Best sharpening system.

CMC7189

CMC7189

Joined
Oct 19, 2023
Messages
8
I’ve been hand sharpening all my knives since the 70s on various wet stones. It’s be used everything from the stones my grandfather used to carry in his pocket to Arkansas stones as well as steels. I’ve never used a diamond stone. My current Arkansas stone is just a medium grit and it has seen better days. The surface isn’t smooth anymore and the edges are chipped. It was just a cheap one I picked up years ago at Wally World I believe. Been thinking about a sharpening kit that has the stone on a guide and maintains a preset angle so it’s impossible to get your bevel screwed up. It seems pretty foolproof, but I guess it also seems like it takes all the knowledge away from it and makes it so anybody can sharpen a knife. What do you guys all use stones or systems like this?

Knife sharpening set
 
Worksharp fixed angle. Works great, comes with diamond stones. I will say, after reprofiling S90V and M390 my rough grit stone has worn somewhat, but it’s still going strong.
 
Everything has a learning curve. Don't go thinking a guided system makes it foolproof or provides some magical skill you didn't have in the first place. It's quite difficult on a Lansky and it's difficult on the TSProf.

The system you listed is a popular sharpener. You'll be happy with it. But only after you make friends with it.
 
Are you considering this change because you want to sharpen knives and tools made of more complex steel? If what you’re sharpening is simple tool steel, and you’ve been freehanding for decades, I’m not sure what improvement you expect from a guided system.

Over in the MTE subforum though, are members who will discuss any sharpening system or methods til long past your bedtime.

Parker
 
The skill of the operator is always important. These sharpening systems become sort of machine-like, but they are not in any way automatic. It's still up to you to do a good job.
That said, the more mechanized it is, the more precise it can be, and the better job you can do. I haven't used any of the rod guided systems, but they are a solid choice. My issue with rod guided (including Lansky, TSProf, Wicked Edge, and all others) is setup. If you have a place to keep your system, assembled and ready to go, it might be something you use frequently. But even then, with the need to clamp the blade and the need to try to maintain the EXACT SAME clamping position each time... this is too much work for me. I am not looking for mechanized precision. I admire it, but I don't have the need or the drive to do it.

So I want something I can use quickly. In my case, I have settled on a 1x42 vertical belt sander. I have a custom angle guide (made by MechUSA) for when I want more precision. It's very fast to get set up (seconds) and then the results are pretty fast too.

For touchups I use a sharpmaker which sets up in about 45 seconds and tears down in about half of that time. So end to end it's usually under 3 minutes to do a little maintenance on a blade that just needs a touchup.

Another somewhat interesting choice is an adjustable wedge that you put the stone ON TOP OF. It works like a horizontal sharp maker. You just keep the blade horizontal and the angle of the stone sets the angle on the edge bevel. Here's a slightly too long video where I show my version of this sharpening wedge:

If you give us more an idea of your goals with a new system, people here can probably give you some good feedback and ideas.

Brian.
 
bgentry said:
My issue with rod guided (including Lansky, TSProf, Wicked Edge, and all others) is setup. If you have a place to keep your system, assembled and ready to go, it might be something you use frequently. But even then, with the need to clamp the blade and the need to try to maintain the EXACT SAME clamping position each time... this is too much work for me.
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Brian makes many excellent points. In particular, what I quoted above is the main reason that I use the Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust (WSPPA) more than the TSProf or the Hapstone, which take up a lot more space when they are set up. I have very limited room for sharpening and for my professional computer work. The photo below shows the back shelf of my desk, where the Edge-On-Up and WSPPA live. To sharpen a knife, I close the laptop on the work surface of the desk, remove the plastic bag that acts as a dust cover over the devices, move the Edge-On-Up on top of the laptop, move the WSPPA chassis onto the mouse pad (yes, it wobbles slightly, but the sharpener is very rigid), open the WSPPA box, screw the rod in, put on the clamp or the magnetic table, put a plate on the holder, position the knife, put the angle guide on the rod, turn the knob to set the angle, and I'm ready to sharpen. During all this set up, I did not use a single hex key, screwdriver, or other tool.

With the angle guide, the knife does not have to be in the EXACT SAME position every time. The WSPPA clamp has rubber pads that work fine with a full flat grind and do not require tape to prevent scuff marks on the blade, although I often do tape the ricasso. I use a laser goniometer to decide what angle to use if I have not sharpened the knife previously.

I have an adapter that fits on the rod to use TSProf, Hapstone, Venev, and other similar plates. That does require an extra couple minutes.

The WSPPA does not handle extremely small or extremely large blades, but it is great for most of my knives (my wife's knives are another matter).

I do not have a place to put a vertical belt sander, but I do use a Work Sharp Ken Onion for machetes and a few knives that the WSPPA cannot handle. For inexpensive kitchen knives, I use a Chef's Choice 1520.

Back shelf of my desk with Edge-On-Up and Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust.jpg
 
The tape isn't to make sure you don't scratch the knife. It's to make sure the knife doesn't scratch your clamps.

Plus, tape gives a cushion for a better grip. Without having to crank down your clamps to make sure the blade doesn't slip around.

Exact angle every time. No in between. A factory edge can be sharpened beginning with 400 grit. As long as you have the edge angle right. A 240 grit can hide a lot of F ups.

Touch up on a previously sharpened blade. First stone is a 600.
 
Wow this is getting way more intense than I anticipated. I think I’ll stick to a stone but what stone would you guys recommend? Arkansas? Diamond? Three different grits for final polishing? One things for sure I’m going with a large one and not one of these 6” jobs. Those work well for small blades but larger blades it gets kind of cramped.
 
With 6" plates, you can run the blade, in it's entire length, with one stroke.

From heel to point. One stroke. A 4" stone impedes the procedure, so to speak.

Better finish when taking the lick strokes.
 
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I don't know about "best" but for $120 a WorkSharp Precision Adjust Elite is pretty darned good. I have several ways to sharpen blades but the WorkSharp is my preferred method for most knives.

I'm a lathe operator too and as great as stones can be they're a slow PIMA.
 
I’m learning KME. It can certainly move metal. I have used it about 20 times with good results (perfect results with polishing) on both kitchen knives and pocket knives. It is awkward with large butcher or cleaver knives and I have not used it to sharpen recurves or serrated blades.
 
CMC7189 said:
Wow this is getting way more intense than I anticipated. I think I’ll stick to a stone but what stone would you guys recommend? Arkansas? Diamond? Three different grits for final polishing? One things for sure I’m going with a large one and not one of these 6” jobs. Those work well for small blades but larger blades it gets kind of cramped.
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It depends on what steels you are planning to sharpen. Any steels that have a high volume of carbides I would go with diamond stones; plates for the cheaper option, resin bonded or even vitrified if you can afford it.

If you are only sharpening more basic alloys, then I would recommend water stones. Shapton, Naniwa, Suehiro and King are some of the more common quality brands. Even a decent Ark or Norton India would be fine for basic steels as well.

You probably want a coarse(100-400 grit JIS) and medium/fine(400-1000 grit JIS) at least, although you could get way with only a medium grit stone for general sharpening. For polishing you will probably need a progression of grits up to at least 5-6K but you'll find for everyday practical needs anything up to 1000 grit will give you a good edge. I prefer 2-3K grit for kitchen knives though.

For a one stone system a few options I would recommend: Shapton Pro or Glass 1000 or even a Glass 500; any of the Naniwa Pro/Gouken Arata/Chosera 400, 600, or 800; Suehiro Cerax 1000; King Neo 800; Norton India Coarse/Fine combo to name a few. Or for high carbide steels: DMT, Atoma, Eze Lap, Ultra Sharp: 600 grit for general sharpening, something lower for repairs or really dull knives; Venev and King are some recommended resin bonded diamond stones. Keep in mind Venev normally use FEPA-F grit rating system which is quite different to most other manufacturers.

Obviously there are also a plethora of quality guided systems as well. They all have their pro's and cons.
 
chalby said:
It depends on what steels you are planning to sharpen. Any steels that have a high volume of carbides I would go with diamond stones; plates for the cheaper option, resin bonded or even vitrified if you can afford it.

If you are only sharpening more basic alloys, then I would recommend water stones. Shapton, Naniwa, Suehiro and King are some of the more common quality brands. Even a decent Ark or Norton India would be fine for basic steels as well.

You probably want a coarse(100-400 grit JIS) and medium/fine(400-1000 grit JIS) at least, although you could get way with only a medium grit stone for general sharpening. For polishing you will probably need a progression of grits up to at least 5-6K but you'll find for everyday practical needs anything up to 1000 grit will give you a good edge. I prefer 2-3K grit for kitchen knives though.

For a one stone system a few options I would recommend: Shapton Pro or Glass 1000 or even a Glass 500; any of the Naniwa Pro/Gouken Arata/Chosera 400, 600, or 800; Suehiro Cerax 1000; King Neo 800; Norton India Coarse/Fine combo to name a few. Or for high carbide steels: DMT, Atoma, Eze Lap, Ultra Sharp: 600 grit for general sharpening, something lower for repairs or really dull knives; Venev and King are some recommended resin bonded diamond stones. Keep in mind Venev normally use FEPA-F grit rating system which is quite different to most other manufacturers.

Obviously there are also a plethora of quality guided systems as well. They all have their pro's and cons.
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I sharpen basic alloys. I don’t own anything exotic like magnacut or whatever else exists. I may be buying a buck down the road with standard 420 steel. Other than that I’ve got my last handmade knife I use made from 52100 flat stock (I believe), a ka bar Becker, a 1095 tactical a friend made for me, and various other pocket knives etc. I’ll look into some of those. Thanks
 
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catspa said:
Are you considering this change because you want to sharpen knives and tools made of more complex steel? If what you’re sharpening is simple tool steel, and you’ve been freehanding for decades, I’m not sure what improvement you expect from a guided system.

Over in the MTE subforum though, are members who will discuss any sharpening system or methods til long past your bedtime.

Parker
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No the steel in what I will be sharpening is not a factor. I’m just in need of a new stone so was wondering if it was time to change things up or if I should stick with what I know. Of course I didn’t realize there was so much to choose from in stones! In the past I’ve always just bought an Arkansas set from a retailer and used that. Dang this is mind boggling lol. But I’m not planning on paying 100+ dollars for a stone I know that much.
 
CMC7189 said:
I sharpen basic alloys. I don’t own anything exotic like magnacut or whatever else exists. I may be buying a buck down the road with standard 420 steel. Other than that I’ve got my last handmade knife I use made from 52100 flat stock (I believe), a ka bar Becker, a 1095 tactical a friend made for me, and various other pocket knives etc. I’ll look into some of those. Thanks
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A Norton India combo stone is pretty cheap and will do the job if you aren't looking for a polished or refined finish. Personally I like water stones better though.
 
chalby said:
A Norton India combo stone is pretty cheap and will do the job if you aren't looking for a polished or refined finish. Personally I like water stones better though.
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I believe I’ll stick with the Waterstone. I definitely like to get my edges sharp enough they can shave hair. Beyond that I’m not too particular lol.
 
CMC7189 said:
I believe I’ll stick with the Waterstone. I definitely like to get my edges sharp enough they can shave hair. Beyond that I’m not too particular lol.
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To be fair you could shave hair with a coarse stone like a Nortons. It'll be a toothy edge though.
 
CMC7189 said:
Wow this is getting way more intense than I anticipated. I think I’ll stick to a stone but what stone would you guys recommend? Arkansas? Diamond? Three different grits for final polishing? One things for sure I’m going with a large one and not one of these 6” jobs.
Click to expand...

The most basic recommendation is something like a Norton combination stone. A coarse/fine India would be a pretty decent choice. However, the coarse India does not cut quite as fast as I would like. The Crystolon (still from Norton) coarse/fine combination would also work, but the fine side isn't quite as fine as I would like. If I were buying right this second, I might buy two 8x3 stones. One in coarse crystolon and a second in fine India.


I'd also get a stone holder because those stones are very thin.


Note: I do NOT own either of those stones.

I FIRMLY believe that you need a very coarse stone for sharpening very dull knives or fixing chips, or other tasks. My favorite very coarse stone is still the DMT XXC diamond plate. The 8" size is big enough for even large kitchen knives (10" or so). It is coarse enough to really hog off metal when you want it to. Coupled with the DMT C and the DMT EF, you can handle almost any sharpening task. I used that system for several years before I bought a belt sander.

I would avoid waterstones personally. They are a VERY good system. They produce very good results. The reason I would avoid them is setup and maintenance. Setup is a pain because they use water. So you need some place to set up where you can splash and drip water. Some require soaking as well. This is fine for some people. It's desirable for others because it turns the procedure into a whole involved ritual. I know the appeal of that. But I don't want to do that any more. I want to sharpen in a short time and move on. If you get water stones, be prepared to use a sink bridge, setup, clean up, and flatten your stones every few times you use them. Which means you need a flattening "stone" also.

A 3 stone system would be best: Super coarse, medium, and fine. If that is too much, just get a coarse and a fine. Try to go as coarse as you can. Read more about why I think that in my Seven Secrets Of Sharpening sticky at the top of the forum.

Best of luck to you.
Brian.
 
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