Hello all! I just finished writing this review of the Apex Sharpening system, I hope you find it informative. And if you have any questions, please ask. Enjoy!
Review of the Edge Pro Apex:
I recently received a "trial" version (actually it's a loan) of the Edge Pro Apex sharpening system from A. Dale. McLean owner of ADaM Sharps Specialty Cutlery (www.adamsharps.com). The Apex is made by Ben Dale owner of Edge Pro (www.gorge.net/business/edgepro). Over the last few days I've been using the Apex to sharpen all manner of knives and I thought I'd share my opinion with the other Blade Forum Members. Remember that this is just my opinion. NOTE: This model Apex is an older model, there have been some minor improvements since.
1. Physical Make-up:
The Apex consists of an angled base with suction cups at the low end (rear) and collapsible front legs. It's about 8" long, 4 ½" tall and 3 ¾" wide. In the middle of the Apex is the blade guide, 2" wide, 3 ½" long and about 3/16" thick. The guide is what the spine of the blade rests against and is fully adjustable. At the rear of the Apex is a vertical pivot shaft where a horizontal arm attaches via an adjustable pivot. It is this arm which carries the stones which sharpen the knives. By moving the pivot up or down the pivot shaft you can adjust the angle of the stone arm from approximately 5 degrees to 30 degrees. There are clearly marked angle indicators at 10, 15, 18, 21, and 24 degrees.
The stone arm moves from left to right a full 360 degrees although you only need to use an arc of about 30 degrees. It also has fore and aft travel of approximately 6" and while the cutting angle prevents the stone arm from going any lower than the set angle, there is unrestricted upward movement. In other words, if you set the angle to 18 degrees, the stone arm will cut at 18 degrees but you can lift the arm up and off the blade if you need to.
The stones are of the water variety; not as hard as Arkansas or ceramic but they cut much faster. The only disadvantage is that they are messy (water is a required lubricant) and they wear more quickly than other stones. That being said, water stones are easy to flatten and river sand and flattening instructions are included.
What comes with the Apex? A cordura carrying case, a fairly good manual, two water stones (Fine and Medium), and some river sand for flattening the stones. I strongly recommend getting the Stone Upgrade Kit which consists of Extra Fine and Ultra Fine stones, four 2000 grit polishing tapes, four 4000 grit polishing tapes, and an 800 grit ceramic steel. Other grit stones as well as blanks (so you could put in other types of stones or even diamond stones) are available from Edge Pro. The Apex that I evaluated had four grits of stones (Course, Medium, Fine, and Ultra Fine).
2. Setup:
Setting up the Apex is fairly straightforward: Open the legs at the front, moisten the suction cups at the back and press the unit down on a smooth surface. Drop in the pivot shaft, attach the stone arm pivot, and select the grit of stone you want to start with. Once that's done select the angle you want to grind at, and adjust the blade guide to suit the width of the knife you are going to sharpen. All of this I found to be very easy. If you have a knife for which you don't know the angle of, simply use a marker to mark the edge of the bevel, lay the knife on the blade table and draw the stone lightly across the edge. Depending on where the marker is removed indicates if you need to adjust the angle up or down. Again, I found no difficulty in doing this.
3. Actual Use:
One of the first things you notice is that there is no blade clamp, in fact, nothing holds the blade but you. This can be a little daunting at first, especially with a small blade such as a SAK. However, that being said, with a little practice you develop the right touch and holding the blade becomes second nature. While holding the blade flat on the blade table, with the spine against the blade guide, move the blade until the edge is parallel to the blade table. This sounds rather complex but it really isn't, I've also found you don't have to be totally parallel either. I'm right handed so I start on the right side of the blade first. While holding the handle in your left hand, stroke the blade arm from left to right, fore to aft across the blade cutting on both stokes. This motion takes a little practice (especially when you switch hands to sharpen the other side) but soon becomes easy. After sharpening the right side I turn the blade over, hold the handle with my right hand and the stone arm with my left. Again I go left to right, fore to aft cutting on both strokes. I found that if I cut right to left when sharpening the left side of the blade I got a lot of chatter at the pivot, but silky smooth with left to right. I'm not sure why this is.
The Apex works by creating a burr on one side of the blade and then sharpening the other side until the burr is removed. If you're not used to sharpening this way it can be a little tricky. I've always sharpened my knives on a Spyderco Sharpmaker, which doesn't create a significant burr because you're alternating from one side to the other. The technique which I found works best is to sharpen each side of the blade an equal number of times and then lightly stroke the burr off the edge. Again, this takes some practice but you soon get the hang of it.
4. The Test:
I started out on an old SAK, figuring that if I messed this up I wouldn't really care. With about 20 strokes per side with the UF grit I had an edge which would cut cigarette paper. Allow me to say right now that I use cigarette paper as a control for sharpness. I use the same brand of paper for all testing and I cut the paper both against the fibers and with the fibers (which is much harder). If a knife can cleanly slice in both directions with no tearing I consider it sharp. I then decided to sharpen some of my mother's kitchen knives. I sharpened a dozen knives, ranging in length (all measurements are for the blade) from 3" to 6 ½", 7/16" to 1 1/12" wide and from 1/16" to 3/32" thick. The steel ranged from really cheap stuff to high carbon Sabatier and Arcos knives. I tried to cut regular paper with each of the knives first and then cigarette paper. The Sabatier and Arcos would cut paper, but all failed to cut the cigarette paper.
I set the angle to 18 degrees (what I think is an optimum angle for general use) and began with the F grit. 20 strokes on each side, making sure to wipe off the stone in-between sides (the stone can clog and not cut the second side as aggressively as the first). At this stage they would all cut paper cleanly but they would tear the cigarette paper or not cut at all. I then switched to the UF grit and repeated the process. This time they could all cut cigarette paper cleanly.
Next I took out one of the Japanese cooking knives. These can be a pain to sharpen because they are chisel ground, but with a secondary bevel. To my surprise the Apex sharpened it easily. Because of the type of grind I had an opportunity to look closely at the newly sharpened edge. It was clean and uniform with no variation at all. A very good sign!
Being encouraged and feeling my skill level rising I decided it was time to start sharpening some of my folders. I felt that I could best challenge the Apex my sharpening my Benchmade 710 and 750, both with black coatings. One of the concerns with the Apex was scratching the finish on the blade. I felt that on a coated blade this would be easiest to see. Also, I wondered how a 1" by 6" stone would deal with a re-curve. Furthermore, I had heard that the thumb studs would get in the way of the stone arm. As an added test, my 750 suffered from an all too common Benchmade malady-an uneven grind. From sharpening the other kitchen knives I felt that any scratching would not occur from the stone hitting the blade (unless of course it slips, but that hasn't happened) but from a build up of grit on the blade table (I did say water stones were messy). In a conversation I had with Ben Dale, he informed me that he recommended painters tape on the blade table in-between sharpening or taping the knife itself. I decided to just tape the blade table. The 710 presented no problems and I was genuinely surprised that the Apex sharpened re-curves as well as it did. The same was true of the 750; no problem with the re-curve and it evened the grind out as well. At no time did the thumb studs get in the way of the stone arm. The resulting edges cut cigarette paper with ease. The ATS-34 required about twice as many strokes as the kitchen knives did to reach that point, but that's not really a surprise. The kitchen knives are of much softer steel than the Benchmades. As for scratches, there were none.
5. Conclusion and Opinions:
The Apex performs as advertised. It is highly and easily adjustable; the stones cut quickly and leave a very good edge. I can only imagine what the 2000 and 4000 grit tapes would have produced. I checked the stones for wear after all the sharpening but could detect none. If there had have been, I know from experience that it is very easy to flatten the stones again. The ability to control exactly the angle being used is a big selling point for me. My only complaints that I ever had with my Sharpmaker were that I only had the choice of two angles and two grits. The Apex gives any angle and six grits (more if you buy the blanks). That being said, there were some failings.
While absolutely brilliant at sharpening flat ground blades, deep hollow grinds require a little more skill. I have confidence though that with practice this won't be a problem. A double bevel (such as on a dagger) is very difficult to sharpen, there just isn't enough contact area. I tried using a Gerber Covert and found it too frustrating. Mind you, I find double bevels frustrating period. The only other knife the Apex couldn't sharpen was a small paring knife (less than 2") with a deep re-curve. Also, while sharpening it is necessary to keep the stones wet, that in itself isn't a problem, but it does create a bit of a mess. And you must make sure you clean and dry the knife off.
If asked to give an opinion I would recommend the Apex sharpening system to anyone who owns and cares about their knives but with one word of warning: This system produces the best edge I have seen on a knife, but it does require a certain amount of patience. You do have to get used to using this system. It doesn't take long, and it's not that hard, but if you find a Sharpmaker to be the limit of your skills this is probably not for you. As an owner, user and advocator of a Sharpmaker I mean no offence or insult. There's just a lot more technique to develop with the Apex. The pay off though is incredible edges and total control over the edge you put on.
[This message has been edited by Johan (edited 01-09-2000).]
Review of the Edge Pro Apex:
I recently received a "trial" version (actually it's a loan) of the Edge Pro Apex sharpening system from A. Dale. McLean owner of ADaM Sharps Specialty Cutlery (www.adamsharps.com). The Apex is made by Ben Dale owner of Edge Pro (www.gorge.net/business/edgepro). Over the last few days I've been using the Apex to sharpen all manner of knives and I thought I'd share my opinion with the other Blade Forum Members. Remember that this is just my opinion. NOTE: This model Apex is an older model, there have been some minor improvements since.
1. Physical Make-up:
The Apex consists of an angled base with suction cups at the low end (rear) and collapsible front legs. It's about 8" long, 4 ½" tall and 3 ¾" wide. In the middle of the Apex is the blade guide, 2" wide, 3 ½" long and about 3/16" thick. The guide is what the spine of the blade rests against and is fully adjustable. At the rear of the Apex is a vertical pivot shaft where a horizontal arm attaches via an adjustable pivot. It is this arm which carries the stones which sharpen the knives. By moving the pivot up or down the pivot shaft you can adjust the angle of the stone arm from approximately 5 degrees to 30 degrees. There are clearly marked angle indicators at 10, 15, 18, 21, and 24 degrees.
The stone arm moves from left to right a full 360 degrees although you only need to use an arc of about 30 degrees. It also has fore and aft travel of approximately 6" and while the cutting angle prevents the stone arm from going any lower than the set angle, there is unrestricted upward movement. In other words, if you set the angle to 18 degrees, the stone arm will cut at 18 degrees but you can lift the arm up and off the blade if you need to.
The stones are of the water variety; not as hard as Arkansas or ceramic but they cut much faster. The only disadvantage is that they are messy (water is a required lubricant) and they wear more quickly than other stones. That being said, water stones are easy to flatten and river sand and flattening instructions are included.
What comes with the Apex? A cordura carrying case, a fairly good manual, two water stones (Fine and Medium), and some river sand for flattening the stones. I strongly recommend getting the Stone Upgrade Kit which consists of Extra Fine and Ultra Fine stones, four 2000 grit polishing tapes, four 4000 grit polishing tapes, and an 800 grit ceramic steel. Other grit stones as well as blanks (so you could put in other types of stones or even diamond stones) are available from Edge Pro. The Apex that I evaluated had four grits of stones (Course, Medium, Fine, and Ultra Fine).
2. Setup:
Setting up the Apex is fairly straightforward: Open the legs at the front, moisten the suction cups at the back and press the unit down on a smooth surface. Drop in the pivot shaft, attach the stone arm pivot, and select the grit of stone you want to start with. Once that's done select the angle you want to grind at, and adjust the blade guide to suit the width of the knife you are going to sharpen. All of this I found to be very easy. If you have a knife for which you don't know the angle of, simply use a marker to mark the edge of the bevel, lay the knife on the blade table and draw the stone lightly across the edge. Depending on where the marker is removed indicates if you need to adjust the angle up or down. Again, I found no difficulty in doing this.
3. Actual Use:
One of the first things you notice is that there is no blade clamp, in fact, nothing holds the blade but you. This can be a little daunting at first, especially with a small blade such as a SAK. However, that being said, with a little practice you develop the right touch and holding the blade becomes second nature. While holding the blade flat on the blade table, with the spine against the blade guide, move the blade until the edge is parallel to the blade table. This sounds rather complex but it really isn't, I've also found you don't have to be totally parallel either. I'm right handed so I start on the right side of the blade first. While holding the handle in your left hand, stroke the blade arm from left to right, fore to aft across the blade cutting on both stokes. This motion takes a little practice (especially when you switch hands to sharpen the other side) but soon becomes easy. After sharpening the right side I turn the blade over, hold the handle with my right hand and the stone arm with my left. Again I go left to right, fore to aft cutting on both strokes. I found that if I cut right to left when sharpening the left side of the blade I got a lot of chatter at the pivot, but silky smooth with left to right. I'm not sure why this is.
The Apex works by creating a burr on one side of the blade and then sharpening the other side until the burr is removed. If you're not used to sharpening this way it can be a little tricky. I've always sharpened my knives on a Spyderco Sharpmaker, which doesn't create a significant burr because you're alternating from one side to the other. The technique which I found works best is to sharpen each side of the blade an equal number of times and then lightly stroke the burr off the edge. Again, this takes some practice but you soon get the hang of it.
4. The Test:
I started out on an old SAK, figuring that if I messed this up I wouldn't really care. With about 20 strokes per side with the UF grit I had an edge which would cut cigarette paper. Allow me to say right now that I use cigarette paper as a control for sharpness. I use the same brand of paper for all testing and I cut the paper both against the fibers and with the fibers (which is much harder). If a knife can cleanly slice in both directions with no tearing I consider it sharp. I then decided to sharpen some of my mother's kitchen knives. I sharpened a dozen knives, ranging in length (all measurements are for the blade) from 3" to 6 ½", 7/16" to 1 1/12" wide and from 1/16" to 3/32" thick. The steel ranged from really cheap stuff to high carbon Sabatier and Arcos knives. I tried to cut regular paper with each of the knives first and then cigarette paper. The Sabatier and Arcos would cut paper, but all failed to cut the cigarette paper.
I set the angle to 18 degrees (what I think is an optimum angle for general use) and began with the F grit. 20 strokes on each side, making sure to wipe off the stone in-between sides (the stone can clog and not cut the second side as aggressively as the first). At this stage they would all cut paper cleanly but they would tear the cigarette paper or not cut at all. I then switched to the UF grit and repeated the process. This time they could all cut cigarette paper cleanly.
Next I took out one of the Japanese cooking knives. These can be a pain to sharpen because they are chisel ground, but with a secondary bevel. To my surprise the Apex sharpened it easily. Because of the type of grind I had an opportunity to look closely at the newly sharpened edge. It was clean and uniform with no variation at all. A very good sign!
Being encouraged and feeling my skill level rising I decided it was time to start sharpening some of my folders. I felt that I could best challenge the Apex my sharpening my Benchmade 710 and 750, both with black coatings. One of the concerns with the Apex was scratching the finish on the blade. I felt that on a coated blade this would be easiest to see. Also, I wondered how a 1" by 6" stone would deal with a re-curve. Furthermore, I had heard that the thumb studs would get in the way of the stone arm. As an added test, my 750 suffered from an all too common Benchmade malady-an uneven grind. From sharpening the other kitchen knives I felt that any scratching would not occur from the stone hitting the blade (unless of course it slips, but that hasn't happened) but from a build up of grit on the blade table (I did say water stones were messy). In a conversation I had with Ben Dale, he informed me that he recommended painters tape on the blade table in-between sharpening or taping the knife itself. I decided to just tape the blade table. The 710 presented no problems and I was genuinely surprised that the Apex sharpened re-curves as well as it did. The same was true of the 750; no problem with the re-curve and it evened the grind out as well. At no time did the thumb studs get in the way of the stone arm. The resulting edges cut cigarette paper with ease. The ATS-34 required about twice as many strokes as the kitchen knives did to reach that point, but that's not really a surprise. The kitchen knives are of much softer steel than the Benchmades. As for scratches, there were none.
5. Conclusion and Opinions:
The Apex performs as advertised. It is highly and easily adjustable; the stones cut quickly and leave a very good edge. I can only imagine what the 2000 and 4000 grit tapes would have produced. I checked the stones for wear after all the sharpening but could detect none. If there had have been, I know from experience that it is very easy to flatten the stones again. The ability to control exactly the angle being used is a big selling point for me. My only complaints that I ever had with my Sharpmaker were that I only had the choice of two angles and two grits. The Apex gives any angle and six grits (more if you buy the blanks). That being said, there were some failings.
While absolutely brilliant at sharpening flat ground blades, deep hollow grinds require a little more skill. I have confidence though that with practice this won't be a problem. A double bevel (such as on a dagger) is very difficult to sharpen, there just isn't enough contact area. I tried using a Gerber Covert and found it too frustrating. Mind you, I find double bevels frustrating period. The only other knife the Apex couldn't sharpen was a small paring knife (less than 2") with a deep re-curve. Also, while sharpening it is necessary to keep the stones wet, that in itself isn't a problem, but it does create a bit of a mess. And you must make sure you clean and dry the knife off.
If asked to give an opinion I would recommend the Apex sharpening system to anyone who owns and cares about their knives but with one word of warning: This system produces the best edge I have seen on a knife, but it does require a certain amount of patience. You do have to get used to using this system. It doesn't take long, and it's not that hard, but if you find a Sharpmaker to be the limit of your skills this is probably not for you. As an owner, user and advocator of a Sharpmaker I mean no offence or insult. There's just a lot more technique to develop with the Apex. The pay off though is incredible edges and total control over the edge you put on.
[This message has been edited by Johan (edited 01-09-2000).]
