No knock on Ben, but was Edge Pro even at Blade? I looked over the booth listing and layout several times and saw WE, KME, Lansky, and others, but don't recall seeing EP listed anywhere. If so, that's very surprising. I think Ben is more old school and perhaps set in his ways. He told me once that no knife should ever be sharpened at 15 dps because the edge won't hold up. From a lot of research I can tell Clay is active on his forum and provides a lot of knowledge through his experimenting and I appreciate that he does that. Seem like a super nice guy, and one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Blade was to meet him.
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Were you more satisfied going from the Edge Pro to the Wicked Edge?
- Thread starter uofaengr
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,799
He is! I finally was able to meet him in person at blade, which was very cool. They were swamped though! He said they didn't eat lunch on Friday until 5pm lol
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2013
- Messages
- 150
I own both systems and to me the Edge Pro is the one I prefer to use on a daily basis when honing knives of lesser importance to me.
Or family and friends's run of the mill knives.
For my own kitchen, fixed blades and folders I generally go with freehand sharpening.
Two things makes the EP win over the WE to me.
Lower angles and stone selection.
Both are really fine systems though, and both will sharpen most any knife without much of a learning curve to speak of.
I do like the clamp on the WE.
Brilliant for repeatability.
Or family and friends's run of the mill knives.
For my own kitchen, fixed blades and folders I generally go with freehand sharpening.
Two things makes the EP win over the WE to me.
Lower angles and stone selection.
Both are really fine systems though, and both will sharpen most any knife without much of a learning curve to speak of.
I do like the clamp on the WE.
Brilliant for repeatability.
I got the WE set up and sharpened a cheapie just to get the feel of it. Being so used to waterstones and this being my first time working with diamonds, my observation was that going up to the WE 1k stone yielded a finish about equivalent to the EP 400 grit stone. I know the diamonds need breaking in, and they're probably scratching deeper, but that was just my observation. I also understand that the EP "grit" scale is a little funny. I'll work with the 1200/1600 ceramics tonight to see if they can work on those scratches before hitting the strops, eventually finishing on roo at 1u and 0.5u.
The clamp is nice although while sharpening a thin steak knife at ~15.5 degrees, the right hand stone would scrub the lower portion of the vise when in the low, beginning part of my sharpening motion. I worked around this by just starting the stone higher. I'm sure this is due to the left half of the vise being fixed while the right half moves in/out.
The clamp is nice although while sharpening a thin steak knife at ~15.5 degrees, the right hand stone would scrub the lower portion of the vise when in the low, beginning part of my sharpening motion. I worked around this by just starting the stone higher. I'm sure this is due to the left half of the vise being fixed while the right half moves in/out.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,799
what stone selection are you referring to that the EP has that the WEPS doesn't have? I can get shaptons, choseras, diamonds, atomas, lapping film on glass, dmt micron diamond stones, any strop you can imagine, I even mounted a mouse pad to some paddles and then put lapping film on it for convexing
yeah they do have to be broken in... it will take 10 knives or so. I have sharpened about 150 on mine and the 1000's do appear to be roughly equal to the 800 grit choseras, maybe a little finer. That is too fine for me... I now finish on my 600's which leaves a toothy hair popping edge =).
as far as your vise goes, I am not sure if you are mounting on the depth key or not? but I do want to point out that you don't have to... I would try to mount your blade as high in the vise as you can but yet still get a secure clamp. But yeah, on the low angles you may have to short stroke it to avoid this.
what stone selection are you referring to that the EP has that the WEPS doesn't have? I can get shaptons, choseras, diamonds, atomas, lapping film on glass, dmt micron diamond stones, any strop you can imagine, I even mounted a mouse pad to some paddles and then put lapping film on it for convexing
yeah they do have to be broken in... it will take 10 knives or so. I have sharpened about 150 on mine and the 1000's do appear to be roughly equal to the 800 grit choseras, maybe a little finer. That is too fine for me... I now finish on my 600's which leaves a toothy hair popping edge =).
as far as your vise goes, I am not sure if you are mounting on the depth key or not? but I do want to point out that you don't have to... I would try to mount your blade as high in the vise as you can but yet still get a secure clamp. But yeah, on the low angles you may have to short stroke it to avoid this.
Yes, I mounted in the top set of holes with the depth key. Are you finishing at 600 for all your knives?
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,799
On most knives yes... I do have choseras up through 10k and also a bunch of strops (including kangaroo and nano cloth) down to .125 CBN but I rarely use them. A highly polished edge has VERY limited uses in my opinion... for most applications there is a need for finding a proper balance between toothy and polished.
600 grit is hair popping but will still slice through rope and soft material like it's no one's business... it's a great EDC edge. On the EP when I had mine my favorite edge was off of the 220 stock water stones.
I'll say my favorite edges were either EP 400 or 600. Man, would they get ridiculously keen and sharp. This may sound like fallacy to some, but I only hope that the WE can produce as laser sharp edges as I got with the old, crummy stock EP setup.
Do you stick with 600 for kitchen knives as well?
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,799
oh yeah man, 600 grit is great for the kitchen... it will slice through tomatoes almost effortlessly! I do strop it very lightly sometimes, about 5-10 pps (passes per side) after LOWERING the angle by 2 dps (clay has shown somewhat in testing that keeping it at the same angle will dull it slightly).
dude, don't worry about the keeness of your edges... trust me when i say that anything you can do on the EP you can do on the WEPS (other than low angles) and many things IMO you can do better (like stropping). When you come off of the 1k stones you should have a tree topping edge with no stropping (other than pant leg lol).
i do make an exception when I do very thin japanese knives. I tend to do these only with water stones and go up to 2k grit on the choseras with some stropping (with one loaded strop - normally 3um). When the edges are thin they can handle a highly polished edge and still make it through the cutting medium easily.
you should check out the WEPS forum now that you have one
dude, don't worry about the keeness of your edges... trust me when i say that anything you can do on the EP you can do on the WEPS (other than low angles) and many things IMO you can do better (like stropping). When you come off of the 1k stones you should have a tree topping edge with no stropping (other than pant leg lol).
i do make an exception when I do very thin japanese knives. I tend to do these only with water stones and go up to 2k grit on the choseras with some stropping (with one loaded strop - normally 3um). When the edges are thin they can handle a highly polished edge and still make it through the cutting medium easily.
you should check out the WEPS forum now that you have one
oh yeah man, 600 grit is great for the kitchen... it will slice through tomatoes almost effortlessly! I do strop it very lightly sometimes, about 5-10 pps (passes per side) after LOWERING the angle by 2 dps (clay has shown somewhat in testing that keeping it at the same angle will dull it slightly).
dude, don't worry about the keeness of your edges... trust me when i say that anything you can do on the EP you can do on the WEPS (other than low angles) and many things IMO you can do better (like stropping). When you come off of the 1k stones you should have a tree topping edge with no stropping (other than pant leg lol).
i do make an exception when I do very thin japanese knives. I tend to do these only with water stones and go up to 2k grit on the choseras with some stropping (with one loaded strop - normally 3um). When the edges are thin they can handle a highly polished edge and still make it through the cutting medium easily.
you should check out the WEPS forum now that you have one
I've been a lurker of the forum for awhile and will have to create an account over there. I have no doubt that the WE will give awesome results. I had my technique down pat on the EP, I've just gotta be patient and take some time with the WE. What's your favorite angle for everyday kitchen knives? I usually end up going 17-18 with most that I do being crap knives with the exception of some nice, thin Globals I did on the EP. 17 degree polished edge on those made crazy slicers.
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Messages
- 5,799
Yeah I tend to stick with 17-18 dps on most kitchen knives.
there is a learning curve, but it's not too bad esp. if you have experience on the EP (that's what I came from)
there is a learning curve, but it's not too bad esp. if you have experience on the EP (that's what I came from)
Only had time this weekend to sharpen a 2nd cheapie (same cheap set of steak knives) just trying to work on technique, break in the stones, and try out the strops and ceramics. The first knife I stopped at 1k, and it was a little rougher than I expected it to be, but I'm not doing a huge amount of refinement at each grit, maybe about 50 passes per side. Did the 2nd knife same way, got to the 1200/1600 ceramics and they perform pretty nicely then transitioned to the 5/3.5 strops. These left a decent amount of paste on the edge that I had to wipe several times to get off. I assume with subsequent sharpenings, it won't do this. Again, didn't spend a ton of time purposely working on getting scratches out, then went on to 1/0.5 CBN on roo to finish, again maybe just 50 passes per side. I wasn't impressed with the mirror at all, but again, I wasn't purposely aiming for that. The EP waterstones do leave a smoother finish, but I do understand that the WE stones need several more knives to get broken in so they don't scratch as deep so I'll be holding off for awhile before I do a knife that I really want a nice, aesthetic edge on. Basically after the EP 2k grit tape, you've got what most people call a mirror edge of course with some visible scratching remaining whereas this edge was more hazy with visible scratches left. I fully expect my finishes to get better as the stones break in and if I actually try to get the scratches out, but I will say this, that cheap steel was whittling hair nicely no matter the finish. As the stones break in more, I think I'll really like this system.
Only major complaint thus far is the thumbscrews loosening while sharpening. I have the bar turned backwards for unlimited adjustment, and once, one of them completely loosened.
Only major complaint thus far is the thumbscrews loosening while sharpening. I have the bar turned backwards for unlimited adjustment, and once, one of them completely loosened.
Had a feeling it may have been too much, but the WE instructions call for a thin zigzag of paste down the length.
toker
Basic Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2010
- Messages
- 4,938
I'm not sure why they recommend that much either. I saw someone else suggest that on a tiny dot was needed and I followed that advice. Works much better and paste doesn't get wasted.
I definitely won't be using that much when I have to reload the strops.
I'll say one thing I've already noticed about the system--it's great for doing more sharpening per session than when I was using the EP. I did 4 knives tonight to 1k grit, all 6-10" back to back to back really only stopping to unclamp at the end and really check my edge up close and do some slow phonebook paper slicing feeling for smoothness and consistent sound while slicing. Once you become accustomed to a certain level of sharpness you become OCD about if your paper slicing registers above a certain decibel level. Sick, I know.
Anyway, I was basically able to do all 4 back to back without resting which was unheard of with my EP as I had to always stand beside the sink constantly rinsing the knife, and my back and feet would get crazy sore. I found sharpening with the WE enjoyable. The 100 grit isn't the fastest at reprofiling, but once the edge is apexed, I enjoy getting a rhythm going, alternating my strokes and it's much faster and sitting while working is great. Best thing is I didn't have a pile of wet masking tape and paper towels to mess with and trying to scrub my stones or level them after a few knives. I also didn't have to sharpen the long knives in sections like on the EP so it was much faster.
It seems after 5 knives or so, one of the joints on the arms became stiff where it'd kinda lock up when bringing the stone back towards me after a long stroke. This really slowed my rhythm on the last knife as I couldn't rotate that arm back towards me as easily as the other arm. Seems this was due to friction between the arm and the inside of the blue piece. Tried to wash it out good and lube that area. We will see how it fares on the next knife.
I'll say one thing I've already noticed about the system--it's great for doing more sharpening per session than when I was using the EP. I did 4 knives tonight to 1k grit, all 6-10" back to back to back really only stopping to unclamp at the end and really check my edge up close and do some slow phonebook paper slicing feeling for smoothness and consistent sound while slicing. Once you become accustomed to a certain level of sharpness you become OCD about if your paper slicing registers above a certain decibel level. Sick, I know.
Anyway, I was basically able to do all 4 back to back without resting which was unheard of with my EP as I had to always stand beside the sink constantly rinsing the knife, and my back and feet would get crazy sore. I found sharpening with the WE enjoyable. The 100 grit isn't the fastest at reprofiling, but once the edge is apexed, I enjoy getting a rhythm going, alternating my strokes and it's much faster and sitting while working is great. Best thing is I didn't have a pile of wet masking tape and paper towels to mess with and trying to scrub my stones or level them after a few knives. I also didn't have to sharpen the long knives in sections like on the EP so it was much faster.
It seems after 5 knives or so, one of the joints on the arms became stiff where it'd kinda lock up when bringing the stone back towards me after a long stroke. This really slowed my rhythm on the last knife as I couldn't rotate that arm back towards me as easily as the other arm. Seems this was due to friction between the arm and the inside of the blue piece. Tried to wash it out good and lube that area. We will see how it fares on the next knife.
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2013
- Messages
- 390
Hey !
Im thinking about buying a EP or a WE. To get good edges.
And im going to buy some benchstones so i can learn to freehand to, but i need to buy a sharpening system first.
For someone who only have used a Spyderco Sharpmaker, which system should i consider?
I do like the option to be able to sharpen both sides from the clamp. And i like the clamp so the blade is still at all time. Less things that can mess upp the angles.
I dont know, but can it be a good idea to buy EP or WE and learn what sharpening is, i mean, with the burr and how the steel 'acts' when sharpening. If you know what i mean?
Or should i go for the benchstones first?
Thanks guys
Im thinking about buying a EP or a WE. To get good edges.
And im going to buy some benchstones so i can learn to freehand to, but i need to buy a sharpening system first.
For someone who only have used a Spyderco Sharpmaker, which system should i consider?
I do like the option to be able to sharpen both sides from the clamp. And i like the clamp so the blade is still at all time. Less things that can mess upp the angles.
I dont know, but can it be a good idea to buy EP or WE and learn what sharpening is, i mean, with the burr and how the steel 'acts' when sharpening. If you know what i mean?
Or should i go for the benchstones first?
Thanks guys
You already started a thread on this. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1191319-What-sharpening-method
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,270
The printed instructions that came with mine say, "place an approximately one-inch strip of paste on the middle", and rub it in... spreading it over the entire surface. Never seen "zigzag of paste down the length". If you have something that says that, I'd let WE know... that's never been recommended that I'm aware of... they'd probably like to know.
Last edited:
Maybe mine were the old instructions? I promise that's what they said, but I already threw them away. My instructions also said to rub the two strops together to work the paste in rather than doing it with your finger. It also gave the tip to spray the strops with rubbing alcohol before working the paste in so it'll work in easier, and I didn't see that on your sheet. With them being new, I made sure I followed the instructions to a T. These were the 5 and 3.5 micron strops by the way. It's no big deal, I don't see how the extra paste can really hurt it?