Spirit of EdgePro Vs. other uses

T

thombrogan

Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Messages
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I believe that the whole purpose for the EdgePro (Apex and Professional) is to not only achieve the sharpest edge possible, but also do so with the least amount of steel removed from the blade. Nosmo has some great tips for such style sharpenings as does The Tourist and Ben Dale. I've noticed that I've been dropping the edges and making polished back-bevels and (when the stones are straight) micro-bevels as opposed to finding and keeping the original angle and just refining it to its gnat-scaring glory.

Anyone else guilty of this sin? I like what it does to some of my knives, but SpecOps' post in Fulloflead's kung-fu sharpening post made me feel a little guilty.
 
hello thomas the doubting, i have a couple questions for ya.

do you have the apex or the pro, and do you know of any practical advantages the pro might have aside from the scissors attachment?

is freehand finishing still necessary even with the type of bevel(s) the edgepro can provide, or is it by itself capable of producing an edge that flings hairs & scares demons? i realize that might be subjective, but indulge me with your insight.
 
Alan - Jumping in here, some of the practical advantages of Pro are - adjustable working position in the event a person sharpens all day. Ability to do knives wider than 3.5". Possibly some additional sharpening angles. And ability for the scissors attachment.
 
another question (this is open to all edgepro owners):

i was thinking of sending a blade to ben dale to use as a "standard" by which to measure my other edgepro sharpening jobs, so i can have something to compare or live up to.. what do you think of this idea? or.. is it relatively easy & no-brainerish to achive a ben-esque edge immediately upon getting the edgepro & watching the video?
 
alan, it certainly won't hurt anything to see what Ben can do to give you something to strive towards. It doesn't take long to get the hang of the Edge Pro, but there definitely is a learning curve. After 5 or so knives you should be getting deadly edges without any trouble, especially if you have some prior experience sharpening.
 
Watch the video, read the pamphlet ...... most of all just relax and take your time. If you follow Ben's instructions you will do very well in a fairly short amount of time.

However, there's no harm sending Ben one of your knives as a way to see what you can achieve with his system.

Mike
 
There is a learning curve involved with the EdgePro, some bad habits include, too much pressure,(not letting the system work for you), using short strokes, and not keeping the edge being worked parallel to the platform.

But once you get it right it's easy to replicate with the least amount of material removal.

I still do the bulk of my sharpening freehand, but the EdgePro will still do my initial bevels.
 
Originally posted by thombrogan
Anyone else guilty of this sin?
Click to expand...

If it's a sin I'll see you in hell! :) I do the same thing. I feel most factory edges just plain suck. Most need to be thinned out.
 
I am not very adventurous.
Most of my blades are at 17 degs, and this angle works well for me.
Most of my experimenting has been with polished back bevels and very small /narrow cutting edges.
Also I have tried sharpening different areas of the blade with different grits. Toothy back, smooth front.

Thom......I am dying to see a photo of your 6 degs a side blade.
 
Originally posted by alan aragon
do you have the apex or the pro, and do you know of any practical advantages the pro might have aside from the scissors attachment?
Click to expand...

When I bought mine from Ben at the Eugene knife show last year I asked him that question. I figured you get what you pay for and was prepared to by the Pro. Ben told me that for my use I should buy the Apex instead. He said the main difference was the Pro was exactally that, a Pro model for someone who sharpens knives all day. For the knife user like myself, he sold me the Apex.
 
[size=-1]Edito[/size]

Alan,

Boink pretty much nailed it.

Nosmo,

It sucked and here's the pic:

12_degree.jpg
 
Originally posted by alan aragon
is freehand finishing still necessary even with the type of bevel(s) the edgepro can provide, or is it by itself capable of producing an edge that flings hairs & scares demons? i realize that might be subjective, but indulge me with your insight.
Click to expand...
????

any feedback on this inquiry would be appreciated.
 
I have never found a need for free hand finishing. I can get a hair popping edge everytime. I've had a couple of blades that were scary sharp. By scary sharp I mean, when I went to shave with it, I could keep the blade off my arm and cut the tops of of the hairs with it!
 
There's one more benefit when getting the Pro model - When you watch the video, you don't see Ben set it up and then look down at what you have on the table and then think, "Hey, wait a minute! My system doesn't look like ... Oooooh, right ... I have the Apex! Alright, now, where are the similarities and differences .....
 
Alan,

If you finish up on the polishing tape, no further care is needed for a polished edge. If you finish up on any of the stones, you can do so without leaving a burr as well, but there's no need to or prohibition against moving on to further edge refinement.

WadeF,

So hellbound we are, but most of our knives will touch up perfectly at certain settings (15 and 18 for me). I hope to discipline myself to properly use the EdgePro. Some day...
 
Originally posted by alan aragon
????

any feedback on this inquiry would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

No.....Once you have the Edge Pro you will be able to get your edges to any sharpness level without going freehand.

I think the Edge pro can duplicate the factory edge in appearance as it arrived in its box, better than by freehand.

So with me the appearance of the edge is on some knives just as important as the sharpness.

I do own a strop with green chromium oxide ( from Lee Valley ) and use at as the final step.
 
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