Work Sharp Knife Sharpener

dsmegst said:
??? It's a perfectly good alternative. No need to be snide.
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It is a perfectly good alternative. No question about that. :)

But the original poster was NOT asking for alternatives. He was asking for information about the 'Work Sharp' sharpener.

Paper wheels are good. We agree about that. But not in threads where the OP is asking for information about other specific sharpeners.
There is no need to hijack every thread with information about paper wheels.

(and before you respond, I am NOT saying paper wheels are bad. I am NOT saying Richard has no skill as a sharpener. I am NOT saying that he doesn't sharpen people's knives for free. I am NOT saying YOU shouldn't use paper wheels. I am NOT disrespecting either Richard or paper wheel sharpening. Etc., Etc., Etc.! )


Stitchawl
 
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Work Sharp said:
This tool uses 1/2" x 12" abrasive belts from Norton and Micro-Mesh. This is a standard size for these manufacturers. Many industrial supply stores either stock or can get such belts.
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Very nice!! I also see that the 'MicroMesh Finishing Co' sells 1/2"x12" belts in various abrasives and at grits from 60 to 12,000 for 52 cents each. This tool seems to get more and more versatile as information about it grows!

We also build custom belt kits for customers, mix and match the belts you want.
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... and good looking customer service too!! :thumbup:
I'm sold. I'll give it a try.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
It is a perfectly good alternative. No question about that. :)

But the original poster was NOT asking for alternatives. He was asking for information about the 'Work Sharp' sharpener.

Paper wheels are good. We agree about that. But not in threads where the OP is asking for information about other specific sharpeners.
There is no need to hijack every thread with information about paper wheels.

(and before you respond, I am NOT saying paper wheels are bad. I am NOT saying Richard has no skill as a sharpener. I am NOT saying that he doesn't sharpen people's knives for free. I am NOT saying YOU shouldn't use paper wheels. I am NOT disrespecting either Richard or paper wheel sharpening. Etc., Etc., Etc.! )


Stitchawl
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Ok, gotcha. Please excuse my thin skin, ;) Just a side effect from some of the recent threads.

So back to the topic, If I can find an easy system that can do Scandi grinds, I can retire my water stones too. I'm all for improving my life through power tools.
 
Work Sharp, would you say that this machine is heavy duty enough for commercial use?

Or is it designed more for the hobbyist that may occasionally sharpen a few knives?
 
Work Sharp - Please click my profile and in the "Contact Info" please send me an email. I would like to discuss your product. Thanks! :)
 
ricklee4570 said:
Work Sharp, would you say that this machine is heavy duty enough for commercial use?

Or is it designed more for the hobbyist that may occasionally sharpen a few knives?
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Looking at it, I'd think it's for us hobbiests. A pro would probably be heading towards a Tormek powered tool or some belt system.

Stitchawl
 
This tool was not designed or intended for heavy duty or commercial applications.
We designed this tool with the home user in mind, not a fulltime knife maker or sharpening service.
 
Work Sharp said:
This tool was not designed or intended for heavy duty or commercial applications.
We designed this tool with the home user in mind, not a fulltime knife maker or sharpening service.
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I just had a "Tool Shop" Dremel type tool burn out on me, and I'm a simple hobbyist. After maybe three months of what I consider rather light use. No more of that stuff for me. That was $30 down the drain. Next one will be a Dremel; at least I know they are good.

I'm concerned that your tool will burn out on me too. Right now I have 16 or so knives plus kitchen knives. And yes I like to keep them all razor sharp. They just cut better that way.

I've convexed many of them, and touch them up as necessary.

Just how long do you expect your sharpener to last for someone like me? 50 sharpenings? 100? 500? Indefinitely?

Thanks for your assistance.

Folderguy
 
The fact that it can take a standard belt changes my opinion of it. I thought it was probably a proprietary odd ball size that you could only get one place. I don't think it would be a bad alternative to using a 1x30 sander at around the same price point. Especially for someone without a lot of space who still wants to reap the benefits of being able to quickly get a super sharp edge.
 
Work Shop you can contact me via my profile. Click on email. I'd love to try it out and give an in depth review of the tool.

Thanks!
 
Folderguy said:
I just had a "Tool Shop" Dremel type tool burn out on me, and I'm a simple hobbyist. After maybe three months of what I consider rather light use. No more of that stuff for me. That was $30 down the drain. Next one will be a Dremel; at least I know they are good.

I'm concerned that your tool will burn out on me too. Right now I have 16 or so knives plus kitchen knives. And yes I like to keep them all razor sharp. They just cut better that way.

I've convexed many of them, and touch them up as necessary.

Just how long do you expect your sharpener to last for someone like me? 50 sharpenings? 100? 500? Indefinitely?

Thanks for your assistance.

Good questions. I am interested in hearing how durable this little machine is in long term use.

It does come with a one year warranty which is pretty good.

Folderguy
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Good questions. I am interested in hearing how durable this little machine is in long term use.

It does come with a one year warranty which is pretty good.
 
Stay tuned! I will be doing a complete review in a few weeks.
 
It's always good to have a rep from the company to discuss the product with. Welcome to the forums, Work Sharp!
It's also good to have our resident sharpening guru on the job for the review. Thanks, knifenut1013!
 
Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

The tool has a 1 year warranty.
It is hard to tell you specifically how long it will last since there are so many variables (knife sharpening, tool grinding, heavy steel grinding) that impact the life of the tool. I can say with confidence that you will get 100's of blades sharpened on this tool without issue.

That said, we also manufacture Drill Doctor drill bit sharpners and have build over 3 milion of these tools with a very low failure / return rate.

We build quality tools and stand behind them, period.
Bottom line - If the tool dies within the warranty period, we'll replace it.
 
hardheart said:
I've been thinking about this since the other worksharp thread. I don't know where you could go too terribly wrong, a belt sander is a belt sander. 6K grit is very nice, a cork or felt belt that could be loaded with compound would also be great. As long as the construction is good and the belts hold up reasonably well, I may bring one to the 'stan with some extra belts.
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as i posted in the other thread, i was given one by someone at work.

the problem i had was with the guide. it takes a bit of time to insert the knife in to the guide and align it properly. during this time the belt is removing metal.

the end result was there was more metal removed from near the tang than as i moved toward the tip. ended up with a bit of a strange recurve.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
as i posted in the other thread, i was given one by someone at work.

the problem i had was with the guide. it takes a bit of time to insert the knife in to the guide and align it properly. during this time the belt is removing metal.
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Was I mistaken, or didn't the video show inserting the blade THEN turning on the machine? Shouldn't be any loss of extra metal that way.


Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Was I mistaken, or didn't the video show inserting the blade THEN turning on the machine? Shouldn't be any loss of extra metal that way.


Stitchawl
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i tried that. i couldn't get it properly aligned quickly that way either.

maybe with some practice, but i dont really have any knives that i would let get chewed up practicing.
 
MORIMOTOM said:
i tried that. i couldn't get it properly aligned quickly that way either.
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How are you defining 'quickly?' Why is there a need for speed?

I remember the first time I tried using one of the electric 'Chef's Choice' diamond sharpeners. I had trouble getting the blade to ling up properly, but it still only took about 2-3 seconds to get it right. Of course, I really didn't care for the results of that device and we don't see too many of them around any more. I'm really hoping this 'Work Sharp' will be better. There is a niche for a small portable electric sharpener that can perform properly.


Stitchawl
 
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