What sharpening system should I buy to get into sharpening

I’ve had the same 3 stone Lansky since the ‘60s.
There are a couple of really good YouTube vids. that will accelerate your understanding how it works.
The Lansky system will put you in the upper middle class edge wise.
Short money too.
 
Will1217 said:
Hello all, throughout the last year or so I have built up a collection of upwards of a dozen knives which are all carried and used. Obviously with daily carry they start to become dull, and I am quite uninterested in sending my knives back for a "spa service" constantly that leads me to be knifeless for over a month at a time. I am looking to get into sharpening my own knives (something I have no experience with), and I do not know what sharpening system I should buy. What's the difference between me spending $300 on a work sharp precision adjust versus upwards of $1,000 on a wicked edge. I would have to assume the main difference in price is the number of sharpening stones that come with each brands system, but I do not know what grit stones I would need. I am sure, like anything else, there are the basics to sharpening and the complicated parts to sharpening but I want to buy something that will allow me to learn and progress when sharpening my knives, for an example I would like to put a basic edge on some of my cheaper knives I consider work knives but I am also very interested in learning how to put mirror edges on my more expensive/fancy knives. Any input from the sharpening pros out there would be very much appreciated! thanks blade forums.
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What system did you end up with? How goes the learning curve?
 
I recently bought the worksharp pro and really like it to do rebevels which is actually not very often. The thing I really use a lot is my old crock sticks. Can keep a sharp knife sharp basically forever with just that using it daily or nearly daily anyways. It can even bring back an edge that is fairly bad.
 
scorpnsnake said:
What system did you end up with? How goes the learning curve?
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Once the kind gentleman offered to give me a Lansky sharpening system as a gift it reminded me that my grandfather gave me one many moons ago. When I went to retrieve it, I could only find bits and pieces of it in the case which ultimately led me to not buying a sharpener but instead buying another knife. So, in short, I did not begin my "sharpening journey" just yet, although I am pretty sure Santa Clause is going to drop off a work sharp precision adjust for Christmas since many people recommended it as a good place to start.
 
Back in the day I used the DMT Quick Edge Diamond kit (it worked well for normal sized EDC knives) and then eventually tried out the Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker (it worked very well for larger/most knives and it was far better than the DMT kit).

Then I got into whetstones and I haven't looked back... I'm currently using Japanese Kuromaku whetstones and they will sharpen anything and will put mirror edges on knives/swords/axes/spears, etc... Eventually getting into whetstones will also teach you a lot about edge geometry and that sharpening is ultimately about creating/removing a burr and polishing the edge afterwards (on a microscopic scale). Don't forget to get a quality leather strop to finish off each knife, or just use it to touch up blades as they need a little attention.

Anyway, for your first system you should definitely go with something guided (and cheaper) and figure out what you want to do from there once you get comfortable sharpening your own knives.
 
I started with a Lansky kit and later got an Edge Pro Pro model. Your head will spin today with all of the options out there. I would suggest getting something modest that you can build on and make sure you like it before you dive into a very expensive one. They do seem to have pros and cons that you can use the search function to read all the details
 
I ended up with a spyderco sharpmaker for now. Got it down good on the kitchen knives, diamond rods necessary, as dull as they were. If time were ever mine, things would be further along. Now if I ever buy a knife with a 15 or 20 degree edge, I'm set. lol

So much to learn. :)
 
scorpnsnake said:
I ended up with a spyderco sharpmaker for now. Got it down good on the kitchen knives, diamond rods necessary, as dull as they were. If time were ever mine, things would be further along. Now if I ever buy a knife with a 15 or 20 degree edge, I'm set. lol

So much to learn. :)
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Here's a helpful little trick that I discovered about using the Sharpmaker: I recommend keeping a small spirit level with your Sharpmaker. The spirit level makes sure that the Sharpmaker base is always sitting on a level surface. If you set it down on a surface that isn't level and you're not paying attention, then it could throw off your angles a little bit. You might be surprised how many flat surfaces that you'd think are level are actually off by a bit, or are slightly uneven in certain spots but fine in other spots.
 
Guy McVer said:
Here's a helpful little trick that I discovered about using the Sharpmaker: I recommend keeping a small spirit level with your Sharpmaker. The spirit level makes sure that the Sharpmaker base is always sitting on a level surface. If you set it down on a surface that isn't level and you're not paying attention, then it could throw off your angles a little bit. You might be surprised how many flat surfaces that you'd think are level are actually off by a bit, or are slightly uneven in certain spots but fine in other spots.
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Thanks man! That does sound extremely helpful.
 
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