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Edge pro vs Wicked Edge

If it's speed you're looking for, I'd vote "None of the above." A Worksharp Ken Onion or a Harbor Freight 1x30 belt grinder is MUCH quicker. Those can be combined with the Edge Pro or Wicked Edge to produce extremely sharp edges pretty quickly (I use all of the above, often combining).
 
I have Edge Pro clone also have Hapstone v6. IMHO, stay away from Edge Pro. It’s good system but I can’t hold the knife with one hand and sharp with other. Nothing you can’t learn but take time and practice.
WE is a clamp system while Edge Pro isn’t.
There are a huge kind of stones for Edge Pro system and similar.
There is also another clamped systems based on Edge Pro design like TSProf, Hapstone, KME... there are another ones (angle range “limited” by a fixed design) like Lansky, Gatco, DMT Aligner...
What do you want to sharp? Pocket knifes? 8” chefs knife? Machete?
 
I've owned both. Used both for a couple of years. Both are EXCELLENT PLUS

I kept the Edge-Pro (professional) and sold the WE.

I got the same results with both machines, but the EP was just so much easier and faster to set up and change.
I can honestly say that I would be perfectly happy with either one for life, but if given a choice, it would be the EP
 
One thing I've noticed from watching Youtube videos of people sharpening with the WE is that most people seem to only use the middle 50% of the stones as they are making the strokes with alternating hands. In contrast, on the EP Professional, there's a landing area on one end of the stone that you align with the height of the stone so that you can use the full length of the stone (on one end anyway).

I'm not sure if this translates into a time savings, but if you think about the sharpening process on a given grit, there's some number of linear feet of stone strokes that you make via repeated passes, and if you're using more of the stone per pass, it would seem that (assuming the same knife and equal abrasives on each machine, which isn't actually the case) you'd finish a bit sooner with the EP. But then again, you have to flip the knife on the EP but not on the WE. So maybe it all evens out in the end?

As someone mentioned earlier, the worksharp or other powered belt units would seem intuitively to have a speed advantage if speed is a primary factor. But that's just for the actual abrasion portion, not considering the setup and tear down time.
 
WE is easier to use and somewhat dummy proof because of the clamping rahter than having to hold the knife, which can move slightly and edge wont be as perfect.

Think of WE as a system that removes the humman error almost completely in sharpening.
 
Sidebar about wicked edge: could someone with a WE measure the length and width of the stones (the actual stones, not the carriers) and post the answer. Thanks.
 
Is Taekwondo "better" than Karate? Or does it come down to the experience and skill level of the individual practitioner? I started on a Lansky (clamp system), learned it and got solid results. I eventually upgraded to an Edge Pro Apex, learned it and am getting solid results. Both clamp style systems and Edge Pro's have different benefits and limitations. Maybe, if we ever see an Edge Pro with a clamp system attachment, that...will be the MMA of sharpening systems.
 
Jeryl Beachy said:
I am sure this has been asked many time before but I am going to ask it again. If you were looking at getting into sharpening knives for myself and others which system would you guys recommend? I have some experience sharpening knives but I am new to both of these systems. Thanks.
Click to expand...

All I can add to the discussion is my own experience. I've used diamond & ceramic benchstones, Sharpmaker, DMT Aligner, Edge Pro Apex, KO Worksharp, WE, and probably a few I've forgotten about. They all have pros and cons and they all have a learning curve of some sort. Scrim makes a good point. The skill, patience, and needs of the user are important in determining which system works best for you.

I use a Wicked Edge now because it eliminates my unsteady hands as far as holding the knife in place. It produces sharp edges, the bevels look nice (important if you're sharpening for someone else), and he results are repeatable more consistently for me than with other systems I've tried. The others all did what they were advertised to do. The WE just works best for me.
 
Just asking as this is the most recent sharpening thread. Can one get a mirror edge using .5M green compound on a strop?
 
Ben Dover said:
I've owned both. Used both for a couple of years. Both are EXCELLENT PLUS

I kept the Edge-Pro (professional) and sold the WE.

I got the same results with both machines, but the EP was just so much easier and faster to set up and change.
I can honestly say that I would be perfectly happy with either one for life, but if given a choice, it would be the EP
Click to expand...
.
i did just the opposite from you.
i uses the WE for farmers markets for 1 full season and about have of the second season.....my sharpening business got to busy to finish all the knives in 1 three hour market........2013/14......july of 2014 i bought a kalamazoo 1 x42 and that cured all my problems.......i still use the new gen 3 WE some now, but if i were to do it all over again, i would buy EP Apex.........stones and diamonds wear out.......WE has a very high value on theirs and when doing many knives to make money, the paddles just get slick and replacement is necessary......nature of both.

holding the blade with one hand and having it move.......possible, but the minor amount in marginal if it even happens.

safety is a big issue with the WE......with blade sitting up and while reaching left or right for things can be quite dangerous.

more maintenance with WE......ball joins have to be covered to prevent steel dust from getting inside.

WE pros.............great edges.....beautiful and great for all sorts of blades and i hear now one can just buy the diamond plates and re-glue them to the older paddles.......now that is a great saving there......great edges also with either EP as well and accessories are less.

good luck on your quest for sharpness.
<"))))<>(
 
They couldn't dummy proof it enough for me. I tried the WE 2017 top of the line with a 3" blade, tried to get a 15 degree on it, couldn't figure out why it wasn't working, turned out I was taking the paint off the knife clamp. There is a low angle adapter, guessing that might have resolved the issue, gets it down to 10 degree. Got rid of the WE and bought water stones. Happy learning the basics so far.
 
SV-97 said:
Used a edgepro like system and got tired of holding the blade for a very long time(tool steel isn't fun without diamonds) and got a WE;..
Click to expand...

dalefuller said:
I use a Wicked Edge now because it eliminates my unsteady hands as far as holding the knife in place.
Click to expand...

Hi,
A common modification for tired hands is the addition of a strong magnet, see
Edge Pro: What size/strength magnet(s)?
bodog: A 1" cube at between N48 and N52 should be good It's strong enough to firmly keep the blade against the table. And it'll definitely be a strong little sucker. Keep it away from electronics. And throw a piece of painter's tape where the blade rubs against the table. Depends on if you want the magnet to do the holding or just assist. I found the best results came from the guesswork being removed and letting the magnet do the holding and letting the tape protect the blade from swarf and metal filings. I used two to three 1/2" cubes at N48 and they worked well but I didn't see anything on amazon when I just looked, that's why I suggested a single magnet with a little higher rating. And when you're done tap the spine of the blade several good times to remove a lot of the magnetism that will be in the blade or buy a degausser. It's not necessary but it'll keep the metal filings from sticking to the blade.
Click to expand...

Thats about $10 worth of magnets

Also the edge pro clones seem to go on sale every month for under $10 on ebay, while the diamonds plates can be had for under $5 ...
 
Scrim said:
Maybe, if we ever see an Edge Pro with a clamp system attachment, that...will be the MMA of sharpening systems.
Click to expand...
Perhaps the Hapstones are interesting to you? They can use Edge Pro stones and many other.

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/hapstone-v6-knife-sharpener

https://www.gritomatic.com/products/hapstone-v7-knife-sharpener

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/hapstone-r1-teaser.1528512/

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/hapstone-v6-new-knife-sharpener-on-the-us-market.1431894/
 
bucketstove said:
Hi,
A common modification for tired hands is the addition of a strong magnet, see
Edge Pro: What size/strength magnet(s)?

Thats about $10 worth of magnets
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that magnet strength drops off a cliff as you get any separation distance beyond zero.
To give you an idea based on readily available magnets, I bought 2 packages of these (3 per pack) from Home depot:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/MASTER-...rth-Magnet-Discs-3-per-Pack-07047HD/202526369

I stacked 3 of them, and used a scrap piece of .475" thick baltic birch plywood that was 3" wide by 8" long (roughly the size of the EP Pro base).
I used a 3/4" forstner bit to drill holes .355" deep (the thickness of the stack of 3 magnets), which leaves .120" of wood (about 1/8") between the magnets and the knife.
Next I put the two stacks of 3 magnets into each of the 2 holes (spaced ~2" apart, center to center) and taped them so they'd stay in place when I flip the plywood over.

Even with the ~1/8" separation between the magnet and the knife, this held my heaviest kitchen knife (a Wusthof 4682/16 cleaver, ~25 yrs old) easily.
Square magnets would be better for small/narrow pocket knives since you have better magnet strength at the front edge compared to a circular magnet. With circular magnets and a small/narrow blade, the magnets will pull the knife to the middle of the magnet. Since you need the blade edge to overhang the EP base at the front, that doesn't work. But for larger width knives, it works fine.

Edit: here's a drawing, roughly to scale. I drilled 3 holes in the scrap base so I could also use 3 stacks of 2 magnets, instead of 2 stacks of 3 at the edges.

166584182.7c8C4lZq.drawingedgepromagnetswchefknifeCopy.jpg
 
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I have both an EP and WE and use the WE much more. The EP has sat in the drawer for the last 2 years after I received the WE. One thing that helps is I have a short book case in my office that is the perfect height for the WE. It stays there permanently so when I need to sharpen I just wheel my chair over and go at it.
 
jalapeno said:
Keep in mind that magnet strength drops off a cliff as you get any separation distance beyond zero.
To give you an idea based on readily available magnets, I bought 2 packages of these (3 per pack) from Home depot:
Click to expand...
Hi,
:thumbsup:
Thanks for testing :)


FWIW home depot doesn't carry those magnets on the shelf inside the store.
What folks usually do is "ducktape" or hotglue the magnets in a slot underneath.

Video, recycled magnets

Same idea and source of pic below
Edge Pro Magnet Hack (L@@k Ma, No Hands!)
12847775593_3841f4ff8d_c.jpg
 
I own both systems now and they are both excellent. If you are on a budget and buying for non-commercial use and/or plan to sharpen flat grind blades then I say go for the Edge Pro. If you want mechanically perfect edges on each side of most of your knives then the Wicked Edge Pro will be better for repeating the exact same sharpening motion on each side. With that said, the Wicked Edge Go, Precision WE100, Precision WE120, Field and Sport, PRO-PACK 1 and PRO-PACK II series tend to create an uneven bevel when sharpening knives with thick blades so keep that in mind if you need to sharpen knives with thick blades. (Google "Wicked Edge Uneven Bevel" for more info.) This can be accommodated for when setting the rod angles but is still something that you might want to be aware of.

The bottom line to me was the cost, amount of sharpening I do (only a couple of knives a week at most) and also the relative ease with which I can sharpen flat grind knives. The Edge Pro has no issues sharpening flat grind but if you sharpen a flat grind on the Wicked Edge you'll need to spend a little extra time double-checking that the blade is centered and locked in vertically.

If you are buying a sharpener for a restaurant kitchen and you know that you won't need to sharpen any (or many) flat grind knives then I think you'll be more productive with the Wicked Edge because with the right knives (Knives that can be clamped easily without worrying about the angle) you'll likely see more consistent results and will probably be able to sharpen faster since you can quickly alternate strokes on each side of the knife without adjusting the knife position. Under most conditions I would say the Wicked Edge is the more 'dummy proof' of the two and is going to probably be the faster of the two if you sharpen a good bit.

Some considerations with both of these that come to mind:
  1. With the Edge Pro, you need to be mindful of the surface that you are always laying one side of the knife on. If you don't keep it clean you risk possibly leaving a scratch or two on your knife. This has never been a problem for me except for when I didn't keep the surface clean and thankfully I didn't scratch any of my collector knives then. Note that you can tape your knives before you begin sharpening on the Edge Pro to significantly reduce the likelihood of scratching it.
  2. To really get the most out of your Edge Pro you'll likely need to move the knife around a bit (while keeping it flat of course), especially when sharpening larger knives. If you don't then you'll have an inconsistent 'bevel width' since the sharpening angle effectively become more shallow the further from the center that you are applying the stroke. This is also true to a lesser extent with the Wicked Edge (more so with the Wicked Edge Go, Precision WE100, Precision WE120, Field and Sport, PRO-PACK 1 and PRO-PACK II because of how knife thickness effects the 'center point') but I'm always more mindful when moving the knife on the Edge Pro because the possibility of scratching the knife surface is increased when laying flat on the Edge Pro (and not clamped like with the Wicked Edge). Again, this comes down to ensuring that you keep the Edge Pro surface clean and/or by taping the knife before sharpening.
  3. The Edge Pro polishing tape is pricey for what you get. There is little doubt that you will create the most unbelievably sharp edge you've ever seen when using the polishing tape but even with M390 or some other 'super-steel', that edge will not stay ridiculously sharp for very long. (just good and sharp but not shaving sharp). I can achieve virtually identical sharpness with the Edge Pro 4000 Grit polishing stone and a decent leather strop + paste.
  4. The diamond emulsion that you can use with the Wicked Edge leather strop is also very pricey. Same caveats as above apply. I just use some green chrome oxide strop paste instead of the overpriced emulsion and get virtually the same results.
  5. Regardless of which system you go with, I would highly recommend that you supplement it with the Spyderco TRI-ANGLE Sharpmaker system, but more specifically you want to get the Tri-Angle Stone Ultra Fine rods. Lansky makes a similar 4 Rod Ceramic Turn Box Knife Sharpener which is good (and a good value) but when I just need to straighten out the edge of an already sharp knife I seem to get the best results with the Ultra Fine rods on the Sharpmaker. If you get the Sharpmaker in addition to a Wicked Edge or Edge Pro then definitely don't waste any money on the Sharpmaker Tri-Angle diamond stone rods. As excellent as the Ultra Fine rods are at straightening an edge, the Sharpmaker diamond stones are terrible for re-profiling a knife edge, that's what you have your Wicked Edge or Edge Pro for anyway. Of course you can straighten edges using your Wicked Edge or Edge Pro but both of these systems require some set up time which is usually more hassle than it is worth just for straightening an edge. Finally, a good ole knife steel, ceramic rod or strop will usually do the trick if you just need to straighten an edge.
 
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