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Would an Edge Pro be a better option for hunting knives than a Work-Sharp?

I know bubkiss about knife sharpening...

I do something similar.

Edge Pro for getting a good edge....stones and strop for touch up.....mouse pad and sandpaper for convex grinds...

I'd say it depends on the knife. Like Tim, I use the EdgePro Apex for most sharpening. I can set the angle I want, not have to use the set angle with the Work Sharp. Different thickness, different metal, different grinds, need different angles.
Now my Scandi grind knives get sharpened on Japanese water stones only, and my convex grind knives only see a strop.

You can definitely get your hunting knives sharp with a Work Sharp as with many other processes.

Stones with fixtures will give you a flat cutting edge bevel.
The slightly slack belts of a Work Sharp will give you a slightly convex cutting edge bevel.

Some have strong preference for one or the other. Once you go one way or the other with a specific blade, you will want to stay with that or you will be grinding away metal to re-shape the cutting edge with each change back and forth.

With either final edge, you should be able to touch them up with a treated leather strop for several more uses.

What ever you choose, it will take some practice and personal tweaking to get the most out of that process.

But like some of us, we use bench stones, fixtured stones, slack belts and ..... Just because we are blade nuts.

Sharpening knives can be a one way slippery slope just like making knives has been for many.
Tim

Tim, I don't think I have sharpened that little S30V blade with the Camel Bone scales you made for me more than once. Year after year, a strop and a ceramic stick keep it sharp as needed. It gets used an awful lot, I wore it yesterday, but it does not get abused.

Sam
Well, I like to hear of performance like that.

I just don't seem to get the hang of ceramic sticks.
The magic seems to elude me.
Light or heavy engagement?
Push into the edge or drag away?
I have the same issues with a steel on the kitchen knives.
????
Tim

Some good info. Just curious as to steel, hardness, edge thickness, primary bevel, secondary bevel, final grit finish...?

Good example here:



and here:



Great results for the users...disparate methods. Would love to see the details.

Tim, I use my kitchen steel much like a stone. Cut into the steel holding at the bevel angle, drawing towards you. I can't imagine getting a decent edge banging away at the blade like I see on the TV. A slight bite into the steel with a couple pounds of force until you can feel the edge and then a single light draw on each side to stand up the edge. Much like all hand sharpening techniques, you need to practice. Never have been successful with the ceramic stick.

Sometimes the steel won't work - then it's back to the EdgePro and everything is good for about a year.

I have a scar on my left thumb from talking on the phone while steeling an edge. The call abruptly ended with, "got to go, have a problem"

I have not had much luck in the past with ceramic, diamond impregnated or steels.

I did catch a comment somewhere (maybe here) that if you could find and old "Sheffield" steel, they work.

I found one at a flea market for $2 and it seems to make a difference over the several others I have had a tried to use.
I have only been using it on the kitchen knives (some of which are variants of shop mistakes), and still have to work out the best process, but it has promise.

I was told by my mentor that if you use steels, you need smooth ones for softer blades and a textured surface for the harder hunting styles. You supposedly can freshen them up
with a 120 grit on a belt sander. Still working on that bit of info.

Some time we should keep records for a year on how many self inflicted cuts we get. Winner gets a box of bandaids.

Tim

Knives sharpened on the Edge Pro just get a couple licks on an impregnated leather strop and are back to work for a couple more iterations before back on the fixture.

fwiw...

in the cutting room, a large ceramic steel works great for a little touch up but best for the final run after the stone, to de-tooth the edge cutting hair sharp. But if they aren't clean (really clean) they are no more effective than smooth steel, i.e. to straighten out an edge after using it some. Kept a can of comet cleanser to bring mine back to white--once it is streaked with metal, it needs to be cleaned.

That's a PITA when working and guys tend to break them in the shop. So, it worked best for me to use a smooth (steel) steel to straighten at the table and the ceramic following refreshing the blade on a stone.

The Sheffield steels came with a cutting surface or smooth. Now steels can come combo. The cutting surface would help when your knife needed more than just a little straightening. Generally in the middle of something during the day. Then in the AM, start with a stone.

add: agree with what yer mentor said. I loved the softer carbon blades because it was easier and faster to dress and refresh. But this was throw-away stuff not custom handled finery...:)

Did that too but the scar is on my left hand index finger. Seen it coming from a mile away..........

very light pressure, just sliding down the stick a few times. That is always my last step when touching up the edge.
I use three strops. One with black compound, one with white, and finish with green compound. Then a few passes one the ceramic stick.
With strops. you have to be careful to not use too much pressure, as I do NOT want to convex the edge on a blade that was not made that way.

Arkansas Medium, the hard, maybe a fine ceramic flat stone then a strop. All by hand. I figure while I might not get it as sharp as maybe I could on a machine, I do enjoy sharpening by hand and watching the hairs pop off my arm or leg when I get done.

LOOONG post DELETED...

Never mind.

Materials engineering, metallurgy, actual experience, studies, science and FACT can't compete against the bullsh!t from the popular posters...

Jigs allow anyone to be able to sharpen a knife. They also allow you to be able to hold perfect edge bevels which is great for aesthetic purposes. But after having used a Lansky system for years and having later learned to freehand sharpen, I can't tell any difference in "sharpness" in the real world.

Think about a single bevel edge. Its going to be 90 degrees on one side and say 15 on the other, essentially a right triangle. As long as the planes meet, it can be made as sharp as anything else, but the bevels certainly do not match. A sharp edge is made by bringing two planes together at a microscopic apex and then getting rid of any burrs created as best as you can. The planes do not have to match with geometrical precision. Making the planes meet and getting rid of the burrs is much more important to actual performance.

Would have liked to have read that long post. Always want to learn and appreciate comments from everyone.

thank goodness we have a few experts to counter balance the BS. Just saying.............. lol

I use a Gatco sharpening system! I have had this system for over 20 plus years. Once you get the edge on a knife worked into where you want it, just a quick couple of swipes and you are back to a hair shaving blade. I have taken knifes that were "sharp" according to the owner and made them shaving sharp. There is a patch on my left arm where I test the edge. During hunting season, it is perpetually bare. In camp you will always see me around the fire sharpening someones knifes. That Gatco system has worked well for so long and appears to have another 20 years before needing new stones!

FYI
There is an Edge Pro for sale in the classifieds.