Wicked Edge Pro Pack II: Worth the investment?

[knife117]

If you own, have owned, or used a Wicked Edge sharpener, is it worth the price? Is the Pro Pack II worth it?

 

[REK Knives]

If you own, have owned, or used a Wicked Edge sharpener, is it worth the price? Is the Pro Pack II worth it?

In my opinion yes it is... but can you get good results w/ the PP1? yeah definitely.

the nice thing about the PP2 is that you can refine your edge more if you want more of a polished/mirror finish and you also get the upgraded arms, which are very nice to have imo.

 

[Jazic]

In my opinion the upgraded arms is such a huge difference in results it's very worth it if you can afford it. My ability to produce better edges was magnified drastically when I got my upgraded arms.

There are options to expand your ability such as buying blanks and using sandpaper or paper polishing pads. That said for using alternative media you're going to need the upgrade arms for better accuracy.

 

[toker]

In my opinion the upgraded arms is such a huge difference in results it's very worth it if you can afford it. My ability to produce better edges was magnified drastically when I got my upgraded arms.

I don't have the upgraded arms, but why was it such a difference?

 

[Jazic]

I don't have the upgraded arms, but why was it such a difference?

With the PP1 arms there is a variance in between each degree. If you have an angle cube you can see how from stone to stone it changes slightly (but is a measurable difference). Say if you're workin on the 100/200 paddle and you set it to 20 degrees and measure it with the cube it may show 20.25 degrees. When you get done and switch to the 400/600 paddle it'll now show something like 20.35 or something similar that's just slightly off.

That is a very small amount of difference but the PP2/Upgraded arms lets you correct that difference in between paddles/stones and gives more more consistency. Consistency is the whole point of the WE system and if you can improve upon that then you're going to get better results.

Like I say a tenth of a degree might not even matter and a knife will still sharpen perfectly if it's never measured most likely but as someone who wants to get the most accuracy as possible this is the best way to go about it.

Hopefully that made sense and wasn't rambling.

 

[drrickso]

For a majority of knives, yes a WE system is worth it and yes the upgraded arms make a difference... you'll be able to remove a lot of the slop and hone in on micro corrections to get as even an angle on each side with the upgrades.

I will add that if your knives are skinny, you'll have a hard time getting down to <20 on each side without modifications due to the geometry of the clamp which you'd hit with the stones that low. Also, recurves take a lot of work (at least for me) in the clamped system.

Overall, if your looking to maintain high end knives, or just want the most even angles on all of your knives- it's a great buy... just make sure to practice on your cheaper stuff and kitchen knives while you get used to it and break in the stones.

 

[Jazic]

Yeah. I was getting great results with the PP1 arms no doubt. It just feels like to me I jumped a major hurtle I didn't even realize I was experiencing once I got the PP2/Upgrade Arms that took my skills to the next level.