Speaking of Knives, how do you sharpen yours?


 
John Leopard

John Leopard

TVWBB Member
I use an Accusharp. It may not be good for my Henckels, but I'll use it all day long on any Sani-safe knife I have, including serrated.
what say you?
 
John Leopard said:
I use an Accusharp. It may not be good for my Henckels, but I'll use it all day long on any Sani-safe knife I have, including serrated.
what say you?
Click to expand...


At work, a motorized pull through machine, steel, and an Accusharp. at home ...

I've gone from stones>belt sander>back to stones.

I have mostly Euro quality knives and one VG-10 steel J knife. The VG-10 is a Petty which I don't use much so my kit is now Oil Stones for the Euro steel. I have no experience with water stones. My kit is as follows;
Norton India Course 8x3x1/2 $20~
Norton India Fine 8x3x1/2 $20~
Razor Edge Systems Ultra Fine 8x3x1 $40~

Followed by white stropping compound and/or swipes on a fine steel produces a decent working but arm hair shaveable edge.

I use the oil stones dry but clean/wash after each use.

The 8x3 India stones come in plastic cases that double as stone holders.

If I didn't already have the Razor Edge Ultra Fine I would probably have a 8x3x1/2 Halls Hard Arkansas. $47~

In general I follow Chad Ward's sequence of a 20/15 relief/cutting edge.
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening

For a first Oil Stone the Norton IB-8 Combo is a decent starting point.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/881201-Norton-India-stone-review-w-pics
 
I use Japanese water stones. In my experience water stones sharpen much quicker but, you do have to flatten them from time to time since they hollow out fast.
 
Jack O said:
I use Japanese water stones. In my experience water stones sharpen much quicker but, you do have to flatten them from time to time since they hollow out fast.
Click to expand...

I believe so, but it may also depend on the grit size. US and JIS grits are not equal.

To match a JIS grit stone, one can use a lower grit US stone.

A 300-400 US grit stone might be something like 1000 JIS grit. I've been meaning to take my Extra Fine Oil Stone into a store to see how a water stone compares.

The oil stones do not wear as fast.. I've had the Razor Edge Extra Fine for about 20 years.

Waterstones can go to very high grits, but it's debatable how high kitchen knives (esp. euro steel knives) should to be sharpened/polished at, afterall the knife may not have much strength if the edge is as thin and sharp as a razor, nor will the edge hold up well with normal usage. Although I guess you can use it to shave with.
 
I use the old guy that comes by ever few months. Twenty pesos a blade or fiddy cents US. I should do it myself but I'm lazy and he needs the work.
 
i have a lansky that i use on my pocket knives

i take my globals to a local shop about once per year and he sharpens them for 7 bucks per blade.
i haven't had to get kiwis sharpened yet.
 
Plain old sharpening steel
Products29-349x349-222637.jpg
 
Old school Norton IM200 three stone sharpening system. Not high tech but probably one of the most widely used setups in professional kitchens.
 
Len Dennis said:
Plain old sharpening steel
Products29-349x349-222637.jpg
Click to expand...

Steels are intended for straightening an edge between sharpening.

The grooved steels can be very agressive and are best on Euro steel knives while the harder steel knives like some of the Japanese knives can benefit more from a very fine/smooth steel or a ceramic rod like an Idahone.
 
Cheap $5 whet stone we bought in Arkansas. Works like a champ!I try to remember to use the steel before I use any of my knives. I have a set of Chicago Cutlery Fusion knives that I got as a reward from work. They aren't real high end knives, it they take and keep an edge pretty well. Not too shabby for free!
 
I use a Tormek and a Worksharp Knife sharpener. I just got the WS a few months ago and really like it. The Tormek is great for larger knives but I have trouble with the smaller ones.
 
i have a unit that is very similar to the one that chef irvine endorses. every knife in my house is sharp as ........
really neat stuff and its alot easier than a try stone by far.
 
Moons ago I would use a ceramic stone (made by Coors) and a steel.
The constant sharpening angle was hardly ever constant.
We now use a Chef's Choice 3 wheel electric and steel for the kitchen knives.

Plane irons and chisels get the full waterstone treatment with the secondary bevel finished at 8,000 grit.

Bob
 
I'll second the Chef's Choice electric sharpener. It's fast, easy and consistently puts a super sharp edge on a knife in minutes. I only sharpen my knives once a year or so and it simply doesn't make any sense to try to master the skill necessary to use a stone so infrequently. Hell, after a year, I probably wouldn't even remember where the stone was. :)

I discovered one of my camping knives had been used to cut granite and of course, no one knew or admitted why my knife looked more like a hacksaw. After a few minutes with the Chef's Choice, the blade was as good as new.

Edit;
I found this review and think it covers the benefits of an electric sharpener pretty well;
http://www.cabelas.com/chefs-choice-edgeselect-8482-120-a-field-test-review-1.shtml

Amazon link;
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...d-keywords=chefs+choice+sharpener?tag=TVWB-20
 
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chef's choice 110. I may end up having to replace a $50 knife or two in 20-30 years from sharpening too much, but in the mean time, my knives are always really sharp.
 
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