What sharpening system do you use?

nigol said:
I have finally given up on freehand sharpening. I do ok but never seem to achieve symmetry. I am leaning toward sharpmaker or precision adjust. Thoughts please?
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If you use the methods mentioned you may as well learn to hand sharpen. Take lessons
 
Tormek T-8, Wicked Edge Gen3 Pro, Worksharp KO Blade Grinder(2), Worksharp PA, Several Whetstones. Also have a Rikon 1x30 and a WEN Wet/Dry that I rarely use. They all have their Pros/Cons and excel in certain areas vs. the others. Bang for your buck and for sharpening just your own personal knives I would give the nod to the Worksharp Blade Grinder. Personal favorite would be the Tormek. Sharpness is rather subjective, but a knife with an extremely clean apex is something that I really enjoy.
 
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I like the Worksharp Ken Onion edition, which is this.
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Once you get good at not angling the knife up too much near the tip, it’s easy to get good results. Not perfect, but just as good, if not better, than I can get after 30 minutes on my WE. Super steels eat through belts, that’s the downside.
But I feel the edge a few times during sharpening and it never feels hot, (I run it at low-medium speed) so this is what I’m gonna stick to.
When I use my wicked edge in say, a Bowie like the Eklipse, the bevel gets wider where it curves towards the tip, and it looks weird.
Next time I sharpen it I am not going so high up in grit with the belts. I hear 20CV does better with a coarse edge, and this is practically a mirror. Sharp as hell, but it could use more “bite”, so it will be even easier to sharpen, because I’ll only need 2 or 3 different belts.
 
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I have tried many, and at this point am using two systems, depending on the knife.
The Worksharp Ken Onion Edition, with the blade grinder attachment. There was a learning curve here since you are essentially freehand sharpening on a powered belt. Its really easy to mess up acute tips, and I still do occasionally.
Also, the Work Sharp precision adjust. The original model. Makes it very easy to get consistent angles and results. Most knives work great on the precision adjust.
 
Modernflame said:
It's about finding the sweet spot. Most of this can be resolved by canting the knife forward. Here is a Sebenza.

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Nice, it looks like you have a better setup than I do. Mine is a 130 IIRC, and I wanted to get the upgraded clamp to make it better, but the KO worksharp is so quick and easy, it’s hard to justify using anything else. I figure if I’m going to carry/use a knife it’s not going to stay 100% perfect anyway, and also this system saves me a LOT of time, which is convenient too.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Nice, it looks like you have a better setup than I do. Mine is a 130 IIRC, and I wanted to get the upgraded clamp to make it better, but the KO worksharp is so quick and easy, it’s hard to justify using anything else. I figure if I’m going to carry/use a knife it’s not going to stay 100% perfect anyway, and also this system saves me a LOT of time, which is convenient too.
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You're a better man than I am. My stuff would be all crooked and janky. I had a Tornek T8, but sent it to a better home because I couldn't climb the learning curve. I decided that power sharpeners, like bench stones, are best left in better hands. I'm all about the slow roll these days.
 
I use natural Japanese waterstones to maintain my Japanese planes and chisels. For knives I use a Lansky with 3 diamond hones. Using a vise to hold the guide I can put a wicked edge on a knife in a just a few minutes.

I found the Sharpmaker to be useless - I can get a better edge on the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.
 
Modernflame said:
You're a better man than I am. My stuff would be all crooked and janky. I had a Tornek T8, but sent it to a better home because I couldn't climb the learning curve. I decided that power sharpeners, like bench stones, are best left in better hands. I'm all about the slow roll these days.
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LOL Just a lot of practice. I’ve messed up my share of knives, luckily most were cheaper kershaws. I wouldn’t recommend starting out on a $400 knife, but after 5 or 10 screw-ups you get the hang
 
nigol said:
I have finally given up on freehand sharpening. I do ok but never seem to achieve symmetry. I am leaning toward sharpmaker or precision adjust. Thoughts please?
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Have a look at the systems Gritomatic (They're in Georgia, USA) has to offer:

www.gritomatic.com

Gritomatic - High precision knife sharpeners and sharpening supplies

Gritomatic offers best knife sharpeners, natural and synthetic sharpening stones, and compounds. We help you make the right choice for your knife.
www.gritomatic.com www.gritomatic.com

Click on the "Sharpening Systems" tab and look at the Hapstone R2, Hapstone RS, TSProf K03, TSProf Kadet and Kazak systems.

You can't beat any of those. They are some of the very best systems available on the market.
 
I have the work sharp and it's OK, but since I started using the 8" Paper wheels I have not returned to the work sharp... It is very fast to get a good working edge... You won't be getting any polished edges on it but it works very well...
 
nigol said:
I have finally given up on freehand sharpening. I do ok but never seem to achieve symmetry. I am leaning toward sharpmaker or precision adjust. Thoughts please?
Click to expand...
Sharpmaker is great but you're stuck with either 20 or 15 degrees per side. Stick with freehand if you can. It takes time to get good at it.

Little trick to sharpening freehand is to simply lay the bevel on the stone and adjust the angle until the gap disappears. This works especially well for sharpening scissors or chisel ground knives.

edit: please don't follow this advice if you don't know anything about edge geometry or what a secondary bevel or a micro bevel is. I assume that most people on bladeforums will already know that stuff, but I think I should say it anyway. Naturally you still need to have some conceptual awareness of what it is that you're doing so that you know when it's a bad idea or when/why it won't work.
 
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Started on a Lansky, then a Sharpmaker for the longest, have tried a Worksharp PA, next I made some fixed angle jigs for fullsize benchstones so I could sharpen like I did on the Sharpmaker just with more abrasive type choices, but lately I've been practicing freehand. Getting pretty decent at freehand, though I don't trust myself yet to reprofile freehanded. If I stick to the angle currently on a knife I can freehand it just fine. Definitely the most challenging but also the most satisfying.

If you just want a sharp edge without too much skill required, the Worksharp Precision Adjust might be up your alley. Very reasonably priced and comes with diamond stones already so it'll sharpen basically anything out there.
 
My main sharpening is done on a Tormek T-8, with honing on a Work Sharp Elite with leather belts. Also have a Hapstone R1, 10" paper wheels, and a bunch of bench stones. I like the Tormek for its combination of speed and precision, with no heat.
 
Guy McVer said:
Sharpmaker is great but you're stuck with either 20 or 15 degrees per side. Stick with freehand if you can. It takes time to get good at it.

Little trick to sharpening freehand is to simply lay the bevel on the stone and adjust the angle until the gap disappears. This works especially well for sharpening scissors or chisel ground knives.

edit: please don't follow this advice if you don't know anything about edge geometry or what a secondary bevel or a micro bevel is. I assume that most people on bladeforums will already know that stuff, but I think I should say it anyway. Naturally you still need to have some conceptual awareness of what it is that you're doing so that you kn when it's a bad idea or when/why it won't work.
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Thank you!
 
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