Wicked Edge (tm) Sharpener?

Actually you're not sharpening the edge on both sides at exactly the same time, but you alternate back and forth between the two sides.
This way you will create a burr, but because you're sharpening parallel to the edge and not perpendicular to it, there seems to be less burr formation.
At first i found this way of sharpening quite strange, until i remembered about the Japanese swordsmiths who sharpen katana's more or less the same way.
 
MVF said:
I'm confused- if you're sharpening both sides at the same time, how do you get a burr?
Click to expand...

A wire edge right down the center that's shaving sharp but bends over as soon as it encounters any real resistance?

I think that explains how I could always get my crappy $6 knife I carried in HS to a razor edge, but it went away as soon as I cut anything even remotely hard.
 
Here are a few close-ups of edges i achieved using the Wicked Edge (with the use of wet & dry SiC paper and cardboard with polishing compound)

(Click on the images to get a large picture, and again to see it extra-large)

- K9 Dingo CPM3V fixed blade to 40 degrees inclusive, and the second knife that i sharpened on the Wicked Edge
This one did not get the polishing treatment yet, but it can treetop hair.
It is at the moment my favourite outdoorknife.










- Spyderco Endura ZDP189 CE (Just the plain edge section) to 30 degrees inclusive
Can whittle hair now.








- Spyderco Military S30V SE (Just the chisel grind plain edge section near the tip)
Can whittle hair now.





 
Nice pictures and knives.

Nice looking bevels and finish too. I think there is one thing that would bother me a little with the bevels though.

It looks like the bevel angle is changing toward the tip and becoming more acute. I say that based on the impression that it looks like the bevel width becomes bigger, or wider, as you go out toward the tip. It might just be the angle from the pictures or the blade geometry (the primary bevel and taper toward the tip). If the blade is thicker out there that would explain it, but I would think it would be thinner near the tip or at worst the same.

It looks like you need to clamp further out on the blade (toward the tip), if you want the bevel angle and width to be constant, so the radius form the guide pivot to where the stone meets the edge is more the same from one end to the other. If the radius get longer on one part of the blade then another it will change the bevel angle.

It is a similar principle to how much you lift the handle when sharpening toward the tip with free hand to keep the same angle. The result is the same as if you didn't raise it enough.

Anyway, if it doesn't bother you, it is as least repeatable as long as you always clamp at the same location.
 
Gary, your completely spot-on with your entire post, but that is in essence how the Wicked Edge works because of the arc the diamond stones describe.
The sharpening angle gets more narrow the closer you get to the point, but not only does it happen nice and gradually, if you want you can diminish this effect by clamping the blade more towards the point.
It is however more noticable on longer blades.

Because of the exact repeatability of the system i can reclamp these blades at the exact same point when they need a touch-up, thus minimizing the loss of steel.
 
It will have the same problem as I had with my Lansky sharpener, it can't securely grip onto knives with variable thickness spines, or very curved spines.
 
The way to achieve a burr with the Wicked Edge is by working both sides of a blade using the side-to-side alternating stroke we show in the video on our website and visually inspecting until it looks like the bevel has reached the very edge on both sides. Then scrub one side from heel to tip (or tip to heel if you prefer) and feel to see if the burr has rolled over to the opposite side for the full length of the blade. Repeat this on the opposite side of the blade. Keep repeating side-to-side as necessary until you can feel the burr on both sides down the full length of the blade. Basically, this is the same technique you would use on a Lansky or Gatco, except that it is easier and faster establishing the burr initially because you can work both sides of the blade simultaneously. The alternating stroke also makes it easier to create even bevels on both sides.

After this, all you have to do is polish the bevel with your higher grit stones using the alternating stroke method. As you progress through the finer stones, the burr gets smaller and smaller. If you happen to have the set of strops that work with the sharpener, you can all but eliminate the burr altogether. Its really pretty simple and quite fast, actually. I hope I have answered your question!

Also, if anyone is interested, there is another independent review of the Wicked Edge on Bladeforums by Woodman318 titled: Wicked Edge Sharpener VS Apex. And thanks to all for the feedback. We appreciate it very much!

Devin Kennemore
The Wicked Edge
Managing Partner
 
I can't believe I just pulled the trigger on the entire kit. I will report back with my findings:

1 x Wicked Edge Precision Sharpener (we100)
1 x Coarse / Medium Coarse Stones Pack (we100200)
1 x Super Fine Ceramic Stones Pack (we12001600)
1 x strops
1 x Granite Base (WE020) Color Caledonia

I currently have the Spyderco kit, with all the triangles. It was down to this and the EdgePro. The double sided / same time deal is what sold the wickededge for me.
 
Just sharpened my old Buck 186 with the Wicked Edge sharpener.
Because i don't have the ultrafine stones or the diamond stropping compound, i used wet & dry paper up to 2000 grit after which some cheap stropping compound on two pieces of cardboard.
Works just fine,:D

The hair was stolen from my girlfriend.










 
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Kwackster - based on your initial exposure to the system what do you think are it's strong points? Also, what are it's weak points?

Thanks in advance.
 
The biggest selling point that the Wicked Edge has for me is the beautifully formed quality edges it can produce on my knives.

The negative point is that the currently offered system does not provide you with fine enough stones, so to achieve hairwhittling edges i had to resort to taping wet & dry paper in various grits on the diamond stones.
 
If I had seen this before I recently bought an Edge Pro, I probably would have sprung for it-----and still might (maybe I'll return the EP)

Any time you can have a workpiece clamped, rather than hand-held, you're better off since you are grinding EXACTLY the same angle stroke after stroke! Add to that the fact that I wouldn't have to move the blade and I think I'd get the WE in a minute-----if it wasn't so $$$$.

(Afterthought) Since the Edge Pro takes off stock so nice, evenly, easily and neatly, I think I have the system: EP for "profiling" especially on oversharpened, overused and old blades, then finish up with the Sharpmaker instead of the last step EP lists, which uses a croc stick freehand------this didn't make sense to me. After purchasing a complicated and expensive sharpener to PRECISELY hone angles I'm supposed to finish up FREEHAND with a croc stick????? No thanks, I'll just use my Sharpmaker for that step! I'll see how it goes.
 
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I love my wicked edge. I do need to order the ceramic stones then I will be set.
 
This is my ScrapYard Scrapper 5 which i reprofiled on the Wicked Edge.
The photo's show the results after the diamond stones in grit 100, 200, 400, and 600.

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And this is the result after further refinement with wet & dry paper in gritsizes 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000, after which some no-name polishing compound on cardboard.
There is still a slight haze visible because at the time i didn't have a finer polishing compound.
All work was done on the Wicked Edge.

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Awesome! That's even better than the vision I had for my Ka-Bar! I had to remove so much metal to thin the profile, I ended up using a mill file and just putting the finished edge on with my Sharpmaker. Obviously, it doesn't look a FRACTION as good as yours :( . How long did you have to spend at each grit? Did you have to remove much metal (reprofile) initially? I'm thinking of ordering a x-coarse diamond stone, propping it up to match Spyderco's "Back Bevel" angle of 30 degrees (15 off vertical per side) and trying to bring up the primary bevel that way and then finish the edge as normal on my Sharpmaker. Any suggestions are welcome-----I'm a little frustrated with having to remove so much steel to get the bevel right and in the process, kind of ruined the look of the edge. I saw a vid of a guy really bashing the WE, so I'm reluctant to drop more $$$ on another sharpener right now!
 
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It looks like this sharpener can do a good sharpening job. Does anyone know if the diamond stones need to be broken in like diasharps before putting on a good edge?
 
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Any new feedback on the Wicked Edge? Based on the perfect edges I've seen I have been very tempted to order the latest generation. Adding up all the stones, base, and strops comes out to $400. Quite an investment but worth it based on the results.
 
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