Mixed Work Sharp belt grinder

David Mary

David Mary

pass the mustard - after you cut it
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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The Works Sharp is quite an effective tool. The belts they provide cut well, and last a fairly long time. I used the Work Sharp with the blade grinding attachment, after owning the original, and realizing very quickly that the guide was basically worthless to me. Once I stopped using the guide, and just went freehand on the original, my result improved, my sharpening time reduced, and my tips stayed pointy (it can be difficult to avoid rounding over the tip when using the original WS with the angle guide). Then when I got the Ken Onion edition with blade grinding attachment the results were just as good if not better, and sharpening time was reduced even further.

BUT: I will never own another Work Sharp belt grinder as long as I live, and here's why: Every single one of the four I have owned (including warranty replacements) failed in one way or another, either motors stopping, or essential plastic parts breaking rendering the unit useless. Darex provided replacement units with almost no questions asked, so I can't fault their commitment to customer service, but the product always died on me right around 1-2 years after receiving it. Every single one of them. Maybe I used them harder than most, but either way everything I used to do on my Work Sharp I now do with other tools, most notably my 2" x 42" belt grinder.

If you are thinking about the Work Sharp, and expect to use it often, or for extended periods, then maybe you'd be better off buying a 1" x 30" or 2" x 42", as these should be heavier duty, and both can be had for around the same price, if not just slightly more. If you expect to use it only once in a while, and not very hard, then maybe the Work Sharp could be the right choice for you after all.
 
Interesting. I have had the WorkSharp and the Ken Onion blade grinding attachment pretty much since it was released. On my 3rd set of belt replacements now, and it seems to still be going strong. Now I am wondering what I need to worry about now.

I usually sharpen one or two knives at a time, maybe 20 minutes at a time. Not on all that time either since you need to change belts and such.
 
David Mary said:
The Works Sharp is quite an effective tool. The belts they provide cut well, and last a fairly long time. I used the Work Sharp with the blade grinding attachment, after owning the original, and realizing very quickly that the guide was basically worthless to me. Once I stopped using the guide, and just went freehand on the original, my result improved, my sharpening time reduced, and my tips stayed pointy (it can be difficult to avoid rounding over the tip when using the original WS with the angle guide). Then when I got the Ken Onion edition with blade grinding attachment the results were just as good if not better, and sharpening time was reduced even further.

BUT: I will never own another Work Sharp belt grinder as long as I live, and here's why: Every single one of the four I have owned (including warranty replacements) failed in one way or another, either motors stopping, or essential plastic parts breaking rendering the unit useless. Darex provided replacement units with almost no questions asked, so I can't fault their commitment to customer service, but the product always died on me right around 1-2 years after receiving it. Every single one of them. Maybe I used them harder than most, but either way everything I used to do on my Work Sharp I now do with other tools, most notably my 2" x 42" belt grinder.

If you are thinking about the Work Sharp, and expect to use it often, or for extended periods, then maybe you'd be better off buying a 1" x 30" or 2" x 42", as these should be heavier duty, and both can be had for around the same price, if not just slightly more. If you expect to use it only once in a while, and not very hard, then maybe the Work Sharp could be the right choice for you after all.
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How often is often in your use?
 
I had it running for upwards of ten minute at a time, multiple times per day, multiple days per week.
 
David Mary said:
I had it running for upwards of ten minute at a time, multiple times per day, multiple days per week.
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That sounds like a lot of sharpening. So, in the least 40 minutes per week and at most, how much would you guess? Care to average things a bit? People should really know how much you are using the product in order to gauge if your use would match theirs, and tailor their expected results accordingly.

For example, I have used mine in total the last 4 years, the amount you have at the low end of your estimate for about a month. Granted, I sharpen by hand far more than with the WS but still, the amount you are using the WS seems way more than what the average person would.

I'll be frank, it sounds like you were doing a bit more than sharpening knives. If you are running a sharpening/modding business or grinding to make knives, I'd also recommend against using the work sharp. I'd expect it to break with that amount of use because I don't think that is what it is for. Seems like more of a personal use, home sharpener type of device.
 
I agree with everything you said. I had two I used more than 40 minutes a week (I can't say exactly how long as it was years ago now). I did use it for sharpening more than anything, but never used for bevel grinding (it's not made for it and wouldn't do it well anyway). Sometimes I used it to polish handles. When I told that to Heather (customer service) she said that was not a problem and that it was within the scope of the product's use. I had two dead units and she was willing to replace them both (once I sent her a pic of the units with their cords cut). With the replacements I was much more ginger, and still they died. One of them was stored in a cold room, so maybe that has something to do with it.
 
Now that am thinking about it, I paid for three of them and owned five altogether. The first two she replaced together, and when they died I eventually bought another, and it just died on me within the last half year or so. This last one was the one stored in cold temps. But I used it much less than any of the others I owned, and it still only lasted just over a year. That's when I decided to make this review, and finally got around to it. YMMV, and I hope it lasts your lifetime (to anyone who owns or wants to own it).
 
I've had mine for a couple of years and it's worked out great for my light-to-moderate use. I have done quite a bit of sharpening, but it has been spread out over a lot of time. Honestly, it's probably the reason that I haven't learned how to properly use whetstones just because the WorkSharp is so quick and easy. lol
 
David Mary said:
The Works Sharp is quite an effective tool. The belts they provide cut well, and last a fairly long time. I used the Work Sharp with the blade grinding attachment, after owning the original, and realizing very quickly that the guide was basically worthless to me. Once I stopped using the guide, and just went freehand on the original, my result improved, my sharpening time reduced, and my tips stayed pointy (it can be difficult to avoid rounding over the tip when using the original WS with the angle guide). Then when I got the Ken Onion edition with blade grinding attachment the results were just as good if not better, and sharpening time was reduced even further.

BUT: I will never own another Work Sharp belt grinder as long as I live, and here's why: Every single one of the four I have owned (including warranty replacements) failed in one way or another, either motors stopping, or essential plastic parts breaking rendering the unit useless. Darex provided replacement units with almost no questions asked, so I can't fault their commitment to customer service, but the product always died on me right around 1-2 years after receiving it. Every single one of them. Maybe I used them harder than most, but either way everything I used to do on my Work Sharp I now do with other tools, most notably my 2" x 42" belt grinder.

If you are thinking about the Work Sharp, and expect to use it often, or for extended periods, then maybe you'd be better off buying a 1" x 30" or 2" x 42", as these should be heavier duty, and both can be had for around the same price, if not just slightly more. If you expect to use it only once in a while, and not very hard, then maybe the Work Sharp could be the right choice for you after all.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem I went through 4 before I gave up on them its a shame because I had a lot of money invested in the belts. I used it sharpening axes and machetes and all my failures were the motor stopped working I assume from overheating. It should be able to withstand these types of sessions IMO I bought a 2x42 for 120 bucks and haven't looked back. The only part I miss is the convenience in size of the worksharp. It was more mobile.
 
fishface5 said:
I got one used and the motor died within a month!
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Yikes! Did the previous owner say how hold it was when he or she sold it to you, and what type of use it had seen up until then?
 
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