Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I have been looking for a high quality knife sharpener (wicked edge questions)

I think the Worksharp is a better tool for knives and scissors, if you are going to resort to 120V. Having said that, I lust for a Tormek for woodworking tools but I'll most likely struggle along with the Makita sharpener I've used for years.

Many here may not realize that a tool to cut wood, like a plane iron, needs to be WAY sharper than a knife needs to be to cut flesh. A knife sharpened to cut flesh, under a loupe will have a serrated appearance. Such an edge won't shave wood that well.

Convex? Try 320 (max) grit black paper on cardboard on a board, trailing edge held steep enough to matter. Going through all the grits and grades just rounds off what you've done with the coarser stuff. Don't wind up in a dark room soaking your water stones and dreaming of shaving the bark off a hair.

I used one of these when I was a kid now I have a job and like to have quality products . Plus all my friends use light sabers and I can't afford one so I need to keep my blades very sharp . Really thanks for the gfy and making me slightly dumber after reading your expert opinion

I don't recall ever saying GFY. And I have no issue if someone just likes to spend more, or is just more "into" knives and sharpening. Me, I think it's silly, but I'm not "into" knives; they're tools to me and that's it. So my opinion was from that angle solely. Although I have nicer knives, my absolute favorite is the Victorinox I carry with me everywhere I go, because it's exactly what I need and nothing more. Actually it's probably the cheapest knife I own. Like I said, working knives only. For someone who uses his knife every day, often rather heavy duty, I love the simplicity and quickness of the little Smith. With my Smith sharpened knife I can do anything you would do with a knife. I have a high end Lansky and I just don't care for it. But like I said, I'm not "into" knives; they're just tools to me.

Perhaps if you would read the topic of the thread before you opined and referred to others as snobs?

GFY... there I did it again... Couldn't help myself!

Geo

Even if you get a clamp or jig system, learn to freehand sharpen. It is one of those things a man needs to know how to do like shooting a rifle, changing a tire, etc!

I used a Lansky for years and could get knives sharp with it but once I learned to freehand I found I could get the knife just as sharp or sharper, quicker and easier. The fixed angle systems are nice for re profiling or setting an edge on a new knife.

Also, for hunting purposes you don't need to polish your edge to an extremely high level and knowing this can save you some money regardless of what you use. A clean, burr free edge off of a Soft Arkansas, 500 to 1000 grit water stone, or fine diamond is plenty good. You don't need to go to the extra extra fine grits unless you just want to and an edge with some tooth to it might be better depending on what you are doing.

Ok my pro pack showed up yesterday set up was very easy .
Use knifes come out like new but much sharper easy to use I would recommend the kit to any one looking to have a razor sharp knife with them all the time

I've had a Tormek in my shop for ten or so years. Great system for knives/tools.
It is a bit pricey just to sharpen your pocket knife.

The Smith is a good gadget for a variety of blades but there are blade profiles it doesn't work on and are too thick for it.

I've a Wicked Edge and think highly of it. You have to get your own base and I put mine on a thick wooden cutting block from Walmart.
Keep it under the computer desk and it takes no time to put in a knife and be sharpening.
You can re-profile a blade with it and sharpen a bunch of kitchen knives in no time at all.
It is expensive as every stone is X2 and you need a couple that don't come with the kit.

I make knives and have a $3,000 plus Burr King grinder in the garage. I have the knock off of the Tormek machine by Grizzly manufacturing, and I have a Lansky kit I've had since I was a Boy Scout. If you want a Moran edge on a knife, I use the slack belt. To sharpen it, since it's convex, you have to sharpen it on a belt or fine sand paper on a mouse pad. I tell people that I think it's a superior slicing edge but they should know that a flat stone won't maintain a Moran edge. I get knives back every deer season to sharpen... I do it on the belt.

I put a 20 degree edge on most knives with the water stone. The Grizzly is a copy or the Tormek and I think I paid $150 for mine 4 or 5 years ago. It's very consistent and I can grid a .020" edge down to a sharp edge in about an hour. When you're done, there is a leather strop on the other side to play with but the edge will be very rough. It cuts very well. I use a ceramic stick from my Henckels kitchen block to clean up the edge.

Before I made knives, I used a Lansky kit and I still use it to travel and keep it around. It's at my Mom's house and I bring it to the gun club to touch up other people's knives... It works and I have put it through the ringer. If you are going to sharpen a lot of knives or edged tools, a wheel is really nice. It shaves a lot of time off the job and, unlike a belt, you can't heat up the blade enough to alter the temper of the edge. I wouldn't pay the ridiculous price of the Tormek. The Grizzly (the metal one, not the plastic one) is solid and has lasted me a long time. The stones, I bought my Brother a new Lansky kit and I still use mine.

Try one of the worksharp sharpeners. They use a belt so it will be a convex grind. The convex grinds don't feel as sharp as bevel grind but tend to hold the edge longer.

can you fix this

Yes I can. I just made a 200 year old French bayonet snapped in half into a bowie knife for a guy. I re shape knives, put points on broken off blades... all the time. I'm not a professional but I have a really nice grinder. I'd grind it back on the belt grinder and then put a new edge on it with the water wheel. Is the knife worth enough to you to send it to me in Rhode Island? I'd surely do my best.

look like a good setup, also looks a tad dangerous.

I've got an edge pro, so I don't need a new one - this one will get things razor sharp as it is.

I do like how you can set the depth of the knife, the dual sided stones, and the strops. I would buy stoop material separately from this kit, I have had strops that are much larger than these.

I think the price is too high for what you get, I'd go after a system with 200 - 1000 grit, with strops and possibly a few extra fine stones. The issue here for me is the cost of adding new stones - IIRC my edge pro has up to 1,200 grit stones, then I have polishing tapes.

I will tell you that speed with a really sharp knife is not a good thing, I'd have to see how easily those stones can catch and twist your fingers into the blade. I like pushing the stone into the blade which personally I think results in a cleaner edge than dragging the edge across the stone (pushes material to the edge).

yes its a cold steel san mai 3 steel blade.

This is a good thread guys. I have a Lansky but suck at using it and have been thinking I need something else. I'm going to try the Spyderco Sharpmaker...thanks for the advice

Harbor Freight Chi-com belt sander for the convex edge and Paper wheel for final stropping. I can get any blade shaving sharp in less than 3 minutes. Pumas and old Bucks have some pretty hard steel and they are no match for this setup. Even some knives that I have made from old files get it quick. The convex edge lasts much longer and you only have to touch up the stropping on the paper wheel every now and again.

I started free-handing 45 yrs ago and got pretty good. Lansky, good. Spyderco, good. I have other stones that I use for my straight razors but for a working knife that needs to hold up, check out the convex edge systems.

I would love to have someone in the Billings area teach me how to freehand sharpen.

I am like the guy who said, "the more I sharpen, the duller it gets."

It frustrates me to no end not being able to put an edge on a knife.