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Posted By: 300savagehunter Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
What is the best knife sharpener for quick and good results. I have carbon steel and stainless steel knives and it seems I'm always trying to get them sharp. I have tried many that cost under $25 that don't give good results. I've reached the point where cost is no object. Thanks, Mike
Posted By: worriedman Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Wicked Edge if cost is no object.
Posted By: pappabear Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Edge Pro
Posted By: dale06 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I’ve used a Lansky system for decades on knives and broadheads. It takes a little getting used to, but works very well. It works well for blades under about 5”, and less so for longer blades.
Posted By: 1minute Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Arkansas oil stones - medium and highest density grades.
Posted By: baldhunter Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
A Norton aluminum oxide fine grit India stone is the best stone I've used for all steels.I use a light oil and it takes the steel off quick.
https://www.nortonabrasives.com/en-us/product/india-ao-single-grit-benchstone

Another stone I like is an Eze-Lap diamond stone.For the sharpest edge,I like the super fine,but over time after the stone gets broke in well the fine grit will get it done too.These stones start out a little on the rough side,but the more you use them the better they get.I keep a 6"x2" stone in the kitchen to keep my knife edges really sharp.The thing I like about these is they require no oil or water.
http://eze-lap.com/woodworking_shop_machine_use/diamond-stone/
Posted By: bugs4 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Worksharp Knife and tool, Ken Onion edition.
https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Knife-Sharpener-Onion/dp/B00EJ9CQKA
Posted By: 45_100 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I can relate to your frustration trying to sharpen a knife, plane, leather tools and blades of any kind. I have worn out several decent knives and stones trying to get the knives sharp. Finally decided to learn how to sharpen before I died. I watched lots of videos and learned a little from each one. Finally learned to sharpen a blade on a stone. The secret is the angle and the burr. Takes some practice to use a stone effectively. There are many different kinds of stones. They will all work. I think a stone and strop is the best way to sharpen and maintain an edge if you have the time and are willing to go through the learning curve. The Lansky system incorporates an angle guide and uses stones to create the edge.
Mechanical sharpeners are easier and usually create an acceptable edge. I haven't found one that gets the blade really sharp. They also grind away part of the blade each time. There are probably some very good mechanical sharpeners and I would imagine you get what you pay for.
Ask what time it is and someone always tells you how to make a watch
Posted By: Lonny Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I've gone from stones, to a Lansky, to an Edge Pro and Spyderco Sharpmaker. I've tried the Worksharp.

All of the above worked. I wasn't impressed enough with the Work-sharp to use it on anything other than cheap knives. I used the Lansky for many years and it worked well.

Anymore, I break out the Edge-Pro only occasionally when my blade needs some work from to too much use. Normally, I just do about a minute or two of touch up with the Sharpmaker every few days and that keeps my EDC knife sharp.
Posted By: simonkenton7 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I don't just sharpen knives, to build a log cabin I am sharpening 4 or 5 chisels and I need 'em sharp. I have ceramic sticks, I have whet stones, and I have the little flat plastic sticks with the diamond sharpener.

The best knife sharpener is the Edge Eater. You can buy one on Ebay for 14 bucks. Sharpens with a slightly coarse edge that cuts so effectively. You can sharpen a knife with the Edge Eater in about 45 seconds.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
Posted By: WMR Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
If you re over 40 and can’t use stones well, then you never will. Get a Worksharp. With a 10 minute learning curve you will have the sharpest knives in camp. Once you use knives that are very sharp your life will never be the same. All your tasks become easier and the Sun will shine brighter. Desirable people will seek your company. 😏
Posted By: Westman Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I use a Ken Onion worksharp
Posted By: high_country_ Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I have a Tormek, Ken Onion, paper wheels, lansky and probably close to $500 in stones.

The sharpener needs to fit the steel. A fine example is my German Henckel knives. They're close to if not over 5 years old and have NEVER seen anything but the steel in the block. The edge just needs to be rolled back into place.

A cheap steel needs to have enough meat removed to forma a burr and a steep enough angle to hold the edge. For this, the onion is fast....but it's hungry.

Average carbon steels do REALLY WELL on the paper wheels. The Tormek is an amazing sharpener, but for the price, I feel the paper does a better job......now if you mix 3 blade broadheads into that....

The worksharp guided field sharpener is the very best inexpensive unit I've ever used. I have one in my pack, travel trailer and at work.
Posted By: scrooster Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I'm a stones guy, was raised to-be obsessed about an edge and took a beatin' or two as a kid over failures to return razor sharp knives to my Dad.

I do like diamond lapping stones for removing a wire burr but strops and crock sticks work too ... depends upon the steel.

As some have already said, it's about learning to keep a proper angle, depending upon the bevel and grade, on both sides ... and about removing that wire burr.

That wire burr .... if I really want a special edge like for my skinner or my straight razor or even for my EDC automatic, I'll finish with 2000 grit wet and then strop.

I'm all for mechanical sharpeners when I'm in a hurry and doing kitchen knives, but hand sharpening with stones is really the only way to go unless you're using wet dipped stone wheels Japanese style with the bigger choppers, cleavers, axes and hatchets, etc.

One other thing worth adding. Sharpening is an art form and good sharpeners don't make time to sharpen, they sharpen all the time during spare time. Sitting around on the porch, sitting watching TV, standing around under the trees watching your dogs .... I always have a small set of stones in the truck or in my pocket or on the bench or on the table in the family room next to my favorite chair.

When family comes to visit they'll bring their knives for me to sharpen. When I got to hunt camp or fish camp the guys are always handing me their knives to sharpen around the fire.

Other guys on this forum know what I am talking about ... it's an art form. My Grandpappy was always sharpening his knives. My Dad, he passed away on the 26th of last month, but a week earlier while we were watching the Bama/UT game I handed him my new EDC knife to check out and he takes it and shaves hair off his arm ... smiles and hands it back to me. He was almost 90.
Posted By: tedthorn Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Radda

I have about 10 of them

Each truck has one or two

One or two in the kitchen, shop, packs ect.

They even bring a Havalon blade back to deadly sharp in one swipe
Posted By: Cheesy Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Worksharp Precision Adjust.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
Posted By: Ackleyfan Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
I have ended my search for a sharpener thats very easy to get a razor edge it was pretty reasonable under 200$ its a Wicked Edge GO ,perfect for what i do!
Posted By: johnn Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Originally Posted by pappabear
Edge Pro

Another vote for edge pro, you can get a knife wicked sharp and durable, plenty of cheap drag through sharpeners that will put a edge on, typically lack any durability. A durable blade needs to be honed, polished and stropped.
Usally sharpen kitchen knives every couple of years and they last pretty well. Sometimes a quick tune up with a steel round, not diamond, not ceramic.
Cheap sharpeners are for cheap knives as they will shorten the life of a quality blade.

Your mileage may vary, to each his owneus...
Posted By: sackett Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Lansky. Been using it since the 1980's with no issues
Posted By: Talus_in_Arizona Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
Been using a 2 inch belt grinder with a few hundred bucks worth of belts and rouge 😊
Works great with axes too.

Seriously, not the answer for most folks. My grandpa could sharpen on stones freehand; I can’t. One thing all methods have in common is this - if you don’t raise a burr, it’s not sharp. Secondly, all methods other than freehand use some hardware to keep the blades angle against the stone aka bevel constant. If you can achieve that it’s a matter of selecting increasing grits unto a hone.

Still looking for a kitchen one. Dull knives are annoying.
Posted By: simonkenton7 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/27/22
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Put the Edge Eater under a little running water, give the big knife 12 strokes on each side, and it will be very sharp.
Fourteen bucks on Ebay.
Works better than diamond sharpeners, better than ceramic sticks, and better than a whet stone.
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by scrooster
I'm a stones guy, was raised to-be obsessed about an edge and took a beatin' or two as a kid over failures to return razor sharp knives to my Dad.

[Linked Image from media.giphy.com]
Posted By: ironbender Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by simonkenton7
I don't just sharpen knives, to build a log cabin I am sharpening 4 or 5 chisels and I need 'em sharp. I have ceramic sticks, I have whet stones, and I have the little flat plastic sticks with the diamond sharpener.

The best knife sharpener is the Edge Eater. You can buy one on Ebay for 14 bucks. Sharpens with a slightly coarse edge that cuts so effectively. You can sharpen a knife with the Edge Eater in about 45 seconds.
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
The grit size on that says axe, hatchet, maul, shovel; not knife.
Posted By: Cross Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
I can freehand a razor-sharp blade on a decent stone but I've gone to a Ken Onion worksharp. One thing about freehand, is that its hard to keep both edges simetrical. The Ken onion uses 3,4" wide belts instead of 1/2" on the standard models. I even was able to find a leather belt on Amazon that fits the Ken Onion. That being said, I do enjoy honing knives on an oil stone and they stayed sharper longer, but I'm hoping that the Ken Onion appleseed shaped edge will improve over time on my Buck 119 and it will stay sharper longer with continued application.
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Jesus Christ.

Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker, a Rada (thanks Tedhorn) and two steels from Dexter.

If you can't make a knife sharp with any or all of these things just resort to posting bullschit about being horsewhipped because your MeeMay's Buck 110 wasn't able to butcher 115 deer before going dull.
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by simonkenton7
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

Put the Edge Eater under a little running water, give the big knife 12 strokes on each side, and it will be very sharp.
Fourteen bucks on Ebay.
Works better than diamond sharpeners, better than ceramic sticks, and better than a whet stone.

I've used Edge Eater's for years. There's nothing magic about them.

It's a coarse stone.
Posted By: Jim_Conrad Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by deflave
Originally Posted by scrooster
I'm a stones guy, was raised to-be obsessed about an edge and took a beatin' or two as a kid over failures to return razor sharp knives to my Dad.

[Linked Image from media.giphy.com]


Hahahaha!
Posted By: 7mm_Loco Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
ChefsChoice EdgeSelect 120
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by Jim_Conrad
Hahahaha!

If the knife isn't sharp enough it gets the hose!
Posted By: Jim_Conrad Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
[Linked Image from media.tenor.com]
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
LOL

Where do they come up with this bullschit?

It's unreal.
Posted By: HickoryNut Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
I’ve used Lansky system for 35 years.

Diamond - Extra Course to Fine (Now) before that regular stones.

Fine and Ultra Fine Real Stones

Old leather belt

Good Steel and a properly set up 25* will shave every time.
Posted By: jac3k Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Rada, then leather strop. Repeat as needed. Simple.
Posted By: hotsoup Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
For me, a quality stone does it all. I have large stones for kitchen knives, slightly smaller ones for shop tools, and carry a couple 6" stones when hunting. It's not difficult to learn how to use stones.
Posted By: deflave Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by hotsoup
For me, a quality stone does it all. I have large stones for kitchen knives, slightly smaller ones for shop tools, and carry a couple 6" stones when hunting. It's not difficult to learn how to use stones.

Why do you carry two 6" stones when you're hunting?
Posted By: irfubar Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Get a small diamond stick for field use.... a few swipes gives a toothy working edge. These are the size of a ball point pen... stones suck unless you know how to keep them flat, old school bullshit
Posted By: krp Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Notice how a professional butcher knife is ground back, looks be damned, maybe wouldn't want to do that to your Randall.

Then just a steel, lasts about a year before needed sent to regrind.

When I find an old knife it's usually been in a drawer for decades, blunted. Unless it's so bad I have to reprofile with a belt sander, I reedge it with a rada, steel and strop... couple minutes.

Kent
Posted By: Colorado1135 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by WMR
If you re over 40 and can’t use stones well, then you never will. Get a Worksharp. With a 10 minute learning curve you will have the sharpest knives in camp. Once you use knives that are very sharp your life will never be the same. All your tasks become easier and the Sun will shine brighter. Desirable people will seek your company. 😏

This.

I struggled with sharpening knives for years until I got the work sharp. I could always put a good edge on a blade but it took a while and was just good. The work sharp makes them great in a minute. I'll stick with that from here on out for sure. Several friends have bought one after using mine, they are all still very happy with it
Posted By: pullit Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
I use Crock sticks knife sharpener if I am just touching up. If it is really dull, a wet stone in med, fine and extra fine. If it is really hosed up, I use a Lansky knife sharpener
Posted By: Teal Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
I've got a Lansky system and it's okay. Does ok work. Seems similar to the Wicked Edge types and I wonder why the WE is so much more expensive? Worth it?

My uncle used to be a knife maker and I can't get anything as sharp as he did tho I suspect he wasn't using a "kit" or "tool" like what's available.
Posted By: simonkenton7 Re: Knife Sharpeners - 11/28/22
Originally Posted by ironbender
Originally Posted by simonkenton7
I don't just sharpen knives, to build a log cabin I am sharpening 4 or 5 chisels and I need 'em sharp. I have ceramic sticks, I have whet stones, and I have the little flat plastic sticks with the diamond sharpener.

The best knife sharpener is the Edge Eater. You can buy one on Ebay for 14 bucks. Sharpens with a slightly coarse edge that cuts so effectively. You can sharpen a knife with the Edge Eater in about 45 seconds.
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
The grit size on that says axe, hatchet, maul, shovel; not knife.


Yes it is coarse and it works great on knives.
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