Were you more satisfied going from the Edge Pro to the Wicked Edge?

U

uofaengr

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Jan 9, 2014
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As you can see, I'm considering getting rid of the Edge Pro to try the Wicked Edge since I basically have WE money invested in my EP setup. There are a couple of things that irk me with the EP. I hate always having to meticulously tape the blade and handles if I don't want a scratch from the slurry or from the side of the stones hitting the corner of the handles, and then constantly having to rinse off the blade in the sink. I don't mind scratches from use, but there's something about unnecessary scratches from sharpening that irks me. Then when the tape gets pretty wet, I have to change it.

Blades with non-removable thumbstuds can be a pain, especially single lug knives that don't allow a consistent hold on both sides. However, I do like that I can essentially sharpen any length blade (especially with help from the magnets) by pulling it through and doing a section at a time.

I do a decent amount of kitchen knives, I'd say max length of 10". What's the longest blade that a WE can handle? There's also something about having a clamped system that is appealing, and no water is needed. Is there anyone that has went from the EP to the WE and wished they hadn't or that have gone back to the EP?
 
This guy is an egg head, and he is pretty sharp (pun intended)

[video=youtube;SGo3pKhp6L8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGo3pKhp6L8[/video]
 
NRA said:
This guy is an egg head, and he is pretty sharp (pun intended)

[video=youtube;SGo3pKhp6L8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGo3pKhp6L8[/video]
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Yeah, I've seen some of his stuff before. That's pretty crazy that a WE can handle 17" without reclamping, but I've never used a WE so I don't know how its range of motion is. The EP seems to have a fairly limited range of motion. If I have a 9-10" blade I usually do it in 3 sections. It almost seems that the EP by itself in its stock form could be retrofitted with a clamp...but there is also something appealing about being able to do both sides of the knife at the same time on a WE.
 
I sold my Edge Pro long ago because I didn't like all the hassle of maintaining the stones and having to keep everything rinsed off. The Edge Pro is an incredibly good system, but I much prefer the Wicked Edge. I like working with a blade clamped upright and being able to sharpen both edges at the same time. I like the diamond stones, too.

As with most things, personal preference is the trump card, but from what you are saying about the Edge Pro, I'd guess you'll really like the Wicked Edge.
 
I looked at the homemade WE thread and priced everything out because I thought this could be a cheap option. It's the stones that really get you. To get everything that the Pro Pack 1 includes which is up to the 3.5u strops and to build the base it's about $310. After you get the clamp made, you're saving only about maybe $50-$60? And you're not getting the base that the WE comes with.

And why are the arm upgrades $145?? I don't know much about the WE, but I'd assume if there's slop in the arms, that can be easily corrected by the user with a little thought...or is it just that they have some higher tolerance joints?
 
uofaengr said:
And why are the arm upgrades $145?? I don't know much about the WE, but I'd assume if there's slop in the arms, that can be easily corrected by the user with a little thought...or is it just that they have some higher tolerance joints?
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The upgrade arms are a nice addition, but WE eliminated the "slop" in the original arms some time ago... they added a washer, that pretty much eliminated any play (not that there was much to begin with). The upgrade package also has a bit wider range of angles, if that matters to you.

I'll 2nd what Twindog said... of the two, the WE is bit easier to use, and doing both sides of the blade at once is pretty efficient.

Edit: I should have added the upgrade arms have a micro-adjust capability that is probably more important than the tighter tolerances.
 
cbwx34 said:
The upgrade arms are a nice addition, but WE eliminated the "slop" in the original arms some time ago... they added a washer, that pretty much eliminated any play (not that there was much to begin with). The upgrade package also has a bit wider range of angles, if that matters to you.

I'll 2nd what Twindog said... of the two, the WE is bit easier to use, and doing both sides of the blade at once is pretty efficient.
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Thanks for the reply. The lowest I generally go period is 15 dps which I understand the stock WE can handle. I'm pretty proficient with the EP, and the blade flipping doesn't bother me too much other than non-removable studs and single lugs. It's the water and slurry mess that is aggravating as hell. I agree 100% that the WE looks more easy to use, and I'd assume once you got the hang of it, it's much faster..especially using diamonds over EP stones.

I wonder if this mod has been attempted on a stock EP system: A mounted clamp parallel with the EP table that can rotate around an axis and lock at 180 degrees. This way the blade wouldn't have to be removed from the clamp when switching sides. I can't tell if Harivney's clamp rotates or not. This would keep the blade suspended, and blade scratching wouldn't be a problem.
 
Oh ok, that's actually the first time I've ever seen the KME sharpener...I guess I've never cared to look before. That's funny the design I was thinking of has already been in service for a long time. Still eager to hear if anyone has went to a WE from a EP and actually went back to the EP. It's looking like it hasn't happened lol.
 
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One thing that I think would mitigate blade scratching, but not necessarily mess, would be to take the open holes in the EP table all the way to the end of the table rather than having the flat, solid part that you put tape over. Keep these areas open to allow the slurry to run underneath the table rather than collect on top of it i.e. underneath your blade. This wouldn't affect rigidity really at all, and just enough support could be left to do small blades on so they're not falling in a hole and have something to lay across.
 
The cost of replacement stones for the WE is very high. If you do a lot of sharpening, replacing the diamond stones will get expensive.
 
ricklee4570 said:
The cost of replacement stones for the WE is very high. If you do a lot of sharpening, replacing the diamond stones will get expensive.
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I was watching one of Clay's videos yesterday and he claims he had sharpened over 1200 knives with that same set of stones...?
 
Ben offers a "fine" and "extra fine" diamond stone for the EP. Just curious why he says not to use on steel blades? And does anyone have any experience with the diamond stones sold by EP? Most of my issues with slurry scratching and frequent rinsing is heavy reprofiling with the 120 and 220. After those two, the slurry isn't as bad. Could a solution be to use diamonds for reprofiling then transition to the EP stones at 400-600 or so as the diamonds don't really create slurry as they do dust?
 
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uofaengr said:
Ben offers a "fine" and "extra fine" diamond stone for the EP. Just curious why he says not to use on steel blades? And does anyone have any experience with the diamond stones sold by EP? Most of my issues with slurry scratching and frequent rinsing is heavy reprofiling with the 120 and 220. After those two, the slurry isn't as bad. Could a solution be to use diamonds for reprofiling then transition to the EP stones at 400-600 or so as the diamonds don't really create slurry as they do dust?
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Ben believes that steel knives will rip the diamonds right off the stone...

[video=youtube_share;liJKYgO_P3I]http://youtu.be/liJKYgO_P3I[/video]

The diamond comments are at 10:05, although the entire video is a good summary of Ben's thoughts and experiences in sharpening.

I've used the EP stones, they're really not that aggressive enough to replace coarser stones for reprofiling.
 
cbwx34 said:
Ben believes that steel knives will rip the diamonds right off the stone...

[video=youtube_share;liJKYgO_P3I]http://youtu.be/liJKYgO_P3I[/video]

The diamond comments are at 10:05, although the entire video is a good summary of Ben's thoughts and experiences in sharpening.

I've used the EP stones, they're really not that aggressive enough to replace coarser stones for reprofiling.
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I suppose he's saying in other words, the EP diamond stones must not be very good stones.
 
The Wicked Edge diamond stones are really not that expensive. You have to remember you get four diamond stones with each set. I did wear out my 100-grit WE stones, which were the stones I used most for reprofiling. I almost always reprofile each knife I get -- and I like super high-wear steels -- so the 100-grit stones geo a workout. I probably put too much pressure on them, but I also think all diamond stones shed diamonds.

I have since added the 50/80-grit stones for reprofiling. Those stones cut fast and take a lot of wear off my 100-grit stones. But those coarse-grit stones shed a lot of diamonds, even with light pressure.
 
Twindog said:
The Wicked Edge diamond stones are really not that expensive. You have to remember you get four diamond stones with each set. I did wear out my 100-grit WE stones, which were the stones I used most for reprofiling. I almost always reprofile each knife I get -- and I like super high-wear steels -- so the 100-grit stones geo a workout. I probably put too much pressure on them, but I also think all diamond stones shed diamonds.

I have since added the 50/80-grit stones for reprofiling. Those stones cut fast and take a lot of wear off my 100-grit stones. But those coarse-grit stones shed a lot of diamonds, even with light pressure.
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You're right. That slipped my mind...I had 2 stones in my head for some reason instead of 4 so they're really about the same price per stone as regular EP stones...
 
uofaengr said:
I suppose he's saying in other words, the EP diamond stones must not be very good stones.
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He is not saying the EP diamond stones are not good. He has always said that diamonds don't last under serious use in sharpening- a professional sharpener sharpening a hundred knives per day will wear diamond stones out quickly. I have asked him about Atoma stones and he said they don't last long either. Has anybody actually tested Atoma stones like that?
 
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