Help Me Decide: Kazak Pro (Black) vs TSProf Kadet Pro (Black) vs Hapstone R2 (Black) vs WE130 Pro Pack 2

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adubg

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Jan 25, 2023
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Hi All, I am new to sharpening but only want to buy once, cry once, so I am willing to pay upfront for a nice system. I am looking to purchase from Gritomatic or WE (if I buy it). I have looked on YouTube and tried looking for reviews comparing, but it looks like a lot of the reviews are paid promotions / there is limited information comparing this models. Right now I am leaning less on the wicked edge system, but I know it does have benefits. For sharpening I have kitchen knives and smaller flat ground smaller knives 2.5" - 3" that I will be sharpening mostly. Any advice on the benefits / better all around model for accuracy and ease of use would be awesome! Thanks in advance!
 
I had the WE130 Pro Pack and while it delivers superb edges for mid size folders, I didn't care for it for longer kitchen knives. My vote would be the Hapstone out of that list.
 
A Hapstone R2 Standard with 2 x spring stoppers, a fine tuning adapter and a digital angle cube. Pair it up with a set of diamond stones and you'll have everything you need.

The Hapstone R2 system is affordable, upgradable, incredibly versatile and top quality.
 
Go with a Hapstone or TSProf I don't like the idea of having to buy 2 stones every time you want new stones for the WE plus the stone selection for the WE isn't as good.

I have a K03 and love it.
 
Another vote for hapatone. Pretty much what 777 edge said. The full flat grinds might be a little easier with the mag table adapter. I don't have one n I can still do my spydercos. Pretty much the only thing I can't do is small traditionals n saks. If they have blades that open opposite ways I can still cheat n clamp the blade I'm not sharpening. Might be a little off on the angles and I have to support the knife some so it doesn't flex from the weight of the stone.
 
I have the TSPROF Blitz 360 and I love it. I had the KME before this and it was worth the money to upgrade. I am currently using my side hustle of sharpening to save up for the K03. Love it, Love it, Love it !!
 
If the Kazak Pro is anywhere near the quality of their Model 100, my vote goes there. Dare to be different, I say.
 
polish avenger said:
If the Kazak Pro is anywhere near the quality of their Model 100, my vote goes there. Dare to be different, I say.
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He's right, the Kazak Pro seems to be a quality choice for anyone who wants a "one and done" sharpening system, I don't see how anyone could point to you and say you're wrong. There are some differences that may be important to you that one has over the other and if you've used a sharpening system you know what they are and what bugs you when you're sharpening. My advice would be: DO YOUR HOMEWORK !!

I'm an investigator when it comes to making a big purchase and this is certainly one of those. There is a guy on youtube named Green Beetle and he's put together a great video describing the Kazak Pro and then goes over his TSPROF K03 system and the differences in the two. I would post a link to it but I'm new here and already been scolded for posting a pic using a host not approved so I'm skiddish.
Like I said before, once you start out with a sharpening system, you find things that bug you, for me, I CANT STAND for my blade to move while clamped in the system. I'm not talking about coming loose from the clamp, I'm talking about the clamp assembly moving or bending while I'm sharpening, I want it solid. I also don't want my system moving or sliding around while I'm working. If it does, then I find myself using my other hand to compensate for whatever is bugging me and I want that other hand freed up to do whatever while sharpening....... following stone, feeling the stone go over the tip, ect. If you watch the vid of him sharpening a knife on the Kazak, you'll see the clamp holding the knife moving down and back up from the pressure applied to the stone. May not bother some, may just be me.
As I said before, I have the Blitz 360 (2020 model) with all the bells and whistles you can add to it and I love it. The only modification I did to it was securing it to a piece of 1" thick piece of plywood for two reasons. One, to secure it to the board so it wouldn't move around because it's small and doesn't weigh much, it will move around when you go to "gettin busy" and two, while the system is secure to the board, I can place something under the board furtherest away from me so that the system leans the blade downward. Makes for better camera work for my vids but also allows me to see my edge better so I don't have to keep leaning up to getter a better look at my edge.

You're doing the right thing by getting on here asking and I'd definitely investigate before making a large payment on something that has a lot of "this pisses me off" things.
 
The Kazak definitely is a top notch system, no doubt about it. A light system like they have should also be the standard with most top systems in my opinion. A mounted light system really is a game changer.

Letoff said:
There is a guy on youtube named Green Beetle and he's put together a great video describing the Kazak Pro and then goes over his TSPROF K03 system and the differences in the two. I would post a link to it but I'm new here and already been scolded for posting a pic using a host not approved so I'm skiddish.
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Is this the video you're referring to?



Letoff said:
I CANT STAND for my blade to move while clamped in the system. I'm not talking about coming loose from the clamp, I'm talking about the clamp assembly moving or bending while I'm sharpening, I want it solid.
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I completely agree that the knife has to be 100% secure in the clamps and not move inside the clamps at all - but once securely clamped, a slight downward flex that you'll experience in many sharpening systems is actually a good thing, let me explain.

A little bit of downward flex in many systems is actually more advantageous than most people realize, especially if guys are still learning and end up being a little heavy handed towards the higher grit stones. If you end up applying too much force while sharpening and you have a system that has slight flex in it, your knife will deflect downwards and away from the stone, causing the excessive pressure applied to actually grind the bevel area slightly behind the edge. If there is zero flex and you apply too much pressure, you can damage or fatigue the very apex of the edge quite easily.

I'm not talking about the knife moving inside the clamps, that should definitely NOT happen. I'm only referring to the downwards flex of the clamps while the knife is secure in them.

It's not a problem if you sharpen correctly without any force applied, but it is quite common for most people to apply far too much force. Having the downwards flex will help prevent edge damage in this case.
 
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Triple 7, yes that's the vid and I agree with you a thousand percent, good points made brotha ! The more I've investigated this Kazak system, I'm starting to sway that way a little more. What's turning me on is the adjustable leaning of the blade towards you as I said in my statement above. With the blade leaned towards you, you never have to get your eyes on top of the blade to see your edge, what a nice feature and one that is definitely important in my opinion. I'm constantly eye balling my scratch pattern especially on my first two stones and being able to just keep sawing and examine at the same time is a game changer.
From what I see, the K03 pro and the Kazak pro are right at the same price point. Only thing that has me on the fence is to sharpen pocket knives, I'm going to have to buy the U-Adapter AND possibly another set of clamps without the undercut because a full flat grind knife is going to move up and down as Knife crazy explained in one of his review videos. He places a Spyderco PM2 in the clamps that come with the system and shows how the knife will move up and down. Go to the 8 minute mark of the video below and he will show you. If I'm buying the Pro model, give me what I need here in the states, I don't want to keep having to drop cash on accessories to do the job, that's why I'm buying the pro system right ? Maybe it's just me.
Long of the short, it seems to be a fantastic system.
I hope they are there at the Blade Show in Atlanta when June comes around, I'd like to see the thing in person.

 
Letoff said:
Only thing that has me on the fence is to sharpen pocket knives, I'm going to have to buy the U-Adapter AND possibly another set of clamps without the undercut because a full flat grind knife is going to move up and down as Knife crazy explained in one of his review videos. He places a Spyderco PM2 in the clamps that come with the system and shows how the knife will move up and down.
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FYI, you don't really need the U adapter, you can place both clamps side by side off to one side of the clamp bar and it won't affect anything negatively. In fact, it works better off to one side to align your sharpening with the plunge grind of a knife.

As for FFG grinds like Spyderco, Knife Crazy is clamping it incorrectly at just past the 8 minute mark - he should be using both clamps to get it secure. One clamp should be used on the flat tang/ricasso area of the PM2 and another on the FFG part of the blade, about an inch or so back from the tip. Clamping this way will be rock solid. One clamp on the tang area stops all up & down "rotational" movement and the other clamp closer to the tip stops any up & down flexing of the tip.
 
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Tripple 7. I don’t see an option to send you a pm, new to the forum so I’m sure I’m not looking in the right place.
 
Letoff said:
Tripple 7. I don’t see an option to send you a pm, new to the forum so I’m sure I’m not looking in the right place.
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Welcome to the forum Letoff Letoff , good to have you here!

The PM feature is unfortunately only for paid members, but feel free to fire off any questions here in the threads, or even to start new ones if you have any questions.
 
Preciate it fellas! Was just going to ask triple 7 if he owned one of the Kazak sharpeners. Seem to know quite a bit about them. Think I’ll start a new thread so I don’t hijack adubg’s thread.
 
Letoff said:
Preciate it fellas! Was just going to ask triple 7 if he owned one of the Kazak sharpeners. Seem to know quite a bit about them. Think I’ll start a new thread so I don’t hijack adubg’s thread.
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Yep, I do own one.
 
Letoff said:
Triple 7, yes that's the vid and I agree with you a thousand percent, good points made brotha ! The more I've investigated this Kazak system, I'm starting to sway that way a little more. What's turning me on is the adjustable leaning of the blade towards you as I said in my statement above. With the blade leaned towards you, you never have to get your eyes on top of the blade to see your edge, what a nice feature and one that is definitely important in my opinion. I'm constantly eye balling my scratch pattern especially on my first two stones and being able to just keep sawing and examine at the same time is a game changer
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Another benefit of this is that it prevents water from running up the blade towards the clamp. When that happens you have to be really careful about cleaning it off or you may end up scratching the blade with metal chips or loose diamonds.
 
ANOTHER good point. Helps with rust on your clamps if you don't have the aluminum like me on my Blitz 360. I've got just a tad bit of rust on mine from just that.
 
wade7575 said:
Go with a Hapstone or TSProf I don't like the idea of having to buy 2 stones every time you want new stones for the WE plus the stone selection for the WE isn't as good.

I have a K03 and love it.
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I've tried a few options over the last several years, most notably Edge Pro (needs a lot of upgrades to be an all-purpose sharpener, and still not that awesome IMHO), and WE 130 (pretty much what you said, it works but there's the stone limitations, plus some quirks in the design that I won't go into but find annoying). Overall, I mostly still freehand sharpen or now use the KOWS for quickly bulk-sharpening things I don't care much about, like a stack of cheap kitchen paring knives or a working machete.

But some of the advancements in these sharpeners are kind of interesting. Still like to find a high-end guided sharpener that I actually like. Checking out the Hapstone R2, and Ts Prof Kadet Pro.

Paging wade7575 wade7575 an 777 Edge 777 Edge to give a pros/cons comparison of the R2 vs the TsProf Kadet (or K03, if that's all you have) systems.
 
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