Sharpening preferences

Would you rather sharpen...

  • Quick touch-ups as often as needed

  • Once a week, preferably no more than ten minutes, let's get this done.

  • Once every few weeks or a month, it's fine if it takes up to half an hour.

  • No more than two or three times per year, and I am ready to give a good part of the day to it.

  • Sharpening is for the birds, I'll just buy a new knife when this one is dull!

  • Other (please explain in a post)

Results are only viewable after voting.
I like to keep ‘em capable of shaving arm hair without too much resistance. Frequent stropping with 1 micron paste (‘cuz it’s what i’ve got around). If the strop won’t maintain the edge to my satisfaction I touch it up with a Sharpmaker.

If the Sharpmaker won’t hit the apex, I’ve got CBN rods or I’ll do am 18° reprofile by KME
 
I'm mostly of the strop, stones, and rod for sharpening, depending on what I'm doing. I've been tempted to get one of those Work Sharp Precision sharpeners, but I don't do the volume to justify it (that and that money could be used to buy another knife!). The better knives get touch ups and the budget knives go through rotations and sharpened when needed.

The kitchen cutlery gets more attention, because it doesn't get rotated. It's more a case of this is for this and this is a back up, than any rotation.
 
I answered with a quick touch up as needed. However, I don't really need to use my knives that often. I may use a knife a few times a week. I usually maintain my edges with a strop. If it gets less than paper slicing sharp, I hit it with a 6 micron diamond strop, then sometimes with a 1 micron strop. Because of this, I sometimes only strop once every month or two.
 
I sharpen all my knives on a belt grinder. Takes maybe 2 minutes on a 600g belt to get most knives back to a keen working edge. I sharpen as needed. It's easy enough to take a knife out to the shop when it needs some love.
 
I sharpen when I get bored and want to feel accomplished, or if someone (usually mom) requests it. I have enough knives with edge retention to last a millennia. As much as I like to say I'm a "knife user", I probably cut 0-5 things a day not counting cooking. Mostly stabbing tasks too. Packages, not people...

I dont dislike sharpening but, What I would rather do is, never have to sharpen lol.
 
I have a strop on the table next to my lazyboy. Ill typically strop my knife 10 times each side a few times a week. I have a lot of different sharpening options but have settled on the Worksharp benchstone or field sharpener for when the strop doesn't cut it.
 
Quick touch ups freehand, occasional reprofiling on Edge Pro Apex.

I’ve found myself using stones less and stropping (with diamond spray applied) at low angles with medium heavy pressure these days.

It might round the apex some, but it gets most knives back to shaving just about as fast as a ceramic rod while taking off almost no material. After every 20 or so stroppings most of my knives have go back to a natural stone or ceramic.
 
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David Mary said:
I realize there may be circumstances that would affect your choice, but for simplicity's sake this poll assumes one knife that you use frequently. What option most closely resembles your thoughts for sharpening that knife. Feel free to post a comment with some context regarding the steel, blade geometry, edge angle, the type of use the knife is put to, and perhaps most importantly how you sharpen. Thanks!
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My process is this:
I'll take my knife and work for however long it takes to set a 17 degree angle on it's edge. Make sure it's really sharp - as sharp as I can make it.

After that I'll just use it and see what type of maintenance it needs. Might just be leather stropping, or maybe a few passes on stones.

But the initial step is the most important one, so that the knife starts out in great shape.
 
I strop as maintenance as required. Only sharpen when I borked something beyond a strop.

Mainly a denim strop and a spyderco sharpmaker. I'd love to get a wicked edge or a tsprof... Someday.
 
shane45-1911 said:
Quick touchups are fine with me. I have as many sharpening stones scattered about as I do knives, so I am never far away from one.

I have become rather proficient free-hand sharpening over the last 40 years, so my guided systems rarely see any use now.

A few licks on a stone and I'm good to go. I never let any of my knives get dull to the point of a labor-intensive sharpening session, so it doesn't bother me at all to do a quick touchup when required.

Steel type is irrelevant. They all get dull - they all get re-sharpened at some point....
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Dergyll said:
I sharpen when I get bored and want to feel accomplished, or if someone (usually mom) requests it. I have enough knives with edge retention to last a millennia. As much as I like to say I'm a "knife user", I probably cut 0-5 things a day not counting cooking. Mostly stabbing tasks too. Packages, not people...

I dont dislike sharpening but, What I would rather do is, never have to sharpen lol.
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I'm in this same boat. I have a desk job, my rotation rarely gets dull.

When it comes to anything more than packages, I grab either the Gayle Bradley or the Manix 2. Those are the only two folders I have that have needed the medium stones on the sharpmaker. Well the Brous Bionic too, but that just sits in the case I never carry it anymore.

M4 and XHP have been great on the heavier tasks like plastic straps. My ZT 0095BLK in S90V gets heavy use too.

Most of the time, I just use the ultra fine or fine stones. My PM2 is about due to see the sharpmaker.
 
Still learning so I find myself dedicating about a day-a-week to learning some skill. Very lucky to have that kind of free time and should treat the day like a work-day, not a relaxation-day.

This week - perfecting stropping. I need to touch up some M4 and can do so on stones, but want to become confident doing that on the strop.

I feel like the Sharpmaker is awesome. My KME is rather intimidating.
 
Quick touch ups seem to be the standard, at least going by this poll and I agree and voted as much. I use to use the Spyderco Double Stuff, then the Spyderco Double Stuff 2 and now I recently picked up this Fallkniven Ceramic fine/superfine pocket stone with a leather slip sheath that has one side rough side out so you can rub in some buffing compound to use as a strop. For my touch ups it leaves a very nice edge, just be careful as you cut towards those fingers that are gripping it, I try and keep them below the top surface :)

Heres where I picked mine up from KnifeCenter


G2
 
I don't feel like I know how to sharpen.....?

I'm still learning what sharp is, and what it means. It means very different things to different people.

I made the sharpest knife (me personally have seen) last month, but then I Broke it.
I'm trying to see that as a learning experience.

obviously wanting to do things a little differently, but still wanting to achieve that level of sharpeness again.
and every steel sharpens differently, and even Feels different.
Always lots to learn, I'm ok with that.

Edit to add

I use
Belt sanders
ceramic rods
Gossman sharpening steel (love)
-and hopefully soon (ordered a couple weeks ago) a variety of @baryonyx bench stones
 
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