Edge pro or belt grinder?

shootist16

shootist16

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Looking at moving up to a better sharpening system. I already ahve a sharpmaker. The sharpmaker is awesome but I want a more hevy duty system, especially since I have several knives in 420V now. I was considering an Edge pro but wonder if I shouldn't just get a belt grinder. What do you think?
 
A GRINDER!!!!

My thoughts on this a few weeks ago

A grinder isn't really portable, where an Edge Pro is. Other than that, I think a grinder along with your sharpmaker makes an ideal setup! That si what I use. Oh, I use a buffer too, but I'm goint to start stropping instead, thanks to Boriqua. E-mail me if you want more info. I think I went into greater depth on another kind of recent thread on this subject, so searching for "sharpening belt grinder" or for my name ought to bring up a bunch of info.
 
Probably the Edge Pro, but there's a lot of variables. The EP is easier, does a better looking job, is easy to get the same angle every time, the only real advantage to the grinder is moving a lot of metal quick, like on a mower blade, its also easy to mess up, like burn a small blade.
 
A grinder will allow you to sharpen a wide variety of tools such including axes, many of which take substantial time to reprofile by hand but just a few moments with a belt grinder, a 2x72 leather belt charged with rouge will polish an edge to an incredible degree.
 
Man! you guys have really got me curious about the Edge Pro now. The price doesn't seem all that bad for a sharpening system that so many swear by, and after all it seems to me that I heard some groaning over the price of the Sharpmaker a while back in my neck of the woods. I personally prefer my Delta belt grinder (1 inch belt) for at home sharpening but when camping it's nice to have something portable, and sharpening my friends knives in trade for cooking breakfast or dinner while camping is worth the price for me:D
 
To all supersharpening specialists, I have a quiz:

-sharpen a knife on a sander to your gusto
-sharpen exactly the same knife on an edgepro to exactly the same finish.
GUESS what edge will have the last micron (which is the ONLY one that really counts) burnt and which one will be still hard and holding?
Happy sharpening:)
 
When sharpenign with a sander, you don't stop there! After a 600 grit belt or so, you use a combination of stone/ceramic rod/buffing/stropping. Personally I buff and then stroke the edge lightly on my sharpmaker white stones. That last "burnt" micron, if it ever existed, will no longer be there.

If you liek the edges that makers put on their knives, ask them how they do it. They'll say a belt sander, a buffer, and maybe some ceramic and/or strop setup.

byt he way, a belt sander doesn't have to take off a lot of steel! That is what FINE belts are for! And I bet they are much quicker to use than an Edge Pro. Not really portable, but more than likely faster.
 
That last little micron is only burnt if you are not careful on your belt grinder (Ted). Plus, most high alloy steels are tempered at close to 1000 degrees so you have a lot more latitude than you might expect.

I had an EdgePro; nice system but it was much too slow and couldn't really do the convex edges I like.
 
Picture a convex edge on your hollow ground folders.... YOU TOO can have heaven on earth! Convex edges: head towards the light... head towards the light...

One last bit of advice: if anyone does choose a belt sander, make sure you can get belts up to around 600 grit easily. I have to go 120 miles away or order in belts for my grinder. I can get 120 grit belts locally, but that is too rough for a knife (for my uses anyways!)
 
A couple makers who also write for Blade magazine use belt grinders and Norton India Fine stones. That's it.

I must be missing something somewhere. I just don't feel any desire to make knife sharpening a hobby in itself. Using a series of stones/rods, stropping to the Nth degree. Seems to me that an incredible amount of time can be consumed adding a few percentage points of sharpness. Given that so many recommend "toothy" edges, it strikes me as primarily a waste of time.

Dunno, maybe I'll catch the fever some day.
 
If money is not a problem ,then definately a belt sander with a variable speed motor.In my opinion edge geometry is as important as sharpness for cutting efficiency .Most sharpening systems that utilize a crutch, limit your ability to adjust your edge for optimum cutting performance . The belt sander properly used has unlimited versatility for achieving that perfect edge geometry.The down side is that it isn't nerely as portable as edge pro or Lansky.
I can't understand why no one wants to take the time to learn how to freehand sharpen . Especially knife entheusiasts like yourselves.

Oh by the way you won't burn any edges with a varriable speed motor driven belt sander.
Aloha!!! Ken Onion
 
Originally posted by KenOnion
If money is not a problem ,then definately a belt sander with a variable speed motor.In my opinion edge geometry is as important as sharpness for cutting efficiency .Most sharpening systems that utilize a crutch, limit your ability to adjust your edge for optimum cutting performance . The belt sander properly used has unlimited versatility for achieving that perfect edge geometry.The down side is that it isn't nerely as portable as edge pro or Lansky.
I can't understand why no one wants to take the time to learn how to freehand sharpen . Especially knife entheusiasts like yourselves.

Oh by the way you won't burn any edges with a varriable speed motor driven belt sander.
Aloha!!! Ken Onion
Click to expand...

Ken you are right and the very best is to be found here: http://www.dozierknives.com/grinder.html This is as fine as a grinder can get, and if you strip away all of the things that make it great it will cost less than the other grinders and still be better, use your head andpay the price for the full bore grinder and you can do it all. A. G.
 
I agree 100% with you AG,Bob builds a great grinder and designed it arround a lenghtly career of experiences. His grinder conforms arround the knifemakers needs as opposed to the maker conforming to the capacity of the grinder.
 
The Dozier grinder looks great. How come nobody ever talks about it? Any idea on approx price?

james
 
I've got both the EdgePro and a Delta 1x30 belt sander. The EdgePro
provides a wonderful edge and has the very fine grit tape that
produces a mirror finish.

I find myself using the belt sander most of the time for routine
sharpening, leaving the 320 or 400 grit belt installed. The
key to a good edge on the belt sander is an angle guide that
clips on and lets me change the angle from about 10 to 45
degrees per side. Followiing the belt sander with a leather
power strop provides a shaving sharp edge every time. Sharpening
is fast enough, I've put shaving edges on large brush triming blades,
a machete, loppers, lots of kitchen knives, as well as my
standard pocket knife collection.

Some large knives cannot be easily sharpened on this Delta
because part of the knife handle gets in the way. This is
where I'd guess that the knife specific belt grinders have better clearance.

Large knives are easy to sharpen on the EdgePro. However, very
small knives can be tricky to hold flat against the table on the
EdgePro.


How is the angle guide adjusted on something like the Dozier?
 
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