What sharpening system do you use?

[TheOne45]

Yep, very true but I also find it strange that there are so many knife enthusiasts who spend an absolute fortune on great knives and then only set aside a few peanuts to keep those edges (the most important part of a knife) well maintained.

I would say the costs for sharpening equipment depends on what someone consider as a '' well maintained edge''.

If well maintained edge for lets say a freehand sharpener is highly polished and refined edge and this person thinks that only the best and most expensive bench stones up to #12000 can do such edge and he also wants to add all sorts of lapping films and exotic diamond pastes up to 0.01 microns to the sharpening process….well….it will cost a lots of money at least for my standards.
The same goes for a person who thinks only Grid Viva sharpening system with three decimal accurate angle cube and a set of best Poltava (or whatever highly expensive) stones out there can sharpen the edge on his knives.

But there is a guy who can get a sharp edge on all his knives only with DMT coarse (or DMT fine) and 3 micron strop. So; one diamond plate and a strop for well maintained edge. Compare to those two examples before this is indeed peanuts money but the result (maintained edge) is achieved.
I can also give as example other guy who can get hair whittling edge only with DMT coarse/fine folding diamond sharpener. The same guy can get a scary sharp edge on his kitchen knife only with Norton Crystolon 120 and a strop with brown compound.

Someone with no retentions can get a good guided sharpening system with a set of diamond stones out there for small amount of money. Add to that a strop and not expensive diamond compound and you can put a good edge on your knife.

What am I trying to say; you don't have to invest a lot of money to keep your knife edges well maintained.

 

[Blade Lab]

I would say the costs for sharpening equipment depends on what someone consider as a '' well maintained edge''.

If well maintained edge for lets say a freehand sharpener is highly polished and refined edge and this person thinks that only the best and most expensive bench stones up to #12000 can do such edge and he also wants to add all sorts of lapping films and exotic diamond pastes up to 0.01 microns to the sharpening process….well….it will cost a lots of money at least for my standards.
The same goes for a person who thinks only Grid Viva sharpening system with three decimal accurate angle cube and a set of best Poltava (or whatever highly expensive) stones out there can sharpen the edge on his knives.

But there is a guy who can get a sharp edge on all his knives only with DMT coarse (or DMT fine) and 3 micron strop. So; one diamond plate and a strop for well maintained edge. Compare to those two examples before this is indeed peanuts money but the result (maintained edge) is achieved.
I can also give as example other guy who can get hair whittling edge only with DMT coarse/fine folding diamond sharpener. The same guy can get a scary sharp edge on his kitchen knife only with Norton Crystolon 120 and a strop with brown compound.

Someone with no retentions can get a good guided sharpening system with a set of diamond stones out there for small amount of money. Add to that a strop and not expensive diamond compound and you can put a good edge on your knife.

What am I trying to say; you don't have to invest a lot of money to keep your knife edges well maintained.

The golf pro, Lee Trevino, was famous for winning bets using a Dr. Pepper bottle as a golf club, but most of us weekend warriors need better equipment.

 

[Guy McVer]

I also find it strange that there are so many knife enthusiasts who spend an absolute fortune on great knives and then only set aside a few peanuts to keep those edges (the most important part of a knife) well maintained.

It's a misconception that you need to spend a lot of money on sharpening gear.

 

[TheOne45]

but most of us weekend warriors need better equipment

Nothing wrong with that.
It's our hobby and you don't count beans when hobby is in question... well.. if you don't have to.
But, on the other hand we around here also say "if beer price goes up, you compensate with less milk for children".

 

[Swp321]

I use a few shaptons kuromakus and always end up with a blistering edge, if you want something guided you can’t go wrong the the work sharp pro, its bullet and guide proof. Enjoy the rabbit hole!!

 

[Blade Lab]

It's a misconception that you need to spend a lot of money on sharpening gear.

Agreed, but it's also a misconception that you need to spend a lot of money on knives, right? If you really just need a knife, there's no real reason to spend more than $30-50.

I think most of us here collect knives as a hobby, and for a subset of us, collecting sharpening gear is part of the fun. For me, pursuit of the "ultimate edge" is a form of entertainment, and also a side business that helps defray some of the cost of the toys.

 

[Tensaw]

Several years ago, I took up handgun shooting as a hobby. To support it, I started reloading my own rounds. I quickly learned that I actually took up two hobbys and I enjoyed reloading almost as much shooting. For me, knife collecting and sharpening is a similar situation. My general opinion on hobbies is that if you stress over the money spent, then maybe you need to find another interest.

 

[Rover-Friskey]

After trying different stones and stone sets, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener, etc., I have settled on a Smith's 50264 Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener because it is very easy to use and does a good job. Practically no learning curve. Works on dull knives and the ceramic stone slot works good for honing sharp knives. It is inexpensive, requires no assembly, and quick and easy to use and store.

 

[Another Shepherd]

After trying different stones and stone sets, the Work Sharp Precision Adjust Knife Sharpener, etc., I have settled on a Smith's 50264 Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener because it is very easy to use and does a good job. Practically no learning curve. Works on dull knives and the ceramic stone slot works good for honing sharp knives. It is inexpensive, requires no assembly, and quick and easy to use and store.

Smith's 50264 Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener appears to be one of the worst of a bad lot:
"However, your knife won’t ever be the same after sharpening. The blade will lose a considerable amount of material, and the edge will no longer be straight."

https://healthykitchen101.com/knife-sharpeners/reviews/smiths/smiths-50264-manual/

On manual pull-through sharpeners more generally, watch the first couple minutes of "Knife Sharpeners Tier List" by Pete at Cedric & Ada on Youtube:
"The bottom tier, the literal ass of the class, is the carbide pull-through sharpeners. These are not recommended in any sense. These are for, at best, very disposable knives that you just want to get an edge back on until you can get to the shop and buy another one."

 

[Grizzly3]

I use diamond plates from Ultra Sharp. 300,600,1200 and 3000. Also a DMT extra course black. I also have the Spyderco ceramic stones in med, fine and exfine. I rarely use the Arkansas stones or the old Loray or Lansky kits anymore. I also have leather strops and compounds. I haven't spent much time with the diamond pasts yet for the K390 but use the green compound at times. I need to get some fine for the polish on one of the Khukuri. Maybe someday.. What I have works just fine.

 

[Rover-Friskey]

Smith's 50264 Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener appears to be one of the worst of a bad lot:
"However, your knife won’t ever be the same after sharpening. The blade will lose a considerable amount of material, and the edge will no longer be straight."

https://healthykitchen101.com/knife-sharpeners/reviews/smiths/smiths-50264-manual/

On manual pull-through sharpeners more generally, watch the first couple minutes of "Knife Sharpeners Tier List" by Pete at Cedric & Ada on Youtube:
"The bottom tier, the literal ass of the class, is the carbide pull-through sharpeners. These are not recommended in any sense. These are for, at best, very disposable knives that you just want to get an edge back on until you can get to the shop and buy another one."

Another Shepherd,
Thanks for your comment. I should have prefaced my comment with the fact that I only collect and sharpen traditional slip joint folding knives [Case, Boker, Rough Ryder, etc.) and was only offering my opinion based on my experience. My experience has been that the Lansky Deluxe 5 stone sharpening system and the Worksharp precision adjust knife sharpener are not good choices for the smallish blade typically found on a slipjoint and that using a stone freehand is very difficult to master. Were it easy there would likely not be so many alternative methods!
I looked at the healthy kitchen101 site. I should have also specified that the user not be a madman. I can see no situation where I would want to take a quality slipjoint blade and subject it to the carbide abuse shown on the video. I could get no sound from the video but i would imagine that unless you are deaf the noise alone should make you think twice about such sadistic treatment of a fine blade. As for the comment "However, your knife won’t ever be the same after sharpening" I would say that the hood of his car would not be the same after he beat it with a sledge hammer for a few minutes. To paraphrase Marley to Scrooge in Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol, "What evidence would you have of reality beyond that of your own senses?" His use of the sharpener can be compared to someone finding a nice new chainsaw under the Christmas tree and then using it to try to carve the Christmas dinner turkey.
As for the other video, Cedric [or was it Ada?] exhibited nothing that would cause me to consider him as an expert in any way, shape, or form and I would be extremely hesitant to put him forth as an authority. Besides that not one of the sharpeners he gave his opinion on were the Smith's 50264 Adjustable Angle Knife Sharpener. This device has both carbide and fine ceramic sharpeners, the angle of both being adjustable, and in the hands of a competent user produces very good results.
I will close by again thanking you for your comment.
Billy

 

[Grizzly3]

Back in the 1980s I just about wore out a Buck 110 on Arkansas stones trying to get free hand down pat. Using a slip joint Old Timer at work for maybe 18 years and those same Arkansas stones, you eventually get the hang of free hand and in time it comes naturally. I wasn't all that happy with the Lansky kits, both std and then diamond, but they were handy for some knives and also arrowheads. Eventually I sprung for the diamond plates and they do all I could want. I'm not into splitting hairs or whittling hairs, though I may buy some more diamond pasts just to give it a try, but for the kitchen and pocket knives, these plates and free hand as so, so relaxing. No tinkering with all the angles and set up, but I do understand the desire to achieve some level of perfection and an ultimate edge.

 

[Reconmarui]

A KME when I want to be precise
A worksharp field sharpener when I'm in the field
A worksharp guided bench sharpener when I want to practice sore of freehand sharpening.

 

[Kryme]

I reprofile each blade on KME using diamond plates, then maintain on some chinese pink "ruby" ceramic stone. Rarely get my knives dull enough to warrant a second run on the KME. I also carry a Falkniven DC4 in my backpack, it was also my one and main sharpener for a long time before I bought a DMT Aligner system.

 

[Monel]

No, the Ermak 10 does not have a design which automatically keeps the angle constant.

The big advantage which the NOWI and Bogdan Systems is that you hit the same angle every time when the angle is measured the same as the last time you sharpened the blade.

With other systems, it is very important to put the knife in the same position in the system every time to hit the exact same grinding angle.That is very complicated and inconvenient.

I understand that the NOWI actually does maintain a constant bevel angle no matter the shape of the blade and that positioning a knife in the jig for a repeat sharpening is no issue and you can easily duplicate the old bevel. All well and good enough.

How do you like using it? How does it feel?

It seems to me that one might be constantly fighting the jig while moving the knife. In other words, if my natural motion is imperfect and my hand wobbles or wrist bends, thereby changing the angle of the knife, the jig is going to be trying to hold the angle, so, since I am imperfect and move around, will I always be fighting the jig?

The videos make it look like a very natural motion but I'm trying to get some insight into it before shelling out the money for it.

How much resistance do you feel while moving the knife around? Is it a natural movement?

Does it take much effort to raise and lower the knife?

How much play do the long pantograph-ish arms of the jig contribute to the blade position? Is it solid?

Lastly, do you have any input on the Home vs Pro version of the NOWI?

Best regards,

Monel

 

[Titanium]

M Monel

I understand that the NOWI actually does maintain a constant bevel angle no matter the shape of the blade and that positioning a knife in the jig for a repeat sharpening is no issue and you can easily duplicate the old bevel. All well and good enough.

How do you like using it? How does it feel?

I really like it.
It is well build, and the parts are of high quality and precision.
It feels like a natural movement to use it.

It seems to me that one might be constantly fighting the jig while moving the knife. In other words, if my natural motion is imperfect and my hand wobbles or wrist bends, thereby changing the angle of the knife, the jig is going to be trying to hold the angle, so, since I am imperfect and move around, will I always be fighting the jig?

There is no fighting it.
It is a guiding system which guides you how to move the knife, but it is not forcing the user in any way.

The videos make it look like a very natural motion but I'm trying to get some insight into it before shelling out the money for it.

How much resistance do you feel while moving the knife around? Is it a natural movement?

I don't feel any resistance, and it feels like a natural movement.

Does it take much effort to raise and lower the knife?

No, you just feel the weight of the knife and the small weight of the jig with the angle adjustment and the vertical moving rod.

How much play do the long pantograph-ish arms of the jig contribute to the blade position? Is it solid?

It feels solid to me and I feel no play in the joints of the arms.

Lastly, do you have any input on the Home vs Pro version of the NOWI?

I have the Pro version as when I bought it the Home version was not available.
If you are planing on to go with only one edge angle, I would recommend the fixed angle rods, but you will not have the ability to set a secondary bevel.
As far as I know, you can get the adjustable angle jig for the Home version too, but it is really pricey.
For bigger knifes, I would go with the Pro version and the case.

If you are not sure about it, ask them if you can send it back if you really don't like it.
They should offer this to you as you have no other way to try it.
If they think their product is as good as they say, they should have no problem with this.

Best regards,

Monel

I hope this helps.

I think it would be a good idea for them to organize a pasaround in the US so people can try it out.

 

[Monel]

M Monel

I really like it.
It is well build, and the parts are of high quality and precision.
It feels like a natural movement to use it.

There is no fighting it.
It is a guiding system which guides you how to move the knife, but it is not forcing the user in any way.

I don't feel any resistance, and it feels like a natural movement.

No, you just feel the weight of the knife and the small weight of the jig with the angle adjustment and the vertical moving rod.

It feels solid to me and I feel no play in the joints of the arms.

I have the Pro version as when I bought it the Home version was not available.
If you are planing on to go with only one edge angle, I would recommend the fixed angle rods, but you will not have the ability to set a secondary bevel.
As far as I know, you can get the adjustable angle jig for the Home version too, but it is really pricey.
For bigger knifes, I would go with the Pro version and the case.

If you are not sure about it, ask them if you can send it back if you really don't like it.
They should offer this to you as you have no other way to try it.
If they think their product is as good as they say, they should have no problem with this.


I hope this helps.

I think it would be a good idea for them to organize a pasaround in the US so people can try it out.

Thanks for your reply Titanium.

I think I will get in touch with Dictum about their return policy or maybe organizing a USA pass around. I'm really intrigued by this system.

A couple more questions if you don't mind, mostly about the clamping system and its versatility. It looks like it works great with long wide Chef's knifes. How flexible is the clamping system? Would it work on say, the small blade of a Swiss Army Knife? A full convex grind (ala Bark River)? How about a locking folder with a prominent thumb stud? I'm presuming that any sort of recurve is a non-starter with this system on the flat stones, eh? What about a substantial distal taper? Most rod guided systems have evolved numerous clamps, most self-centering, to sharpen any blade shape or size.

I recall seeing a video of Bogdan Manko with his sytem that had some sort of self-centering clamp that he could mount on his jig. Ever seen something like this for the NOWI?

Monel
Anchorage, AK

 

[Titanium]

Thanks for your reply Titanium.

I think I will get in touch with Dictum about their return policy or maybe organizing a USA pass around. I'm really intrigued by this system.

Would be great if they can make it possible.
It may be an option to get the system with a discount if you offer to have it first in a pass around in the USA.

A couple more questions if you don't mind, mostly about the clamping system and its versatility. It looks like it works great with long wide Chef's knifes. How flexible is the clamping system?

I have only used the magnetic blade holders.
I do have the clamp, but the magnetic holder seams much easier to use for me.
I only sharpened small fixed blades on the system.

Would it work on say, the small blade of a Swiss Army Knife?

It depends on the size of the blade.The small magnetic holder can hold pretty small blades.
The area for the blade is only 12mm wide an if the blade is wider it will work with that holder.
If the blade is smaller the clamp can work.

A full convex grind (ala Bark River)?

As long as there is a flat area on the blade, the magnetic holders will work fine.
Otherwise, there is the option to use the clamp.

How about a locking folder with a prominent thumb stud?

As long as there is enough free area on the blade beside the thumb stud, the magnetic holders will work fine.
Otherwise, there is the option to use the clamp.

I'm presuming that any sort of recurve is a non-starter with this system on the flat stones, eh?

Recurve will not work on flat stones as with any system with wider flat stones.

What about a substantial distal taper?

Don't know about that.
I will depend if there is enough free flat area on the blade which is in the optimum case parallel to the edge.

Most rod guided systems have evolved numerous clamps, most self-centering, to sharpen any blade shape or size.
I recall seeing a video of Bogdan Manko with his sytem that had some sort of self-centering clamp that he could mount on his jig. Ever seen something like this for the NOWI?

There is no self-centering clamp for the Nowi available.

Monel
Anchorage, AK