Wicked edge inbound

Bobby3326

Bobby3326

Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
2,239
Super stocked to finally have the wicked edge on the way, and I think I got a fairly decent deal. Its slightly used but comes with the base, 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000, 1200/1600 ceramic, blank/platen w/lapping films, and a strop that needs replaced for $350. Im going to either order the upgraded arms or the gen 3 clamp with arms and new strops for it.,(should I get the leather or balsa? Thinking about getting the 14/10 , 5/3, & 1/.5 micron leather ones) and an angle cube..and I'll be right around the price of the pro 2 pack.


Anything else I should look at getting?
 
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Congrats! What lapping films are you getting? You might want to look at the diamond films instead of the leather strops... I don't have any, but they've been showing some good results over on the WE forum. (Check this thread).
 
cbwx34 said:
Congrats! What lapping films are you getting? You might want to look at the diamond films instead of the leather strops... I don't have any, but they've been showing some good results over on the WE forum. (Check this thread).
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That I honestly don't know, the ad didn't mention the micron...but were a stack of pinkish strips next to the platten paddles.
 
Ok so got it in today, other than an initial issue everything seems in good shape except the strops it's chewed up pretty good. The lapping films are the 1 micron.


So here what I have, 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000, 1200/1600 ceramic, blank aluminum platten paddle for lapping films.

So would 14/10um balsa, 5/3.5um balsa, and 1/.5um leather be a good route to go or is the 14/10 really not necessary? I'll eventually look into more lapping films but wanted to get the strops first.


Also I'm on the fence about whether to get just the upgrade kit with ball joint arms or the gen 3 clamp w/arms. I definitely want one or the other for fine angle adjustments.

Right now I'm sitting at $325 after a partial refund for an issue. So with strops if I get all 3 that's + $ 150 roughly and + either $150 or $250 depending on which way I go for arms/clamp upgrade...So that's either $625 or $725 total investment. Not too bad I think.
 
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If you're looking to mirror polish edges... the 14/10 strops will help with that. Even though they're rated more coarse than the ceramics, they improve on the polish. If you're just looking for sharp knives, you can skip them.

I don't have the Gen. 3 clamp... I think the answer depends on what you're sharpening. From reading, it seems to help with FFG that also taper heel to tip, and it appears faster to clamp a blade. But there is a 3/16" maximum width. The upgraded arms are a definite improvement IMO.
 
cbwx34 said:
If you're looking to mirror polish edges... the 14/10 strops will help with that. Even though they're rated more coarse than the ceramics, they improve on the polish. If you're just looking for sharp knives, you can skip them.

I don't have the Gen. 3 clamp... I think the answer depends on what you're sharpening. From reading, it seems to help with FFG that also taper heel to tip, and it appears faster to clamp a blade. But there is a 3/16" maximum width. The upgraded arms are a definite improvement IMO.
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3/16 is about the thickest blade I own since selling my bk2. I mainly got it for pocket knives and expensive knifes I don't feel comfortable using on the wskt blade grinder. I've been doing em by hand up until now. Was thinking the gen 3 clamp will be allot faster setup, and given its $150 for the arm upgrade, or $250 for the arm/gen 3 clamp upgrade it seemed to make sense, bc if I wait and just get the arms and decide later I want the gen 3 it'll be $200.
 
Bobby3326 said:
3/16 is about the thickest blade I own since selling my bk2. I mainly got it for pocket knives and expensive knifes I don't feel comfortable using on the wskt blade grinder. I've been doing em by hand up until now. Was thinking the gen 3 clamp will be allot faster setup, and given its $150 for the arm upgrade, or $250 for the arm/gen 3 clamp upgrade it seemed to make sense, bc if I wait and just get the arms and decide later I want the gen 3 it'll be $200.
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I noticed that about the price. One thing you might want to find out though, is if you get the arm/gen 3 clamp upgrade... does that arm upgrade also work with the original clamp? I noticed that the arm upgrade for the original also comes with a riser block. I'm also not sure if the angle markings are the same (although you could just use an angle gauge to set them), but since just the Gen 3 upgrade comes with an angle bar... I'm guessing they're different.

Of course, if you don't think you'd use the original anymore... guess it wouldn't matter, but you might want to check, just in case.
 
Good point , I did notice that as well...I'd guess i could also likely purchase the gen 2 bar and riser separately if i called em...dunno what the price for those pieces alone would be thou..idk I call and discuss it with em on Monday and see what the most cost efficient way would be to have all options available. I just like the idea of simple clamping and the ability to do ffg without messing around with taping the blade to even it out.
 
Bobby, you don't need all those strops. I would get one set of semi fine strops, maybe 3-.5um range, and put the rest of the money elsewhere. If you are taking your edges to 1um this will be a very high mirror polish, the strops will serve to just clean up the very apex for that last bit of sharpness/burr removal.

Curtis has a good point... the gen 3 vise is a lot taller. I find that when I switch back to the older vise it's too short, even w/ one riser block. No big deal, but I am going to make a second riser block w/ some g10 or something to make it a little higher. But while the gen 3 vise is quicker (maybe 3 seconds to lock in) the gen 2 isn't slow after you get used to it, maybe 15-20 secs. Not a big deal if you aren't commercial sharpening.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
Bobby, you don't need all those strops. I would get one set of semi fine strops, maybe 3-.5um range, and put the rest of the money elsewhere. If you are taking your edges to 1um this will be a very high mirror polish, the strops will serve to just clean up the very apex for that last bit of sharpness/burr removal.

Curtis has a good point... the gen 3 vise is a lot taller. I find that when I switch back to the older vise it's too short, even w/ one riser block. No big deal, but I am going to make a second riser block w/ some g10 or something to make it a little higher. But while the gen 3 vise is quicker (maybe 3 seconds to lock in) the gen 2 isn't slow after you get used to it, maybe 15-20 secs. Not a big deal if you aren't commercial sharpening.
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What about not so much a mirror edge but for maintaining the edge or for toothy edge? Was thinking the 14/10um balsa would be a good starting point for bringing the edge back after use..or to deburr following the 600-800 grit diamond.
 
Bobby3326 said:
What about not so much a mirror edge but for maintaining the edge or for toothy edge? Was thinking the 14/10um balsa would be a good starting point for bringing the edge back after use..or to deburr following the 600-800 grit diamond.
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The 14/10 won't give you a toothy edge but will round the teeth off in my experience on leather... it may work better on a hard substrate like wood or paper wrapped around hard wood like heavyhanded recommends. If you want a toothier edge for maintenance then I would simply reprofile to something like 15 dps or so at 600 grit, then microbevel at 20 dps w/ the 800 grit (only 5 passes or so alternating sides, edge leading) for a microbevel. Then whenever you need to maintain just throw it in the vise real quick, set to 20 dps, and a few passes at 800 will bring it back perfect. You shouldn't need a strop to deburr anything... you can deburr directly from the stones themselves.
 
Bobby3326 said:
I just like the idea of simple clamping and the ability to do ffg without messing around with taping the blade to even it out.
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The Gen 3 clamp does not hold my FFG blades vertical. I still have to mess around with tape. If your main reason for wanting the Gen 3 clamp is for ffg blades, then I would look for some other experiences/opinions before laying out the extra cash.

Also the incredible force generated by the clamp has damaged the coating on my Izula, even when taped.

I'm thinking about investing in the Tormek jig for FFG to see if that helps, but I have to say I'm disappointed in the Gen 3.
 
Congrats on you Wicked Edge. I got the Field and Sport model last summer (I sharpen on the road a lot) and I couldn't be happier. Love it!

But I don't have strops. Your thread has made my curious about their results. I can't wait to hear about how it goes for you.

Post pics too!
 
aquaman67 said:
Congrats on you Wicked Edge. I got the Field and Sport model last summer (I sharpen on the road a lot) and I couldn't be happier. Love it!

But I don't have strops. Your thread has made my curious about their results. I can't wait to hear about how it goes for you.

Post pics too!
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That's what I originally planned to get...the upgrade field version with gen 3 clamp just for the portability..but I couldn't resist the price on this one with the extras.


I'll update once I figure out what all I want to get...I'll likely eventually get most the optional stones and strops..minus the chosera stones...
 
So is it normal for the strops to plaster the edge in compound? I did what the tip said and sprayed a mist of alcohol on em before rubbing em together...but half the paste looks like it came off on the first knife using em...I don't typically use smooth leather on strops with compound.
 
Bobby, I have not had compound come off on my knives. I do strop really (REALLY) lightly- about as lightly as I can. I have never used alcohol on them. Did you rub the compound well into the strops with your fingers?
 
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Bobby3326 said:
So is it normal for the strops to plaster the edge in compound? I did what the tip said and sprayed a mist of alcohol on em before rubbing em together...but half the paste looks like it came off on the first knife using em...I don't typically use smooth leather on strops with compound.
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Yeah that's completely normal. However, you may have put too much on. You only need a tad of the WE paste on the leather strops, enough to rub a thin layer over the entire strop w/ your finger. But yeah even then a lot will come off on your first few knives, it's no problem just clean it off of the knife edges w/ rubbing alcohol or windex or something.
 
wvdavidr said:
Bobby, I have not had compound come off on my knives. I do strop really (REALLY) lightly- about as lightly as I can. I have never used alcohol on them. Did you rub the compound well into the strops with your fingers?
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I did what the instructions said and misted em with alcohol and rubbed em together originally...I tried rubbing it in once I was done and the mist dried...guess I'll see next time I get it out...it only happened on the leather and not the Balsa...but I feel like 80% of the paste ended up on the edge lol
 
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