Whats the best sharpener for a noob?

[peter r]

just drop by my shop, i live 10 minutes from you. il help you out.

 

[Noctis3880]

i really like the belt idea, (i use mousepad/paper/strops for current convex) but here's the rub: if these belts are producing enough heat to make sparks (a couple shots in their video shows sparks), then there is the risk of de-tempering the steel. so how hot are your knives after you use this?

Let me know, thanks.

I think that depends on the steel for some odd reason. Even on my P60 belt I never encountered sparks before, yet my 5160 steel katana got sparks from the P220 belt(but not the MX belts), though it never got too hot to hold. So long as you run the blade through fairly quickly per stroke, heat is only an issue with the machine itself(I like to take a 10 minute break between every 2-3 belts).