Need guidance on edge pro equipment

C

CDM88

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Jan 23, 2019
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long time browser...finally registered.

Ive been maintaining my pocket knives for a few years with a sharpmaker and im ready to jump into the edge pro system as ive got a few dull kitchen knives that need attention as well. I was goimg to get the std apex 4 set until i stumbled on CKTG.....now im reading about the shapton glass stones and or looking to put together a set that i can grow with and build upon.

Ive recently acquired a pm2 s110v and M390 socom elite so i want to make sure i can keep those sharp as well.

I may have opened a can of worms, lol.
 
The standard Edge Pro stones are fine...but once you start getting into the higher carbide steels you'll most likely benefit from adding some diamond stones to your arsenal, whether plated, or bonded stones like the Matrix or Venev.

Shapton Glass are great hones but are going to be somewhat less effective once the Vanadium Carbide starts getting over 4% as a rule. (The discussion of carbide "tear out" remains somewhat controversial.)
 
So i guess my real questions is, with help from you all who have used the EP a lot, as someone starting out, what should i purchase. Am i wasting my time getting the apex 4 set?
 
I don't think it would be a waste. But you might add a stone or two along the way, whether they end up Silicon Carbide like the Moldmaster from Congress...or one or more diamond options.

Much will depend on what kind of edges you prefer to put on your blades. Coarse / toothy, fine / polished.

You don't have to have everything on day one. You'll get plenty done with the set as presently constructed.

Just my opinion. But beware, sharpening gear is every bit as addictive as the knives themselves.
 
Im catching on to that very quickly haha. Thats my point though. If i can cut to the chase and skip over some pieces now it will be cheaper in the long term.

One thought i had was to get the basic apex1 set and add a couple shapton glass stones...not sure if im on the right track
 
If you want to be most economical and have stones that will work with any steel without the limitation created by carbide content, I'd concentrate on diamond, whether plated or bonded as referenced above.

The Edge Pro Matrix series would be excellent...(as would the Venev)...with the grits being dependent upon your sharpening needs. Some folks never bother with the high grits and polishing.

Do some cost comparisons and you should be fine. Much as the Shapton Glass are awesome stones, I think you might want to forego them for the more versatile diamond options from low to high grit. (Just depends on how deeply you want to travel down the rabbit hole.)

You'll get other educated replies here from our very experienced members. My opinions are simply my own.
 
S110v has alot of Vanadium. Shapton glass will load up fast because they are not as hard. So I would suggest some bonded diamond or cbn stones for the edge pro. Many brands and types of them,edge pro has a set they sell on there site and gritomatic has some too.
 
Ok, now i just noticed the EP chosera set also comes w the CKTG 140 diamond plate...dang theres too many options!
 
Blues said:
I don't think it would be a waste. But you might add a stone or two along the way, whether they end up Silicon Carbide like the Moldmaster from Congress...or one or more diamond options.

Much will depend on what kind of edges you prefer to put on your blades. Coarse / toothy, fine / polished.

You don't have to have everything on day one. You'll get plenty done with the set as presently constructed.

Just my opinion. But beware, sharpening gear is every bit as addictive as the knives themselves.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, I get a lot of use out of the alum oxide Edge Pro stones. They work for just about everything except for the crazy high hardness tool steels and some of the high carbide steels that fare better with diamond or cbn.

I've heard good things about the new Edge Pro diamond stones, also the Venev bonded diamond stones are great too. If you eventually add a few diamond stones to the set you should be able to tackle just about anything.

Also, it's really easy to glue your own stones if you buy blanks and 1x6 stones from Congress Tool.

Another option would be to get the Apex 1, and then buy the silicon carbide CS-HD set from Gritomatic.
 
I would suggest to play with the Edge Pro stones on a cheap knife first until you get used to the system.
Then invest on stones you like.
I bought a lot of stones at the beginning, and they are mostly waste now.....

The only thing I recommend even at the start is a low grit diamond stone, if you plan to perform heavy reprofiling of edge bevels.
The #120 EP stone works fine but dishes fast, too.
 
Blues said:
I'd concentrate on diamond, whether plated or bonded as referenced above.

The Edge Pro Matrix series would be excellent...(as would the Venev)...with the grits being dependent upon your sharpening needs. Some folks never bother with the high grits and polishing.
Click to expand...

I went with the CKTG set with the Shapton Glass and they have done very well for me.
My set came with 500, 1000, 4000.
I immediately needed to order the 220. It was out of stock for ever. Finally got one. It is a super good stone just like the ones above.
I still needed a stone that was more coarse so I ordered the Jende "Shapton Glass" 120.
It's doo doo . . . way too soft . . . not worth buying. It sort of cuts stuff but wears as fast as the blade being cut.

If I had it to do over today, with todays offering of stones I would most definitely get a spread of the Venev diamond stones. Possibly the Matrix (I don't know enough about them to say for sure). I have done my home work on the Venevs and to me, for modern super steel sharpening, they look to be the finest stones in the world period. I mean for sharpening these Super Alloys in a guided sharpener.

Right now for sharpening S110V etc., I get by with fixed diamonds (the old school DMT etc.,) but I prefer fairly polished and refined edges and the friable stones are the way to go for that kind of edge.
Friable = Shapton Glass, Chosera and Venev.

PS : If I had it to do over again I would most definitely get another Edge Pro Apex.
 
I do not recommend waterstones for the Edge Pro, or any system that requires the stones to be used face down. You will be constantly spraying the stones, it makes a mess, the stones wear at different rates causing excessive angular fiddling. It is far from the therapeutic experience I believe sharpening should be. I would strongly suggest either the Atoma plate set (extremely expensive), or Venev bonded diamonds from Gritomatic.

I have personally used:
Standard EP stones
The entire Shapton Glass line up to 16k
Nubatama Ume/Bamboo to 5k
Atoma plates
CKTG diamond plates

If I was to go back to a guided system, I would grab metallic bonded diamond/CBN stones from the same manufacturer. Identical thicknesses, virtually imperceptible wear-rates, far less angle fidgeting, and you will see consistent performance across all steels. Now, take that recommendation with a grain of salt, as I have never used metallic bonded CBN stones personally, but I have used Atoma electroplated diamond plates, which are amazing, but I am not a massive fan of electroplated diamonds; they give me anxiety about how much pressure I'm using, leading me to use way too little pressure, and thus take forever to complete the sharpening
 
I've owned an Edge Pro Professional model for 6 years, I've sharpened CPM-20CV and M390 with the stock stones and tapes to the point where you can cut receipt paper and shave effortlessly. It can be done, it just takes longer. Just as Ben Dale the owner of Edge Pro recommends, get the stock stones first with the machine and see if you like them. Then If you want more you can add single stones over time to test them out. If you use your knives a lot it may benefit you to buy the Diamond Matrix stones, or perhaps a cheaper alternative Silicon Carbide stones from Gritomatic. I would still try the stock stones first though and see how you like them and the system as a whole though.
 
I would start with the EP waterstones as miso2 suggested. I've had my Apex for about 15 years, and it's a fantastic system. Learn on a cheap kitchen knife (it doesn't take long to master this system), and enjoy.

You can add stones as you get more experience.
 
Much as I love the stock stones, I think you would be well served by picking up some diamond stones since you have high vanadium steels in your collection already. You can sharpen without diamonds on those steels, but it will be much easier with the diamond stones.
 
PeterS84 said:
Much as I love the stock stones, I think you would be well served by picking up some diamond stones since you have high vanadium steels in your collection already. You can sharpen without diamonds on those steels, but it will be much easier with the diamond stones.
Click to expand...

Yeah diamond stones really make things easier. OP doesn't have to shell out a bunch of $$ right away either, the Venev 400 grit puts a really nice edge on stuff like s30v and s110v.
 
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