Knife Sharpeners?


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
Hi All,

I searched here for the above and only found an applicable thread from 2009. I have Globals and am in dire need of a sharpener. Is there anything new/better/CHEAPER than the EdgePro?

Thanks,

JDH
 
I don't own this but I have read good things about the Spiderco Sharpmaker. I use a DMT Angle Guide in combination with a basic Japanese whetstone (250/1000) on both German/Japanese steel knives which gives me results equivalent to paying someone to do it.

Also, I would not suggest those handheld draw-through knife sharpeners. They are better than nothing but don't work that great and while the ceramic part may help you the carbide part could damage your fine Japanese steel. I also wouldn't recommend any electric sharpener for your Global but from the other products you are considering I doubt you'd go that route in the first place.

Happy sharpening!

- Daniel
 
Newer: probably
Better: From what I've read, EdgePro is about the best system out there.
Cheaper: Oh for sure, but remember you get what you pay for.

As you're probably aware, Japanese knives don't have the same angle as western style knives so some type of sharpeners would be inappropriate. I believe Global recommends using ceramic or wet stones to sharpen their knives.

I've tried several different systems and pretty much just use stand alone Arkansas stones these days for sharpening with steeling for maintenance.

Paul
 
This will work "okay" but in the long run, the Edge-Pro is more flexible and will yield (after a bit of a learning curve) better results on ALL you knifes.
 
I've got a Tormek, but it is pricyer then the Edge Pro.

Really fast, though. I can do big knifes just fine, still a bit of a learning curve for smaller ones.

Good Luck,
Brett
 
I use the spyderco on the ship for my daily carry knife, does an excellent job....best way ta go for kitchen knifes too!!
 
I have a cheap whet stone I got on a trip to Arkansas with the missus a few years back. It works like a charm. Just like Uncle Sam taught me!
 
I've had the Spyderco kit for at least 20 years. Tried several others, and for me the Spyderco is the best one. You can even get cheap knives like Victorinox to stay razor sharp.
 
I use an EdgePro and only have Japanese knives. Can't beat it. Though I do not use my clients' knives (if they have American or European), I sharpen them for them. The importance, imo, of having a range of possible angles rather than fixed angles, common with several systems like Spyderco, cannot be overstated. Fixed angled systems are rarely acute enoough for many Japanese blades, including Global, of which I have several.
 
Thanks all. Perhaps a follow up question is, with only 4 knives of sharpening value, am I better off using a commercial shop @ $10 or less each? My only experience with commercial sharpeners is the guy who drives the Ice Cream Truck that does my mower blades. The math gives me a payback in 5 years which doesn't sound great. Generally, how good are knife sharpening shops?
 
As Kevin mentioned, knife sharpening can be a complex subject due to type of knife (Western or Japanese), hardness of blade, etc. I bought a Masamoto VG Gyutou (chef's knife) from Korin. They have some excellent info for blade sharpening and sell stones. I highly recommend the dvd on how to sharpen blades for Japanese knives. You could probably call or email them and ask what type of stones to order.
Sharpening info: http://korin.com/Learn/Sharpening
Stone and dvd info: http://korin.com/Shop/Knife-Care-Accessories

Let us know how it works out for you.
 
Other places that sharpen knives (less than $10 per knife) are large, quality kitchenware stores (Cook's Warehouse, here in Atlanta) or a cooking school, as a service to their customers or students, often use a professional sharpening service that goes around to restaurants to sharpen the chefs' knives.

The gentleman who started the service here in Atlanta is named Jeff Edges. How about that? His sons are continuing the business.

Rita
 
If you buy Japanese knives and wish to have them sharpened, make sure that the tech is able to do them both technically (his/her equipment) and cognitively (he/she understands the more acute angles typical of Japanese blades or, if your knife has differing bevel angles, this issue).
 
Just to net it out in my experience is that the ability to customize angle (I.E., sharpening angle) will make the best sharpening system.

This would mean that the best system for any given application would allow you to duplicate or figure out what the related tool's
edge angle is on the implement you are trying to sharpen.

This applies to woodworking tools as well and that's where I started with this whole thing.

So given the blade edge/angle you need to be able to duplicate the angle so that you can sharpen quickly and efficiently either for tune up or new edge restoration or grinding if you will.

The Edge Pro does that from a more manual perspective the Torx does it say - better from a production perspective. Edge Pro is the best solution IMHO to be able to duplicate edge angle for individual sharpening efforts. The Torx is the boss for production/heavy duty equipment perspective.

If I was going to run a pro sharpening service I would probably pick the Torx system. For one off sharpening at home the Edge Pro wins there. Although you could definitely run a small business with Edge Pro to start.

Edge pro has the best potential for matching edge angle without getting into a bunch of $$.

Otherwise the other products out there for sharpening are good if you have one or two angles you are trying to hit. If you don't so much care about that replication the 5-25$ systems will be fine for you and will be good for home/occasional use. I've done those for a number of years. Not the best but hey will keep you cutting.

That said - I did use a pro service quite a few years ago to get all my knives done at once. It was sub standard and I would never use that particular sharpening service again.

If there is a pro service close to you, try them out and see what you think. It's unlikely that they will "destroy" your knives, but they may changes angles on you and make the retro work more challenging to bring them back if they mess up.

I have an Edge Pro, it works great - but it will take time to get all of those 20 or so knives back in shape....
 
i think i have settled on getting the Edge Pro Apex... the local shop i had been going to i just feel is not doing a great job...

anyhow, any pointers for which "kit" to get? i think the minimum i will get is the Apex 2, but was wondering if the 220 & 320 grit stones are sufficient. the apex 3 adds a few more higher grit stones, and the apex 4 adds polishing cloths.

thanks for any advice!
 
For kitchen knives the Apex 2 is fine. One does not need to sharpen kitchen knives with more than a Fine stone, a light ceramic hone to finish. If you have other knives/razors, etc., that you want to be able to take further get either the Apex 2 plus a 600 stone or the Apex 3.
 
I am also confident that you'll love the EP Apex II Kit, and the results that you'll be able to achieve with it. It's a quality product and the people who make it and sell it are great folks to deal with.

You can always add a finer stone or two later, if you want to.
(I ordered an extra mid-200 grit stone, because it's the one that gets the most use when making the initial angle change / first cut on knives. However, I have not used-up the original one yet.)
 
Hi Everybody
I just recieved my Wicked Edge sharpening system. The standard model comes with 100, 200, 400 and 600 grit diamond stones. It's nice to have sharp knives again. It takes about twenty strokes with each set of stones for a razor like edge. WWW.wickededgeusa.com

Tom
 
- that looks like a great system.
Click to expand...
It does except the sharpening angle range (unless I miss read) is 15 to 30 degrees: that would be an issue with some of the Japanese blades.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top