Sharpening Systems- What is best.

Boattale said:
What's wrong with being careful? Like my Ken Onion a lot.
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Nothing wrong with being careful. I'll admit that I'm a little impatient and like to run the blade through quickly. It's not as mindless as the Wicked Edge where you don't have to worry about holding the blade straight.

I will say that the KO Worksharp is great for fixing broken tips on knives you may have dropped.
 
tokerblue said:
Nothing wrong with being careful. I'll admit that I'm a little impatient and like to run the blade through quickly. It's not as mindless as the Wicked Edge where you don't have to worry about holding the blade straight.

I will say that the KO Worksharp is great for fixing broken tips on knives you may have dropped.
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I've had mine for about three months now. Still on the first set of belts, which actually means the medium belt has stayed on it for at least the last two months. When new, I thought coarse and medium were too much. Fine was pretty good and I couldn't tell much of anything from the flexi purple ultra fine. The medium belt is way less aggressive now and produces a really nice working edge in about five passes on knives from the kitchen. Others are already sharp and stay that way.
 
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Whatever system you will learn, enjoy and want to use to keep your knives sharp. There are many systems out there now and when I got into it the choice was Edge Pro.
 
jjg6319 said:
Whatever system you will learn, enjoy and want to use to keep your knives sharp. There are many systems out there now and when I got into it the choice was Edge Pro.
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When i started sharpening there were " Bench Stones - eerr that was it ".
 
The story I heard was, cudgee invented bench stones a couple moon cycles after he invented the bench. Needed a marketing hook, I guess.

Old men get funnier when they stay up past their bedtime.

Parker
 
If the price is no problem Nowi and similar systems:

Knife Sharpener NOWI Home | katocut.com

High-precision components ensure a perfect result, which for the first time gives the possibility of individual sharpening.
katocut.com katocut.com

Messerguide Wing-M - messerguide.de

mit Magnethalter Wing.M der messerguide wing-m ist eine vorrichtung zum einfachen schärfen von kochmessern, aber auch fast aller anderen messer, auf schleifsteinen. Mit seiner Druckentlastung lassen sich Messer präzise bearbeiten.
messerguide.de messerguide.de





 
gazz98 said:
Not to poo poo on a sharpening system but there is a certain joy and pride in hand sharpening. Yes, it can be frustrating and take practice (lots of it..) and patience but it is worth it imo. You will gain an old school skill that will last a lifetime. It also helps with touching up knives in the field if you are a hiker/camping/hunter.

You can get a 6" DMT 2 stone diamond set (4 grits, 2 per stone, xtra coarse/coarse + fine/xtra fine) for $90. Add a leather strop for $30 and some green compound $10 and you will be set. A very capable kit for $140ish depending on s/h.

Something to reconsider maybe. Either way, good luck!
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I was gonna add this. Stones for hand sharpening have always removed material faster than systems for me. Especially with harder to sharpen steels. Though, if you have power tools, that might be the superior option.

A few months ago I bought the Trend Diamond Sharpening stone and it's been the best thing for 3V steel. It's at least better than lesser known diamond stone companies. Can't compare to DMT, supposedly lasts 3 times longer and keeps its grit for longer. I did burn out a 6x2 DMT 220 grit about 10 years ago, but that's not enough for me to say it's truly better as my memory sucks and the Trend stone I bought is 8x3. Just a recommendation to put out there.
 
SeabassSarmale said:
Hey guys really specific question here, I have a couple of knives ranging from Cpm20cv, Maxamet, to 8crmov and Cruwear. I have a simple Spyderco Sharpmaker and I've found that the stones do not keep up with what I have. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions on knife sharpening systems and the type of stones I'd need, what grits, as well as stropping compounds , the whole setup etc... I don't need something super expensive and cannot afford something lets say over 300-400, if there is anything under that price point that works for the steels that I generally have that would be great. Also, I am a newbie when it comes to sharpening, so a guided system would be best, thanks guys.
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FWIW I have a number of folders with Cpm20CV blades (and one with M390). I hone fairly regularly, but not fanatically. I use a Sharpmaker, white fine and extra fine triangles. I struggled with 20CV until iI tried lightening up on the strokes, and that worked magic. Now all I need is a few light -- and I mean very light - passes on each, and I can push cut paper, shave my arm hairs, shred cardboard, you know how that part goes.
 
what is the longest / thickest blade a WE can handle? I'm looking to upgrade ceramic lansky stones because they seem to wear quickly with the steels I have. Also doesnt do a good job on my longer blades, so upgrading to lansky diamonds may not be the best option (?)... $300+ seems high to me. any other suggestions? People seem to really like WE, but there is also a ton of them for sale here on the forum.
 
BennyBlade said:
what is the longest / thickest blade a WE can handle? I'm looking to upgrade ceramic lansky stones because they seem to wear quickly with the steels I have. Also doesnt do a good job on my longer blades, so upgrading to lansky diamonds may not be the best option (?)... $300+ seems high to me. any other suggestions? People seem to really like WE, but there is also a ton of them for sale here on the forum.
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I'm not sure about all of the units that they sell. The WE130 goes handles about 3/16" thick blades, and they have some 1/4" jaws that let you clamp up to around 1/4" thick blades. For length they say about 15". There are some guys that put two or three vises in-line to sharpen large knives and swords. And I would advise getting the 15" guide rods for larger knives.
 
3D Anvil said:
The lowest cost option would be to pick up some diamond rods for your Sharpmaker.

.
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I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. Of course if you are looking for an excuse to treat yourself to some new sharpening gear that is different.
It is easy to get all wrapped up with new and improved gear; it can be slippery slope if you are not careful.

Something to keep in mind ia a sharp knife is a sharp knife regardless of the equipment used. If you enjoy using your Sharpmaker then maybe purchasing the diamond rods will work out best for you.
 
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This thread made me decide on the Hapstone R2 Opti.....seems like a winner to me. Now on to stones.....what's the difference in the Ursa and Centaur series stones? I'll be sharpening a variety of steels on kitchen knives to EDC's. Crap steel on a few kitchen knives, to a couple Shun's as well. Spyderco's and CRKs for the EDC's. I can't decide between the two.....and price isn't too big of a concern. I'm leaning towards the Centaur stones. And should I get a digital angle gauge?

✌️
 
jps_1 said:
This thread made me decide on the Hapstone R2 Opti.....seems like a winner to me. Now on to stones.....what's the difference in the Ursa and Centaur series stones? I'll be sharpening a variety of steels on kitchen knives to EDC's. Crap steel on a few kitchen knives, to a couple Shun's as well. Spyderco's and CRKs for the EDC's. I can't decide between the two.....and price isn't too big of a concern. I'm leaning towards the Centaur stones. And should I get a digital angle gauge?

✌️
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Good choice. The difference between the Ursa and Centaur is that Ursa stones are 16mm wide while the Centaurs are 25mm wide. I'd go for the Centaurs for that reason.
 
jps_1 said:
This thread made me decide on the Hapstone R2 Opti.....seems like a winner to me. Now on to stones.....what's the difference in the Ursa and Centaur series stones? I'll be sharpening a variety of steels on kitchen knives to EDC's. Crap steel on a few kitchen knives, to a couple Shun's as well. Spyderco's and CRKs for the EDC's. I can't decide between the two.....and price isn't too big of a concern. I'm leaning towards the Centaur stones. And should I get a digital angle gauge?

✌️
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Definitely get a digital angle cube and also get the fine tuning adapter.

If the system is new to you, then it's a good idea to get 2 x 6mm Hapstone spring stoppers also.

3D Anvil 3D Anvil has already given you the info on the Venev stones. A set of Venev Centaur or Ursa stones pairs up perfectly with the Hapstone system.
 
I read a lot of what people had to say and I seem to see KME and Wicked Edge as the top two. What I would like to know that if money is not an issue, what would you use to sharpen any knife, even if it is some ridiculous $10 thousand dollar machine. I have mostly M390 blades but I have some 20Cv, S45vn, NitroV just to name a few. I have some knives that are $100 all the way up to $1,600. I really like the mirror edges I have seen on the higher end knifes. What are the professional sharpeners using? I have done some cheap knives by hand, however I do not trust myself on the higher end blades and would be considered a novice as sharpening goes. I do like the control and taking as little as possible off a blade.
 
Any of the guided systems will produce a beautiful mirror edge if you have the right stones/strops/lapping films and take your time. Things will go more quickly with a system that uses 6" stones, versus the KME with its 4" stones. The key to a mirror finish is doing a progression from course to extremely fine, without any big jumps in between. Every time you move up to a finer stone/strop/film you have to make sure you've fully removed the scratches from the previous level.

So, one example would be: 100 grit, 200, 400, 1000, 2000. And then strops or lapping films ... 6 micron, 3 micron, 1 micron, .5 micron, .25 micron, .1 micron.

It's not difficult, but it is time consuming. It can take 3-4 hrs. for a really good result. Most of that time will be spent on the coarsest stone, making sure you get a full burr on both sides of the blade before moving on.

The professional sharpeners I know of use a variety of systems: bench stones, belt sanders, dry grinders/buffers, wet grinders, and various combinations. I don't know of anyone using a guided rod system for professional sharpening, but I'm sure they're out there. The main downside is speed, or lack thereof.
 
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