Recommendation? Newish amateur sharpener/Edge pro user

[Scatterbrained]

Hello all. I've been lurking the forums for a few months now and decided it was time to commit to this forum.
I've been a knife collector and sharpener for a few years now and have knives ranging from a 5 dollar Walmart special to a 2k+ midtech semi custom.
I bought the Edge pro a while ago and sprung for pretty much all the stones, a few of the tapes and blanks, and a couple strops. I have been loving the system but have several issues using it.

I've noticed that the bevels I put in will usually have two faces and believe it's because I am not putting the knife exactly at the same angle each time. I know it is not due to the size since it's runs pretty much the whole length of the blade. How do users of the edge pro get the knife to stay at the same angle for knives with an uneventful spine?
I usually sharpen my knives by going on one side with the 120/220 untill I feel a burr, switch sides and get the same thing, and then start matching swipes and go down in number. Then I go down to the next stone. By the time I am at the 300 grit, I don't check for the burr but just feel the stone pass over untill it smoothens out and then match swipes and move down. I will also start putting different pressured strokes, as in put in 10-30 strokes at 80% pressure, then 20-40 at a medium pressure, and then finish up with just the stones weight. Note: I don't put pressure with the 120 or even the 220 stone since I feel they're just for taking away metal fast.
Should I be checking for a burr after each stone?
Should I match strokes after the burr?give a few swipes after the burr?
Should I not be putting any kind of pressure on my stones?
Am I putting too many strokes and wearing down my knife too fast?

Any and all feedback/comments are welcome. Thank you.

 

[miso2]

What kind of grind do your knives have?
Sharpening convex blades is difficult with Edge Pro.

Also, I would not apply pressure more than the weight of a stone.
Even flat ground blades are not completely flat and can wiggle on the stage.
If you change the pressure applied, the position of the blade may change, so as the sharpening angle.

I adjust the stage slider to have only the edge slightly sticking out from the stage.
Then, hold the knife like pushing the edge bevel down on to the stage with thumb and at the same time apply some lifting forces using index and middle fingers.
I find it the most effective way to keep the blade angle stable for me.
But you may need to find your way to secure a blade on the stage.

Another thing is stone thickness.
You need to make sure that all stones have the same thickness or to use an angle cube to correct for angle variability.
Angle correction collar is an alternative.

Hope this helps.

 

[Wowbagger]

Yes it would help to see a photo of the knife or knives causing problems.
Maybe search for an image of the kinife on line and then post a link to it here.
Look above the text frame when you are typing a reply here . . .
The two links in a chain symble above next to the capital "A" is for creating a link.
For example here is a link >>>> to my most challenging knife to sharpen in the Edge Pro and it is really no problem at all; I just make sure the area behind the edge is down on the stage and I don't try to keep the flat part near the spine flat / parallel to the stage.
Yes convex might be more problematic. I have no knives like that. Perhaps sticking some sort of narrow card stock or solid plastic near the spine of the knife on both sides with some double back tape would give a step to clear the convexitude . . . dude. Or maybe same but stuck on the stage. I save bits of packaging / product display card stock just for this sort of "shim stock".

PS: I typed and then selected the link text above and entered the link in the link frame but you can just paste it here like this (this is the same link from my Google search just cut and pasted below) :
Buck knife 102 image

 

[robgmn]

Clamp the blade under the position/stage plate and use a small piece of carpet anti-slip mat under there to keep the blade from moving around (The k.i.s.s. principle - would you hold an axe head in your hand to sharpen, or clamp it in a vise?)
Mark blade with sharpie so you can line it back up in the exact same spot as you alternate the sides for sharpening.

There will be a LOT of words posted to this thread about sharpening. To get a good understanding in a hurry, video examples are the way to go.
Tons out there on YouTube; one good source (of many) for info is Carter Cutlery. Even his video on sharpening to razor sharp with a cinder block and some cardboard.

 

[Scatterbrained]

To answer all your questions;
My knives have a flat edge for their cutting edges. Their primary bevels may be different but putting on a secondary bevel and micro bevel should not be interfered with from the primary bevel, and has not.
I adjust my slider so the the edge of my knife is sticking out and averaged out to be parallel to the base of the edge pro.
I try and find the most stable and comfortable position and lock my wrist and only use the other arm to move the stone.
I did recently get the stop collar in, so hopefully when i install it itll turn out to just have been the difference of thickness between my stones.
I had considered adding something to the spine of the blade, but dismissed it since it would take alot of precise work to get it just right. Adding some matireal to the underside is something I will try tho.
Thanks for the suggestions.