Sharpeners, is Lansky any good?

M

miden

Joined
Sep 9, 2005
Messages
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Hi Guys,
I know there have been many posts about this so just bear with me please. I see the Spyderco Sharpmaker is very popular but I was wondering if anybody recommends Lansky.
I just need a good sharpener. As you know, if you do not have a good edge on a working knife it is pretty useless no matter how good it may look.
I am told it is very important to get a good angled edge on the knife right from the start or it will never hold the edge.
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks,
Mike
 
I have had a Lansky for years. If it were not for my BurrKing it would be my favorite sharpener. They are good and I recomend them to the people who buy my knives.


Seth
 
T.H. I believe, knowing when a knife is sharp and how to get it sharp are more important than which sharpener you use. Take a good look at the edge profile and see what it is doing when you put it on a stone or diamond sharpener. Once you understand the mechanics of sharpening you can accomplish it in many ways. Bottom line in sharpening a knife is; to thin the wire edge from both sides until you can "break" it off. This will leave you with the keenest edge. Just my .02cents worth. Fred
 
Yes, Lansky's are good.

I use a Lansky to get a decent edge, set at 20 degrees -go all the way through from coarse to fine. Do one side until you see the burr appear on the other, hone it smooth, then switch over to the other side. Then finish it off with the Sharpmaker set at 30 degrees with the "fine" ceramic sticks (I wouldn't use the 40, the edge doesn't seem as sharp), 50 strokes on the flats alternating left to right sides. This produces a really sharp knife. If you have a high carbon steel knife, such as O1 or 1095 (not stainless steel or D2) try stropping the edge on leather. It makes the edge even better -toothpaste added to the leather makes a good addition (sounds crazy?), maybe it's just me, but it has worked for me. Smooths the edge and makes it more durable.

(I also have an Edge-Pro, which I like and sometimes use -but I always like to give a knife that last 50 clicks on a Sharpmaker).

P.S. In my personal opinion, the Sharpmaker is good for honing a good edge -but I wouldn't use it to create an edge on a blunt knife (especially one made from D2 or 154 CM). It'll take much too long and often it hasn't worked.
 
I also recommend the Lansky to anyone who doesn't have a belt grinder. :D One thing I've found that seems worth the extra money is the diamond hones, at least the coarse grit to get things moving.
 
Thanks to you all for the replies. I have a question for each of you though if I may pick your brains a bit more. :o

Seth and Dave, you both mention a belt grinder. Do you use the belt grinder to do the whole sharpening job or just to "rough it out" to the point of getting an edge that you can finish with another device? I have a belt grinder and I can do a fairly good hollow grind but I find it terribly difficult to grind an edge onto a knife that is consistant. Believe me, I have tried! Do you actually put a kickass edge on with JUST the belt grinder?

Fred, what you say makes so much sense. As with everything else, the foundation is the most important thing and understanding the nature of the beast enables you to figure out the best way to tame or deal with it and to me, sharpening a knife correctly is a beast! I hear a lot about the "wire". I have never seen one while sharpening a blade so I guess I have never done it right yet! :confused: Any more advice will be welcome :D

Jim,I have read a lot about the "perfect" edge being 25 degrees.
You personally go to 20 degrees with the Lansky and 30 degrees with the Sharpmaker. I am not arguing, just enquiring. I assume you then have a primary cutting angle of 30 degrees and a secondary angle of 20 degrees? I understand primary and secondary cutting angles but is there any reason why you use 2 different tools for the different angles?

There are a lot of these things out there, is there a particular model that you gents can recommend?

Thanks very much for replying to this post, I realize it has been well beaten already and I appreciate your patience.

Mike
 
Here are some responses:

Jim,I have read a lot about the "perfect" edge being 25 degrees.
You personally go to 20 degrees with the Lansky and 30 degrees with the Sharpmaker. I am not arguing, just enquiring. I assume you then have a primary cutting angle of 30 degrees and a secondary angle of 20 degrees?

-Yes, that's what I do. I'd like to put a 25 degree angle on the blade, but the Sharpmaker only comes with 2 angles built in: 30 and 40 degrees. The 30's actually more durable.

I understand primary and secondary cutting angles but is there any reason why you use 2 different tools for the different angles?

-Yep, the Lansky is good for setting up a decent, usable edge on a blunt knife (especially the diamond coated hones), the Sharpmaker makes it even sharper. The Sharpmaker creates a hairline edge that is very sharp. I use two different tools because it's more consistent than hand sharpening and each one serves it's own purpose. Basically: Lanksy = setup. Sharpmaker = finishing edge.

P.S. If I had to choose just one, it would be the Lansky. If you can get both, I would recommend it. Either the Lansky with the stones or diamond hones will work, note that the diamond ones will eventually lose their aggressiveness. If you're after 1 Lansky sharpener, I would recommend the one with the good ol' stones (set of 5). I think AG Russell has a special on Sharpmakers -or they did have a special, I would check with them or try ebay for a good deal. I would just recommend the white ceramic sticks, the coarse ones aren't necessary. (I had the diamond coated sticks with my Sharpmaker and in my personal opinion it isn't worth it). Setup with the Lansky/ Edge-Pro -or any jig style sharpening system and finish off with the Sharpmaker. It works. Have fun! :)
 
The best sharpening sytsem we have ever advised is Lansky DIAMOND Sharpening kit, get the pedestal that you can buy extra and you'll be glad you did. With ATS4 or S30V blades it's great and of course has a no fail guide to sharpen your knife at the correct angle. It's pricey alright but a keeper for years.
 
Mike, with a little practice (:D) you'll be able to set up a consistent edge on your grinder. I do recommend you run it at as slow a speed as possible to avoid any risk of overheating the edge. I normally use the contact wheel to grind in the bevel but you can also use the slack part near a platen to put in a nice convex edge. The key is working edge down, keeping the spine of the blade a consistent distance from the face of the wheel or platen and working evenly on each side of the blade. I usually grind it in with a worn 220 and polish off the wire edge with pink no scratch on the buffer. For a really "scary" edge you can use finer grits for the bevel. The wire edge will come, that's how you know when the knife is actually sharp; all that's left is to buff or strop it off. Sharpening is as much an art as the rest of making and I suspect most makers have their own "special" edge whether they know it or not. ;)
 
What he said but I tend to use more the slack belt than the contact wheel but do use both.


Seth
 
Thank you so much for all the advice guys and Cindy. I appreciate your help and support.
A day in which you do not learn something new is a day wasted and this day has NOT been wasted :)
Thanks again

Mike
 
It looks like no one uses simple waterstones (which is all I've ever used, though I haven't been sharpening knives for very long). Why is that?

I've found that it's very enjoyable to sit down and get into a rhythm on the waterstones. And I end up with a very nice edge.
 
Evening Mike, Every one has their own technique for sharpening a knife. I don't think it matters how you get there, but that you finish with a sharp edge. If you are grinding your own blades, take the time to develope the bevels so there is not a great deal of sharpening to do when you finish grinding. I use hardwood wedges, cut @ [10-12-14 degrees] to"set" the edge angle. I cover the tops of these blocks with leather, where the blade rest so as not to scratch the surface. I put a worn 220 belt on the grinder, slow speed, I set the angled wedge on the belt, just letting it "float" on the surface. I then set the blade on top of the wedge to establish the angle, remove the wedge, and sharpen. Reverse and do the other side. Next move to a 400 belt and repeat. I finish the edge on a diamond stone so I can produce that "wire" edge I can remove. The following came from an article in an old Field and Stream magazine; I use the same wooden wedges to do this. Set your angle and stroke one side of the blade about, 10 times or so, or untill you can feel the wire edge turn up on that side of the blade. Switch to the other side, set your block and stroke until you feel the wire edge come back the other way. Tilt the blade up to around 30 degrees and make one swipe across the diamond surface. It will remove the wire edge as slick as you please. Try it , I think you will learn something, I did. Fred
 
miden said:
Sorry IG, I cannot make much sense of that. Explain please.
Mike :confused:
Click to expand...
I use the Lansky attachment just to hold the blade against the belt sander to maintain the correct angle on both sides. With a new blade I start with 220 grit work up to 600 grit. Then a belt just with the green compound, then strop on a piece of leather with Mother's polish on it.
:)
 
indian george said:
This is the way I use my Lansky.
Click to expand...

Hah! I sorta do sumthin similar, I take the Grizzley blade sharpener and use that for my knives even though I bought it for garden tools. It puts the edge there on the flats fast. I then move it to my belt grinder.

WYK
 
Thanks IG, now I get the picture! :D Very cunning indeed. Good idea.
Thanks for your good ideas too Fred, WYK and Brash. I have ordered a Lansky but I will try the grinder and water stone way too. I tried water stones before but apparently had no I idea what I was doing because I am sure the blade was more dull than when I started! This sharpening is really a form of art, just like every other aspect of knife making. :confused:

Mike
 
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