maintaining global knives?


 
OK - you guys have convinced me - I'll get the Edge Pro Apex. Which one should I get. Can I get the cheapest, and then buy the other parts later? Also, the cheapest one doesn't come with the DVD. Anyone wanna lend me there's?
 
I'll see if I have mine with me. I'm in Vegas at the moment. It might be home.

Regardless, follow the instructions in the book. Take a look at the vid on the site to get an idea of how to hold and place the knife, etc. I do think the ceramic hone is worthwhile but if you want to wait on that do so.
 
I have been pleased with the Wharthog V-sharp (http://www.warthogsharp.com/) that I picked up at a fishing show a few years back. I have to say that I was skeptical when I first saw it but it is the easiest knife sharperner I have ever used and it keeps an accurate angle on the edge which I think is critical to get a nice edge that last.

It's no longer a chore to keep all my knives sharp.
 
Ok, I just purchased an entire set (4 stones, tapes, dvd, ceramic hone, ect.). It was slightly used, (in "like new condition") off Knifeforums.com buy/sell forum, but it was only $150 shipped. Pretty sweet deal, now I just have to wait for it too come.

Thanks for helping me buy the right thing the first time!
 
The kit with the dvd and ceramic hone is available at chefknivestogo.com for $169 with free shipping. They shipped the day I purchased it and it looks like about 4 days to receive it.

I had to do a little sweet talking with the wife, but I explained to her how its been a source of anxiety that we have $100 knives and I don't like to use them because I can't find anybody who can sharpen them they way I want.
 
got my apex today. I haven't even watched the video yet and I already put a fantastic edge on my santoku in seconds. I can't say whether the actual machine is worth the bucks, but what it does, definitely is!
 
This is one of those "it's worth it if it's worth it to you" kind of things. One guy I know can sharpen free-hand on a bench stone. He maintains the angle by eye and does a VERY respectable job. For him, an Edge-pro would not be worth it. He has rare skill, though.
 
its worth is in its function. the only knock is that its mostly plastic.

it worked great sharpening a knife that was good condition and had a nice bevel that I could follow. However, I decided to practice on some real clunkers at my mom's and at my mom-in-law's, and didn't get nearly the same result. Early efforts lead me to believe the key is following, as best you can, an already established bevel.

I also haven't been able to find the burr. I assume it has more to do with my ability to find it than to create it.
 
I have taken knives with virtually no edge whatsoever and been able to establish a very keen edge. Further, I have re-worked already established bevels to those I find more suitable for the knife and its intended use. (I do this all the time.) Both you can do with the Apex.

I do agree, however, that in the beginning this might not be readily apparent. It is both (I think) some reluctance on the part of the person sharpening (I certainly was) and the reticence to really go for it when going for it is called for. (I have no problems doing this with stones -- but did, originally, with the Apex.) To reset or create a bevel anew, jump on in there with the coarse stone and go for it. Establish a bevel with the coarse stone, fine it with the medium, establish the secondary bevel (if desired), then finish with the fine after honing medium. Re-establishing or cutting a new edge takes some time, but you can do it with the Apex, no problem.

Yes, feeling the burr takes a little time to master. Mostly, though, it is that one hasn't created the burr in the first place, not that one isn't feeling it.
 
Establish a bevel with the coarse stone, fine it with the medium, establish the secondary bevel (if desired), then finish with the fine after honing medium. Re-establishing or cutting a new edge takes some time, but you can do it with the Apex, no problem.

Yes, feeling the burr takes a little time to master. Mostly, though, it is that one hasn't created the burr in the first place, not that one isn't feeling it.
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I didn't get a coarse stone. I just got the 220 and 320. I probably won't need it for my knives but it sounds like it would be helpful reviving the dead blades of my family's knife crypts (drawers)*.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, I was half thinking I couldn't find a burr and half thinking I might not be making a burr. I guess go at it a bit more aggressively.

I knew it could be done, I saw a video of a guy who used an apex to put an edge on a steel blank. His table looked like a dull gray crime scene when he was done.

*If only I could replay the conversation I had with my parents while I was trying to put an edge on some 5 dollar knife they had rattling around in their drawer. I recall a lot of sarcasm like " gosh how do we ever cut anything around here?" and a ton of twisted logic like "I know they say a sharp knife is safer than a dull one, but I end up cutting myself more with a sharp knife."
 
"I know they say a sharp knife is safer than a dull one, but I end up cutting myself more with a sharp knife."
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That's when you say, in all 'seriousness', "Cutting oneself with a sharp blade has more to do with the lack of skill of the cook using the knife..." and let it go from there (being ready to duck when various objects are hurled your way).

Go a bit more agressively and go for a bit longer time-wise. Once you get it the first time you will know it and have it down.
 
Go a bit more agressively and go for a bit longer time-wise. Once you get it the first time you will know it and have it down.
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sounds like the same process I had to adopt to get my ribs to tender.
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So I have really been enjoying my Apex.

At first I tried it with a cutco chef's knife and I didn't have much success. I email the guy who makes the Apex, and he told me cutco uses the hardest steel out there and it's impossible to get a burr because it's so hard it just snaps off.

Anyway, I decided to try our my global knife, and wow! In just a few minutes, it was literally sharp enough to shave with. I use the 220 stone mostly, then a bit more with the 320. It was impressively sharp, but it still couldn't actually remove hairs from arm. I then tried finishing it on the ceramic steel (no downward pressure - just gravity!) and it made all the difference. The knife literally catches and cuts off hairs like a razor.

I found it very important to steel it with the ceramic rod before each use. Doing this, it stayed razor sharp for several weeks. Then I got lazy, and skipped it 3 or 4 times, and it lost it's edge. Resharpening it only took 5 minutes, but if you make sure to always steel, it will stay razor sharp for a really long time.

Jay, I too, am not sure about the burr. That is, I'm not sure exactly what it is or feels like. At the same time, I was able to get the knife razor sharp (sharper than new), so I guess it works to kinda wing it.
 
Jay, I too, am not sure about the burr. That is, I'm not sure exactly what it is or feels like. At the same time, I was able to get the knife razor sharp (sharper than new), so I guess it works to kinda wing it.
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I'm still lost on the burr thing.

I think the 220 doesn't remove much metal. I've had good luck improving edges that were fairly sharp to begin with, but I haven't gotten anywhere with really dull ones. I think I need a coarser stone.
 
The 220 grit stone is not aggressive enough to work with really dull knives or when you want to change the angle of the bevel on even a sharp knife.

My kit has one marked "C" for coarse. It seems to be about 120 grit. You'll probably only need to use it once on any given knife, but when you need it you really need it.
 
and he told me cutco uses the hardest steel out there and it's impossible to get a burr because it's so hard it just snaps off.
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Nonsense. Cutco knives are far from 'the hardest steel out there'. It is no harder than Global's steel and softer than most of the other Japanese knives I have. Cutco knives are not ground as 'regular' knives are, they are micro-serrated - one of the reasons they only feel 'as if' they were good knives, but aren't.

Carl is correct on the grits if one is working with a really dull knife or needs to re-bevel a knife.

Burr development can be felt. If one doesn't feel it it is usually because the burr wasn't developed in the first place. I don't worry about it too much. But to get a good grip on the burr and its development get a good magnifying glass. You can see it, then feel for what it feels like. Then you'll know.
 
Jay, you're welcome to borrow my Coarse stone (120 grit) for a couple of weeks and see if it works better. Right now, I don't have the time for anything more than keeping my already sharp knives in shape, and thus am not using the 120. (If you're still in the Boston area, you could even pick it up from me before you leave.)
 
Jay, you're welcome to borrow my Coarse stone (120 grit) for a couple of weeks and see if it works better. Right now, I don't have the time for anything more than keeping my already sharp knives in shape, and thus am not using the 120. (If you're still in the Boston area, you could even pick it up from me before you leave.)
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thanks for the offer, I'm on cape cod now, however I think I'm going to buy one. One of the reasons I purchased the apex was to see if I can sharpen up some some old blades at my in-laws house.

But to get a good grip on the burr and its development get a good magnifying glass. You can see it, then feel for what it feels like. Then you'll know.
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I have access to a dissecting scope and actually considered bringing it home. I wanted to make sure what I was doing was improving the edge and not making it worse off.
 
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