Want to learn to sharpen

U

Unitethe7

Joined
Sep 29, 2016
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So I am wanting to learn to sharpen knives. I got my first knife sent off to get a mirror edge and when i got back, I was in love. I have been looking at the wicked edge (the $299 one) and am very interested in learning to sharpen my own knives. Do you guys recommend a beginner getting a Wicked Edge system? From what I understand, I would need more than what comes with the wicked edge system in order to achieve the mirrored edge?

Just looking for some guidance. If there is another less expensive system thats easy to learn on and can still achieve the mirrored edge, I'd love to know about it.
 
The Edge Pro Apex (edgeproinc.com) if you go through the stones and polishing tapes. The KME can probably do it (I don't have one, so I'm not sure). It can be done freehand with a lot of practice and a good set of waterstones.

Welcome to the dark side, as they say! Your wallet will never be the same!
 
wvdavidr said:
The Edge Pro Apex (edgeproinc.com) if you go through the stones and polishing tapes. The KME can probably do it (I don't have one, so I'm not sure). It can be done freehand with a lot of practice and a good set of waterstones.

Welcome to the dark side, as they say! Your wallet will never be the same!
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Which one of those is easier to use for beginners? I like the prices of the edge pros... looks like I could get a top of the line APEX kit with lots of stones and tapes, but less than I could get the least expensive WE

Looks like the edge Pro 4 comes with everything I need and would be able to get that mirrored edge I am looking for.
 
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I have the edge pro apex 4, and there is a learning curve... especially with smaller/shorter knives. For me, a 3.5 to 4 inch blade is what I'm best at. I haven't used it a whole lot but a decent amount. I've only achieved near mirror polish with it as I'm not as good at it as I'd like to be. Depending on the grind of your blade the edge pro system can be difficult to maintain a consistent angle. I find training yourself to relax your hand thats holding the knife helps a lot... I use a sharpie to color the edge between stones just to make sure I'm holding the knife in the same position.
I like to practice on cheaper knives...
Here's a ZKC D-01 designed by Steadmon I did... this is the closes to a mirror edge I've gotten.
You can see reflection in it but in person you can see a lot of scratches from other stones.
295b8b518a5a60ca976201f48df00bfc.jpg
 
KME is awesome. And cheap. And reliable.

Whatever the system you chose, I suggest you to train on dollar store knives as much as you can.
 
Unitethe7 said:
Which one of those is easier to use for beginners? I like the prices of the edge pros... looks like I could get a top of the line APEX kit with lots of stones and tapes, but less than I could get the least expensive WE

Looks like the edge Pro 4 comes with everything I need and would be able to get that mirrored edge I am looking for.
Click to expand...

I think it's the Apex Kit 4. The trouble people have with shorter knives can be fixed with the "Small knife attachment," sold on their site. I think it costs $25 and makes pocket knife sharpening MUCH easier. Edge Pro has instructional videos on their site, which shorten the learning curve.
 
wvdavidr said:
I think it's the Apex Kit 4. The trouble people have with shorter knives can be fixed with the "Small knife attachment," sold on their site. I think it costs $25 and makes pocket knife sharpening MUCH easier. Edge Pro has instructional videos on their site, which shorten the learning curve.
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I have the small knife attachment but it's still difficult, for me at least... maybe I'm edge-impaired lol
 
I only have and use Edge Pro Apex. But from my experience, I think WE (or similar clamp systems) is easier for beginners.

With Edge Pro, you have to hold a knife very consistently throughout a sharpening session. This is easy with flat ground blades, but not so with hollow ground ones, and very difficult with convex blades. Also, you need an angle cube to know the exact angle you are sharpening the knife to. I guess these issues are not present with clamp systems like WE.

With that said, I do like my Edge Pro Apex and think that there are some advantages over WE.

I had some discussions on these issues before.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1450834-Edge-Pro-sharpening



Miso
 
I am really contemplating on ordering the Edge Pro Apex 4. I am going to watch a bunch more videos on it and see if it will suit me well. I think it will do well for me and I have a few cheap knives to practice on, but I think the hardest part for is going to be finding the right angle for each knife.

Anyone that can recommend a place where I can get the best price for the Apex 4? $255 with free shipping seems to be the best I can find.
 
Unitethe7 said:
I am really contemplating on ordering the Edge Pro Apex 4. I am going to watch a bunch more videos on it and see if it will suit me well. I think it will do well for me and I have a few cheap knives to practice on, but I think the hardest part for is going to be finding the right angle for each knife.

Anyone that can recommend a place where I can get the best price for the Apex 4? $255 with free shipping seems to be the best I can find.
Click to expand...

Their site http://www.edgeproinc.com. probably has the same prices as the dealers. Finding the edge angle is easy. The Sharpie or marker "trick" is frequently mentioned here.
 
Ended up ordering the EP Apex 4 kit. Should have by the weekend and have a few cheap knives I will start with. I am wondering what all you guys would recommend adding so that I can achieve a really nice mirrored edge on my knives. I saw where one guy recommends a balsa wood strop and a leather strop.
 
go to your local auto store and buy a pack of 2 or 3k grit wet sandpaper, cut to size to fit your system, will mirror a rusty nail
 
Did you order the small knife attachment? It was a game-changer for me. I don't use strops with mine- just the polishing tapes.
 
OK, So i got my Apex system in the mail today. I put it together and started on an old Spyderco tenacious. started with 400 and then 600 and then 1000 and then 2000 and then finally 3000...was able to get a pretty good mirror edge. I was super excited and decided to move on to my ZT 0566.... Did the same process but for whatever reason, I just can't seem to get the angle right...I did the sharpie trick but can't seem to get an angle together that removes all the sharpie. Are there any tips anyone can give me? I also did my quartermaster mr roper and seemed to get a pretty good mirror edge, but not as good as my spyderco and kershaw shuffle, which I know are not as high quality steels as the ZT and Quartermaster.
 
Looks like I figured it out. I actually went back and put a new bevel on both sides of the 0566 and set it at 20dps. Went through all my stones and polishing tapes and was able to achieve a very nice looking mirrored edge.
 
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