Thoughts on Hapstone V8

[dannyboy2233]

Hi! I'm interested in getting a guided sharpening system after generally failing to sharpen my knives freehand on 8-inch stones. I am primarily interested in sharpening my kitchen knives (mostly chef's knives and paring knives), so I need a system that's large enough to comfortably accommodate 9" blades. I don't need mirror finishes or a truly perfect system, and I'm not willing to spend more than $200-$250 -- I just want something that will allow me to keep my kitchen knives very sharp without too much guesswork.

The WorkSharp Precision Adjust seems okay, but I think it would flex a lot while sharpening a larger knife. The KME system seems good, but is also not designed with larger knives in mind. The Hapstone R2 Standard/Classic seem great, but they cost a little more than I'm willing to spend. I landed on the Hapstone V8 as a middle ground -- it can accommodate both large and small blades and is precision manufactured, but still comes in under $200 before stones. The only issue is that there are very few reviews of the magnetic table mechanism online, whereas people are very vocal of their love for the R1/R2 clamp system. Can anyone here speak to the V8's magnetic table system? Would it be fine for a beginner looking to keep a decently sharp edge on some kitchen knives? Thanks!

 

[777 Edge]

The magnetic table on the V8 works very well and will do everything you need. The great thing with Hapstone, is that it's modular and you can easily add a R2 bar and clamps later on if you ever want to change it up a bit. The V8/M3/R2/Chisel modules are all interchangeable on the Hapstone modular platform that you get with the V8. All it takes is 2 screws and about 30 seconds to swap modules out.

I have all of the Hapstone modules and accessories and I use my V8 often. Personally, I prefer the R2 module for daily use but the V8 will get your knife just as sharp - no doubt. The Magnetic table of the V8 is also great for extremely low angle sharpening if you ever want to.

As far as comparing it to a KME or Work Sharp precision adjust, the Hapstone is in a different league altogether.

If you get the V8, make sure to get the vertical blade support, a Fine tuning adapter, 2 spring assisted stoppers and a digital angle cube.

FYI, Gritomatic is one of the best shops in the US to get Hapstone (and most other) systems.

 

[Old Biker]

I have the modular Hapstone base, with all the modules. I like the V8 the most. I think it is the most versatile system available. I don't use the R2 module. I don't really like it. Specifically I have quite a few slip joint knives with very small blades, that are difficult to clamp if possible to clamp them at all. I also don't like the way it handles large knives like the chefs knives you want to sharpen.

I use the V8 module the most. On large knives I can do the blade in sections, so that I keep the sharpening arm in or close to it's sweat spot.

As you can see in the second picture, the tip can be rotated out to minimize any angle change as you sharpen around the curve.

You can also take off the side wings and have a very nice small blade table.

The M3 module is another option, if you want to save a little money. Large knives like this 10" chefs knife, would be better done in three steps instead of two.

I think the biggest problem for most people is learning to use their off hand to sharpen one side of the blade. This is needed because you need to hold the knife handle with the other hand. It doesn't take much down pressure to do the job. So just go slow and careful until that hand learns what it needs to do. Just the weight of the stone and holder is enough pressure most of the time. So your hand only needs to learn how to move the stone.

O.B.

 

[Another Shepherd]

You folks persuaded me to get a Hapstone V8 for putting small angles on narrow blades. It was shipped promptly from Gritomatic in a box that contains another box that contains 6 more boxes at least one of which contains yet another box. I guess the multiplicity of boxes is a consequence of modularity.

 

[Hapstone Official]

You folks persuaded me to get a Hapstone V8 for putting small angles on narrow blades. It was shipped promptly from Gritomatic in a box that contains another box that contains 6 more boxes at least one of which contains yet another box. I guess the multiplicity of boxes is a consequence of modularity.

You're partly right, but it's also great for saving the system in shipping.)

 

[Robbie441]

The magnetic table on the V8 works very well and will do everything you need. The great thing with Hapstone, is that it's modular and you can easily add a R2 bar and clamps later on if you ever want to change it up a bit. The V8/M3/R2/Chisel modules are all interchangeable on the Hapstone modular platform that you get with the V8. All it takes is 2 screws and about 30 seconds to swap modules out.

I have all of the Hapstone modules and accessories and I use my V8 often. Personally, I prefer the R2 module for daily use but the V8 will get your knife just as sharp - no doubt. The Magnetic table of the V8 is also great for extremely low angle sharpening if you ever want to.

As far as comparing it to a KME or Work Sharp precision adjust, the Hapstone is in a different league altogether.

If you get the V8, make sure to get the vertical blade support, a Fine tuning adapter, 2 spring assisted stoppers and a digital angle cube.

FYI, Gritomatic is one of the best shops in the US to get Hapstone (and most other) systems.

Is the

The magnetic table on the V8 works very well and will do everything you need. The great thing with Hapstone, is that it's modular and you can easily add a R2 bar and clamps later on if you ever want to change it up a bit. The V8/M3/R2/Chisel modules are all interchangeable on the Hapstone modular platform that you get with the V8. All it takes is 2 screws and about 30 seconds to swap modules out.

I have all of the Hapstone modules and accessories and I use my V8 often. Personally, I prefer the R2 module for daily use but the V8 will get your knife just as sharp - no doubt. The Magnetic table of the V8 is also great for extremely low angle sharpening if you ever want to.

As far as comparing it to a KME or Work Sharp precision adjust, the Hapstone is in a different league altogether.

If you get the V8, make sure to get the vertical blade support, a Fine tuning adapter, 2 spring assisted stoppers and a digital angle cube.

FYI, Gritomatic is one of the best shops in the US to get Hapstone (and most other) systems.

is the v8 module fully compatible with the RS? I read on gritomatic that there’s some restrictions when using it with the RS. Also, does this module basically make it comparable to an EdgePro? Or does one offer more benefits than the other?

 

[777 Edge]

Is the v8 module fully compatible with the RS? I read on gritomatic that there’s some restrictions when using it with the RS.

Yes, it is. Here is a thread that I started sometime ago regarding the Hapstone RS system. Look at post #9 where I installed my V8 module on my RS.

Thread 'Hapstone RS - First Look and Updates'

May 6, 2023

There has been a lot of momentum building with the soon to be released Hapstone RS, so I thought I would post some first look and first sharpening photos and answer some questions here. I received this pre-release unit from Gritomatic to experiment with and to see what can be designed as part of any possible upgrades.

The first knife I sharpened on it today was a Bugout. I used my Venev MS-1 Metallic bonded CBN stones.

I have to admit - I was much more impressed with the Hapstone RS than I expected to be! It's meant to be Hapstone's smaller "entry level" system but it performs better...

• 777 Edge
• Replies: 123
• Forum: Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment

• 

Also, does this module basically make it comparable to an EdgePro? Or does one offer more benefits than the other?

The Hapstone RS a system with much more to offer than any Edge Pro model.

 

[Robbie441]

Yes, it is. Here is a thread that I started sometime ago regarding the Hapstone RS system. Look at post #9 where I installed my V8 module on my RS.

Thread 'Hapstone RS - First Look and Updates'

May 6, 2023

There has been a lot of momentum building with the soon to be released Hapstone RS, so I thought I would post some first look and first sharpening photos and answer some questions here. I received this pre-release unit from Gritomatic to experiment with and to see what can be designed as part of any possible upgrades.

The first knife I sharpened on it today was a Bugout. I used my Venev MS-1 Metallic bonded CBN stones.

I have to admit - I was much more impressed with the Hapstone RS than I expected to be! It's meant to be Hapstone's smaller "entry level" system but it performs better...

• 777 Edge
• Replies: 123
• Forum: Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment

• 

The Hapstone RS a system with much more to offer than any Edge Pro model.

Thanks for all your help man! So just to confirm, I should be good to go to with sharpening knives 12” long and the only “limitation” is that the lowest angle I can sharpen to is 11.9 degrees as opposed to 10?
Also just because I’m not familiar with either system, what exactly does the Hapstone offer over the EdgePro systems?

 

[777 Edge]

Thanks for all your help man! So just to confirm, I should be good to go to with sharpening knives 12” long and the only “limitation” is that the lowest angle I can sharpen to is 11.9 degrees as opposed to 10?

Correct, but you'll probably be able to go even lower due to the shape and grind of some blades when mounted on the magnets.

Also just because I’m not familiar with either system, what exactly does the Hapstone offer over the EdgePro systems?

Hapstone is much higher quality, has countless more options and accessories than Edge Pro has, and is significantly better value for what you pay.