Wicked Edge Sharpener VS Apex

[RubiconSS]

Hopefully I will receive my Wicked Edge in the mail today. I am excited!! I will let ya know what I think when I get it.

Check in and also give a read to a thread or two on this sub-forum. Several good tips on WEPS useage.

 

[smiley500]

I have been debating which system to get for over a year now. I like the WE system cause it looks much easier to set up and get going with, BUT unlike the Edge Pro APEX or PRO the WE has some limitations in its ability to hold knives thicker than .25 inches which puts many Busse kin knives out of its reach due to thickness as well as having a more limited angle range to sharpen at. What the WE does have though is the lack of having to flaten out stones after a while and having to buy a seperate kit for that. Knives sharpen faster on the WE since you are doing both sides of the blade. WE also is able to do convex edges and I have not heard about the Edge Pro being able to do those. They both have pros and cons and I have having a difficult time deciding which to choose.

 

[t1mpani]

I will say this----I have used an Edge Pro, and I own a Wicked Edge (very recent acquisition) and both are fine systems---I have to give the nod to the WE just in terms of cleanliness of the system and the consistent flatness of the stones, as mentioned. However, the thing is that I actually KNOW how to sharpen free hand and am rather good at it, and so--essentially--I have a system that allows me to do exactly what I was able to do before. It's not like that's a surprise and I'm not going to get rid of it; it's extremely well made, attractive, and honestly will allow what was already a fairly mindless activity to become even more so. I would rate the thing as being very similar to a magazine loader if you already know how to sharpen--just a tool that takes a little bit of the pain out of things (referring to cramped hands, in this case, not swollen thumbs ) and is especially nice if you have lots to do.

That said, though, (and I went ALL out with the super-fine stones all the way down to the super coarse) the thing can't hold a candle to my $120 Delta belt sander as far as metal removal. From ceramic belts at 40 grit down to leather belts loaded with compound, I can take a big, 1/4" Busse knife (as mentioned by smiley500 above) that has absolutely no edge left and grind an even, high-polished edge bevel that will cut hairs above the arm inside of about ten minutes, and inside of about two minutes if the bevel isn't in bad shape before I start. And for those who'd cry out that I'm removing too much metal, when I sharpen (not reprofile, but sharpen) knives on the thing, I use only the leather belts--I bet I'm removing less metal than you are, and I also can do convex as well as flat. That, however, did take a bit of learning to do (not just to hold the angles but to keep the knives properly cooled throughout) and I'll admit that even though I had about three dozen cheap practice machetes under my belt at the time, the very first time I held a custom knife up to that sander was a bit of a heart-check. Now, I just tear into the things knowing that it'll be fine, but practice always breeds confidence.

So, overall, my impression of the WE system is that the thing is extremely well made, works as advertised, and I highly recommend the granite base because, you know, the thing just looks classy as hell. If you are already a very capable sharpener, don't expect to hear angels sing when you start using it. If, however, effective sharpening has largely eluded you to this point, I think you'll greatly appreciate the results you will get with it, and will quickly forget the money spent--which is pretty much true of all quality tools.

 

[RubiconSS]

Early in this thread someone asked about consistent and repeatable clamping of FFG blades.
My Acies is an FFG.
By placing the knife in the vise and holding it in proper attitude you then "snug" the top screw keeping the blade vertical and perpendicular (even gap on both sides between blade and vise) you then "tighten" the bottom screw ALL the while holding the knife so the blade remains in proper allignment.
Then sharpen away.
Next time, repeat the steps and you will consistently recreate the position each time.

 

[t1mpani]

Quite right---rounded spines are really the only potential issue in terms of alignment consistency. I had a similar concern myself regarding full flat grinds, and through use concluded that it's unfounded.

 

[leomitch]

Smiley
Check with Clay, there is a longer screw available for the vise which allows for knives over .25 inches in thickness.

Best regards
Leo

 

[Ben Dover]

www.precisesharpening.blogspot.com

Belongs to a fellow named Ken Schwartz, who manufactures a device called the "Gizmo." It is somewhat of an Edge-Pro on steroids, using full size stones. A truly superb device.

www.jendeindustries.com

Has Shapton, Chocera and ATOMA hones that fit the WEPS.

I had the opportunity to observe a knife being sharpened with a WEPS recently, and I was a bit impressed. I doubt that I weill ever replace my Edge-Pro Professional; with a WEPS, although I must say that if I engaged in sharpening commercially, I would not hesitate to purchase both machines, and quite possibly a "Gizmo" as well.

Indeed, with the new sharpening devices available to the public today, I think that I can safely say that we are entering the "golden age" of sharpening, where the ability to maintain hair splitting edges is available to the average knife knut without years of sharpening experience. What a wonderful thought!

 

[t1mpani]

I'm going to resurrect this to make a suggestion. Even though I'd taken pains to not bare down too hard on the bottom tensioning screw, after some number of uses I had the jaws apart and noticed just how deep of a ring the steel screw was cutting in the aluminum jaw. The pictures here are after I'd cut off the aluminum ringlets with a pocketknife. Now, this is not a functional concern in the slightest, and I have so much money wrapped up in knives that I don't balk at the WE's price in the slightest, but it's so easy to avoid this cosmetic flaw in the first place by properly rounding the bottom screw, and is probably worth doing on a system that starts out so cosmetically pleasing. If you don't have a belt sander, this takes longer; but WITH a belt sander, a 220 grit belt, a 600 grit belt and a leather belt, this takes about exactly a minute and a half with an electric screwdriver and hex bit. It's very difficult to photograph a round, mirrored surface but that's what the last three shots are of. Since I've done this, the black coated center of the ring in the jaws---which is what the screw's face now hits---doesn't show the slightest signs of marring. The WE folks might consider investing the time to do this themselves, as it's a modification that costs next to nothing, takes extremely little time, and removes a cosmetic flaw. Hell, I could crank sixty of them out an hour.

 

[clayallison]

I'm going to resurrect this to make a suggestion. Even though I'd taken pains to not bare down too hard on the bottom tensioning screw, after some number of uses I had the jaws apart and noticed just how deep of a ring the steel screw was cutting in the aluminum jaw. The pictures here are after I'd cut off the aluminum ringlets with a pocketknife. Now, this is not a functional concern in the slightest, and I have so much money wrapped up in knives that I don't balk at the WE's price in the slightest, but it's so easy to avoid this cosmetic flaw in the first place by properly rounding the bottom screw, and is probably worth doing on a system that starts out so cosmetically pleasing. If you don't have a belt sander, this takes longer; but WITH a belt sander, a 220 grit belt, a 600 grit belt and a leather belt, this takes about exactly a minute and a half with an electric screwdriver and hex bit. It's very difficult to photograph a round, mirrored surface but that's what the last three shots are of. Since I've done this, the black coated center of the ring in the jaws---which is what the screw's face now hits---doesn't show the slightest signs of marring. The WE folks might consider investing the time to do this themselves, as it's a modification that costs next to nothing, takes extremely little time, and removes a cosmetic flaw. Hell, I could crank sixty of them out an hour.

Thank you for the feedback. We are definitely going to do that in the next go-round unless I put in a steel catch plate with a dimple. Enough people have commented on it that I have to listen.
--Clay

 

[sinjans]

Thats nice to hear Clay. Hopefully mine that was ordered last week will get that fix up. cheers

 

[Ben Dover]

Mr. Allison,

Have you considered offering a "deluxe" version of your machine that would incorporate a movable carriage for the clamping mechanism, thereby allowing the blade to be moved back and forth without reclamping?

I sharpen hunting knives for a colleague in the engineering department, and recently discussed this topic with him at some length. He was of the opinion that it could be readily accomplished, although perhaps just a bit expensive in terms of "start up" costs.

I haven't had the opportunity to use one of your machines yet, but like my beloved Edge-Pro, it seems to be on the cutting edge (no pun intented ) of sharpening technology.

Ben

 

[t1mpani]

Thank you for the feedback. We are definitely going to do that in the next go-round unless I put in a steel catch plate with a dimple. Enough people have commented on it that I have to listen.
--Clay

That's just my one piece of "improvement feedback"---the rest of my feedback is that this is a gorgeously simple, beautifully put together precision tool!

 

[clayallison]

Thank you for the suggestion. I have something in the works that addresses what you're talking about. We're working out the prototype to see what we can accomplish. I'm not sure what the cost would be but I'm hoping to offer it as an add on to the existing machine.

Mr. Allison,

Have you considered offering a "deluxe" version of your machine that would incorporate a movable carriage for the clamping mechanism, thereby allowing the blade to be moved back and forth without reclamping?

I sharpen hunting knives for a colleague in the engineering department, and recently discussed this topic with him at some length. He was of the opinion that it could be readily accomplished, although perhaps just a bit expensive in terms of "start up" costs.

I haven't had the opportunity to use one of your machines yet, but like my beloved Edge-Pro, it seems to be on the cutting edge (no pun intented ) of sharpening technology.

Ben

 

[Komitadjie]

Well, my plan on the setscrew issue is to round it over and polish it up, then use the heck out of it. If it does start to become a problem after some large number of knives sharpened, I'll just plunge a mill into the spot to remove the damaged aluminum, then loc-tite a press-fit piece of tool steel into the new recess. Minor issue.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Don't know if the clamp screws for the WEPS are standard sizes or proprietary, but I had the same grinding issue with the standard (steel) screws for my Lansky & Gatco clamps. The screws on both were standard 10-24 size. I replaced the steel screws with brass screws of the same type (found at Home Depot or Lowe's). The brass is obviously a lot softer & therefore gentler on the aluminum. No more grinding into the clamp face, so far as I can tell.

 

[REK Knives]

i have a EP Pro model and no experience with the WEPS, although, I have to admit that it looks intriguing! A couple things I haven't seen mentioned yet that stick out to me about the capabilities of both systems are: 1. can the WE sharpen straight razors? Has anyone here done that yet? 2. I really like the fact that the WE can do ceramic blades... Ben Dale says the EP can (using his diamond tapes and diamond stones) but it doesn't get sharp enough to shave arm hair. When I look at it under the microscope you can still see tons of micro chipping. 3. What about re-curves?

thanks for the input guys.

 

[mongolguy]

Clay has a video on youtube of him doing a straight razor. You should check it out.

 

[clayallison]

i have a EP Pro model and no experience with the WEPS, although, I have to admit that it looks intriguing! A couple things I haven't seen mentioned yet that stick out to me about the capabilities of both systems are: 1. can the WE sharpen straight razors? Has anyone here done that yet? 2. I really like the fact that the WE can do ceramic blades... Ben Dale says the EP can (using his diamond tapes and diamond stones) but it doesn't get sharp enough to shave arm hair. When I look at it under the microscope you can still see tons of micro chipping. 3. What about re-curves?

thanks for the input guys.

Mogolguy is right - straight razors are pretty easy on the WE. 95% of recurves are also easy with the stock stones. If the radius of the inside curve is really tight, there are some curved stones you can use or you can use the Choseras or Shaptons.

 

[REK Knives]

Mogolguy is right - straight razors are pretty easy on the WE. 95% of recurves are also easy with the stock stones. If the radius of the inside curve is really tight, there are some curved stones you can use or you can use the Choseras or Shaptons.

ok, thanks a lot Clay... 2 more questions. 1. can you sharpen scissors on the WE? or does it need some type of attachment? 2. what would you recommend total setup (from the coursest stones all the way up to the strops with .25micron paste for straight razors)? Is there some type of overall package for this that will include EVERYTHING? after I know... i can price it

 

[clayallison]

Are you thinking waterstones past the stock Wicked Edge set or would you like to go one finer in diamond or ceramic and then on to the strops? For the scissors, you would need our yet to be released attachment. It's a very simple device but I don't have them in production yet.

ok, thanks a lot Clay... 2 more questions. 1. can you sharpen scissors on the WE? or does it need some type of attachment? 2. what would you recommend total setup (from the coursest stones all the way up to the strops with .25micron paste for straight razors)? Is there some type of overall package for this that will include EVERYTHING? after I know... i can price it