Sharpened Knife Slowed My Knife Skills

H

HodMa1

Joined
Jul 23, 2014
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Hi I'm a newbie to this forum. I just purchased a Wicked Edge System (Pro-Pac II) so I'm a newbie to WE too. Been wanting the WE for years. Up to now I've used a Norton Tri-Stone, a Sharpmaker, various Flat Stones (oil and water, both), and Steels. So my knives have seen the gambit. Now I'm trying to reprofile my edges. In the kitchen I use mostly Wusthofs, inexpensive and fairly decent because that's what I have now. I figured I spend the money on a excellent sharpener and sharpen what I have, instead of buying new knifes. I used the Wicked Edge, (first knife/first try) on a Wusthof Santuko 7" reprofiling it to 16 degrees. I feel the knife is very sharp for my first try. It cuts food very well now but my knife sticks to the cutting board slowing my knife skills done to a snail's crawl. The blade just won't rock or slide on the cutting board any longer. Any suggestions or insights? Is it the blade, the angle, the cutting board or me? I'm using plastic and corian boards.
 
Did you reprofile to 16* inclusive or per side. If it's 16* inclusive it may be such a narrow edge it is cutting into the board.
The people at WE told me 17* per side (34* inclusive) was good for a kitchen knife.

Tim
 
17* per side, 34*inclusive. I did that following their suggestion. I wanted to profile my knives to original spec but I can't find the spec's anywhere. I have about 16 knives to sharpen, 11 are Wusthof's that I'd like to profile to factory spec just sharper. After I get experienced with the WE and using very sharp knives I'll look to replace them, one by one, with better quality knives. I chose to get the WE first instead of just buying better knives that I wouldn't be able to maintain like they deserve. I did an OK job with the other sharpening tools I used in the past but nothing like the edge I put on the Santuko with the WE. I emailed Wusthof's Customer Service requesting the bevel angles but got no response.

Marc
 
Hey Marc,

I doubt the customer service people at Wusthof will tell you the bevel angle - they probably think it is a big trade secret. Also, since their sharpening is probably done on a machine, they probably don't know what the angle is. I don't have any Wusthof's but my brother-in-law has a set of about 6. IMHO, the steel is very soft and they don't keep an edge very long.

Tim
 
What grit did you take the edge to? A toothy edge will stick more than a finer edge. I have my primary kitchen knife sharpened to 10º per side or less and I don't have the issue you describe. I finish on an 8000 grit ceramic stone.

- Chris
 
I finished with the fine stones that came with the WE PPII (1.wMicron/0.6micron). I did not strop though. I'm just learning so I may have used reprofiling incorrectly. After doing lots of reading in the forums I believe I put a 16dps secondary bevel on top of the manufacturers primary bevel whatever that might be. Of course I had lots of years of sharpening the same knife with all sorts of methods. I rechucked the knife went back to it with the 100 grit diamond trying to replace the 1* bevel totally with my 16dps bevel.

When I used the knife last night to prep dinner it felt like the blade wasn't slicing and sliding through the veggies. I really had to push it through. The blade is sharp and it cuts but it doesn't glide when it slices. Does that make sense?
 
You need a good end grain board and the edge may be too fine for the steel. Japanese knives with that type of edge are used in more of a slicing motion and less of a chefs knife rocking motion. If you browse globals FAQ you will get a good idea. I want a W.E. too. try Tojiro for an excellent Japanese knife that wont break the bank.
 
There is nothing wrong with your knife. It should cut into a bad cutting board. You should never use Corian, it is too hard and will wreck your edge. Don't use tile or glass either.

For the most part you should not be sliding your knife on the cutting board or should only do that with light pressure. Your rocking action should be with light pressure to avoid penetrating too deeply into your cutting board. Likewise any chopping action should use minimum force. A sharp knife is a safe knife only if you are using lighter force than that used with a dull knife. If you push too hard it is more dangerous. I don't know that you have to use an end grain cutting board, but it should be a hard wood or a moderately hard plastic. I like about a 12 inch square plastic cutting tray that is dishwasher safe. My hardwood cutting board is cleaned and oiled frequently. The slight mineral oil residue lets edges slide and avoids sticking.
 
the fact it's sticking to the cutting board means you're doing something right IMO. you've sharpened your knife! use it more and it'll lose that fine edge and stop sticking. or find a harder board.
 
HodMa1 said:
When I used the knife last night to prep dinner it felt like the blade wasn't slicing and sliding through the veggies. I really had to push it through. The blade is sharp and it cuts but it doesn't glide when it slices. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...

Yea, not sure if it's in your budget, but you might want to consider changing out those Wusto's. FKMs and MACs are a lot less trouble and they'll pay themselves off pretty quick.
 
Most chefs on the chef forums like 15 degree on each side.
One of my sujihiki is 12 per side and sticks into my board, but I don't cchop just slice so normally not an issue.
My yanagi is 12 degree on just one side and flat on back, that will cut deep into a board but again only the tip is suppose to make contact and at feather pressure.

What kind of board do you use?

And usually you will adapt to a very sharp knife if done consistently.

For me a dull knife slows me down for work.
 
Most chefs on the chef forums like 15 degree on each side.
One of my sujihiki is 12 per side and sticks into my board, but I don't cchop just slice so normally not an issue.
My yanagi is 12 degree on just one side and flat on back, that will cut deep into a board but again only the tip is suppose to make contact and at feather pressure.

What kind of board do you use?

And usually you will adapt to a very sharp knife if done consistently.

For me a dull knife slows me down for work.
 
Hedonistic said:
Mineral oil? I always use olive or grapeseed.
Click to expand...

Not sure about grapeseed, but olive oil will oxidize and turn rancid on the wood....have had horrible experiences with it....mineral oil will not turn rancid.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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