Sharpener for everyday kitchen knives

Trailblazer · Mar 7, 2001

I am new here but have read a great deal and am impress. I do not collect knives but have some 13 year old kitchen cutlery ( long and short blades) that does need sharpening badly. What system would work to bring back these knives and keep them in good shape. I have read about the edge pro but can not justify the cost.

I have never sharpened knives before either.

Thank you for your advice.

Bill

Blackwatch · Mar 7, 2001

Spyderco Sharpmaker. Easy as pie(pardon cooking pun) to use. Very easy to learn.

Here's a link:

Sharpmaker

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Sean

If you find you must throw something at me, please make it a custom.

"May your blade chip and shatter"- Dune Fremen fighting saying

Jason Burns · Mar 7, 2001

Mega-Dittos on the Sharpmaker!! ANYONE can use it with great results!

Trailblazer · Mar 7, 2001

Thanks for the link. One question, will the sharpmaker bring back an edge that has not had a good sharpening in 13 years??? If not what about the DMT bench stones for the coarse grind? I could also use this bench stone for my Wood Working Chisels.

Bill

Michael_Aos · Mar 7, 2001

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Trailblazer:
I do not collect knives but have some 13 year old kitchen cutlery ( long and short blades) that does need sharpening badly.
</font>

I have a Chefs Choice EdgeSelect 120. I'm not nuts about it for my nice folders, but it worked GREAT on the kitchen knives.

I read a review of it recently, and the author said he liked it for "work" knives, but not so much for collectables.

Mike

mad cow · Mar 7, 2001

DMT bench stones and a sharpmaker is what I use at work for sharpening.It is a hard to beat combo,quick clean and easy if you can live with the two angles the 204 offers.I can.

Trailblazer · Mar 7, 2001

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by mad cow:
DMT bench stones and a sharpmaker is what I use at work for sharpening.</font>

Which DMT stones do you use the most? I hear there are ones that are 2 sided (2 grits)

Bill

mad cow · Mar 7, 2001

I use the 8" blue(coarse) and red(fine) for reprofiling then the 204 for sharpening.I also use a two sided DMT diafold for quick touchups when working.All of this fits in a small side pocket of a small flight bag with plenty room to spare.None of it requires oil or water to use.

shivey · Mar 7, 2001

I know this sharpener is very unpopular on this forum, but I've recently become a staunch advocate of the Accusharp hand-held sharpener. This little guy has tungsten carbide, reversible stones, and is simple to use. What used to take me several hours to accomplish on my 204 and my many benchstones, is now reduced to just a few minutes. It will give you an aggresive, coarse cutting edge that is easily maintained. And it costs less than $10. I use it on all my knives (kitchen, BMs, Spydies, etc.), and it does NOT remove too much metal when used properly. It's made by Fortune Products in Marble Falls. Tx..

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Tom Pilotti

Jeff Clark · Mar 7, 2001

I sharpen a LOT of very dull kitchen knives. I buy high quality used kitchen knives at Goodwill; partly to experiment with different manufacturers, alloys, and designs; partly to fill a huge collection of kitchen knives; and partly to supply a large group of volunteers at the local soup kitchen. In addition I sometimes sharpen the soup kitchens knife supply.

Surprisingly one of the most economical ways of sharpening a large number of really dull knives is to buy a cheap belt sander at Home Depot. For around $85.00 I bought a 4" x 36" belt sander. Working like a fiend I sharpened all of the soup kitchens knives, something like 75 knives, in two hours. This is about 30 times faster than doing it by hand. I could have spent nearly the same amount buying a really large diamond bench hone.

As a more inexpensive approach, buy an 8"-12" silicon carbide bench hone with coarse grit on one side and medium-fine on the other. You will do most of your work with the coarse side. This should not cost too much, try Sears or Home Depot. To get fast cutting with the hone clean it frequently with a scrub brush, water and sink cleanser. For rough work use the side of the hone or one of the edges to get high pounds-per-square-inch on your abrasion surface. Start with a heavy back-and-forth stroke holding a nice low angle (around 15 degrees for reprofiling). Work one side till you start to get a burr. Flip it over and work other side till you get a burr.

The above was your basic reprofiling to undo the 13 years. Now you go to normal sharpening. Using edge-forward strokes on alternate sides of the blade hone on the coarse side of the stone to remove some of the burr. Elevate the blade angle to about 20 degrees for a couple strokes on each side to nock off the burr. Flip the stone over to finer side. Hone on alternate sides of the blade at your original 15 degrees to smooth the finish around the edge. Elevate your blade angle to around 20 degrees and lightly hone alternate sides about 10 strokes per side to finish the edge.

Maintain your edge with a smooth steel and the fine side of your stone. Flea markets are good places to buy steels. If you keep looking you can usually find one for 5-10 dollars. If you are willing to spend a little more you can finish your rough edge and maintain your edge with a Spyderco Sharpmaker once you have reprofiled your blades with a sander or SiC coarse hone.