I have more knives than I use. I have more knives than a sane person probably would want. I keep picking up knives to practice on at garage sales and church bazaars, my wife wont let me go to the church sales anymore. Can you imagine there are kitchens out there with only 3 knives!!! How they survive I dont know. (and what does a guy do to relax with only 3 knives to sharpen?)
A note on safety. Do NOT try to catch a falling knife. Weve all done it, nudged it off the counter or for whatever reason it slips from your grasp or flips up and over when you set down a roast or something. RESIST the urge to grab it. Keep your eyes on the blade and your hands back. Move your feet back FAST.
Yes Ive tried to grab a knife as it was falling, not once, not twice, but three times on the same knife on the same fall and damn it takes time to heal. Ive also had my foot pinned to the floor by a 10 inch boning knife. Well dang just doesnt begin to cover it.
Sharpening Tools. I think Ive owned about every gadget that has come along. Some have been totally worthless or worse destructive to knives. This goes for the majority of the slot devices. The exception here would be the Normark sharpener for use with the Normark fillet knife. It does work on that knife at the factory angle. At least it did for me.
I think everyone should learn to hand sharpen on water or oil stones/hones. A lot of people have definite problems in learning angle control. Me for instance. I have a hell of a time as I have no depth perception, only one eye. If I can learn how to do a somewhat acceptable job anyone can. A Razor-Edge clamp can help in learning what the angle should be. As a learning tool I rate it pretty high. Some people will find it is just the thing for all their sharpening needs.
A set of good stones and a couple of leather hones is a wonderful thing to have no matter what. Take your time and learn how to use them. Dont expect perfection in an hour or a day or a week or a month. But do practice with them, use a guided system for your sharpening until you can sharpen free hand.
This may be heresy to many but
1. Practice on good quality steel knives. Junk is junk and wont teach you how to sharpen a thing. Go to garage sales, church bazaars, pawn shops, and good will. People do throw out good knives after theyve abused them, misused them, or attempted to re-sharpen not knowing how. There are some treasures out there. There is a LOT of junk out there, as well though there are a lot of good quality knives that were treated as throwaway junk.
2. Get a bevel on the knife first. Use a file if you have to. Then use your hand stones to finish it off. If you try to sharpen a totally dull knife and have to re-profile it to start with you will become so frustrated at your lack of progress youll try to hurry the process. Trying too hard. Pushing too hard. Going too fast. Your angle control which is what you are aiming for will get sloppy. Whereas if you take your time and see some results that will encourage you to continue and show you the difference between good technique and poor technique. Holding a consistent angle is the most important thing of all.
3. I suggest getting two knives exactly the same. Have one professionally sharpened by a reputable sharpener or someone you know that does a great job. Get it sharpened better than shaving sharp. Really have a look at it when you get it back. Then practice on the second knife until you get the same results (or better). Sharpen it, compare it to your pro sharpened one, if it doesnt meet the standard, dull it up and start again. An hour every 2-3 days is lots of practice time. Dont become overly focused on sharpening. Hey it happens.
Guided systems are great. The cheapest is likely the Razor-Edge Clamp. Lansky is the lowest you can go in a clamp guided system, in my opinion, and still obtain any kind of quality. Gatco is about the same. A step up is the new scarab system.
Sharpmaker well some people swear by them. (All croc stick systems to some degree come into this.) Honestly I never could use them well. The Sharpmaker does work better than most on sharpening serrated knives. The limited 30 and 40 degree inclusive angles doesnt work for me.
Paper wheels. If you have a steady hand, a good eye, and good nerves these may work for you. 3450 RPM and sharp steel just doesnt do much for me. I used them and did ok until I caught a blade once. It was quite spectacular. I never used the wheels again.
Slack belt sanders. Those that can use them well will swear by them. I have a tendency to wobble the blade at times and tend to mark up blades more than I should. You can overheat the blades, but with a little care this can be avoided. I find for machetes, bolos, and some large butcher knives this can be just the ticket. I never tried scissors this way but am told it is fantastic.
EzSharp this is probably the top of the line in a clamp sharpener. It is big, it is heavy. It is expensive. A Lansky on steroids. If you have to have a clamp and guided system this is probably the best Ive seen and used.
Tormek grinding system. As a general grinding system its fantastic. As a knife sharpener it isnt the best. However for getting blades straight, reducing bolsters, redoing a profile, taking out nicks, and setting that all important first bevel it cant be beat. Ive never personally seen a professional use a Tormek. I have watched videos at www.sharpusa.com and I cant duplicate the results that he obtained. Not sure what I do wrong but I cant duplicate it. Close but not quite there.
Edge Pro. Professional. This is the only one Edge Pro product Ive used, the Pro is only available from Edge Pro. www.edgeproinc.com . The Apex is the other model and is sold by a lot of dealers and web sellers. Ive handled the Apex and if I only wanted to sharpen knives Id have bought the Apex. I want to be able to sharpen scissors as well so I got the Pro.
The Pro is built like the proverbial brick outhouse. It is a totally engineered for daily, high volume, heavy use, this is not to say that it cant be used by the amateur sharpening for himself/herself, friends, church group etc. It is the epitome of sharpening equipment. The price is reflected in how well it is built. I dont know how many have been built and sold but I am surprised that it isnt better known than it is. The Pro is nice to look at too, its pretty. All the prettier because the promise of sharper does get delivered time and time and time again. It is sharpening equipment taken to a high art form.
The angles are virtually unlimited. Completely replicable. It does what it was designed to do each time and every time. You cant ask for more than that. The only drawbacks to the Pro
1. It is only available from EdgePro.
2. It does use odd sized stones and the only ones I have found are those for the EdgePro machines and you are limited to the grits EdgePro has available. Im sure that one could with some effort find other sources or cut other stones, hones to fit.
3. It only uses stones. Coarse diamond hones are not (yet) available from EdgePro.
4. The right hand, left hand shuffle. This is a common complaint, however in all reality it isnt a problem after the first half hour or so. I will admit there may be a few people that cant master this, Ive heard of one so it is possible.
I recommend that when you buy your Edge Pro Pro or Apex that you order extra stones in each grit and extra blanks for the polishing tapes. It would be hell to drop a stone and break it and not be able to sharpen until you got a new one. Having at least 3 blanks allows you to use the 1000, and 4000 grit Mylar polishing tapes fully without having to peel one off before its used up. Plus you can use other pressure sensitive adhesive abrasives on a blank to fill in any grit gaps. IE. 800 grit.
The service from Edge Pro can not be beat. They stand totally and firmly behind their products They will answer questions. Ben Dale will talk sharpening any time he is there. Call between 11 and 3 pacific time and hes liable to answer the phone. He is a wealth of knowledge and he does want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Even the dumbest question he was happy to answer. Did you know that when sharpening chopper blades for blenders its best to leave them somewhat blunt? Take out the nicks, and smooth them out evenly but not sharp. Theyll last longer. Dumb question huh. Well I asked and he knew the answer.
Please note I have no financial interest in EdgePro products nor do I receive any benefits from them. Other than sharper knives. No I cant get you a deal.
I have found that in the past couple years Im going towards leaving my personal knives less polished. More toothy. Razor sharp is fine for shaving and slicing paper, in day to day activities it is less important. In emergency situations teeth can make the difference in life or death. If you work around the water and/or ropes you want something that will hack through rope with a quick swipe. The other is the seat belt in cars to attend to or extricate people. Teeth make the difference.
Even in my butchering of game I find that I am leaving my knives with a good tooth/grit pattern. I havent gone so far as to use only a file but Im sure it would work for a lot of my cutting. 320 grit on the EdgePro leaves a fine edge that will shave and still has a good tooth to it. The 220 even more so though its shaving ability is less its meat cutting ability is just as good (if not better, my jury is still out on this one) with less work/time going into the sharpening.
As a self defence tool a knife well Ill take the pump shotgun thank you very much, given my druthers at least. If you are thinking of a knife as a last line of self defence, get trained! And make sure your insurance is paid up. Otherwise buy good tennis shoes and learn how to run.
It is fun to sharpen a knife to the point of ridiculous. Its like the cartoon where the guy sharpens his axe pulls a hair from his head and drops it toward the axe head and the hair screams and is split in half lengthwise. Makes me laugh every time I see that.
You may notice I dont mention steels. I dont use them often, hunting camps and butchering game I will but, Id rather put them on a leather hone than steel. Improper steeling ruins more edges than anything else that I see other than using a kitchen knife as a pry bar. I tell my customers to throw the steel away, most steels are grooved or textured in some manner. Totally wrong. If you can steel properly thats all well and good but 99% of people dont and of the 1% that do steel correctly better than half will have the wrong steel to begin with. A few strokes on a leather hone will do a better job.
A note on safety. Do NOT try to catch a falling knife. Weve all done it, nudged it off the counter or for whatever reason it slips from your grasp or flips up and over when you set down a roast or something. RESIST the urge to grab it. Keep your eyes on the blade and your hands back. Move your feet back FAST.
Yes Ive tried to grab a knife as it was falling, not once, not twice, but three times on the same knife on the same fall and damn it takes time to heal. Ive also had my foot pinned to the floor by a 10 inch boning knife. Well dang just doesnt begin to cover it.
Sharpening Tools. I think Ive owned about every gadget that has come along. Some have been totally worthless or worse destructive to knives. This goes for the majority of the slot devices. The exception here would be the Normark sharpener for use with the Normark fillet knife. It does work on that knife at the factory angle. At least it did for me.
I think everyone should learn to hand sharpen on water or oil stones/hones. A lot of people have definite problems in learning angle control. Me for instance. I have a hell of a time as I have no depth perception, only one eye. If I can learn how to do a somewhat acceptable job anyone can. A Razor-Edge clamp can help in learning what the angle should be. As a learning tool I rate it pretty high. Some people will find it is just the thing for all their sharpening needs.
A set of good stones and a couple of leather hones is a wonderful thing to have no matter what. Take your time and learn how to use them. Dont expect perfection in an hour or a day or a week or a month. But do practice with them, use a guided system for your sharpening until you can sharpen free hand.
This may be heresy to many but
1. Practice on good quality steel knives. Junk is junk and wont teach you how to sharpen a thing. Go to garage sales, church bazaars, pawn shops, and good will. People do throw out good knives after theyve abused them, misused them, or attempted to re-sharpen not knowing how. There are some treasures out there. There is a LOT of junk out there, as well though there are a lot of good quality knives that were treated as throwaway junk.
2. Get a bevel on the knife first. Use a file if you have to. Then use your hand stones to finish it off. If you try to sharpen a totally dull knife and have to re-profile it to start with you will become so frustrated at your lack of progress youll try to hurry the process. Trying too hard. Pushing too hard. Going too fast. Your angle control which is what you are aiming for will get sloppy. Whereas if you take your time and see some results that will encourage you to continue and show you the difference between good technique and poor technique. Holding a consistent angle is the most important thing of all.
3. I suggest getting two knives exactly the same. Have one professionally sharpened by a reputable sharpener or someone you know that does a great job. Get it sharpened better than shaving sharp. Really have a look at it when you get it back. Then practice on the second knife until you get the same results (or better). Sharpen it, compare it to your pro sharpened one, if it doesnt meet the standard, dull it up and start again. An hour every 2-3 days is lots of practice time. Dont become overly focused on sharpening. Hey it happens.
Guided systems are great. The cheapest is likely the Razor-Edge Clamp. Lansky is the lowest you can go in a clamp guided system, in my opinion, and still obtain any kind of quality. Gatco is about the same. A step up is the new scarab system.
Sharpmaker well some people swear by them. (All croc stick systems to some degree come into this.) Honestly I never could use them well. The Sharpmaker does work better than most on sharpening serrated knives. The limited 30 and 40 degree inclusive angles doesnt work for me.
Paper wheels. If you have a steady hand, a good eye, and good nerves these may work for you. 3450 RPM and sharp steel just doesnt do much for me. I used them and did ok until I caught a blade once. It was quite spectacular. I never used the wheels again.
Slack belt sanders. Those that can use them well will swear by them. I have a tendency to wobble the blade at times and tend to mark up blades more than I should. You can overheat the blades, but with a little care this can be avoided. I find for machetes, bolos, and some large butcher knives this can be just the ticket. I never tried scissors this way but am told it is fantastic.
EzSharp this is probably the top of the line in a clamp sharpener. It is big, it is heavy. It is expensive. A Lansky on steroids. If you have to have a clamp and guided system this is probably the best Ive seen and used.
Tormek grinding system. As a general grinding system its fantastic. As a knife sharpener it isnt the best. However for getting blades straight, reducing bolsters, redoing a profile, taking out nicks, and setting that all important first bevel it cant be beat. Ive never personally seen a professional use a Tormek. I have watched videos at www.sharpusa.com and I cant duplicate the results that he obtained. Not sure what I do wrong but I cant duplicate it. Close but not quite there.
Edge Pro. Professional. This is the only one Edge Pro product Ive used, the Pro is only available from Edge Pro. www.edgeproinc.com . The Apex is the other model and is sold by a lot of dealers and web sellers. Ive handled the Apex and if I only wanted to sharpen knives Id have bought the Apex. I want to be able to sharpen scissors as well so I got the Pro.
The Pro is built like the proverbial brick outhouse. It is a totally engineered for daily, high volume, heavy use, this is not to say that it cant be used by the amateur sharpening for himself/herself, friends, church group etc. It is the epitome of sharpening equipment. The price is reflected in how well it is built. I dont know how many have been built and sold but I am surprised that it isnt better known than it is. The Pro is nice to look at too, its pretty. All the prettier because the promise of sharper does get delivered time and time and time again. It is sharpening equipment taken to a high art form.
The angles are virtually unlimited. Completely replicable. It does what it was designed to do each time and every time. You cant ask for more than that. The only drawbacks to the Pro
1. It is only available from EdgePro.
2. It does use odd sized stones and the only ones I have found are those for the EdgePro machines and you are limited to the grits EdgePro has available. Im sure that one could with some effort find other sources or cut other stones, hones to fit.
3. It only uses stones. Coarse diamond hones are not (yet) available from EdgePro.
4. The right hand, left hand shuffle. This is a common complaint, however in all reality it isnt a problem after the first half hour or so. I will admit there may be a few people that cant master this, Ive heard of one so it is possible.
I recommend that when you buy your Edge Pro Pro or Apex that you order extra stones in each grit and extra blanks for the polishing tapes. It would be hell to drop a stone and break it and not be able to sharpen until you got a new one. Having at least 3 blanks allows you to use the 1000, and 4000 grit Mylar polishing tapes fully without having to peel one off before its used up. Plus you can use other pressure sensitive adhesive abrasives on a blank to fill in any grit gaps. IE. 800 grit.
The service from Edge Pro can not be beat. They stand totally and firmly behind their products They will answer questions. Ben Dale will talk sharpening any time he is there. Call between 11 and 3 pacific time and hes liable to answer the phone. He is a wealth of knowledge and he does want you to be satisfied with your purchase. Even the dumbest question he was happy to answer. Did you know that when sharpening chopper blades for blenders its best to leave them somewhat blunt? Take out the nicks, and smooth them out evenly but not sharp. Theyll last longer. Dumb question huh. Well I asked and he knew the answer.
Please note I have no financial interest in EdgePro products nor do I receive any benefits from them. Other than sharper knives. No I cant get you a deal.
I have found that in the past couple years Im going towards leaving my personal knives less polished. More toothy. Razor sharp is fine for shaving and slicing paper, in day to day activities it is less important. In emergency situations teeth can make the difference in life or death. If you work around the water and/or ropes you want something that will hack through rope with a quick swipe. The other is the seat belt in cars to attend to or extricate people. Teeth make the difference.
Even in my butchering of game I find that I am leaving my knives with a good tooth/grit pattern. I havent gone so far as to use only a file but Im sure it would work for a lot of my cutting. 320 grit on the EdgePro leaves a fine edge that will shave and still has a good tooth to it. The 220 even more so though its shaving ability is less its meat cutting ability is just as good (if not better, my jury is still out on this one) with less work/time going into the sharpening.
As a self defence tool a knife well Ill take the pump shotgun thank you very much, given my druthers at least. If you are thinking of a knife as a last line of self defence, get trained! And make sure your insurance is paid up. Otherwise buy good tennis shoes and learn how to run.
It is fun to sharpen a knife to the point of ridiculous. Its like the cartoon where the guy sharpens his axe pulls a hair from his head and drops it toward the axe head and the hair screams and is split in half lengthwise. Makes me laugh every time I see that.
You may notice I dont mention steels. I dont use them often, hunting camps and butchering game I will but, Id rather put them on a leather hone than steel. Improper steeling ruins more edges than anything else that I see other than using a kitchen knife as a pry bar. I tell my customers to throw the steel away, most steels are grooved or textured in some manner. Totally wrong. If you can steel properly thats all well and good but 99% of people dont and of the 1% that do steel correctly better than half will have the wrong steel to begin with. A few strokes on a leather hone will do a better job.