Should i get a Wicked Edge Sharpener, or should i master the japanese water stone?

S

sisk61

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Jun 24, 2011
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Well.. the question is in the title! I have a few higher end blades, and whenever i try to sharpen them on the waterstone, my edge becomes way too deep. It doesnt bother me, because that way, my knives are super sharp, but it just doesnt look good. Ive been thinking about getting something like a Wicked Edge sharpener, are there any other knife sharpeners similar to that?

Thanks!
 
I'll just say I received a Wicked Edge Pro Pack 1 aand I added the ultra ceramic stones and the .50 and .25 micron diamond sprays with extra leather stops and I have the finest mirror, LASER sharp edge on my Sebenza and Fluted Military I have ever seen.

The WEPS system works for sure. Not cheap but it works really well.
 
Thanks, the only thing that keeps me from buying it right now is the price. I could get a nice custom blade for $250, Do you think it is a bad idea to get a cheap set that is similar? where the blade is locked into a vise, and the stone is lined up to be at a certain angle?
 
sisk61 said:
Thanks, the only thing that keeps me from buying it right now is the price. I could get a nice custom blade for $250, Do you think it is a bad idea to get a cheap set that is similar? where the blade is locked into a vise, and the stone is lined up to be at a certain angle?
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I would suggest staying away from those system like lansky and other clamp styles. The stones cut very slowly, they are very difficult to get a good edge with, and if your knife is longer than about 4" you must unclamp and move the knife. And most knives have some belly. So as the edge moves closer to the spine your angle decreases and that area takes much longer because you must remove more metal which gives uneven bevels and weak thin tips. The weps and edge pro is expensive but should be much better. Or continue practicing. Or do what I did. Give up on manual sharpening and use power. You've gotta find what works for you
 
The WEPS is a darn good system, and for precision I doubt that you'll get ANY better. For versatility, a powered system like a belt grinder would be my choice, or for playing with a lot of different stones the EdgePro takes the cake.

Freehanding will give you edges equally good to any guided or powered system, if you are willing to invest the years to develop the feel for the process. They will ALL give you sharp edges to work with.
 
Stick with the stones! Those jigs just can't do all the things stones can. Once u master free hand sharpening you will be glad you left the jigs behind.
 
And it doesn't take years to master. Just focus and practice, as with anything new. It's alot more satisfying as well. Thinning out secondary bevels, polishing the whole blade, just a few things that stones excell at and jigs suck at.
 
I would get the stones and maybe a DMT aligner to help with the learning curve for keeping the angle set.
 
Masenutz311 said:
And it doesn't take years to master. Just focus and practice, as with anything new. It's alot more satisfying as well. Thinning out secondary bevels, polishing the whole blade, just a few things that stones excell at and jigs suck at.
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I'll add this - unless your guided system is powered as well it cannot possibly match the speed of freehanding, esp on waterstones, once you have it down.
 
sir_mike said:
I would get the stones and maybe a DMT aligner to help with the learning curve for keeping the angle set.
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My DMT aligner and Spyderco 306UF stone is in the mail. My knives are basically new and so are already pretty sharp. I am a very light user and hopefully the 306UF stone will do what I want. I do have some tripidation about going "around the belly" and still making the bevel look the same, as I really don't have any "cheap" knives. Will likely practice on my cheapest knife: the Benchmade Bone Collector in D2. I suspect that "freehand" will be a bugger to learn, although I am hoping that the DMT aligner will help me "get the feel." I don't own any sharpening system. Sonny
 
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Well, and keep in mind that there might or might not be a correlation between "sharp" and "shiny." I have seen many polished edges that ended up with a rounded terminal geometry that wouldn't cut paper at all, and I've seen some that look like the main bevel was ground on the sidewalk that'll scare you s**tless to even hold they're so sharp. Sharp AND well-polished is the outcome of practice, practice and more practice, or a system that will hold everything lined up for you.

With that gear and a little time and effort? You'll be putting on very usable, quality edges in short order! :)
 
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