Sharpening system recomendations?

BusyBailey

BusyBailey

Joined
Jun 19, 2015
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After a recent run of good luck I'm hoping to flip some knives and free up some funds for fresh gear. Hopefully I can resist buying a new blade and upgrade my sharpening gear. Currently relying on Lansky Turnbox and sandpaper on a mouse pad but something tells me that the recent bump to super steels means this won't be enough.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a rig, hopefully under $200 that would get good edges on pocket and maybe kitchen knives? I am the designated sharpener in my circle and all kinds of things come my way. Perhaps one day this could turn into a small side business, we'll see.
 
Might send them out and get them sharpened for less money.

Otherwise I recommend the edge pro then the kme. Both are very different. The edge pro is the better system but the kme has better value.
 
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I've heard the KME starts with diamond stones which sounds nice. Current steels include base tier stainless, S30V, CPM-D2, Elmax, and M390. I figure the KME would do for pocket knives and bench stones would be better for kitchen knives? Maybe a strop thrown in for good measure?
 
I have the edge pro and love it. I have the 120-1000 grit stones with all the Polish tapes and a atoma 140 for reprofile work. I really love the system the amount of aftermarket support for it is also good. I have two kangaroo strops for it that I run diamond spray on. You could get a good sharp edges with the 120-1000 grit stones and pick up a knives plus strop block, I love mine. No doubt you'll add more stones, tapes, etc as you go on but you could do pretty much everything you needed with what I listed. The drill stop collar is an essential for the edge pro, to keep constant angles between stones and is super cheap.
 
What he said the Ken Onion Work Sharp with the blade grinding attachment! Just take a few minutes to practice on a few your cheap knives. Stop the tip ON THE BELT! Great tool!
 
Since nobody mentioned it, I’d suggest looking at the Worksharp Guided Sharpening System. It isn’t so much use without the upgrade kit, but the whole shebang is good value nonetheless. The beauty is in the pivot, and you don’t have to be restricted by the angle guides, 20° & 17°. Since it uses diamond stones, you can sharpen any sort of steel. It’s also good fun. :)
 
BusyBailey BusyBailey check your inbox please I sent you a message about the ZT-0770CF because I seen you own one and I want to ask you a few thing's.
 
I've tried the Sharpmaker, paper wheels, the Wicked Edge, a belt sander, and the Edge Pro.

I now use the Edge Pro exclusively
 
It sounds like you like sharpening, or at least that you take to it, so I'm thinking just whipping out a working edge probably isn't what you're looking for.

I have a KME and love it and have posted quite a bit about it here lately but if you've been bit by the sharpening bug and are really thinking about a side business then I really think bench stones are the way to go. YOU CAN DO IT!

Look up jdavis882 on YouTube and search for his beginner kit, it's pretty good.

Although I've never used them, I think the DMT DuoSharps are pretty attractive. Maybe not quite as nice as the uninterupted stones but I'm not sure it makes any real difference and you can get two grits in one stone. I'd think a C/F with a holder would be a great start. So you'd be in around $100 there.

An 8"x3"x1" dual Soft/Black Arkansas stone from Natural Whetstone Company will run you about $60 and would handle all but the hardest steels and save wear on your diamonds.

That leaves you $40 for a dual sided (suede/fine) strop. Yes, people will tell you CrO2 (green) stuff is not good enough for the super steels but it is fine to start.

Or...You could go with SiC instead of diamonds and come in much cheaper. Most people do not have super steels and even then, the SiC will do pretty well.

Freehanding gives you tremendous versatility.

That said, if it is a system you desire, then the KME at your price would be extremely hard to beat!
 
I have several different sharpening systems at my disposal... barely know how to use them... but studying and research helps get the fundamentals down.

I own the worksharp w/o the Ken onion attachment. Quick and easy with a nice crisp convex edge.

I own the lansky deluxe kit. Owned it since April and just now figured out how to use it, only issue I'm having is the burr just flips sides. Well worth the 40-50 bucks.

Also have whetrocks, steels and a couple pull through sharpeners.

They are all good at one thing or another, just got to know what type of edge you want and get to sharpening lol
 
Try doing sweeping pass's to brush off the burr with most steels I find the higher the grit you go the burr does not form as much,also try diamond paste for getting rid of the burr like a 1 or 3 micron use the 3 first and not for very long then switch to a 1 Micron.

I also find with most PM steels they don't form much of a burr if any at all.

Delmar Bros Knifeworks said:
I have several different sharpening systems at my disposal... barely know how to use them... but studying and research helps get the fundamentals down.

I own the worksharp w/o the Ken onion attachment. Quick and easy with a nice crisp convex edge.

I own the lansky deluxe kit. Owned it since April and just now figured out how to use it, only issue I'm having is the burr just flips sides. Well worth the 40-50 bucks.

Also have whetrocks, steels and a couple pull through sharpeners.

They are all good at one thing or another, just got to know what type of edge you want and get to sharpening lol
Click to expand...
 
Check Murray Carter stone sharpening videos. The stone works well for me and mostly I use a strop.
 
wade7575 said:
Try doing sweeping pass's to brush off the burr with most steels I find the higher the grit you go the burr does not form as much,also try diamond paste for getting rid of the burr like a 1 or 3 micron use the 3 first and not for very long then switch to a 1 Micron.

I also find with most PM steels they don't form much of a burr if any at all.
Click to expand...

I vary the motions - start out with quick up and down movements to set the cutting bevel and feel the burr on one side, then flip it over and set up the other side. I mainly use the 20° angle on the lansky. Once the cutting bevel is consistent on both sides I use the medium stone in a sweeping motion on the burr side until all the up and down scratches are off of the cutting bevel and the burr is across the whole cutting edge. Once the up and down scratch marks are gone and the burr is all along the edge, I'll use the fine stone opposite sweeping motion. Once that's completed the same as the medium stone, I'll switch to the yellow ceramic and use a circular motion to shine up the cutting edge on both sides and keep switching sides until the burr is gone.... 90% of the time, there is sections of burr left over and it bugs the shit out of me. So I started using the rough side of my leather belt as a strop. It helps some is I knew how to strop an edge.

All My knives are 440c and 1095. No San mai or Damascus type materials at the moment.
 
I have an edge pro that has been retired once I picked up my Wicked Edge. The WE solution is expensive since if you are doing much FFG sharpening then a Gen3 clamp makes life so much easier. I also have water stones that I use on my kitchen knives from time-to-time but I have become so used to the WE that I even sharpen my Japanese Gyutos on it if they are too dull for a quick strop touch-up.
 
I have the tsprof k02, and I love it. You might take a look at the K01, it's in your price range and almost as good as thek02
 
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