bikerector
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2016
- Messages
- 6,775
Today I'm doing a brief review of the @sharpside convex knife sharpener. It can be found in the following link. I was allowed to purchase one at a slight discount if I was willing to give a review of the product and I intend to give as honest a review as I can.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/convex-edge-knife-sharpener.1709601/
The sharpener is based on the proven mousepad method for sharpening convexed edges. This sharpener has a piece of neoprene glued to a piece of plexy glass to make a more robust system. Something I noticed right away was that the edges of the neoprene were not glued to the plexy glass, the reason was to keep the adhesive from coming out the sides and it did not hinder performance, according to sharpside.
The clips used are standard binder clips because it allows a low profile so your hand doesn't hit the clip. The binder clips are used to hold the sandpaper in place and they did a fine job for the 2 knives I used the sharpener on.
I have not used a mousepad and sandpaper to sharpen a knife, so please take that into consideration. For convex edges, I have used either a belt grinder or a sanding block with a rubber backing. I like the sanding blocks for machetes and axes after using a file.
This is what all came with it. 4 different grits, 120, 320, 800, and 2500, were enough to set a bevel and put a near polish on the blade. There is a strip of leather for stropping, which I did not use as the 2500 grit gave me the edge I wanted already with no discernable burr. Then you have the 2 clips and the sharpener
I put a convex edge on a stainless mora companion, normally I would do this on the belt grinder, but it was nearly as quick with this setup. Switching paper is pretty quick and simple. Something that would make this setup a little better is having a sharpening stone holder that is adjustable. I do not have one for regular stones, only the magnetic holder for DMT stone which won't work with this convex sharpener because the base isn't magnetic. So, I just clamped it to my workbench with a slab of wood underneath to make it stable. I lost an inch of length from the sharpener but it worked out fine for the testing of the product. I'll make something later for it as it becomes a permanent part of my sharpening tool selection.
It was really simple to use, pull the blade across the paper with the edge away like you would a strop while applying consistent pressure to the blade. It wasn't much different than using a sharpening stone except I found I used a shallower angle, nearly running the flat of the blade on the paper. But, the results were good and there wasn't much of a learning curve if you have used sharpening stones before. I think it was even easier actually as it seemed pretty forgiving to the need for a consistent angle, but I've been on stones for a while without a guide so muscle memory might have helped me there. Either way, it certainly was not harder than stones and I think it made a burr quicker.
Slight polish can be seen at the edge.
Shaved when I was done, 1st try.
Next up was a Landi that I think is made of O1 steel. Took off a lot of edge angle on this one that has one of the thickest full flat grinds I've seen on a knife. It took much longer to thin the edge on this knife than the mora but the results were good. I did need to spray the sandpaper a few times when setting the edge angle with the 120 as the paper loaded up and stopped cutting well, but otherwise, it was pretty painless, it just took a little time.
In summary, the Sharpside convex sharpener is reasonably priced, comes with all you need to get started as long as you find a way to keep it from sliding, and is simple to use. It's not as easy as something like a sharpmaker but I found it easier to use than standard stones and took less "figuring out" than a guided sharpener like an edge pro.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/convex-edge-knife-sharpener.1709601/
The sharpener is based on the proven mousepad method for sharpening convexed edges. This sharpener has a piece of neoprene glued to a piece of plexy glass to make a more robust system. Something I noticed right away was that the edges of the neoprene were not glued to the plexy glass, the reason was to keep the adhesive from coming out the sides and it did not hinder performance, according to sharpside.
The clips used are standard binder clips because it allows a low profile so your hand doesn't hit the clip. The binder clips are used to hold the sandpaper in place and they did a fine job for the 2 knives I used the sharpener on.
I have not used a mousepad and sandpaper to sharpen a knife, so please take that into consideration. For convex edges, I have used either a belt grinder or a sanding block with a rubber backing. I like the sanding blocks for machetes and axes after using a file.
This is what all came with it. 4 different grits, 120, 320, 800, and 2500, were enough to set a bevel and put a near polish on the blade. There is a strip of leather for stropping, which I did not use as the 2500 grit gave me the edge I wanted already with no discernable burr. Then you have the 2 clips and the sharpener
I put a convex edge on a stainless mora companion, normally I would do this on the belt grinder, but it was nearly as quick with this setup. Switching paper is pretty quick and simple. Something that would make this setup a little better is having a sharpening stone holder that is adjustable. I do not have one for regular stones, only the magnetic holder for DMT stone which won't work with this convex sharpener because the base isn't magnetic. So, I just clamped it to my workbench with a slab of wood underneath to make it stable. I lost an inch of length from the sharpener but it worked out fine for the testing of the product. I'll make something later for it as it becomes a permanent part of my sharpening tool selection.
It was really simple to use, pull the blade across the paper with the edge away like you would a strop while applying consistent pressure to the blade. It wasn't much different than using a sharpening stone except I found I used a shallower angle, nearly running the flat of the blade on the paper. But, the results were good and there wasn't much of a learning curve if you have used sharpening stones before. I think it was even easier actually as it seemed pretty forgiving to the need for a consistent angle, but I've been on stones for a while without a guide so muscle memory might have helped me there. Either way, it certainly was not harder than stones and I think it made a burr quicker.
Slight polish can be seen at the edge.
Shaved when I was done, 1st try.
Next up was a Landi that I think is made of O1 steel. Took off a lot of edge angle on this one that has one of the thickest full flat grinds I've seen on a knife. It took much longer to thin the edge on this knife than the mora but the results were good. I did need to spray the sandpaper a few times when setting the edge angle with the 120 as the paper loaded up and stopped cutting well, but otherwise, it was pretty painless, it just took a little time.
In summary, the Sharpside convex sharpener is reasonably priced, comes with all you need to get started as long as you find a way to keep it from sliding, and is simple to use. It's not as easy as something like a sharpmaker but I found it easier to use than standard stones and took less "figuring out" than a guided sharpener like an edge pro.
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