Looks like a really nice high quality system at a big price for a one inch grinder. This is not intended to offend. Right now I'm getting amazing results with my $40 Harbor Freight grinder, but it comes at a price. I'm not saying anything like, "My grinder is just as good and only $40", I would never say that. You bought a quality guided sharpening system. I just want to share my experiences and cautions when going to powered grinders.
I used to use an Edge Pro manual system and there is a lot to say for a guided system. For me, when I went to larger knives I found I wanted convex edges and the edge pro was no good over about 5-6" of fixed or compound angles.
Doing it by hand was a pain with larger knives, so I had to find another way. I was thinking of getting a full size grinder (2X72), but I kept running into people who had good result with the cheapo Harbor Freight. Rather than spend $2K I decided to try cheap first. And I figured if it didn't work I could throw it in the trash and not even blink.
It was hard to learn how to use the HF and I almost wrecked two INFI knives before I decided I should learn on cheap knives first. But I've discovered the secret muscle memory and technique it takes to get it right. Now I get beautiful convex edges (I don't use a guide or platen) with Red Lion belts and leather strops I buy on Amazon.
Your system is very nice and I may have purchased one of those, had I known about it a couple years ago. It also looks like it has variable speed which is great! Today having gone through the pain of learning on a 1x30, if I were going to spend $750, I would probably throw in another $1200-1500 for a beginner 2X72 inch grinder that I could use for anything and upgrade as I go. I agree that your system is way way way better than a Wicked Edge (and HF) which I think is over priced. And for anyone who wants to avoid the hassle of learning on a crappy HF I recommend getting a grinder like yours instead.
Finally, I want to share my 1" belt grinding findings with you or anyone interested in using a small belt grinder. This works perfectly for me, YMMV;
1. When learning; Always start on a cheap knife, and use nothing more aggressive than 400 grit while learning. I've never found it necessary to go bigger than 220 grit to reprofile a blade, it just removes too much steel to remove the rough grind. (I almost wrecked a Satin Snow Hole Flak Jack with a new 220 grit belt) Also, be careful with any new belt of any grit. They are more aggressive when new.
2. With the belts I use and the speed of the cheapo Harbor Freight (too fast) in mind; Unless I have a chip or nick or the blade is super dull I start with 1000 and then usually go to strop. Starting with 400 or something is overkill and removes more steel than you need to if you are just sharpening. Its easy too remove more steel than you think you are removing with a powered grinder. If you have a nick start with a less, rather than more, aggressive belt. You can always get more aggressive if you need too.
3. When I'm simply improving the blade edge from being sharp enough to use, but not super sharp, to hair removal sharp, I only use a leather strop with green compound. Depending on the steel and the strop in may only take a couple passes to get it very sharp. 1095 may take a couple 2-4 passes, 3V will take more. If you cannot get it sharp with a leather strop, goto to a used 1000 or 1500, then strop it.
4. On strops, I usually sand brand new leather lightly if the belt is smooth. The compound will sink into the leather better when the belt is sanded. I then apply the compound on the bench, and then warm the coated belt with a heat gun (or hair dryer) smearing the wax compound into the belt with my thumb as it cools. This ensures the belt starts with a deep coat of compound. It only needs to be hot enough to smear.
5. When I first started, I used too much compound. You can remove excess or top layer old compound with 80 grit emery cloth while running the belt on the grinder. Then you can reapply if necessary.
6. When a leather strop gets too loose, sometimes its because it has absorbed moisture from the air. You can dry it out with a hair dryer or heat gun and it might shrink.
7. Keep your leather strops in individual labeled zip lock freezer bags. This keeps them from collecting moisture from the air or unwanted grit from other grinding activities. Mark them for age and compound used. I also use black or white compound for some things, so to avoid confusion label the bag. Green compound turns black from the particles of steel, if you are not paying attention they can be confused.
In a couple years I'm still going to buy a 2x72 for metal working, but I can currently do all my sharpening on this cheapo HF grinder with all the guards and stuff removed. I found you don't need a 2x72 for sharpening, in fact, it might be overkill.
The 1x30 HF cheapo can work. But the AMK will probably give better results with variable speed and guides (Just looking at it, having not used it), especially if you are just starting.
This is only my experience, YMMV
