Wicked Edge - Professional shaprening

[tgo-mdai]

I would like to preface this post by saying I am just looking for information. Will the Wicked Edge sharpening system be used by a professional sharpener? I ask this question because of the the many posts that I have read here and the other forum about diamond stones being "bad".

My sharpening experience consists of an "Ultimate Edge" diamond stick and a steel rod. I just recently purchased a GATCO sharpening system with 3 natural stones. I am a mere padawan when it comes to sharpening, but the edges I can get work for all I have needed in the past years.

If you are wondering, I have no desire to become a professional sharpener but my "quirkiness" and profession require me to ask. I have read "Leomitch"'s 14 page thread as well.

Thanks.

m-

 

[leomitch]

I would like to preface this post by saying I am just looking for information. Will the Wicked Edge sharpening system be used by a professional sharpener? I ask this question because of the the many posts that I have read here and the other forum about diamond stones being "bad".

My sharpening experience consists of an "Ultimate Edge" diamond stick and a steel rod. I just recently purchased a GATCO sharpening system with 3 natural stones. I am a mere padawan when it comes to sharpening, but the edges I can get work for all I have needed in the past years.

If you are wondering, I have no desire to become a professional sharpener but my "quirkiness" and profession require me to ask. I have read "Leomitch"'s 14 page thread as well.

Thanks.

m-

You read that whole thread!!! You have much patience and curiosity. It would have been 15 pages but the Mod had to pull some stuff when tempers flared a few times!
Your question is a complex one. There are many people who call themselves professionals and use a great variety of tools from free hand up to motor-driven rigs, so the question might be better asked which sharpener is most used by noted professionals with good credentials and reputations. The answer a few short months ago would have clearly been the EP rig, a tool that is arguably excellent and close to, if not the actual top of the line. The answer now is still fairly clear regarding the EP but I believe the Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener is about to nudge its way into one of the top spots as the several improvements become available for the tool. Some of the new and interesting things would be an expansion in the number of hones using the new Chosera and Shapton stone paddles in a wide spectrum of grits. There may be yet another brand of stone available too but I am not absolutely certain yet! Another would be the development of a new edge setting device so that the number of degrees can be set lower...how low will it go? I haven't a clue but certainly 10 degrees or so. There are more but I won't say anymore for now, except that even with the evolution of the above features, the WEPS is now entering the arena shoulder to shoulder with the EP. It may even be a smidgen more advanced! LOL! Just kidding guys! What I love now is the sharing interaction between the EP, WEPS and Stone manufacturer guys. The former hostilities have happily been canceled!
My two cents worth! BTW, I do not work for Clay but I am beholding to him for this fine sharpener that has become a close part of my main hobby of knife collecting. So I shout huzzahs regarding the WEPS wherever and whenever I can. I am a happy old coot eh!

Cheers
Leo

 

[tgo-mdai]

I read the whole thread. All 14 pages...from the initial review, to the convex stage, to the classical music stage, to the final single line posts of the final pages. I would really like to see what you mentioned Leo:

"Which sharpener is most used by noted professionals with good credentials and reputations?"

And in addition, I would like to ask if a pro-sharpener who uses other systems would consider moving to new systems?

I'll do some more searching to find out if diamond stones really do take away too much metal vs. natural stones. I may be able to borrow the EP from a friend who just bought one (hopefully). From there, I would need to find a friend who has the WE so I could do a comparison. Unfortunately, I don't have any magnification abilities past 10x. I think more magnification would be required to look at the edges. Or I am just being silly in thinking this. I've had edges that have worked for me all these years without a sharpening system like the EP or WE.

Thanks.

m-

 

[leomitch]

I read the whole thread. All 14 pages...from the initial review, to the convex stage, to the classical music stage, to the final single line posts of the final pages. I would really like to see what you mentioned Leo:

"Which sharpener is most used by noted professionals with good credentials and reputations?"

And in addition, I would like to ask if a pro-sharpener who uses other systems would consider moving to new systems?

I'll do some more searching to find out if diamond stones really do take away too much metal vs. natural stones. I may be able to borrow the EP from a friend who just bought one (hopefully). From there, I would need to find a friend who has the WE so I could do a comparison. Unfortunately, I don't have any magnification abilities past 10x. I think more magnification would be required to look at the edges. Or I am just being silly in thinking this. I've had edges that have worked for me all these years without a sharpening system like the EP or WE.

Thanks.

m-

Like everything else in this Universe, it is all in your mind my friend, so in the end your mind calls the shots! Whatever, enjoy yourself...that is all there is! Stay curious and keep on learning.

Best regards
Leo

 

[Any Cal.]

Which knife will be used by a professional guide? Which saw will be used by a professional carpenter? Depends on how they view their business, how others view it, how much they are paid, and on what basis they are paid. There are "professional sharpeners" who use grinding wheels, paper wheels, knife grinders, waterstones, etc. Some are paid by the knife, others by the inch, some do the job for free, etc. A professional will use what works best for them and their circumstances.

Edit-I think the Wicked Edge looks like a really nice system, but have a hard time envisioning someone using it who needs to make the most of their time. That doesn't make it any less of a tool, however.

 

[pwet]

Edit-I think the Wicked Edge looks like a really nice system, but have a hard time envisioning someone using it who needs to make the most of their time. That doesn't make it any less of a tool, however.

agreed. i see the wicked edge used as a side service. like you sell knives and want to offer to your customer a premium service for some money, but don't care about rentability. with the time manual grinding takes i doubt this would be viable as a main business. unles you charge them a BIG premium. otherwise a belt sander and a buffer are the way to go.

 

[leomitch]

Edit-I think the Wicked Edge looks like a really nice system, but have a hard time envisioning someone using it who needs to make the most of their time. That doesn't make it any less of a tool, however.[/QUOTE]

I may have to stand corrected, but if we are speaking only about the EP and the WEPS, it seems from what I have read and experienced, the EP sharpeners take longer to use from setup to clean-up. The WEPS is very fast to use from setup to tucking the rig away. What the pro sharpeners see as the advantage of the EP over the WEPS is the breadth and variety of stones etc. available for it and the steeper angles attainable with it. This advantage is beginning to shrink as we speak/type!
Grinders and belts are an area I know nothing about but I agree they will probably be faster for a busy Pro with a back-log of knives to sharpen daily than either the EP or WEPS.
It would be interesting to see a test using these tools and checking the time from start to finish, the amount of material removed and the quality of the edges
I am sorry if I am missing your point...I am just having my first coffee so the old brain is not fully clear of sleep webs yet!

Best regards mate
Leo

 

[RubiconSS]

I would like to preface this post by saying I am just looking for information. Will the Wicked Edge sharpening system be used by a professional sharpener? I ask this question because of the the many posts that I have read here and the other forum about diamond stones being "bad".

My sharpening experience consists of an "Ultimate Edge" diamond stick and a steel rod. I just recently purchased a GATCO sharpening system with 3 natural stones. I am a mere padawan when it comes to sharpening, but the edges I can get work for all I have needed in the past years.

If you are wondering, I have no desire to become a professional sharpener but my "quirkiness" and profession require me to ask. I have read "Leomitch"'s 14 page thread as well.

Thanks.

m-

Opinion; I would say no but not because of the diamond stone issue. I think professional sharpeners are doing such a variety and quantity for profit (Time/money=Profit) they are going to opt for a far more "industrial" basic system. That said, somebody who has skill and just wants to make a few extra bucks to pay off their own system and maybe fund a few new knives could probably use a WE and be pretty successful.

 

[Any Cal.]

It isn't about choice of stones, acute angles, etc. It is about the fact that most 'professional sharpeners' need to sharpen a blade in a couple of minutes. 30 seconds-1 minute on a belt will get most knives sharper than most people have ever seen, and that will satisfy 99.99% of users.

One shop charges $2 knife, it takes them a couple minutes, it comes back plenty sharp, and they can reprofile it in the same amount of time for the same price. That is what is required for most 'professional' sharpeners. Even if you got good money for what you did, there would still be a cap on what the service is worth for most knives, so time would be the important issue. That is why I am saying that the systems aren't really what you would expect a professional to use, unless they were a boutique sharpening service that was extremely well paid, or they were willing to work for significantly less.

 

[leomitch]

It isn't about choice of stones, acute angles, etc. It is about the fact that most 'professional sharpeners' need to sharpen a blade in a couple of minutes. 30 seconds-1 minute on a belt will get most knives sharper than most people have ever seen, and that will satisfy 99.99% of users.

One shop charges $2 knife, it takes them a couple minutes, it comes back plenty sharp, and they can reprofile it in the same amount of time for the same price. That is what is required for most 'professional' sharpeners. Even if you got good money for what you did, there would still be a cap on what the service is worth for most knives, so time would be the important issue. That is why I am saying that the systems aren't really what you would expect a professional to use, unless they were a boutique sharpening service that was extremely well paid, or they were willing to work for significantly less.

Cal, I have to say that in general I agree with what you are saying...if a Pro gets a bag full of kitchen knives from a restaurant, he has to move. If the Pro has a great reputation then he may get several batches a day. Many of these knives will be for a touch up, some for a good sharpening and some for re-profiling. Lots of work time-wise.
But if the Chef sends his knives in, more care and time must be taken. It is for Master knives and collectors knives that the two main systems will do their best work and do it in spades. I am sure there are free hand sharpeners who can handle even the knives of a Master Chef excellently, but I am confident that either the EP or WEPS will do any job well each and every time with greater accuracy, and in the case of the WEPS, with absolute repeatability because of its rigid clamp with accurate place setting for each blade. These latter settings of course must be noted a kept in a register for reference each sharpening.
Good thinking mate! Thanks

Regards
Leo