Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition

T

TechandTactical

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Apr 2, 2018
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I'm in the middle of reviewing the Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition and I really like it so far.

I wanted to ask here to see who has one. What do you think of it? Have you tried to sharpen a "super steel" on it?

Here is a link to my initial impressions.

 
I have been toying with the idea of picking up one with the blade grinding attachment. I am wondering just how much grinding you can do without burning up the motor or going broke replacing belts. My guess is not much. I wish someone made something similar, but built a little more heavy duty so that beginners or hobbyists had an alternative to those high dollar belt grinders. Sorry for the slight derailment.
 
Have one. Not a good product in comparison to everything else available if you ask me. Maybe with the blade grinding attachment, that solves some of the cons but not all.

Those abrasives arnt that great either. Had to use the diamond belt just to sharpen 60hrc d2 (your rat is 58hr). And the belt was dead because I didn't use any water to lube the diamonds.

It only sharpens convex grinds.

It also like you said takes practice to not round your tips and stop scratching your blades.

I use an edge pro and kme over it. Never looked back.
 
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I have one and like it.
There is most definitely a learning curve. The hardest part is keeping the grinds even if you’re using the blade guide. The edge on the downward side of the belt can easily get pulled “deeper” than the opposing edge. I’m learning to go by “feel” (using the guide mostly for reference) and getting better each time.

I’ve had great results with AUS-8 & 8Cr13 and good results with S35VN and even S110V (that was tough though!).

i like setting a convex edge at 17.5° Then finishing with a 20° microbevel via Sharpmaker. That’s been working really, really well for me.

In summary, I think the WSKO is a good product but difficult to fully master if you want a “perfect” result. I’ve gotten pretty good, but would probably be a lot closer to perfect with the same time-of-use on a KME.

There will almost certainly be a KME or WE in my future. With some of my nicer knives I want a greater degree of control and precision. I’ll keep the WSKO around, mostly because I’ve really grown to like the 17.5/20° semi-convex combo I described above.
 
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If I could do it all over again, I'd spend the money on a Wicked Edge and call it a day. I have the Edge Pro and it's nice.

The statement stands.
 
SeppukuSamurai said:
If I could do it all over again, I'd spend the money on a Wicked Edge and call it a day. I have the Edge Pro and it's nice
Click to expand...

I didn’t explicitly state it, but in retrospect I wish I’d gone straight for the KME. I sharpened a bunch of knives on a buddy’s EPA and hated it. Unquestionably it can give fantastic results. I just couldn’t get the ambidextrous part of it down.
 
I've been using Japanese water stones to get razor edges on woodworking chisels, plane irons, knives, axes, etc for almost 50 years. The only problem was that it took hours. A couple years ago I got a KO Work Sharp & blade grinder attachment & I love the thing. I sharpen everything from blades for the lawn tractor to my prized Chris Reeves knives in no time. If you don't have a good basic knowledge of sharpening, the only thing a power sharpener will do is screw up a blade faster than you can screw it up by hand.
 
I have the KO Worksharp and do like it, but there are a couple of drawbacks - 1. Belts from WS are pretty expensive and don't last all that long - I've found a belt supplier on Amazon that sells belts at a better price so that helps that problem. 2. If you aren't careful drawing your blade thru the guide, you can end up with some pretty scratched up blades. Those two issues aside, it does a very good job of keeping a hair popping edge on my all of my knives.
 
I originally owned the Wicked Edge and it's been my favorite sharpening system. Easy to use and very accurate.

However, after becoming the designated knife sharpener for my family and wasting many hours sharpening cheap knives, I decided to give the KO Worksharp a try. IMO, it's one of the easiest and fastest sharpening systems around. I use it almost exclusively for kitchen knives and I can sharpen a knife in a fraction of the time it takes me on the Wicked Edge. That being said, it does have a few drawbacks. The first being that it's extremely easy to round the tip until you get more experienced. The other downside is for chisel grinds. There isn't a convenient way to do it.

I'm glad to have both sharpening systems. The Wicked Edge for my nicer pocket knives and the KO Worksharp for general use knives that I don't worry about.
 
I have one and the blade grinder attachment. Since buying the blade grinding attachment, I have never taken it off.

The original versions (including the base Ken Onion edition) are only "OK"

I personally find it much easier to sharpen on the blade grind attachment. I buy replacement belts off ebay.

I will use this solution until the day Wicked Edge comes out with something less expensive. Always been interested in Wicked Edge, but the price is simply too high.

In the past, I have used the lansky angled sharpening system, as well as the spyderco sharpmaker.
 
If you want to spend, say, $700-$1000 then look into the Tormek T8. A professional wet-sharpening machine, better than any system on the market. It makes systems like KME, Lansky, Wicked Edge, Edge Pro look like beginner stuff, which they are. I tried.

Nowadays I do most sharpening freehand on Shapton stones, or use the T8. The latter will sharpen most tools and knives quickly and leaves an incredibly sharp and polished edge, especially in combination with the Japanese 4k-grit wheel. Several professional sharpening companies in my country use the T8.
 
I have one, and it is good. I got the blade grinder attachment and will never go back to the KO guide. I now also have a WE 130. I use the WSKO BGA for knives I want sharpened fast, that don't need ultimate sharpness (although I can get them whittling sharp on the WSKO BGA), and/or those that do not need a perfect looking edge. My nicer knives get the Wicked Edge treatment.
 
Rob1921 said:
If you want to spend, say, $700-$1000 then look into the Tormek T8. A professional wet-sharpening machine, better than any system on the market. It makes systems like KME, Lansky, Wicked Edge, Edge Pro look like beginner stuff, which they are. I tried.

Nowadays I do most sharpening freehand on Shapton stones, or use the T8. The latter will sharpen most tools and knives quickly and leaves an incredibly sharp and polished edge, especially in combination with the Japanese 4k-grit wheel. Several professional sharpening companies in my country use the T8.
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So you tried all those systems before you made 2 posts on Blade Forums??? Really?
Glad you found something that works [for you] before you went broke.......

Russ
 
As I posted in another thread, I've bought and used most of the available sharpening systems over the years, and liked most of them, from a RazorEdge clamp bought from Juranitch back in '72 at a sports show, through an EdgePro bought in the early 90's, and just about everything in between. Stones bought from the mines in Arashiyama (I lived an hour away) and Arkansas, clamps of all sizes. I like most of 'em. But... when I got my Ken Onion Worksharp a few months ago, I started getting rid of much of my accumulated sharpening systems. The Worksharp gives me a very sharp knife in a very short time. I don't have 'Closet Queens'... all my knives are workers. I don't care if the side of the blade gets scratched. It's a tool, not jewellery. I'll keep my better stones for when I want some 'Zen Sharpening Time,' and I'll keep my DMT Aligner clamp for camping. But I'll use the Ken Onion Worksharp when I want a damn sharp knife in just 2-3 minutes. With a leather belts on the WSKO and some compound, I can get an edge so sharp, if you pass it through a glass of water, the result is hydrogen and oxygen...


Stitchawl
 
I own one and thought it was the greatest until I rounded some tips on a couple kershaws. Imo it works great for a wharncliffe style blade, like a leek or a 0456. I did manage to sharpen one of my 0801s perfectly tho and it was sharper than new. But I’m aftaid to use it on knives that are recurved or curved at all because u can destroy the tip in a half a second. Saving up for a wicked edge now, from what I hear most people like them the best
 
Own it, love it. I use the blade grinder attachment, which is a great entry into a variable speed belt sander optimized for sharpening knives. You can learn to freehand on this machine with plenty of use, even if just the finer grits, after referencing on the flat guide once.

Yes, tips are tricky. I understood conceptually what needed to happen from experience with stones, but I needed practice before taking on my benchmade or sebenza. No problem w the hard steels btw. I dont particularly notice premature belt wear, but I clean the belts regularly while using. Like you might use a steel on a knife. Edges, thumbstuds, etc can eat a belt, but not always.

Use cheap knives and finer grits to perfect your technique on the tips, keeping them flat and rotating, and watching the material move all the way to the tip, but no further. 15 degrees is harder for me, especially with thin filet. A little slip while reprofiling can really remove material. Especially the softer steels on coarse or medium grits. You're pretty much reprofiling everything with a flat grind first time through.

It is a well designed tool. I was changing belts on the grinding attachment in under 3 sec the first day, and easily progressing through the grits. The materials are kind of crap, and I'm leery of running motor at low rpms for extended periods. But its a consumer oriented tool, and should serve that purpose well. I spend way less time keeping our knives sharp, and can sharpen family/friends knives in a matter of minutes. Mine is setup in my shop -- ready to go -- right at home there w several other stationary sanders.
 
I have had one since Christmas, and recently purchased the BGA. THE BGA is the way to go with this machine. I’m still in the practice phase. I am one of those guys that can’t sharpen worth a crap on Stones so this is my main sharpener. Start out on cheap knives until you get the hang of it. Prolly not good for recurves either. I don’t use it that often because I prefer to touch up my knives on croc sticks and/or a strop. But if I need to really sharpen something with a dull blade I’ll use it.
 
For those in the thread who said they’re looking to get one... WorkSharp now sells the sharpener + Blade Grinding Attachment + 1x18 belts as a set... minus the original guide and smaller belts... so it saves a bit of $$$. They call it the “Work Sharp Elite Knife Sharpening Solution“ on their website.
 
I just purchased one myself but have not had time to get into it. Next week I hope to give it a go on a destroyed small machete.
 
mycough said:
So you tried all those systems before you made 2 posts on Blade Forums??? Really?
Glad you found something that works [for you] before you went broke.......

Russ
Click to expand...
I tried Lansky, Böker, and EdgePro. A US buddy has a WE (which works well for him). KME and others I looked into online. Then I started freehand sharpening and went from cheap whetstones to several Japanese brands, from which Shapton is the best (I don't do natural stones). Look on Insta, @cookingthecat for some examples.

Freehand sharpening is fun and very satisfying, and a must for Japanese knives. For western-made kitchen knives, pocket knives, and especially all kinds of tools the T8 is close to perfect. Sharpening is my dearest hobby and I don't mind spending $ on it. But in the end it a scary sharp and polished edge depends for a big part on technique. You gotta learn. Even on the T8.
 
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