Recommendation for a Good (easy to use) Knife Sharpener

[Wavester]

Long time knife collector - never a knife sharpener. I am always the type
that feels if I sharpen a knife, I am going to ruin it. In my younger days
with crappy kitchen knives I used to think I knew what I was doing with
those sharpening rods, but to me the knives were always just as dull
as before I started. So whats a good sharpener I can use where I
can sharpen a $50-$100+ knife without fear of ruining it and is
easy to use? I am guessing anything electric is taboo. I hear good things
about the Spyderco Sharpener - but that looks to me like I am not
going to get the hang of it.

So lets here your sharpening recommendations/stories.

 

[Wet Noodle]

I recommend the Spyderco sharpmaker to people, especially those that have zero sharpening skills.
It's pretty foolproof and gets great results. Just end your pull with the tip still on the rod, don't pull it off. Over time it'll round the tip if you pull the blade off the rod. There is some stuff on sharpmaker tips on youtube... very easy to use.
I use bench stones, but I have been sharpening stuff for decades on and off the job.

 

[thebolt]

I used a Lansky sharpening system for years and it worked well for me. I purchased an electric "Work Sharp" a couple years ago and my Lansky has not been out since. They Work Sharp is a small belt system, under $100 and very quick and easy. It only takes a few minutes and my knives are shaving sharp.

Practice with some cheap kitchen knives til you get the hang of what ever you decide to purchase.

Good Luck.

 

[RobertK]

I have no skills. Sharpmaker has been pretty effective.

 

[RevDevil]

I recommend searching through and reading in the MTE section, where all sharpening related questions and discussions are usually had.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment

 

[erhodes]

I would recommend a lansky set. I have been using one for many years and am currently using their diamond hone set which makes short work of any dull edge. Very easy to use

 

[mkjellgren]

The spyderco sharpmaker is extremely effective and easy to use (comes with an excellent instructional DVD) but is limited in a few ways. First of all, the included rods are not overly aggressive and do not remove metal very quickly. This means that and seriously dull or damaged edges can be quite a pain to repair without the additional diamond rods which are sold separately. The other main limitation is the fact that the rod angles are set a 40° and 30° inclusive (20° and 15° per side), knives with factory bevels greater than 40° are going to take a LONG time to reprofile on the sharpnaker, even with the diamond rods. The sharpmaker is a great system, but it really should be called the sharpkeeper rather than the sharpmaker since its much better for maintenance than it is for any serious reprofiling or edge repair.

With that said, I highly recommend you jump right in to freehand sharpening. Spend some time and learn the basics (you're forming an apex then refining it) then practice practice practice. Practice on some cheap kitchen knives before you try any of your good knives. It really isn't as hard as it may seem, you'll get a feel for it an you'll be producing done absurdly sharp edges before you know it. In terms if stones, you'll want a variety of bench stones in different grits. A double sided (coarse/fine) dmt diasharp is an excellent stone for removing lots of steel quickly and will make quick work of those high hardness, high carbide, wear resistant super steels. Next, I recommend spyderco ceramic bench stones for the finer grits. Progressing from dmt coarse->dmt fine->spyderco medium->spyderco fine->spyderco ultrafine you'll end up with a beautiful mirror polished edge, however, I find finishing on the spyderco medium ceramic leaves a much more aggressive edge, if maybe not quite as pretty. Angle guided jig systems like the edge pro or wicked edge produce excellent results with near perfect consistency, but a good freehand edge is just far more satisfying.

 

[Rich1975]

I'm very much a newbie on the thread but I'v been sharpening knives for quite some time. Lansky is great, I just bought an electric work sharp knife and tool sharpener. Its quick easy and will put a razor's edge on a blade. Check out some of the videos on YouTube. I still love hand sharpening it is an art. Thats my 2 cents

 

[ROBB]

I agree with the Worksharp. I was amazed how fast it is and nothing beats the convex edge.