Which one for me... Lansky or Gatco?

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fordf250

Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
114
I'm leaning towards Lansky, but before I buy I want to be sure. Problem #1. I can't sharpen freehand and figure I never will. I've wasted enough time so it's time to move on...

I put my big stuff on the wheel and use a guy at the gun show who does a nice job on my EDCs and nicer stuff, but I have more I want to tend too and I want to do it at home. I will take care of my kids knives as well. I will be using it on everything from my Ka-Bar from Vietnam to my 12-14 inch Green River types. Also some WW II trench knives, a 60"s Puma which also served and a couple of customs made by a local guy. I have all types of steel including the customs which were cut from a 1955 chain saw bar and a 1925 saw mill blade. There's more...

I figure I should use diamond and probably get the one with 4 hones. I can get one for $70 shipped to my door.

What stopped me from buying today was a competative ad put out by Gatco. I figure the statement below attacks Lansky in the major differences between the two:

The rod-hone handle features a permanently affixed rod so the sharpening angle remains constant. Combined with knife/clamp angle guide, that means more consistent, efficient sharpening strokes. Extra-wide sharpening surface outdoes the competition's, saving you time and creating a better edge.

I understand Gatco also has a sharper angle (15 degrees).

Should I go with the Lansky?
 
Avoid them both. Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker and be set for life. The DMT Aligner is a close second only because all of their stones are diamond.

Yea, their really that good. Don't waste your time with the others. I have the Lansky and though it will work, it won't work as well as the SM. Don't be dissapointed ...


NJ
 
Another:thumbup: for the Sharpmaker. I've only recently begun sharpening knives on my own (aka noobie :p ) and I'm still able to get very sharp edges on the SM. Just a few minutes on the Sharpmaker and you'll be hair-shaving sharp.
 
I'm a big proponet of the Lansky but since you said you'd be sharpening larger blades I'd think about something else. I've never had good luck sharpening a Ka-bar on my Lansky.

I have no experience with the Sharpmaker so I can't say anything about it.
 
I used my Gatco just today - it works fine.

There really isn't much difference between the two systems. In particular, they both share the same major limitation - due to the way the clamp grabs the knife.

In practical use, the system doesn't work well for long knives (unless you plan to reclamp) or knives with very narrow blades (width not thickness). Especially if you intend to use the 15 degree setting.

I use my gatco on a medium sized drop point hunter and it works very well.
 
i dont like systems with the clamp it scuffs up the blade.

i would skip a lansky or gatco and get a sharpmaker it works much better and is simpler to deal with to boot, cheaper too.

and i have a gatco and had a lansky.
 
I personally own a Lansky with all stones and I think it stinks !!!
If I were you I'd stay away from it, just doesn't work right.

No experience with Gatco but I understand the only dif. is wider stones and dif. angles on the clamp.

If you really want a sharpener that works get an Edgepro. It does have a learning curve thought. I'm still getting used to mine.

It does work way better than the Lansky ever dreamed it would !

armilite
 
i have no problems with my lansky-have diamond and standard stones-

get what you feel comfortable with- and i dont do big blades either ,my biggest is aboot 3.5 inch's
 
Ok, here the difference, The lansky has thinner stones, about 1/2in. width, whick allows the sharpening of recurves. The Gatco stones are about 3/4in. thick, which negates the ability to use on most recurves. Now the Lansky only has the deg. settings of, 30,25,20,17, whereas the Gatco has 30,25,22,19,15,11. So IMHO, the best system is the lansky stones with the gatco angle holder. The Sharpmaker is okay, but only for touch ups, and can destroy your tips if done fast. The Sharpmaker should really be called the Sharpmaintainer, because it sucks to actually sharpen or reprofile with. The LAnsky/Gatco are MUCH better for reprofiling with.
 
I have no experience with Gatco but I tried a Lansky clamp with DMT stones. Worked out well. I don't really like DMT's plastic clamp. A clamp system plus a Sharpmaker is a good combo.
 
I have a Lansky, and would not like to have to sharpen a whole pile of knives with it. I'd probably end up deciding I needed a new hobby. . . yes, it's that irritating to use.

Once you have got the hang of it, it does get knives sharp - but, as outlined above, you can't get a really narrow angle on a blade with a narrow width (because the sharpening stones collide with the clamp system).

Personally, I mouse mat - which I would not recommend for fancy knives or anything you would want to get insanely-sharp.

Another suggestion for someone with a lot of knives to sharpen would be a belt sander. I have never used one, tho' my brother-in-law has one I could use.
 
I'm definately getting the idea I need 2 systems to handle my knives. I actually have some really big stuff I didn't mention before, but if Lanaky/Gatco have trouble with my Ka-Bar then I won't be able to touch them either.

Seems the consensus is that Gatco angles belong with Lansky hones. That means buying 2 systems which basically sharpen in the same way. The Sharpmaker seems to get an overall good rating by many of you with one negative. If I'm going to buy 2 systems I was thinking of the Sharpmaker and perhaps the DMT Aligner.

As NATIVE JUSTICE put it; Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker and be set for life. The DMT Aligner is a close second only because all of their stones are diamond.

I looked at the Aligner and perhaps it would be better (and less expensive) than having to creat some sort of hybrid system with Lansky/Gatco components. This way I can re-form edges on the Aligner and finish on the Sharpmaker plus they will each work well for various individual knives.

I think my choices are down to 2 systems (1) Sharpmaker/Aligner or (2) Sharpmaker/Gatco. I will use diamond hones when available. Well maybe on the Aligner or Gatco but probably not Sharpmaker. Their diamond triangles look real expensive. $100 list I think.

Am I getting closer to the answer?

Thanks for the help... the voice of experience has been very helpful.
 
I think you should include the Sharpmaker in the equation only if you have some modicum of "skills". The reason I like my Gatco (or the Lansky) is that it requires no skill at all. You just clamp the guide on and run the hones back and forth.

I tried sharpening free hand and made a mess. I'm not interested in learning a new trade (though I do respect those who can do this well).
 
samhain73 said:
Ok, here the difference, The lansky has thinner stones, about 1/2in. width, whick allows the sharpening of recurves. The Gatco stones are about 3/4in. thick, which negates the ability to use on most recurves. Now the Lansky only has the deg. settings of, 30,25,20,17, whereas the Gatco has 30,25,22,19,15,11. So IMHO, the best system is the lansky stones with the gatco angle holder. The Sharpmaker is okay, but only for touch ups, and can destroy your tips if done fast. The Sharpmaker should really be called the Sharpmaintainer, because it sucks to actually sharpen or reprofile with. The LAnsky/Gatco are MUCH better for reprofiling with.
Click to expand...

What he said. :thumbup:

I use the Gatco and the Sharpmaker.
I use the Gatco on my 8" Chef's knife, it works great.
Also works great on 3" blades.

BTW, Gatco changed the clamp on their system recently; its MUCH better than the old one.
 
If I balance all your input I start to see the Gatco as the choice. I'm really puzzled by the Sharpmaker. Some love it while others think it's not that great.

I have to admit my dumbness as I have only seen a picture of all these devices. The Lansky/Gatco are easy to figure out how they work, but I don't have any idea how the Sharpmaker actually performs.

I like the idea of a diamond hone vs. anything else I am worried they may be to aggressive. I think my own experience will answer this question. I was also encouraged by j22KNIFE when he said the Gatco (or Lansky) requires NO SKILL AT ALL.

Just checked out Edge Pro as suggested. Looks like nice stuff, but a little expensive. The price doesn't kill it for me, but I would really like to know it was the holy grail of sharpeners if I was to buy one.

Does anyone know more intimate details of the Edge Pro product line?

Thanks again...
 
Sharpening principle #1 (mechanically set angle - varying): Looking at the Edge Pro web site - this device works on the same basic principle as the Gatco and Lansky - the blade is held in one position while the honing stone swings over the edge of the blade from a single pivot point. That means that the grinding angle will get more shallow the farther out on the blade you get. For all 3 systems, you can move or reclamp the blade (for long knives) in order to minimize this change in angle. But you can't make the constantly changing angle go away completly - it's geometry.

Principle #2 (freehand): The Sharpmaker removes this single pivot point problem by having the user hold and move the blade. This is the same thing you do when you sharpen over a stone, except that now the knife is held straight up and down, while the rods are set at an angle. I guess the idea is that it's relatively easy to hold the blade straight up and down. Easier than holding a constant angle on the knife over a horizontal stone. With the Sharpmaker, the accuracy of your grind will depend on how accurately you can hold the blade up and down (freehand) as you move over the rods.

Principle #3 (mechanically set angle - constant): The TriAx system improves on the Gatco/Lansky/Edge Pro by eliminating the single pivot point - the bar above allows the clamping mechanism to slide side to side while you move the blade back and forth and up and down (I guess those are the 3 axis of TriAx) - this maintains a constant angle of the knife blade to the hone. So, you get the no-brainer mechanically set angle of the Gatco (etc.) without the disadvantage of the constantly changing angle of the single pivot system.

Then there's grinding wheel - but if you can sharpen a knife using them you don't need all this other stuff.
 
edgepros work great on most stuff but they are kinda pricey, i had one for a while, for me the sharpmaker still works better because i usually just need a touch up i dont let my stuff get that dull, and for quick touch ups the SM is hard to beat.

now for heavy resharpening/reprofiling the edgepro is probably #1,
 
j22knife, there are two additional issues;

1) For the Sharpmaker, there is one additional free hand requirement. Not only do you have to a) lock your wrist to minimize blade twist, you also have to b) lock your elbow to minimize edge-to-flat stone single point contact. I suppose it is rotation of your shoulder you really have to lock but the problem is the same. If you are striking a blade edge to a flat stone and the blade is not perfectly flat against the stone, you have only one point of contact. As you can see if you hold your elbow between the V stones and then swing from one stone to the other, chances are the edge is only contacting the very edge of the float stone.

2) In the TriAx you have two things working for you to eliminate both of the free hand problems. First, the sliding bearing with the articulating arms locks the blade vertically for you. Secondly, should the blade turn slightly to the right or left when operating, the stone holder actually rotates slightly so that the blade edge is in complete contact with the flat stone at all times.

The ability for the stones to rotate slightly was actually designed to allow the stones to stay flat against the edge, even at curved end of most blades. When I tested the Sharpmaker it became obvious that the "locking" trick was more than just the wrist. It required wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

I'm not just nit picking. Many owners of the Sharpmaker love it. I suggest TriAx eliminates all free hand problems.

S. Brock Presgrove, PE
 
No argument from me. I did put the Sharpmaker in the "freehand" category to distinguish it from the systems that set the shapening angle for you mechanically - one way or another.
 
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