Wicked Edge Knife Sharpener

[leomitch]

I made up my mind.I'm going to be purchasing one of these.

I have a question about the bases.Is the granite base worth the extra sixty bucks?Does it "move around/shake" on the wooden base,or is it almost as sturdy as the granite?

I started by using an old butcher-block cutting board that happened to be the right size...but it does move around and I am tired of it because I can't get the two handed strokes with any kind of smooth delivery, so I am getting one of the 25 pound granite bases. So to answer your question...on my wooden base , it moves around. I can't speak for other bases but I am sure the granite base does not move.

Good luck
Leo

 

[TheBishop]

That's a good idea.Thanks:thumbup:

I plan on getting the basic plus the fine stones,strops & diamond paste in one shot.seen a good deal.

No Prob. Just match the thread, and with the 1/2" feet, you have enough play room to washer the screws from the bottom, I used rubber ones that had some meat. A 16" plate is pretty heavy, and those feet on anything do not let the base move. I was thinking about trying them on a round, thick wooden base, the kind where they glue 1" strips together to get the size, (around $7) if the tile didn't work. I brought it back as didn't need it, but I bet it would work, they were the same thickness as the granite bases and the same screws would work.

Don't want to add to your bill, but I do like the ceramics as they get it to 1200 and start a nice polish and you can go both ways, not just forward like the strops, almost lets you bypass the first set of strops (I use them now though to round out convex, perfect ones to get it done).

My trigger finger is on the diamond sprays, but it would only be for my collection, not use, knives really. But damn the finger is itchy.

 

[Emerald]

New here. I own an EdgePro Apex model and, from what I can see this Wicked Edge machine is built better than the EdgePro. I really like mine but I would prefer that the knife be held stationary and that the proper angle not be dependent on where you are over the table (2" wide).

This machine holds the proper angle regardless of how far you're reaching. Because you need to move the knife on the EdgePro you are prone to scratching the spine area of the knife unless you're super vigilant about wiping it down all of the time. So, I tape my knives so they're not scratched. I'd suggest it with this machine too. Any movment whatsoever will cause some scratching.

As for a base, go buy a 1x1 granite tile and use silicone to afix the unit. Then make your own feet with Silicone (actually do this first). Put it on thick then turn it over onto some wax paper to cure. $15 bucks is a lot better than $70. Use a few little wood blocks to prevent it from compressing the silicone too far. Make sure you have some dabs in the middle for support. They will come out dead flat and the unit will not move while you work.

The only question I have is whether this thing is portable? Does it breakdown and have a case? If not I'd give a small edge to the EdgePro. It may not be as well built but I need it portable more than I need the build quality. At home I've got numerous quality methods of putting a razor sharp edge on my tools.

One other thing, I'd prefer water stones. Diamonds are, in general, too agressive and they wear out more quickly than Water Stones. The good news is that you can adjust by moving to a higher grit. To replace any of them is quite expensive (between $45 and $60 per two blocks). Too bad you can't just buy the stones and re-afix them to the blank. That would be far cheaper. I really like the strop blank. That one (using the paste, which you can buy everywhere) is a really great idea. I'd still buy a Ceramic rod to use as a steel (you can buy that from EdgePro with a plastic tube cover - really convenient). It realigns your edge and will make your edges last far longer, thus removing metal less frequently.

Overall I'd give this machine 5 stars and label it as the best manual sharpener on the market. The value is excellent as well. The only negative is it's portability.

Nice purchase!

 

[leomitch]

New here. I own an EdgePro Apex model and, from what I can see this Wicked Edge machine is built better than the EdgePro. I really like mine but I would prefer that the knife be held stationary and that the proper angle not be dependent on where you are over the table (2" wide).

This machine holds the proper angle regardless of how far you're reaching. Because you need to move the knife on the EdgePro you are prone to scratching the spine area of the knife unless you're super vigilant about wiping it down all of the time. So, I tape my knives so they're not scratched. I'd suggest it with this machine too. Any movment whatsoever will cause some scratching.

As for a base, go buy a 1x1 granite tile and use silicone to afix the unit. Then make your own feet with Silicone (actually do this first). Put it on thick then turn it over onto some wax paper to cure. $15 bucks is a lot better than $70. Use a few little wood blocks to prevent it from compressing the silicone too far. Make sure you have some dabs in the middle for support.

The only question I have is whether this thing is portable? Does it breakdown and have a case? If not I'd give a small edge to the EdgePro. It may not be as well built but I need it portable more than I need the build quality. At home I've got nmerous quality methods of putting a razor sharp edge on my tools.

One other thing, I'd prefer water stones. Diamonds are, in general, too agressive and they wear out more quickly than Water Stones. The good news is that you can adjust by moving to a higher grit. I really like the strop blank. That one (using the paste, which you can buy everywhere) is a really great idea.

Overall I'd give this machine the 5 stars as the best manual sharpener on the market. The value is excellent as well. The only negative is it's portability.

Nice purchase!

I suppose it depends on how portable you want it to be. The clamp unit as well as the angle adjuster and hone arms are a unit once they are put together...that unit is held by two screws, so it is easily detachable. There is no case beyond the box it comes in, but I could easily adapt a Penguin case I have and all the parts would snap up nice and compact in it. There is the problem of the base because the clamp needs to be fastened down in order to properly do its job, You sound like someone who knows tools and crafts so you could probably figure a temporary base to set this rig up in a portable way. Clay sells a 'paper-wood base' that is only 8 pounds and it might be useful in the portability regard.
As for the stones you speak of, there will be very high quality stones available soon (Chosera and Shapton) and they will add a new dimension to the rig.

All the best
Leo
Your rating of 5 stars is right on mate. It is a fine sharpener.

 

[TheBishop]

I suppose it depends on how portable you want it to be. The clamp unit as well as the angle adjuster and hone arms are a unit once they are put together...that unit is held by two screws, so it is easily detachable. There is no case beyond the box it comes in, but I could easily adapt a Penguin case I have and all the parts would snap up nice and compact in it. There is the problem of the base because the clamp needs to be fastened down in order to properly do its job, You sound like someone who knows tools and crafts so you could probably figure a temporary base to set this rig up in a portable way. Clay sells a 'paper-wood base' that is only 8 pounds and it might be useful in the portability regard.
As for the stones you speak of, there will be very high quality stones available soon (Chosera and Shapton) and they will add a new dimension to the rig.

All the best
Leo
Your rating of 5 stars is right on mate. It is a fine sharpener.

Good ideas!
On the portability, a thought.
What if you stacked bases?
1 with a footprint large enough to permanently attach to the unit, just a bit larger, say in 1/4" or 3/8". Maybe add a layer of thin rubber for traction underneath, then predill it for 4 screws.
Then a larger heavy base, raised with feet so you have some work space under it.
Drop the pre-assembled unit on the larger plate, drop in the bolts, use wingnuts/washer under it to tighten.

Unit can be packed however you want, base easily portable as it'll be just a slab.

 

[leomitch]

Good ideas!
On the portability, a thought.
What if you stacked bases?
1 with a footprint large enough to permanently attach to the unit, just a bit larger, say in 1/4" or 3/8". Maybe add a layer of thin rubber for traction underneath, then predill it for 4 screws.
Then a larger heavy base, raised with feet so you have some work space under it.
Drop the pre-assembled unit on the larger plate, drop in the bolts, use wingnuts/washer under it to tighten.

Unit can be packed however you want, base easily portable as it'll be just a slab.

I had a feeling someone here would come up with a good idea in regard to portability. Brilliant plan. I am sure Emerald will appreciate that.
I was also thinking that is one rigged a small permanent platform that stayed most of the time on your home base...then if you want to take it somewhere, one might be able to rig brackets with some serious industrial strength suction cups that would hold the clamp firmly on a table-top anywhere. All you want is something to keep the vise and ancillary parts from flipping around all over the place. I know there are some fairly husky yet small suction cups out there. Keep the ideas rolling! Maybe we can up with something that Clay Alison would like to use for the WEPS.
Good stuff! :thumbup:

Cheers
Leo

 

[Emerald]

That's another thing I don't care for on my Apex...the cups! They're kind of worthless. That's why they came out with the piece of glass that doubles as a base and a stone straightener. Aonther $40 bucks and it's pretty big.

Good ideas on making the Wicked Edge more portable. I wonder if you could have one just wide enough (say 4-6") then long enough (say 12-18") to carry most of the load which should be parallel to the direction of the stroke. If so that would pack up easily. You could use a case similar to the EP. That I like alot. I still would use the silicone foot method. That stuff keeps things in place regardless of the substrate.

What do you think you guys...how narrow could it be done? The home base idea is excellent, I like that one.

 

[leomitch]

That's another thing I don't care for on my Apex...the cups! They're kind of worthless. That's why they came out with the piece of glass that doubles as a base and a stone straightener. Aonther $40 bucks and it's pretty big.

Good ideas on making the Wicked Edge more portable. I wonder if you could have one just wide enough (say 4-6") then long enough (say 12-18") to carry most of the load which should be parallel to the direction of the stroke. If so that would pack up easily. You could use a case similar to the EP. That I like alot. I still would use the silicone foot method. That stuff keeps things in place regardless of the substrate.

What do you think you guys...how narrow could it be done? The home base idea is excellent, I like that one.

I think if you made the base width equal to the height of the vise, then you would have an equilateral triangle structure which should be pretty solid. What do you think? The vise is 5 inches tall. The longest stroke is 17 inches.

Leo

 

[Emerald]

Leo...that makes perfect sense to me.

You know, I may take a dive for this machine. Even though I've got an EdgePro I know a number of people who'd love to have it gifted to them. I think I'll wait a little longer to see what happens with the stones.

Unfortunately, I think this product will end up like the EdgePro. It will start out a great value and once there is a sustainable following the price will rise. When I bought my 1st EP I bought the everything package for $150ish (2004?). Someone stole mine and my wife spent $225 last year to replace it.

When you start to get to $200+ motor driven machines start looking pretty darn attractive. Especially when you consider that Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander/grinder costs $39 bucks. The difference could buy you how many belts? Then the possibilities go far beyond sharpening a knife.

 

[leomitch]

Leo...that makes perfect sense to me.

You know, I may take a dive for this machine. Even though I've got an EdgePro I know a number of people who'd love to have it gifted to them. I think I'll wait a little longer to see what happens with the stones.

Unfortunately, I think this product will end up like the EdgePro. It will start out a great value and once there is a sustainable following the price will rise. When I bought my 1st EP I bought the everything package for $150ish (2004?). Someone stole mine and my wife spent $225 last year to replace it.

When you start to get to $200+ motor driven machines start looking pretty darn attractive. Especially when you consider that Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander/grinder costs $39 bucks. The difference could buy you how many belts? Then the possibilities go far beyond sharpening a knife.

True enough my friend! Obviously your thoughts and wishes are at a higher level than mine...but strictly from the sharpening point of view, I don't think you can beat the WEPS. I know the belt sander grinder does a lot more than just sharpen but that is beyond what I need or want.
Keep me posted if you decide to go for the WEPS mate! It would make a memorable gift for sure.

Best to you
Leo

 

[Huck61]

I also wanted a nice base that doesn't move around but had already spent enough on the W.E. that I didn't want to spring for the granite so this is what I did & it works for me. I glued two pieces of 5/8" by 1' square pine together. I then drilled several holes 9 or so through the 1st piece & just into the 2nd piece. I then filled the holes about 7/8 full with lead that I had melted down from old wheel weights that I melt down for getting darkhouse fish decoys to sink properly. I filled the remainder of the holes with auto body filler & then sanded flush with the hole. I then cut & placed some material from an old router pad on the corners. I painted the bottom black & gave the top piece about 4 coats of Krylon clear acrylic sealer in gloss. Clear glossy pine is beautiful. I woodburned my website address so that as I sharpen anyone watching me will see my website address & I may be able to sell a knife or a decoy. Works like a charm & since I had everything it didn't really cost anything except a little time.

 

[leomitch]

Simplicity itself! Brilliant thinking, I love it! Well done Huck! Lots of great ideas here tonight!

Best to all
Leo

 

[Medic1210]

I ordered a WE system back in November, but didn't get to play with it until a few days ago when I came home from Afghanistan. I ordered pretty much everything Clay sold except the rounded stones. I got the granite base because the paperstone was sold out at the time. That thing is heavy, but it really makes the unit solid when working with it. I have put new edges on a few of my Benchmades so far, and I have to say, they're the sharpest I've ever gotten my knives, and the bevels are so even it's amazing. When I used to hand sharpen, I could get a nice polished razor's edge on my blades, but the bevels were never even. Now, they look perfect, and are so sharp that I can lay the knife on it's spine, lower a hair across the blade with one hand and split it in two. I can whittle hairs like it's nobody's business. Granted, they didn't get this sharp on the WE alone. I took them to that point by honing them on my strop charged with Chromium Oxide powder, which if I remember correctly is 0.5 micron. The smallest diamond paste I got from Clay was 3.5 micron. I am considering buying some 0.25 micron diamond spray from Hand American, which is where I purchased my strops and CrO2 powder a few years ago. Anyway, the system is very nice, but does take a bit of practice getting the motion down. I'm no where near as fast as Clay, but I do try to take my time with each stroke to ensure that I keep the stones flat against the blade from heel to tip. Overall, I'm super happy with my purchase. It's helped me get the best looking, and sharpest edges I've ever gotten on any of my knives.

 

[Medic1210]

Here's a couple photos of the edge I got on my BM Rift. This was a complete reprofile. I do notice looking at the macro shots of my edge that I probably should have spent more time on the strops on the WE before moving to the CrO2 powder. Looks like there is still a bit of scratch pattern visible, but as you can see from the hair shot, it's plenty sharp. Hard to tell by the photo, but that hair is super fine. Both my daughters have very fine, flowing hair, so to get one of those to bite just by dragging across the blade takes a very keen edge. I liked the little spirals that came off when whittling them though. Haven't seen that before. I do notice that in the first shot, the edge bevel appears smaller near the handle than at the tip. This is just a variation in the way the light was shining on the blade. The bevel is even from tip to hilt. Just hard to find a position that allows the light to hit the blade evenly to show off the edge.

 

[leomitch]

I ordered a WE system back in November, but didn't get to play with it until a few days ago when I came home from Afghanistan. I ordered pretty much everything Clay sold except the rounded stones. I got the granite base because the paperstone was sold out at the time. That thing is heavy, but it really makes the unit solid when working with it. I have put new edges on a few of my Benchmades so far, and I have to say, they're the sharpest I've ever gotten my knives, and the bevels are so even it's amazing. When I used to hand sharpen, I could get a nice polished razor's edge on my blades, but the bevels were never even. Now, they look perfect, and are so sharp that I can lay the knife on it's spine, lower a hair across the blade with one hand and split it in two. I can whittle hairs like it's nobody's business. Granted, they didn't get this sharp on the WE alone. I took them to that point by honing them on my strop charged with Chromium Oxide powder, which if I remember correctly is 0.5 micron. The smallest diamond paste I got from Clay was 3.5 micron. I am considering buying some 0.25 micron diamond spray from Hand American, which is where I purchased my strops and CrO2 powder a few years ago. Anyway, the system is very nice, but does take a bit of practice getting the motion down. I'm no where near as fast as Clay, but I do try to take my time with each stroke to ensure that I keep the stones flat against the blade from heel to tip. Overall, I'm super happy with my purchase. It's helped me get the best looking, and sharpest edges I've ever gotten on any of my knives.

As you use the WEPS you will learn to love it even more mate. I too can't get the motion as smooth as Clay does, but I take my time...I am retired so I am in no hurry. The rig does a wonderful job, but I don't need to tell you since you have discovered ti for yourself. I too strop afterward with hand-strops loaded with Chromium Oxide and diamond pastes too, plus I have a set of blanks from Clay with 3-M PSA abrasive tapes attached down to .1 microns and I can't see that I want or need any better than I have now. Have fun with your new sharpener and once again, thanks for going over there to do a job few would want,,,and especially as a medic. Huzzahs for you mate!!

Warmest regards
Leo

 

[bladestamp]

Going from 3.5µ to 0.5µ is too big a jump IMO. I think you need to step down once, maybe twice to lose the grind marks without spending all night at it. Move to .25µ and then a dry leather strop for mirror edges.

 

[Vanillakilla]

I am looking at the Wicked Edge but can not get the 800/1000 stones, is it too big of a jump to go from 600 to 1200? Do I need all the strops to get a good razor edge?

 

[TheBishop]

I am looking at the Wicked Edge but can not get the 800/1000 stones, is it too big of a jump to go from 600 to 1200? Do I need all the strops to get a good razor edge?

Its a jump, am getting it done but takes a bit longer.
But they will come eventually. Just slowing my sharpening down till then.

 

[leomitch]

Its a jump, am getting it done but takes a bit longer.
But they will come eventually. Just slowing my sharpening down till then.

I would opt to have all the strops because I have many convexed edges and the strops are excellent for maintaining those without resorting to using sandpapers. Also they are really good as a part of the WEPS process for converting other grind edges to convex edges when you feel you want to do that. I also have some blanks hones/strops for the WEPS which I use to attach 3-M PSA abrasive tapes to develop my ultimate edge. I say "my ultimate edge' because everyone has a different one!
Hmmm! Clear as mud Leo! But that is what comes out of my head at the moment! LOL!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Leo

 

[MeDoctor]

A few years ago the "made in China" revelation would have generated numerous negative comments in this forum. Nobody seems to give a rip anymore.