So I'm at a gun show and a guy wants to sharpen my knife...

Yeah if you hold a blade straight up for a long time it'll actually dull due to the liquidity of the metal. ;)

Actually what Jamesh Bond says makes sense.
 
aceofblades said:
As much as those pull throughs suck, they put quick the edge on a classic carbon steel ka-bar
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I think they're fine for people who don't want to or for some reason don't have the time to learn. I can touch up a blade on a portable flat stone/rod fairly fast and the edge will last longer overall. The pull throughs will create a continual degradation of a working edge over time.
 
Really? I didnt know they would do that. Hmmmmmmmmmmm... Well then maybe I should take my ka-bar back to the sharpmaker huh?
 
I'll admit that because of work I've done a fair share of my sharpening on a belt grinder. Thats what happens when you only have 30 seconds to touch up a knife. However I think freehand sharpening knives is one of the best skills and enjoyable pleasures one can have. Its also an ego-boost when your friends bring their wives knives for you to sharpen.
 
I wonder which "V pull thru" sharpener they were shilling. Yeah, most of 'em are crap, but the Edgemaker Pro is the real deal. Can you get a better edge with waterstones? Yes, if you're one of those rare few who can skillfully sharpen freehand. But the Edgemaker does a fantastic job on 98% of knives without taking off much metal.

The "ripper" type carbide sharpeners definately suck. They tear up a blade and take off a terrifying amount of steel. Avoid them like AIDS.
 
Rob Babcock said:
I wonder which "V pull thru" sharpener they were shilling. Yeah, most of 'em are crap, but the Edgemaker Pro is the real deal. Can you get a better edge with waterstones? Yes, if you're one of those rare few who can skillfully sharpen freehand. But the Edgemaker does a fantastic job on 98% of knives without taking off much metal.

The "ripper" type carbide sharpeners definately suck. They tear up a blade and take off a terrifying amount of steel. Avoid them like AIDS.
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I just looked up the edgemaker pro and it did look a lot like that. It may very well have been that one. There's actually quite a few of us on this forum who can sharpen freehand and like I said, the pull throughs are fine for those who don't really want to learn. There's no way I'd mess up my edge by using it though.

Personally, for other-than-freehand sharpeners, I'd go with the Spyderco Sharpmaker or the Apex Edge Pro.
 
Kaizen1 said:
I just looked up the edgemaker pro and it did look a lot like that. It may very well have been that one. There's actually quite a few of us on this forum who can sharpen freehand and like I said, the pull throughs are fine for those who don't really want to learn. There's no way I'd mess up my edge by using it though.

Personally, for other-than-freehand sharpeners, I'd go with the Spyderco Sharpmaker or the Apex Edge Pro.
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Both of those are good tools. The Apex is a good bit superior to the Spyderco, but both are useful. I certainly didn't mean that to insinuate that freehand sharpening is esoteric or a waste or time. To put this in context, I'm a professional chef- time is money for me. And I know what sharp is- aside from a meat packing plant guy or a professional butcher, no one uses a knife as much as I do. And I do know how to sharpen freehand. I've done it all and tried it all, and in my opinion the Edge Pro does a very good job of sharpening a wide variety of knives.

I've read some of the "sharpness tests" here, and while I respect them, I'm more interested in working sharp. Filletting a hair is great but that doesn't help me skin 300 lbs of tenderloins any faster. Again, don't get me wrong- sharper is better, and I respect those who push the envelope of sharp. I'd love to see the uber-hand-edged blade vs the Edge Maker Pro blade in actual, practical cutting tests.

The beautiful thing is that I can't imagine it f*ckinig up any blade- it removes very little metal, unlike the carbide "rippers" you often see. It's an entirely different animal.

If you're just a "stud" with a stone and don't need no stinkin' tool, then I respect that. But if you dismiss what this tool can do out of hand you're making a huge mistake.;)
 
Rob Babcock said:
But if you dismiss what this tool can do out of hand you're making a huge mistake.;)
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I've already said 2 or 3 times that I think it can be a useful tool for some. I can get a nice working edge with a stone and a steel pretty fast. I do take longer times to sharpen when I'm going for super-but-not-so-practical-sharp. Working edges are easy to maintain and there's no need for me to use a pull through since the time difference is negligible.

Tell me, in what ways is the Edgemaker Pro different from the carbide sharpeners? I think it takes less steel and there's some "give" on the sharpener. Is there anything else?
 
Kaizen1 said:
I've already said 2 or 3 times that I think it can be a useful tool for some. I can get a nice working edge with a stone and a steel pretty fast. I do take longer times to sharpen when I'm going for super-but-not-so-practical-sharp. Working edges are easy to maintain and there's no need for me to use a pull through since the time difference is negligible.

Tell me, in what ways is the Edgemaker Pro different from the carbide sharpeners? I think it takes less steel and there's some "give" on the sharpener. Is there anything else?
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No problem!:D If you're fast with stones I can see the pull-thrus wouldn't be of much benefit to you. I like them because I can take a dozen very dull "disposable" knives that the line cooks have abused, er, used and put a shaving edge on em' all in just a few minutes. And it doesn't take off a lot of steel.

The Edgemaker Pro is very different from the "ripper" style of carbide- they peel big strips of metal off, chattering away and leave the blade really nicked up. The Edgemaker Pro uses what are essentially textured steels with spring tension. They yellow Honer is so close to smooth that you can't really see any texture on it; you can't even really feel it with your fingernail, either. But it's enough to take the burr edge off and leave a blade pretty sharp. My Dad (a Blade Forum old-timer) has had his Edgemakers for 15 or 20 years; the knives that have been sharpened only on those tools could pass for new if the handles weren't beat to hell!:D They really don't take off a lot of steel. This is important for French knives; as anyone who uses them a lot will tell you, once the blade is hollowed to where the edge by the heel doesn't touch the cutting board any more all you can do is regrind it or toss it in the trash. The blue Bevelmaker is the exception- it's coarse enough to cut a new bezel, which of course will remove a lot. The coarsest steels of the red on also cut quite a bit. But bear in mind you'll only use them on very, very dull knives. Once you get a decent edge all you ever do is bring 'em back with a half dozen light strokes thru the yellow Handy Honer.

Does it work better than stones? Obviously not if the sharpening is done by someone who really knows what they're doing. They can bring a crappy stamped knife to pretty serviceable in short order or make a decent forged knife shaving sharp in well under one minute.

Don't get me wrong- I'm not trying to step on any toes, and I hate the fact that this post sounds like ad copy.:o I'm not claiming it's the be-all, end-all of sharpening, just that it's a very easy to learn and simple to use system that, for many, will be the difference between having sharp knives or simply living with dull ones. And if even one person who's used nothing but tungsten carbide rippers tosses theirs in the trash then this thread will have been worthwhile.;)
 
The Edgemaker Pro is fine for continuous use commercial type cutlery. I have worked butchering beef, poultry and fish and most of those knives were relatively soft stainless steel that required periodic touch up to maintain a razor edge. Without that constant razor edge you were at risk for more injures and slower production. I always used to use a diamond rod for farrier work along with a ceramic rod for fine touch up. A large majority of posters here do not have to use knives that heavily and have the time to put fine edges on steel that will retain them for long periods. That is why you will see such a disdain for any pull through device. I will use them on my low end stainless kitchen knives but would never use them on higher end knives with much harder and durable steels. The bottom line is if it works for you and makes you happy go for it.
 
SOLEIL said:
The Edgemaker Pro is fine for continuous use commercial type cutlery. I have worked butchering beef, poultry and fish and most of those knives were relatively soft stainless steel that required periodic touch up to maintain a razor edge. Without that constant razor edge you were at risk for more injures and slower production. I always used to use a diamond rod for farrier work along with a ceramic rod for fine touch up. A large majority of posters here do not have to use knives that heavily and have the time to put fine edges on steel that will retain them for long periods. That is why you will see such a disdain for any pull through device. I will use them on my low end stainless kitchen knives but would never use them on higher end knives with much harder and durable steels. The bottom line is if it works for you and makes you happy go for it.
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I've never used them on anything any harder than a Wusthof or Henckels but it works very well on them. And no, I've never pulled any of my Shuns thru one!
 
Rob Babcock said:
Don't get me wrong- I'm not trying to step on any toes, and I hate the fact that this post sounds like ad copy.:o I'm not claiming it's the be-all, end-all of sharpening, just that it's a very easy to learn and simple to use system that, for many, will be the difference between having sharp knives or simply living with dull ones. And if even one person who's used nothing but tungsten carbide rippers tosses theirs in the trash then this thread will have been worthwhile.;)
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I agree. I'd rather sharpen my knives with one of the pull throughs than never sharpen them at all.

Welcome to the forums Rob:).
 
Kaizen1 said:
I agree. I'd rather sharpen my knives with one of the pull throughs than never sharpen them at all.

Welcome to the forums Rob:).
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Thanks!:D Long time lurker, infrequent poster.:o At least until now. I'm eager to learn about the newer developements in knives and sharpening. As a kid I was big into hunting, fishing & outdoors stuff, but as I got older work and life sort of got in the way. I've got a crapload of knives, but since I'm a chef almost all of them are kitchen knives, aside from my Spyderco Endura Clipit and my Cold Steel SRK (okay, lay off all you CS bashers- my Dad gave it to me 15 years ago.:D). Recently I've been starting to get back to my outdoorsy roots and have started to get interested in sporting-type blades.

I'll also say that perusing some links here I see that I haven't tried it all.:o Lots of new sharpening products, not just ceramics, stones & benchwheels. I just might get myself a Sharpmaker to try out (Dad raves about it). As I've said, I never claimed the Edgemaker Pro was the last word in sharpening, but it does a helluva job without a lot of work.

BTW, I just made an impulse buy tonite- I was at Kohls and saw a new set of knives by Chicago Cutlery. Normally I consider the brand a joke (no offense to those who like 'em, but as a professional cook I can't endorse most of their blades) but their newish Kyoto series piqued my interest. Basically they're a total Shun knockoff, right down to the trade dress and stainless-capped Pakkawood handles. Of course, they lack the Shun's VG10 steel...;) Still, I surreptiously slipped one from a blister pack that had become a bit "loose," and it shaved hair.:eek: So I bought the block set- $125 for a Santoku, Usuba (mislabelled as a 'deba'), a straight edge parer, utility knive & 4 steak knives. What can I say, I'm a sucker for baubles.:D I figured it might be a good gift but I wanted to try them out a bit to see (I don't wanna give outright junk). Definately not bad knives, although consistent with their price range not every knife in the block was equally well ground.

Sorry, a bit OT. Just got carried away.
 
SuroK said:
yeah. does gravity effect a blade edge now?
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I believe with swords (especially curved ones like Katana), if you have it edge down on the stand, you are resting it on the edge, e.g. putting pressure on the edge where it contacts the stand, and can damage the edge over time, so that's why you're supposed to mount them with edge facing up.
 
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