What Sharpening Jig has the Best Clamps

Bluemantra said:
Just as an update to this. I have the R2 module and purchased the Central Y shaped clamp and after some use I’m starting to think it wasn’t the best choice for my application. I mostly sharpen folders 4” or less. What I notice is no matter what I do there is always some flex with the system when sharpening. Even when barely using any pressure there is some flex. How much of an impact will this have on sharpening consistency? My thought was I should have gone for the two universal spring clamps, however, I’m now wondering if all the spring based clamps have some degree of flex? I’m now looking at getting the two small side whole milled clamps for the Hapstone as these appear to have no risk of flex and would be the sturdiest option. The Central Y clamp is convenient for centering, however.
Click to expand...

I have a set of the small whole milled clamps and they work very well. Clamp one on your ricasso (to stop any rotation) and one about 1/3 from the tip (to stop any flex).

Works like a charm.
 
Thanks for the reply. I should have clarified as I may have left the impression that the blade itself is flexing, however, what I’m referring to is the clamp itself is flexing when sharpening, the blade itself is secure.
 
Flex on the small clamps is nearly unnoticeable, especially when using correct sharpening pressure.

Even if you were to incorrectly use excessive pressure while sharpening and the clamp module ends up flexing a bit it would make hardly any difference to your end sharpening result because the blade would be deflected in such a manner that you end up sharpening at a theoretical "lower" sharpening angle during those strokes that the clamps flexes downwards.

The strokes where the clamp flexes downwards if you apply a bit too much force, would mean you actually grind slightly behind your edge so it does not cause much to be concerned about. For all your other sharpening strokes with lighter pressure and less downward clamp deflection, your angle would be correct again.

Slight flexing with some of these clamps is fine and cause no ill effect, imo many guys make much too big of a deal over it.
 
Last edited:
Hey y’all.
I’m just seeing this thread but loving every minute of it. Writing to sub to it hoping to get more chatter going.

I’m mostly into razor sharp kitchen knives and have been free handing whetstone for a few decades, looking at all the guided systems and clamps and this is just super intriguing. And yea, my super steel folders sometimes glide across diamonds to bring them back, but often 3k, 5k, 10 works well for touch ups.

I’m still searching for that Nirvana guided system though. Kuppersbush up the great convo!
 
Henry lombard said:
Hey y’all.
I’m just seeing this thread but loving every minute of it. Writing to sub to it hoping to get more chatter going.

I’m mostly into razor sharp kitchen knives and have been free handing whetstone for a few decades, looking at all the guided systems and clamps and this is just super intriguing. And yea, my super steel folders sometimes glide across diamonds to bring them back, but often 3k, 5k, 10 works well for touch ups.

I’m still searching for that Nirvana guided system though. Kuppersbush up the great convo!
Click to expand...

Wicked Edge.
 
Hi All, does anyone have any experience with the Kazak clamps with undercut
and how they compare to the clamps mentioned by Gritomatic in post #43 in this thread:

easiest to use. A pair of whole milled clamps (any brand), flat inside, single tightening screw, maximum gap. TSProf decision to use whole milled clamps in all K03 kits and upcoming Kadet is right. (I prefer the fillet version for K03 over the regular one but not all knives fit.)
best centring. Hapstone Central spring-type clamp for R2 is unbeatable. It can be used solo or together with supporting clamps, capable to secure almost any blade with large contact spot area and very acute sharpening angle. (K03 Single Fillet Clamp is 2nd place.)
all rounder. Hapstone Universal Angled spring-type clamps provide extraordinary versatility. It can be primary or supporting. It can be central or side. It can be flat or FFG. It can hold ultra thin fillet blade, or 9 mm thick blade. Very acute angles for real knives. Can be calibrated.

Background of my question is that I am thinking about buying either a TSProf K03 Expert or a Kazak Pro.
Symmetry and precision are very high on my priority list.

I have been reading and learning here for years. This is finally my first post ;-)

Link to non-supporting vendor removed by moderator
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have both units you are looking at - Kazak Pro Black and TSProf K03 top model with all accessories. I also have all available clamps for the K03, but so far only the standard clamps for the Kazak Pro. The Kazak Pro clamps are good, their geometry works with most of my knives - if clamped correctly. I don't have the radial cutout Kazak clamps.

The standard Kazak clamps are somewhere between the K03 whole milled standard clamps, and the K03 whole milled fillet clamps.They do have a small cutout to effectively help with more grinds, but I find they work best when one is used on a flat part of the blade (like the tang section just in front of the handle), and the other used one used closer to the tip of a blade.

Beware that many radial cutout clamps can be very specific to only a few knife grinds(depending on the opening of the clamp and the undercut angle), so don't make a set of radial undercut clamps your only ones. They can be great, but also very specialised. If you're looking for good all-round clamps, the Hapstone angled clamps is a good choice. They can clamp a huge variety of knives. Gritomatic has a "gear connect" system of adapters which enable you to use just about any clamp on any other system.

As for the Kazak Pro Black unit itself, I'm very impressed with it. Definitely in the same league as top sharpening systems like the TSProf K03 and Hapstone R2, but the Kazak is even more ingenious when it comes to their accessories. The fact that you can remove the whole clamp bar with a quick release handle while the knife is still clamped on it, is a game changer. Their scissors/chisel/magnetic table and their LED lighting system is absolutely brilliant.

After I have sharpened with the Kazak Pro Black and its light system, I want to have a light system on all my other sharpeners. That's another game changer in my opinion.

As far as symmetry and precision goes, the Kazak Pro Black and TSProf K03 (and Hapstone R2 for that matter) will exceed the accuracy needed for extremely precise sharpening, far more precise than the actual grind symmetry on most knives.
 
Last edited:
777 Edge, many thanks for your very helpful answer! The Kazak clamps with undercut have a radial cut out (I don’t know whether this is the correct term). So they might be more versatile.
They have a video about it on their YouTube channel - unfortunately not in English. So I wasn’t able to understand their explanation.
I have full flat grind knives with spine thickness up to 6mm.
Your statements about the Kazak Pro Black (also in other threads) will probably make me go for it.
The people at Kazak seem to be real engineers - they don’t like writing manuals :)
 
gksg said:
777 Edge, many thanks for your very helpful answer! The Kazak clamps with undercut have a radial cut out (I don’t know whether this is the correct term). So they might be more versatile.
They have a video about it on their YouTube channel - unfortunately not in English. So I wasn’t able to understand their explanation.
I have full flat grind knives with spine thickness up to 6mm.
Your statements about the Kazak Pro Black (also in other threads) will probably make me go for it.
The people at Kazak seem to be real engineers - they don’t like writing manuals :)
Click to expand...
My pleasure, hope it helps.

I've tried other manufacturers cutout clamps with a rounded cutout, or radial cutout like you mention, but I have not found any of them to be very good at clamping. There always seem to be many of my knives that won't clamp wobble free in radial cutout clamps. Again, they can be very specialised, depending on the width of the clamp opening and the cutout depth & radius.

I guess if done correctly, and if the engineering & designer team take most common knife grinds into consideration, Kazak may be able to pull off making good radial cutout clamps.
 
Last edited:
I think I have to learn Russian ;-)
This video seems to show asymmetry of Kazak clamps (and how to fix it):
I have no idea whether something similar could be the case with a TSProf K03.
As soon as I have one of the systems (probably will still go for the Kazak) and clamps I will do extensive measurement series and post my findings.
Unfortunately I will not order the sharpening device from Gritomatic as I am based in Europe and would have to pay around 50% extra for shipping, tax and customs.
But I will buy Gearconnect adapters and clamps from Gritomatic.
 
gksg said:
I think I have to learn Russian ;-)
This video seems to show asymmetry of Kazak clamps (and how to fix it):
I have no idea whether something similar could be the case with a TSProf K03.
As soon as I have one of the systems (probably will still go for the Kazak) and clamps I will do extensive measurement series and post my findings.
Unfortunately I will not order the sharpening device from Gritomatic as I am based in Europe and would have to pay around 50% extra for shipping, tax and customs.
But I will buy Gearconnect adapters and clamps from Gritomatic.
Click to expand...

Interestingly, those clamps in this video actually appear to be KakBritva clamps for the Kazak system, not Kazak clamps.

Seems like he is fine tuning the clamps by filing down a slight bit of the aluminium on the clamps where the clamps make contact with the Kazak Bar. In all honesty, that tiny difference from one side to the other makes 2 bits of no difference in the actual sharpening end result. Generally you'll find inaccurate knife grinds (most knives) and edge center alignment will give more of a difference in angular change that that of most good knife clamps.

What I tend to do for consistency of measurement, is I always clamp my knives with the handle facing right and the clamp adjust screws facing up. Then I measure my sharpening angle in the middle of the blade and middle of the stone in this position every time. I generally don't measure or check the other side at all. When I swap stones and adjust my angle for the new stone again, I go back to the original side I started at, knife handle right, stone in the middle of the blade and middle of the stone. If I want to take a knife to hair whittling sharp, I can do it every time using this clamping and measuring technique so it's definitely accurate enough for exceptional sharpening results.

I personally think it's pointless to chase your tail checking and adjusting both sides every time you flip the knife over. I do however think for consistency it's a good idea to always measure and reference the same side and position.
 
That the clamps are not Kazak clamps explains a lot. Many thanks.

You are absolutely right about inaccurate knife grinds (that’s why I regrind a lot of my knives) and edge center alignment.
I just want to avoid too much of additional asymmetry introduced by the sharpening device or the clamps in addition to the asymmetry I introduce anyway.

I fully agree with all your statements above and I do exactly the same as you for consistency of measurement with all knives I sharpen.
When I have a new device and/or clamps I measure both sides with very planar pieces of metal to check the symmetry and how symmetric I am able to clamp very accurately ground full flat knives (several different ones).

I can’t wait doing this with the Kazak Pro Black (or the TSProf K03 - not finally decided yet) but the Kazak Pro Black with UBR V2 is currently on preorder at Kazak in Europe :-(
and then having even more fun sharpening knives!
 
gksg said:
I think I have to learn Russian ;-)
This video seems to show asymmetry of Kazak clamps (and how to fix it):
I have no idea whether something similar could be the case with a TSProf K03.
As soon as I have one of the systems (probably will still go for the Kazak) and clamps I will do extensive measurement series and post my findings.
Unfortunately I will not order the sharpening device from Gritomatic as I am based in Europe and would have to pay around 50% extra for shipping, tax and customs.
But I will buy Gearconnect adapters and clamps from Gritomatic.
Click to expand...

It all makes me so happy to own a Wicked Edge!

WE130-4a.jpg
 
The guided systems all seem to have their pros and cons. I still like the KME, it's simple, fast, and easy to use. It's rubber, so you're not going to scratch the blade. You have the two etched lines to use as guides, and can set it up the same every time. I put a plastic ruler against it and snap a pic with my phone. That way I can see how deep it's in the clamp and where it's centered right to left. Quick and easy touch ups then. No messing around trying to match the bevel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top