edge and KME. I've used a work sharp for a while, you need to be very careful with them, they will turn your wharncliffe into a recurve really fast. It's nice for large chips, retipping, and reprofiling. It's also good at polishing edges with the very fine belts, but I mostly use a sharp maker these days. The two systems give me a well rounded setup I feel.
 
KME has a pen knife jaw set for smaller blades, though I have used the standard jaws to sharpen a Victorinox Officer blade- 91mm Swiss Army, and a couple boy scout knives no problem. We love the KME, and have grown the basic package over the years which fits the budget better.
Son in law loves his Worksharp KO, with 3 years of use so far, but does not have grinder attachment. Running a ranch means he has lots of sharpening chores plus he keeps my daughter happy with seriously sharp kitchen tools as well. Just called him and he says he leaves it set up with the belt "recommended" in manual, which can no longer be identified... He reports, "It works, takes about 40 seconds, and the blades cut with little to no hand pressure".
 
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Edge- Pro or Wicked Edge would be my recommendation.

I would eschew any powerd system.
 
^^^What he said. My preference is for the EdgePro, but I'm biased. Powered systems are great for removing a lot of metal quickly. Hand systems are great for removing metal precisely.
 
Precision is increased with guided systems over freehand, the KME and Wicked Edge clamp have both pros and cons that benefit or hold users back depending on different use cases. But it is my opinion that these manual engineered solutions are all fairly close in real world use. For example I thought having "only 4 inch stones", the size of my my tackle box stone, was going to be a big disadvantage. My preconception came from using an 8 inch tristone as a meat cutter back in the day. Today, I'm not convinced that it is a "big disadvantage". Although, I got a couple after market KME 6 inch stone holders to expand the kits usefulness, mostly with kitchen knives and KME's Axe accessory.
We started with the KME for training kids for a number of the systems positive contributions, and budget constraints. We were already using powered sharpening for the cheap kitchen knives, and Spyderco's Sharpmaker as a maintenance tool.
The EdgePro shelf is better when use cases require moving blades around, like larger knives / tools (KME's brilliant Axe tool accessory is also good for mower blades, hand tools, n such). And the EdgePro stones larger form factor (along with Wicked Edge's) then KME, 4 vs 6 inches is a plus. Our need for diamonds was met inexpensively with a set of four, 140 thru 1500 grit, in KME kit for 200.00 bucks! And those stones are tough with no signs of slowing down after almost 5 years.
The knives you mentioned don't need diamonds: Birk scandi folder's D2, 112, kitchen knives, nor your Fallkniven's VG10. Silicon Carbide / Aluminum Oxide and naturals will work, but diamonds can be your friend if properly used:).
Enjoy the journey, the memory of the hunt, hills, valleys, trees n sun n shadows and liter crunching under boot, keeps the old bones warmer longer, then the fish or meat did in their moment. The task falls under our frame of mind, and the soul eternal.
 
I echo a lot of what’s been said by some of the other members above.

I have a few guided systems, water stones, SIC stones, diamonds, etc.

I rarely use the KME or Sharpmaker. My large table stones only for larger re-profiling jobs.

99 percent of the time I use DMT diafolds. They are easy to carry with you and touch up things if needed, and capable of re-profiling if you want. They cut pretty much any steel, and work fast.

If you just want to maintain working edges this is the route I’d go. If you are looking to make a perfect edge use a guided system.

I don’t have a WorkSharp yet, but have been thinking about one for use on my big choppers. I highly doubt I’d ever use it for a small fixed blade or folder.
 
Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful replies. I'm beginning to see that there is no one-size fits all solution, especially when a price ceiling is applied. I'm going to give a harder look to the guided systems within my price range. Even at the expense of some versatility, I do want beautiful even edges.
 
I have a number of sharpening systems, including the WorkSharp Ken Onion. I do NOT have the blade grinding attachment; just the normal standard system.

I've produced many sharp edges with the WSKO. But I often made little mistakes which cosmetically affected the blade. Nothing awful. But something that you wouldn't be happy with on a blade that you want a "precise showoff bevel".

I've done similar with bench stones. I do well most of the time. But I'm not great at holding a consistent angle freehand, especially through the curved part of the blade. Don't get me wrong, I make sharp blades that are generally not at all ugly. But they aren't like what you get from a guided system either.

I now mostly use a Kalamazoo 1SM 1x42" belt sander. I use a third party guide called The Kally Rest. Using the Kally Rest, I generally get very nice results. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the edge can look if you take your time.

Here's a video showing one of the blades that I sharpened using the 1SM and Kally Rest combination:


So, a belt driven system can produce precise results for sure. I don't know if you can get this level of results from the WSKO + BGA or the WS Elite. But you can with this system.

Good luck with your purchase.

Brian.
 
A belt system can remove a lot of steel and mess up a blade quick if you are not careful. I advise saving up and getting a Wicked Edge Pro Pack III.
 
There's also a used WE100 for sale on the Wicked Edge forum. I am not sure if I would be allowed to post a link to it.
 
Because a tool can be misused does not equal it will be misused. Also P.Ortis, don't be suprised if in 3 years you own more then one sharpening system. Just saying :rolleyes:
 
Get some cheapo knives and a couple of good stones and learn freehand. It's an old time skill worth knowing.
Once you learn free hand, the muscle memory will always be there. Like riding a bike.
I can look around in almost any situation and find something to sharpen my knife with.
I bought the W.S. when it came out and quickly screwed up a couple of knives. I use it now without the guard for my axes,hatchets etc.
I agree with what Molokai Raider said. A couple of Diafolds will go a long way toward taking care of most of your sharpening needs. I've worn out several.
 
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