Will a pull through sharpener be sufficient for a keen edge?

N

Nick22N

Joined
Aug 28, 2016
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Hey guys. I am using the Gerber StrongArm fine edge as my camping knife. The sharp edge it had out of the box has now gone dull. I got a Lansky Blademedic Sharpener for my knife. Can I use it on this knife for a sharp edge? or are there any better sharpeners? I did get a double sided sharpening stone, but I am not that good at using it. I mess up the edges a lot. So, can I use the lansky as my primary sharpener for the knife? I read somewhere that pull through sharpeners are bad for a knife, they take out a lot of metal, etc. So, plz advice. Thank you!
 
I have a pull through sharpener somewhere, whilst it is sufficient at sharpening I found none of my knives exactly fitted the pre set angle. I have just purchased the spyderco sharpmaker. In the UK this set me back £60 but that was £60 well spent. Simply following the instructions left a razor sharp edge on my knives, I even put my kukri through it and it came out amazing. Using the supplied medium and fine stones dont shed too much metal, they just get the job done.

I even went ahead and spend another £80-90 on the CBN & ultra fine stones I like the system that much.

Hope it helps.
 
perky416 said:
I have a pull through sharpener somewhere, whilst it is sufficient at sharpening I found none of my knives exactly fitted the pre set angle.
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This is the problem with pull throughs. With them, you only have one option for an angle and most knives will not match it perfectly. Good for in a pinch, but as perky said, it would be prudent to invest in something like a Sharpmaker or even Lansky's guided system. Until then, I would just buy a cheap knife that you don't care if you ruin and practice with the stone. You may even find that you prefer to freehand with them.
 
It's easier just to freehand knives on a set of stones. However if you really are set on the pull through sharpeners? Don't press hard into them, use the blade weight or else you'll essentially add microserrations to the edge as it fractures. According to Cliff Stamp, you can get an okay edge after around 100 swipes...but don't use carbide pull through sharpeners. The ones with the ceramic rods will net better results and not sheer off as much metal.

However I can confidently say that you will do far better with stones and practice, or if you pick up one of the precision guided sharpening systems like a Lansky (the guided set, not a pullthrough), edge pro apex, wicked edge, or a tsprof. However they're a fair bit more pricey than just a set of stones and a strop (you shouldn't need to sharpen much, a good strop and regular upkeep of an edge will yield better results). You really only ever sharpen to adjust the edge geometry slightly (usually I only ever actually sharpen 2-4 times a year), or to work damage out of your blade.
 
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Yup. Either practice on cheap knife until you get the hang of it (think old hickory kitchen knife) or get a sharpmaker which makes you use a consistent angle. If you do go the free hand route head on over to the maintenance subforum (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/794-Maintenance-Tinkering-amp-Embellishment) and read the stickies at the top of the page about sharpening. It is not that difficult once you understand and can implement the basic concept. I myself use a cheap norton double sided stone and ceramic rod for 99% of my sharpening on knives ranging from ~$20 all the way up to ~$500 in almost all the steels you can think of.
 
I found a pull through sharpener that I just loved. As time went on, I found that it was tearing up the edge of my knives.

When I sharpen a knife, I want to remove as little metal as I can. Because of this, the pull through found another home.

Buy yourself a Spyderco Sharpmaker. You will thank me later.
 
If you must have a pull through get one with the ceramic rods and just touch your edge every once in a while before it gets very dull.
The carbide pull through sharpeners are actually bad for your edge because when your using it it's sheering off material and the edge is never a very clean one.
Your best bet is to get a pocket sharpening stone.
 
Hickory n steel said:
The carbide pull through sharpeners are actually bad for your edge because when your using it it's sheering off material and the edge is never a very clean one.
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All sharpeners shear metal off the edge. That's how sharpening works.

The issue with pull throughs is that, while they do produce a sufficient edge, they do it aggressively, shearing off more metal than is removed using other devices.

A pull through sharpener is going to "eat" your knife much more quickly.

And they are at a fixed edge angle, which may not match the edge angle of your knife. If it doesn't match, then you are really going to remove material the first time.
 
The Spydecn Sharpmaker has given my friend-impressing edges for years, and I suck at sharpening. Pick one up.
 
I spent the cash for a Lanky guided rod system, and after 3 days I figured out I prefer to freehand it. I could have saved $30 and gotten a quality combo stone.

Do yourself a favor and go to a Dollar Tree. In the tool section you will find a $1 combo stone. It's crap but when learning you will muck up the knife and the stone, so use cheap ones to get the technique down. My dollar stone will put a working edge on knives now that I know how to use it. Not the best, but usable. I got 3 of them, 2 of which I use to flatten the Lanky stones. I use those freehand for my nice blades ;)
 
marcinek said:
All sharpeners shear metal off the edge. That's how sharpening works.

The issue with pull throughs is that, while they do produce a sufficient edge, they do it aggressively, shearing off more metal than is removed using other devices.

A pull through sharpener is going to "eat" your knife much more quickly.

And they are at a fixed edge angle, which may not match the edge angle of your knife. If it doesn't match, then you are really going to remove material the first time.
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Stones abrade the material away, while tungsten carbide is just so hard that it actually shaves off material which is much more like shearing than the abrasion of a stone.
Anyways no mater how we want to describe it the tungsten carbide pull throughs still suck.

BTW there's this relatively new type of pull through sharpener called the block sharpener.
It's made in the US and invented by a guy named Dan block . Anyways the selling point is the fact that it's diamond coated rods are able to flex in their housing and supposedly follow the angle of the knife's edge. I don't know how well it actually works but for under 20$ ( I wanna say just over 10$ ) I'm tempted to try it out.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Stones abrade the material away, while tungsten carbide is just so hard that it actually shaves off material which is much more like shearing than the abrasion of a stone.
Anyways no mater how we want to describe it the tungsten carbide pull throughs still suck.

BTW there's this relatively new type of pull through sharpener called the block sharpener.
It's made in the US and invented by a guy named Dan block . Anyways the selling point is the fact that it's diamond coated rods are able to flex in their housing and supposedly follow the angle of the knife's edge. I don't know how well it actually works but for under 20$ ( I wanna say just over 10$ ) I'm tempted to try it out.
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Flexing rods sound terrible.
A pull through is better than nothing, but that's all.
 
marcinek said:
All sharpeners shear metal off the edge. That's how sharpening works.

The issue with pull throughs is that, while they do produce a sufficient edge, they do it aggressively, shearing off more metal than is removed using other devices.

A pull through sharpener is going to "eat" your knife much more quickly.

And they are at a fixed edge angle, which may not match the edge angle of your knife. If it doesn't match, then you are really going to remove material the first time.
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^^This.

The goal when you bring it down to the very basics is to get the edge you want while removing the least amount of material as possible.

A pull through is a killer when it comes to removing material, and I doubt it can match the edge of even a well rounded novice with a good set of stones.
 
ive found pull through carbide types tear up the edge badly and turn the knife into a mini erratic serrated knife. which can cut, but not what i like. too each their own.
 
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Hickory n steel said:
Stones abrade the material away, while tungsten carbide is just so hard that it actually shaves off material which is much more like shearing than the abrasion of a stone.
Click to expand...

Yep, the easiest comparison is sandpaper & a planer on wood. Both take wood off, but one is doing it in small particles and one is doing it in big shavings.
 
Nick22N said:
I did get a double sided sharpening stone, but I am not that good at using it. I mess up the edges a lot.
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practice with your sharpener will ensure that you get good at it. Grab an old butter knife and practice on it first
 
Nick22N said:
Hey guys. I am using the Gerber StrongArm fine edge as my camping knife. The sharp edge it had out of the box has now gone dull. I got a Lansky Blademedic Sharpener for my knife. Can I use it on this knife for a sharp edge? or are there any better sharpeners? I did get a double sided sharpening stone, but I am not that good at using it. I mess up the edges a lot. So, can I use the lansky as my primary sharpener for the knife? I read somewhere that pull through sharpeners are bad for a knife, they take out a lot of metal, etc. So, plz advice. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Learning to sharpen with a stone is better, but the pull throughs will make an OK edge.

- Use light pressure once it starts to catch, you can use a bit more to start - nothing crazy in either case. About as much force as you'd use sharpening a pencil with a sharp pen knife.

- Use a toothbrush or similar to clean it every half dozen passes

- Spin it around so you aren't hitting the same carbide insert on the same side of the blade every pass. They have defects and will carve this defect into the steel if precautions aren't taken. Every couple or three passes.

You can also use the pullthrough as a final few clean-up passes off your stone, as long as the stone ground a more acute angle then the carbide inserts are set for.
 
The result of a carbide pull through sharpener.

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If the angle matches your blade and if you use very little pressure, you might get acceptable results but it is far more likely that you do more harm than good. You are probably a lot better of if you learn to use a stone or a guided system.
 
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