Knife sharpeners

[pavilion]

First off yes I read past threads but didn't find quite what I was looking for, I currently use a Lansky and have always been able to get a good edge but when I put something like a spyderco PM2 in it that is flat ground and tapered I'm not happy with how it gets held, looking for anyone who has knives like these and sharpens them with an edge pro, wicked edge or KME and how happy they are with the sharpening system, the Lansky works great but if there are no flat parts on the blade then I just don't like it, and I'm trying to avoid doing it by hand on stones if I can...thanks

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[hogie]

Edge pro with magnets that hold the blade works well. Lots of you tube videos on tricks with them. I have a couple of spyderco knives with similar blades and have no issues getting a good sharp blade.

They are reasonably priced, lots of upgrades like better stones available. You can do a variety of blade lengths and profiles, kitchen knifes with long blades to pocket knife.

[graybeard]

Colioil37 got me onto this system......I use it all the time.

https://www.dmtsharp.com/

[amosfella]

Project farm has a good video on comparing the knife sharpeners.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by graybeard

Colioil37 got me onto this system......I use it all the time.

https://www.dmtsharp.com/

I have a set of the bench stones from extra course to extra fine. Wish I had bought them years ago.

ARG

[EZM]

WorkSharp Ken Onion ........... an outstanding and easy to use product. A belt type product with a angle/edge guide.

https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/...ool-sharpener/

I own FAR MORE sharpening systems than I care to admit. And this is the one I use now. For hunting/kitchen/fillet knives this will do everything from restoring a damaged edge and realigning it to putting on a final razor fine edge on it - all within minutes. You can run 2 belts, or up to 5 or 6 depending on your desired outcome.

If you are a super meticulous sharpener - this will satisfy your discerning standard - and you can always run a strop or ceramic belt (or run a super fine stone, steel, leather belt anyways). I run 3 belts and one finish tool depending on the knife.

You can touch a hair on your arm and it will fall off. If you stare at the blade to long your eyes will bleed - this thing gets them surgical sharp. Most knife fights are avoided the minute you draw your knife and your opponent sees the gleaming razor sharp edge and cowers and submits to you immediately wetting himself in fear.

This is it. The lightsabre of sharpeners.

Trust me - I bought so many tools and systems and I am super fussy about the edges on my knives. I definitely like this one best.

I also use a set of some very top quality premium Japanese whet stones - but they are time consuming - although with the right technique they also produce a outstanding finish to a blade (although far more expensive compared to the Ken Onion Worksharp) but (when using stones) you gotta know what you are doing with these and technique is critical for a fine edge.

[Pathfinder76]

I would not put a knife I liked anywhere near a worksharp.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by Au revoir, Gopher

I have a set of the bench stones from extra course to extra fine. Wish I had bought them years ago.

ARG

This.
They work without power.
They don't freeze water stones.
Quick, simple, superior results.

[Okotok]

I use a Kalamazoo 1" x 42" belt sander for most of my knives. Usually the flexible belt without platen for a rounded edge and sometimes with the platen in place. Belts from coarse up to leather with green compound. Works great for me and quick is good too!

[mrcrossbow]

i use a a few different ceramic stones, then i strop, gets my knifes hair popping sharp. definitely ruined a few practice knifes before i got the hang of free handing it, but now its almost a relaxing thing i look forward to. stroping is very important, keeps your edge longer, and definitely something you need to also practice because if do it wrong you will dull blade and have start over. but if properly done, can just strop and keep going on a deer with out having to break out the sharpening stone.
i use spiderco ceramic stones. they work well for me and there small pocket size is perfect for field use

[CaberTosser]

EZM: I have the Ken Onion belt model you describe, and I do like it, though its drawback is being rough on the knife tip and rounding it off. There is another one from WorkSharp though that doesn't have the same issue. This is the one, it's easy to use, is nice in that the angle adjustment is infinite due to the screw-adjuster and it flips over easily to do the other side. The price in the link is $80, but it regularly goes on sale for $60. My only wish is that it had more grit selections available than the three. Still, its a great deal if you get it at $60; sadly, I bought mine at $80.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/14432...nife-sharpener

[EZM]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

EZM: I have the Ken Onion belt model you describe, and I do like it, though its drawback is being rough on the knife tip and rounding it off. There is another one from WorkSharp though that doesn't have the same issue. This is the one, it's easy to use, is nice in that the angle adjustment is infinite due to the screw-adjuster and it flips over easily to do the other side. The price in the link is $80, but it regularly goes on sale for $60. My only wish is that it had more grit selections available than the three. Still, its a great deal if you get it at $60; sadly, I bought mine at $80.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/14432...nife-sharpener

If you don't stop the belt (like the instructional video) before the tip, it can round a tip slightly if you don't follow the arc - that's true - but, for me, this is only a concern on fillet knives, and I always work those on a wet stone for a few minutes to finish the tips so they are needle sharp and slide into a walleye's belly like a light sabre with no resistance.

The work sharp gets you to the 1 yard line for fillet knives - the kitchen or general purpose or hunting knives are not a big concern even if you cheat (and not stop the belt as you reach the end of the stroke).

I cheat on these (never stop the belt) and keep the belt going but just ease up on the pressure and follow it around the curve with no issue.

[EZM]

Originally Posted by chuck

I would not put a knife I liked anywhere near a worksharp.

I am certain the most high end Japanese knives and heirloom hunting knives costing hundreds and hundreds of dollars are all sharpened on a flexible belt like that.

Some may be finished on a high quality wet stone - but that's only for final polish and stropping - and, in most cases, doesn't add a whole bunch to the process as with any sharpening process it ends this same way if you are meticulous or shaping a tip or finishing a compound grind of some sort.

Same idea as using a ceramic steel or leather strop if you find that necessary.

For 99% of the knives that are tools - it's not required.

[treeroot]

Originally Posted by EZM

WorkSharp Ken Onion ........... an outstanding and easy to use product. A belt type product with a angle/edge guide.

https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/...ool-sharpener/

I own FAR MORE sharpening systems than I care to admit. And this is the one I use now. For hunting/kitchen/fillet knives this will do everything from restoring a damaged edge and realigning it to putting on a final razor fine edge on it - all within minutes. You can run 2 belts, or up to 5 or 6 depending on your desired outcome.

If you are a super meticulous sharpener - this will satisfy your discerning standard - and you can always run a strop or ceramic belt (or run a super fine stone, steel, leather belt anyways). I run 3 belts and one finish tool depending on the knife.

You can touch a hair on your arm and it will fall off. If you stare at the blade to long your eyes will bleed - this thing gets them surgical sharp. Most knife fights are avoided the minute you draw your knife and your opponent sees the gleaming razor sharp edge and cowers and submits to you immediately wetting himself in fear.

This is it. The lightsabre of sharpeners.

Trust me - I bought so many tools and systems and I am super fussy about the edges on my knives. I definitely like this one best.

I also use a set of some very top quality premium Japanese whet stones - but they are time consuming - although with the right technique they also produce a outstanding finish to a blade (although far more expensive compared to the Ken Onion Worksharp) but (when using stones) you gotta know what you are doing with these and technique is critical for a fine edge.

I have a work sharp... It works really well on thin blades. I don't find it works well with thicker blades, not sure why.

I dont like what it does to the very tip of knives. It almost takes the tip off. It doesn't do this with all knives though.

I use my work sharp on my victoronix and mora butchering knives. I don't use it on thick high quality hunting blades or high end german/japanese kitchen knives.


I also don't like the stropping belts it uses. I find you get a better edge with a leather strop glued to a block of wood. Again, I only use the work sharp for thin cheaper knives. But I still use a leather on wood strop.

[treeroot]

Originally Posted by EZM

I am certain the most high end Japanese knives and heirloom hunting knives costing hundreds and hundreds of dollars are all sharpened on a flexible belt like that.

Some may be finished on a high quality wet stone - but that's only for final polish and stropping - and, in most cases, doesn't add a whole bunch to the process as with any sharpening process it ends this same way if you are meticulous or shaping a tip or finishing a compound grind of some sort.

Same idea as using a ceramic steel or leather strop if you find that necessary.

For 99% of the knives that are tools - it's not required.

I don't think so..

Belt sharpeners give a convex shoulder and stones give a flat shoulder. They are not interchangable to my knowledge or exerpeicne.

With higher end knives, the shouler it comes from the factory is likely the best shoulder for that steel. If you try to change a flat grind to a convex you might have some problems, maybe not, but you might.

[JD848]

Originally Posted by EZM

If you don't stop the belt (like the instructional video) before the tip, it can round a tip slightly if you don't follow the arc - that's true - but, for me, this is only a concern on fillet knives, and I always work those on a wet stone for a few minutes to finish the tips so they are needle sharp and slide into a walleye's belly like a light sabre with no resistance.

The work sharp gets you to the 1 yard line for fillet knives - the kitchen or general purpose or hunting knives are not a big concern even if you cheat (and not stop the belt as you reach the end of the stroke).

I cheat on these (never stop the belt) and keep the belt going but just ease up on the pressure and follow it around the curve with no issue.

I have one EZM of these work sharp by KO and all my knives stay very sharp , i put a drop of AUTOSOL metal polish on my finest belt pus the fine belt last 10 times longer and it doesn't harm the blade what so ever . When i was guiding i would sharpen my fillet knife 2 to 3 times each day after maybe 130 fish per day average for the whole camp.

I was the only fishing guide at the camp, with up to 50 guest per day,no one in my boat .I just put them onto the fishing spots and fillet the fish for shore lunch. They had a cooking staff come out to cook ,but I cleaned the fish for lunch,so every night i would just touch them up with the meatal polish i purchased at crapy tire . I could do 90 walleyes in 45 minutes or 2 fish per person every day at shore lunch. And not one fillet ever touches any slime. So i need sharp knives done fast with out destroying them.

For pike a sharp knife is important, but i sharpen the top of the blade much sharper on the side that's not touching the skin so it doesn't cut through the skin,i also heated up 2 knife blades with a slight curve ,one for left side and one for right side to debone and use the this KO deal for them also.This way i get the same depth of knife cut on each fillet fast.

These knives were sharp ,plus i cleaned there catch to take home in the evening so about 130 per day 7 days a week for 80 days .Had the same knives for years . Had a guy bring me up years before some deal it took me 30 minutes to do 4 knives, well that went in the garbage. 30 minutes every day is 3.5 hours per week ,which is time i need for other work at that job, regardless of what I do it sharpens knives like razor. I bought 2 of the havalon knives and they both got chucked out ,waste of time and dangerous when hands are all mucked up .

The farmers and tree huggers don't want no pipeline in the spring so for 2.5 months per year i got a paid vacation and found this Work Matt to help do my job. I stop guiding in 1978 and in 2009 i when back to what i loved, it's an easy job if you love it,5.30 am to 10pm every day. Plus you have to really like all kinda folks.

I use it on all my hunting knives worth over 1500 in total and no blades are damaged, if they are then it's not being used right. Figuring out your true angle is the trick ,then one good go with a rougher belt then just the very fine belt with this polish. A slight drop of fine oil on the blade for the first belt at low speed. Just stuff i have tried that worked for me.You can damage a knife if you not doing it right, then again there not a tool for brain surgery.

If you grind your blade down then your apply to much pressure on the belt ,i got 5 knives i paid over 300 plus for each and i do my one pass to get the edge right then just the find belt, a guy did 3 deer this year and a moose with just one knife and it needs just a 2 minute touch up. It's still very sharp .

Heard good and bad about it but for myself it's the right tool for sharp knives.

After 50 years and sharpening lord knows how many with all kind stones this . I got 2 axes i ordered from Sweden at 600 a piece in my younger days for winter games log chopping and i sharpen them up with this deal and you can shave with them, even clean fish better then a knife if your wrist van handle the balance. All my hunting and blazing axes for cutting claim posts are done with it all so. Even my lawn mower blade with the toughest belt and that steel is hard.

Some won't agree but for me i am not in love with any material item ,if i buy it it's used for my needs, not to sit in a window display for others to look at, plenty of those guys around ,just like the guys who pay 90 k for a truck and won't take in the bush . All just for show and know action, i don't care if it's worth 150 k it goes where i need to go within reason, only a fool wrecks his truck. Or a rifle to nice to hunt with to me is worthless as hunting rifle,

Only thing i love and means anything to me is my family the rest is all junk i probably never really needed or i can replace .
CHEERS
JD

[Phil McCracken]

Bought this Work Sharp few months ago.

https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/...ife-sharpener/

I find it much more flexible than the Lansky system as you have more bevel degrees to play with.

[calgarychef]

I’ve never bothered with a jig system, other than a lansky for awhile.
One or two bench stones and you’re good to go. I’m sure my freehanding isn’t as good as a jig but I like the simplicity. All my knives are probably sharper than most, mostly because I look after the edges after sharpening.

[badbrass]

Bought a bench stone from Calgarychef about a year ago! My knives have never been sharper! Thanks Again !

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I’ve never bothered with a jig system, other than a lansky for awhile.
One or two bench stones and you’re good to go. I’m sure my freehanding isn’t as good as a jig but I like the simplicity. All my knives are probably sharper than most, mostly because I look after the edges after sharpening.

[treeroot]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

I’ve never bothered with a jig system, other than a lansky for awhile.
One or two bench stones and you’re good to go. I’m sure my freehanding isn’t as good as a jig but I like the simplicity. All my knives are probably sharper than most, mostly because I look after the edges after sharpening.

I tried a lansky.. Worked really well.. but just like the belt grinders, they don't do the tip properly.. especially with long blades..

[ScottFitter]

I have a few different things from keychain pocket sharpeners to the Ken Onion system.

The Ken Onion Worksharp is a different beast and I haven't gotten the hang of it. I just can't seem to get the edge I'm looking for.
The Lanksy system works well for me however, I think that when I first got it, I didn't do enough cleaning of the stones when I was done. The stones aren't worn out by any means, just clogged so they don't work as well as they should, or as fast as they should.
I have a couple of whetstones, and I do enjoy using them. Nothing fancy or expensive, one from Lansky and the Tri Surface one from Smiths. I have paired that with guides from Sharpal. One is rubber backed for stone, one is magnetic and sticks to the diamond stones apparently. These work very well on everything except a recurve style blade that has an inside curve to it. For me at least.
I have the Camillus sharpening tool. It has the carbide and diamond pull through style set ups, as well as a ceramic hone on the other side. As well as the more common torq's bits on the corners.

I like my Lansky system the best but I am very interested in the Worksharp Precision sharpener. I'm just not sure how well it will do with the wider plates and the recurve style blades, like the Benchmade Grizzly Ridge.

[Hooter]

Originally Posted by chuck

I would not put a knife I liked anywhere near a worksharp.

Chuck, you could be the most consistently crusty, opinionated, disagreeable, and confrontational person on this forum…. Period…..

Why can’t you state your opinion with a bit of tact and couth? I get the impression you’re a very lonely and bitter man.

[EZM]

A couple great thoughts gleaned from a few of the latest posts .... the technique for sharpening with different systems definitely is important. It's hard to "retrain your instinct" using one system to another and going from a flat stone to a flexible belt to a rigid grinder etc...

It's true, if you have a flat grind on a tool or sushi knife, that needs to go on a whet stone and nothing else but that is an exception. It's very special type of grind, with a very special steel that has little in common with the majority of the knifes in our knife block, drawer, tool box, pocket or tackle box.

The thickness of a blade also determines the pressure you put on the belt. A thick beefy hunting and utility knife requires more pressure I have found - so the belt "bends" around the steel and reaches the tip.

I also wasn't totally sold on the flexible belt at first and couldn't get a great edge on thicker kitchen knives like a "chef's chopper" or the hunting knives until I watched a you tube on it and it gave me a "game changing" tip ....

Take a washable marker and run it on the blade tip - if the marker isn't coming off you are not bending the belt enough (applying enough pressure) - the thicker blades need down pressure - the fillet type thin blades are a gentle pass through.

The other thing to do is grab and guide the blade with your free hand putting pressure right above the belt and you pull it through leaving your free hands index finger over the top of the belt area and leave it there. The hand holding the knife moves to pull the blade through and follow the curve of the knife. The roller on the front, of you follow it and remain in contact with it will help.

It took a little practice to get used to - but I will not go back to doing it any other way - it's quick, easy and can give you a razor sharp tip in minutes almost indiscernible to spending hours on a flat stone.

Ultimately IMO - Flat stones (for the overwhelming majority of the knives we use) are for final maintenance and touch up only - not for "sharpening or reconditioning" a blade after a long day's work or resetting the bevel (unless you are super skilled and have hours of time.

I spent 20 years and hundreds maybe thousands of dollars buying all sorts of "systems" and spend hours doing things wrong ..... so I'm finally where I want to be after all this trial and error.

One final thought - "chasing the burr" is great for some knives - but in some cases you want some bite. Keep it sharp, but don't polish it up too much otherwise the edge is more likely to roll.

Great thread.

[calgarychef]

Originally Posted by badbrass

Bought a bench stone from Calgarychef about a year ago! My knives have never been sharper! Thanks Again !

I’m glad you like it.. that was a good one!

[mxz1997]

I’ve tried a number a different sharpeners, and stuck with the Worksharp. All the guys that are ruining the tips, aren’t using it as directed. You never pull your knife through, you always stop the belt when you reach the tip of the knife. And you sharpen on one side until you have a bur all along the cutting edge, then give the other side an equal number of passes. After that you can finish with a honing belt.

[bat119]

I don't think a magic bullet exists that work well on all types of knives, I use the workshop or Lansky on hunting knives, Japanese water stones on my kitchen knives.

This year for boning out meat my buddy had a Bavarian carbide sharpener for quick touch ups it worked well although I wouldn't use on a really good knife.

[Boatbuilder]

Tsprof

[brewster29]

Originally Posted by Hooter

Chuck, you could be the most consistently crusty, opinionated, disagreeable, and confrontational person on this forum…. Period…..

Why can’t you state your opinion with a bit of tact and couth? I get the impression you’re a very lonely and bitter man.

That’s why we pay him the big bucks… he is the definition of terse.

[elkhunter11]

I like the Gatco Diamond kit, larger stones than Lansky, and a better guide system. The diamond kit is quicker than regular stones, and works on steels that my stones didn't work well on.

[Hooter]

Originally Posted by brewster29

That’s why we pay him the big bucks… he is the definition of terse.

Yes, “terse” would also be relevant here. 😊