Razors Edge Systems
- Thread starter mgd1958
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Greetings,
I have Razor Edge honing guides, a Lansky deluxe set, and lots off other sharpeners. I find that they all have their faults. Your best bet is probably to learn to sharpen freehanded on bench stones, which of course is easier said than done.
The razor edge guides are good, but the metal on the guide wears away as you sharpen. Since I use diamond stones, I find that the guides and the blades wear at about the same rate. Therefore, I have to adjust the guide along the way to maintain the same angle I started with. (I prefer the old Buck Honemaster 136 guides, as they are easier to attach and adjust. http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/0c/3e/b2_1_b.JPG)
The Lansky system is good at maintaining your bevel angle, but the stones are rather small, which can make the job time consuming and tedious. I recommend getting their coarse diamond stone or their diamond kit to speed up the process. While sharpening, you need to be careful not to draw the stone completely off the blade, as the sharp corners of the stones are great for putting dings in your blade. This is a real pain when you have just finished hand sanding a blade to 600 grit or finer.
I did find that the Razor Edge Book of Sharpening was well worth what I paid for it. It is a quick read that will teach you how to get a sharp edge on knives and various other tools.
As an aside, if you are like me, you will find that it's a waste of time trying to get a fine edge on your kitchen knives, as you will invariably find your wife using the freshly sharpened blade to cut on top of ceramic plates, aluminum pans, etc.
-Chris Meyer
I have Razor Edge honing guides, a Lansky deluxe set, and lots off other sharpeners. I find that they all have their faults. Your best bet is probably to learn to sharpen freehanded on bench stones, which of course is easier said than done.
The razor edge guides are good, but the metal on the guide wears away as you sharpen. Since I use diamond stones, I find that the guides and the blades wear at about the same rate. Therefore, I have to adjust the guide along the way to maintain the same angle I started with.
(I prefer the old Buck Honemaster 136 guides, as they are easier to attach and adjust. http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/0c/3e/b2_1_b.JPG)The Lansky system is good at maintaining your bevel angle, but the stones are rather small, which can make the job time consuming and tedious. I recommend getting their coarse diamond stone or their diamond kit to speed up the process. While sharpening, you need to be careful not to draw the stone completely off the blade, as the sharp corners of the stones are great for putting dings in your blade. This is a real pain when you have just finished hand sanding a blade to 600 grit or finer.
I did find that the Razor Edge Book of Sharpening was well worth what I paid for it. It is a quick read that will teach you how to get a sharp edge on knives and various other tools.
As an aside, if you are like me, you will find that it's a waste of time trying to get a fine edge on your kitchen knives, as you will invariably find your wife using the freshly sharpened blade to cut on top of ceramic plates, aluminum pans, etc.
-Chris Meyer
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- Aug 27, 2004
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I have the Razor edge free hand stones and they work fine. I still like the EZLap diamond pads about the best though but I'm more into doing things freehand so the systems that require guides and all that just don't appeal to me at all.
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Chris Meyer said:I have Razor Edge honing guides, a Lansky deluxe set, and lots off other sharpeners. I find that they all have their faults. Your best bet is probably to learn to sharpen freehanded on bench stones, which of course is easier said than done.
You said a mouthful! I have probably $500 worth of sharpening crap and I'm currently trying to hone (ahem) my skills at sharpening freehand.
The "systems" WORK best, but having the skill to put an edge back on a stone real quick in the field (or whatever) is a good one to have. It's hard to get, develop and keep that skill while using the systems as a crutch.
That said, it IS easier to resell a knife when you've put a perfect edge on it with a system because edges applied freehand aren't as pretty.
.
Thanks for the reply. For the kitchen knives I use the Chef's Choice machine and it works good enough. I share your sentiments about kitchen knives. I am not going to put a lot of time sharpening knives that are going to be abused. I just got the Razor's Edge System and I too noticed that the guides are wearing out rather quickly. As far as being able to freehand in the field, I normally don't have to dress out more than 1 animal per trip and my knife can usually last for the task. If you were going to go with just one system, what would it be? My cousin asked me this question and I don't have an answer for him. I wonder if I should steer him away from the Razor's Edge system?
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The Razor's Edge system works. Every system that follows its principles works. For me, the quickest to use/learn/teach is the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The second quickest to use/learn was a belt sander and a strop.
I have the "Razor Edge Ultimate Kit". The biggest, best one they offer. I have learned a lot about the principles of sharpening using that kit and learning from the book that came with it i.e. "The Razor Edge Book Of Sharpening" by John Juranitch. But my final assessment of the Razor edge kit is that it is most intended for big commercial knives like for the meat cutting industry. One big negative that I don't like about the razor edge system is that you just can't sharpen any blade with it without scratching the hell out of it someway or the other. Do not use this unit on a highly cherished or collectible grade knife; you will be sorry.
But I do like to take it on hunting trips because it is great for skinning knives, butcherknives, boning knives and big kitchen knives. But overall the Razor edge kit has been very educational.
But I do like to take it on hunting trips because it is great for skinning knives, butcherknives, boning knives and big kitchen knives. But overall the Razor edge kit has been very educational.
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- Nov 13, 2004
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I have the book, but never bought the system. It seemed too limited to me and I (apparently correctly) wondered what would keep the guides from being ground down as well. If I had purchased one, I suspect that it would sooner or later get thrown in the crap heep of everything else I've ever purchased, including a very expensive, top of the line Chef's Choice Machine.
Presently, and at this point I don't see any need to try anything else, I use the Edge Pro Apex. I marvel at how well it works as well as the incredible edges you can put to any steel. I totally reprofiled and put a highly polished edge on my Caly Jr in ZDP189 steel. It's even sharper than when it was new, if you can imagine that.
The only other system I use, and only for touchups is the Sharpmaker as well as regular stropping as a daily maintenance.
Presently, and at this point I don't see any need to try anything else, I use the Edge Pro Apex. I marvel at how well it works as well as the incredible edges you can put to any steel. I totally reprofiled and put a highly polished edge on my Caly Jr in ZDP189 steel. It's even sharper than when it was new, if you can imagine that.
The only other system I use, and only for touchups is the Sharpmaker as well as regular stropping as a daily maintenance.
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- Dec 8, 2003
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Like many folks around here, I've got several 'systems' that I've accumulated -- but the Razor Edge was the first one I ever bought, and I'm glad I did. As someone else mentioned, 'The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening' gives some good foundational instruction, but the main reason I'm glad I bought their guides (I bought the big one over 10 years ago and the smaller one less than 2 years ago) is that I learned to sharpen free-hand mainly through using THOSE. I still use my EdgePro, Sharpmaker, paper wheels, belt sander, etc., but it's great to know that I can get a very good edge using just my hand and whatever abrasive is available.
Shalom,
Mark
Shalom,
Mark