Best sharpeners?

[Wivesknives]

I am looking for a knife sharpener for my husband, and he has a collection of Busse, Swamp Rat, and Sykco knives. What would be the best knife sharpener for these style of knives? I honestly don't know much about this so I turn to you all! I want to surprise him with a nice gift that he can use, thank you for any help or suggestions!

 

[crn3371]

The most important question in any “want to buy” thread is budget. No use recommending a $500 sharpening system if your budget is $50.

 

[wade7575]

I am looking for a knife sharpener for my husband, and he has a collection of Busse, Swamp Rat, and Sykco knives. What would be the best knife sharpener for these style of knives? I honestly don't know much about this so I turn to you all! I want to surprise him with a nice gift that he can use, thank you for any help or suggestions!

Go with a sharpener by TSProf they are best I have ever used,the Kadet is a good sharpener for all knives and the same with the K03,the Blitz that they have is more for pocket knives.

If I had to choose I would go with the K03 or the Kadet depending on your budget.

https://www.gritomatic.com/collections/tsprof-sharpeners/products/tsprof-kadet-black-knife-sharpener

https://www.gritomatic.com/collecti...ts/tsprof-k03-standard-expert-knife-sharpener

For stones go with the Venev Centaur or the Venev Orion stones,I myself prefer the Orion stones because they have 3mm of resin that has the diamonds in it where as the Centaur stones only have 1mm.
The Venev stones will last a very very long time he will be able to sharpen 200 or more knives with them before needing to replace them.

The other reason I like the Orion stones is because they are a standard length unlike the dual sided stones,if you get the Orion stones your husband won't need to change the stone holder length each time he change's stones.

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/6-x-1-dual-side-bonded-diamond-full-set

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/venev-orion-series-diamond-set-for-edge-pro

And if you get your husband the K03 you need to get him angle cube as well.

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/digital-angle-gauge?_pos=1&_sid=22473d68c&_ss=r

The hardest pill to swallow with guided sharpening systems is the cost of the sharpener,the stones can get pricey to if you just look at the cost of the stone and not how long it will last,if you get the Venev stones also buy Bar Keepers Friend Powder in the gold colored canister to clean the stones with after each use.

 

[000Robert]

My vote goes to Wicked Edge!

 

[Revival29]

The most important question in any “want to buy” thread is budget. No use recommending a $500 sharpening system if your budget is $50.

Agreed. Figure out what your budget is, then go from there.

 

[wade7575]

I am looking for a knife sharpener for my husband, and he has a collection of Busse, Swamp Rat, and Sykco knives. What would be the best knife sharpener for these style of knives? I honestly don't know much about this so I turn to you all! I want to surprise him with a nice gift that he can use, thank you for any help or suggestions!

One thing to keep in mind when you buy a Wicked Edge sharpener is that the clamps don't always hold all knives the greatest for sure you have to buy 2 of each stone you want to use and the stone selection is very limited as well.

Also when it comes to the Wicked Edge they don't go to a very low angle and depending on the knife you may not be able to sharpen it at the desired angle.

I like to have a lot of stone selection when it comes to Japanese water stones as they do perform differently from one another.

 

[000Robert]

One thing to keep in mind when you buy a Wicked Edge sharpener is that the clamps don't always hold all knives the greatest for sure you have to buy 2 of each stone you want to use and the stone selection is very limited as well.

The Wicked Edge clamps clamp very well. I can clamp the small blades of my Buck 301 right underneath the nail nick, and the clamp holds onto the knife very well. When you buy a set of WE stones, you are actually buying two sets of stones since they have two different grits on each stone.

Also when it comes to the Wicked Edge they don't go to a very low angle and depending on the knife you may not be able to sharpen it at the desired angle.

I haven't seen an angle that I've needed that I can't get with my WE130. And the wider the blade is, the more lower of an angle you can reach. For tiny and short blades like the sheepsfoot on my Buck 301, I use a Tormek # SVM-00 small knife holder. It works great! Where there's a will, there's a way...

I like to have a lot of stone selection when it comes to Japanese water stones as they do perform differently from one another.

You can buy blank WE handles and mount whatever stones that you want. I heard that some people cut different types of stones and mount them onto WE stone handles, but I have no experience with that. Diamonds have worked fine for my needs.

 

[3D Anvil]

Seems like you're only getting recs for fixed angle systems. I'd put in a vote for the Worksharp Elite belt system ($200). It's much faster than the fixed angle systems and more versatile as well (can sharpen things like mower blades, machetes, etc.). The downside is that it won't provide the absolutely flat bevels of a fixed angle system, or the total mirror bevel that the fixed angles are capable of producing.

 

[scottc3]

Wivesknives, In addition to your budget, a little info about your husband will definitely help put the right tool in his hands.
How does your kitchen knives get sharpened now?
Does he enjoy tinkering, DIY projects, repairs, watching howto videos?
Does he have any tool chests?
Does he have power tools?
What repairs does he do (car, home, yard, work, etc.) and what does he pay to have done.
What are some hobbies?
stream of questions to establish patterns- Would you say he is a gearhead, techie; does he install any computer peripherals, memory, printers, hard drives, work on your vehicles, hunt, fish, camp, rock climb, ride horses, volunteer...

 

[Wivesknives]

Go with a sharpener by TSProf they are best I have ever used,the Kadet is a good sharpener for all knives and the same with the K03,the Blitz that they have is more for pocket knives.

If I had to choose I would go with the K03 or the Kadet depending on your budget.

https://www.gritomatic.com/collections/tsprof-sharpeners/products/tsprof-kadet-black-knife-sharpener

https://www.gritomatic.com/collecti...ts/tsprof-k03-standard-expert-knife-sharpener

For stones go with the Venev Centaur or the Venev Orion stones,I myself prefer the Orion stones because they have 3mm of resin that has the diamonds in it where as the Centaur stones only have 1mm.
The Venev stones will last a very very long time he will be able to sharpen 200 or more knives with them before needing to replace them.

The other reason I like the Orion stones is because they are a standard length unlike the dual sided stones,if you get the Orion stones your husband won't need to change the stone holder length each time he change's stones.

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/6-x-1-dual-side-bonded-diamond-full-set

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/venev-orion-series-diamond-set-for-edge-pro

And if you get your husband the K03 you need to get him angle cube as well.

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/digital-angle-gauge?_pos=1&_sid=22473d68c&_ss=r

The hardest pill to swallow with guided sharpening systems is the cost of the sharpener,the stones can get pricey to if you just look at the cost of the stone and not how long it will last,if you get the Venev stones also buy Bar Keepers Friend Powder in the gold colored canister to clean the stones with after each use.

Thank you for your time and detailed repot on all of this. I'll be looking in to all of the suggested items. I'm so happy I asked here, thank you again!

 

[Wivesknives]

Wivesknives, In addition to your budget, a little info about your husband will definitely help put the right tool in his hands.
How does your kitchen knives get sharpened now?
Does he enjoy tinkering, DIY projects, repairs, watching howto videos?
Does he have any tool chests?
Does he have power tools?
What repairs does he do (car, home, yard, work, etc.) and what does he pay to have done.
What are some hobbies?
stream of questions to establish patterns- Would you say he is a gearhead, techie; does he install any computer peripherals, memory, printers, hard drives, work on your vehicles, hunt, fish, camp, rock climb, ride horses, volunteer...

The most important question in any “want to buy” thread is budget. No use recommending a $500 sharpening system if your budget is $50.

Oh yes my budget is 300 to 600 ish. I just want it to be high quality and last a long time, and work well with the knives he has. Thanks for this reminder about budget!

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

My vote is wicked edge as well

 

[Wivesknives]

Wivesknives, In addition to your budget, a little info about your husband will definitely help put the right tool in his hands.
How does your kitchen knives get sharpened now?
Does he enjoy tinkering, DIY projects, repairs, watching howto videos?
Does he have any tool chests?
Does he have power tools?
What repairs does he do (car, home, yard, work, etc.) and what does he pay to have done.
What are some hobbies?
stream of questions to establish patterns- Would you say he is a gearhead, techie; does he install any computer peripherals, memory, printers, hard drives, work on your vehicles, hunt, fish, camp, rock climb, ride horses, volunteer...

He is a fine woodworker and builder by trade, farmer, outdoorsman loves camping and hiking. Our kitchen knives are sharpened with a stone and wand (well I call it a wand) lol
We have a lot of tools and equipment. With this said maybe this info will help. I see your up in Jefferson country. We will be next year!

 

[Wivesknives]

Seems like you're only getting recs for fixed angle systems. I'd put in a vote for the Worksharp Elite belt system ($200). It's much faster than the fixed angle systems and more versatile as well (can sharpen things like mower blades, machetes, etc.). The downside is that it won't provide the absolutely flat bevels of a fixed angle system, or the total mirror bevel that the fixed angles are capable of producing.

Thank you I'll check this out!

 

[T.J. H]

My vote goes to Wicked Edge!

Same here.

 

[000Robert]

Oh yes my budget is 300 to 600 ish. I just want it to be high quality and last a long time, and work well with the knives he has. Thanks for this reminder about budget!

Wicked Edge exudes quality! I'm one of the beta testers for the new WE60 sharpening systems that they are working on right now. It was supposed to be released this fall but has been pushed up to hopefully January. I can't talk much about it, but I believe it will be the hottest selling system they have ever had. I'm not sure what the price will be, but it will be worth it.
It's true that much of the cost of the Wicked Edge systems is in the price of the stones. But the cost of the Wicked Edge stones isn't that bad when you consider that you are really getting two sets of stones when you buy a set since every stone handle has two stones or sides to it, whether it is a stone, strop, or blank platen.

 

[Wivesknives]

Wicked Edge exudes quality! I'm one of the beta testers for the new WE60 sharpening systems that they are working on right now. It was supposed to be released this fall but has been pushed up to hopefully January. I can't talk much about it, but I believe it will be the hottest selling system they have ever had. I'm not sure what the price will be, but it will be worth it.
It's true that much of the cost of the Wicked Edge systems is in the price of the stones. But the cost of the Wicked Edge stones isn't that bad when you consider that you are really getting two sets of stones when you buy a set since every stone handle has two stones or sides to it, whether it is a stone, strop, or blank platen.

Awesome, thank you for this. I'll check out the wicked

Wicked Edge exudes quality! I'm one of the beta testers for the new WE60 sharpening systems that they are working on right now. It was supposed to be released this fall but has been pushed up to hopefully January. I can't talk much about it, but I believe it will be the hottest selling system they have ever had. I'm not sure what the price will be, but it will be worth it.
It's true that much of the cost of the Wicked Edge systems is in the price of the stones. But the cost of the Wicked Edge stones isn't that bad when you consider that you are really getting two sets of stones when you buy a set since every stone handle has two stones or sides to it, whether it is a stone, strop, or blank platen.

So would the WE130 be a good choice? What grit do I get?

 

[000Robert]

Awesome, thank you for this. I'll check out the wicked

So would the WE130 be a good choice? What grit do I get?

I think the WE130 is a great choice - it's the one that I bought. The WE130 will allow you to reprofile/sharpen asymmetrical edges. I bought the Pro Pack 3 and added the Chisel adapter, Scissor adapter, extra stones and strops and stuff as I could afford to. I also bought the big rolling case, but you may not need/want the case.
The grits and accessories are up to you. It's nice to be able to put mirrored bevels on your blades if you want to, but honestly, I rarely sharpen a blade to over 1000 grit. My Carothers DEK1 in D3V steel will push cut printer paper sharpened at 1000 grit.

 

[Another Shepherd]

You can see a lot of knife sharpeners in action in these tests--like Consumer Reports, only way better:

 

[wade7575]

Thank you for your time and detailed repot on all of this. I'll be looking in to all of the suggested items. I'm so happy I asked here, thank you again!

If your husband does woodworking I would get him a TSProf K03 or a Kadet,you can get a table attachment that will allow him to sharpen chisel's as well.

With the Wicked Edge the one thing to be aware of is that when you buy stones it get's more costly because you use 2 stones ate the same time and you get 2 different stones per stone holder as well,so your really buying 4 stones for example you can get a 800 1000 grit combo and you get 2 800 grit and 2 1000 grit stones.

The Wicked Edge isn't a crap system but from what I have found I can do more with a TSProf k03 plus the stone selection is a by far better.