Recommendation? Sharpening System

When you're referring to grinds, are you talking about the primary or secondary bevels (i.e. main grind of the knife or the cutting edge)?

I have both a KME and an EdgePro... they both sharpen with a V-bevel but can be used on knives which are flat ground, hollow ground, convex ground, etc. Based on my understanding of your questions, I would point you toward the KME. This is primarily because the EdgePro requires you to hold the knife on the blade table with one hand and push the stones back and forth with the other which may be an issue for you depending on the severity of your tremors.

Also, the KME has an accessory arm which allows you to sharpen with a convex edge rather than the traditional V-edge. It's a clamped system, which would be good with your physical limitations. It's also significantly less expensive than most, if not all, of the Wicked Edge product offerings. Just food for thought.

 

In my experience, Karambits are a total pain with almost any system. Recurves aren't as bad, but in either case you're likely going to have to invest in a separate stone set that have a more narrow width to allow you to sharpen in those tighter radii. (Example: Edge Pro stones are normally 1" width, but they sell stones which are 1/2" to be used for recurves.)

Personally, if I had to sharpen a karambit with any regularity, that would seem like a good time to use the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Likewise, if I had to do a lot of recurves, I'd be using the Sharpmaker for regular touch-ups until it came time to d a full sharpening or reprofiling job, at which point I would move to the Edge Pro with the narrower stones, etc.

 

I have suffered with an essential tremor for decades. I gave up knife sharpening a few years back because the tremor had become too much to deal with. Then someone suggested I clamp a Spyderco Sharpmaker to a table top and hold the knife with both hands. I have become quite proficient at knife sharpening keeping both hands on the knife. I use two small quick release clamps to keep the sharpener steady.

 

Wicked Edge does have curved stones for sharpening recurved blades. They're an optional extra, so that means more $ on top of an already expensive sharpener. Unless your tremors are really significant, the Edge Pro might still work for you. Once you get the knife on the table, you can use some pressure to hold it in place. That seems to overcome the tremors I have from age and nerve damage. If I use enough pressure, I can hold the knife steady against the table. I just have to work slowly and make sure that nothing is changing from one stroke to the next.

My personal preference is for a Wicked Edge in spite of the high initial investment. It holds the knife in place for me and all I have to focus on is steady strokes with the stones.

I'd not recommend a WorkSharp, or any powered system, with unsteady hands. They cut too fast and it's too easy to for a minor slip-up to become a major problem. They're OK if user input and control is top-notch, but otherwise...

 

The recurves and karambit could be done on any of the systems that have been recommended to you. If you're comfortable with the fact that you'll need some extra stones geared for that specific purpose, then you really can't go wrong with any of them. I would shy away from the WorkSharp, like Dale said, because a small mis-step can grind off too much material or cause that to happen unevenly. If it were me, I'd be looking strongly at a clamped system, even though I think the EdgePro is also an excellent product.

 

For your specific needs and limitations, I think the WE would be the best choice. You can lock everything including the knife in place with no need to flip the knife. Adjustments are simple and stright forward. You can really tighten everything down leaving just the movement of the stones to work with.

 

If you want, I can sharpen your knives for ya, I'm in the east coast.