Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System: Any Experiences?

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2sharp4u

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Aug 29, 2015
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New to forum Hello! So much info. Just was thinking of getting thishttps://www.worksharptools.com/guided-sharpening-system.html

Anybody try this yet?

Thanks
Chris
 
I bought it liked it at first, but after some use I didn't like it. The only real benefit I found was the tilt feature but by time you buy the system and the upgrade kit your invested in a lil over $100. To me it wasn't worth the price and didn't yield the results I was after. The guides are useless unless your primarily sharpening small thin knives, also I found the edge didn't last very long compared to my other sharpening methods.

For $30 more you could get the Ken onion work sharp and get much better results faster and easier.
 
I disagree, the system works great.
The system is $60 retail and upgrade kit is $35 totalling to $95

The Ken onion is $50 more at $140

It's designed to help people learn how to freehand sharpen
 
The guides like I said are useless unless your sharpening thin low profile knives. A knife with a thicker spine like the bk2 when sharpened at the set 20° guide is closer to 25° due to the thickness of the spine, even using the 17° guide you end up with 22.5°.

Now with the guides removed sure it worked great at putting a good edge on, and the tilt was helpful in keeping a consistent angle. However the selling point is it being a guided system so once you remove those your left with just the tilt feature which wasn't worth $100 to me.

The ko wskt can be bought $129 a lot of places, that's what I paid for mine, thou even the original work sharp would be a better option than this system, and cheaper.
 
Looks like a decent freehand setup with a little twist on the pivot system in their attempt to make it easier. No clue how the pivot setup works in actual use but for the full setup with the upgrade kit for just under $100 retail I would say it's a fair price for everything included.
 
Bob6794 said:
Looks like a decent freehand setup with a little twist on the pivot system in their attempt to make it easier. No clue how the pivot setup works in actual use but for the full setup with the upgrade kit for just under $100 retail I would say it's a fair price for everything included.
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Honestly the pivot works quite well in use...however like I said before that's really the only nice feature on this system. Now maybe if they'd included adjustable guides say from 10-25° that would allow one to compensate the sharpening angle for blade thickness to match a factory bevel rather than a fixed 17&20° that won't translate to a true sharpening angle on thicker blades.

So basically for the price it just wasnt worth it for what you get to me.
 
If you factor in the cost of a DMT continuous coasre stone and a rubber stone base it a smoking hot deal.

The device comes with a heavy duty base with small rubber knobs on the bottom, a 325 grit plate, a 600 grit plate and a ceramic rod with other options on it. I dont care for the guide which can be removed. Imho, The guides are for learning and aren't the zenith of the device more like training wheels. I don't think there needs to be any guide options.

The Belt grinders are great too.

The only benift to the system is it lowers the start up cost and has training aids for learning freehand (which can be removed)

When I got more into freehand sharpening, I bought a DMT extra coarse, a stone base and a SiC combo stone. The whole setup costed more then $100

Currently, my DMT is worn out after 5 years.

I'm almost considering this system for a replacement.
 
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The diamond stones that come with this kit are imo inferior to other diamond stones...after using this system for about 2 weeks I highly doubt the longevity of them, I don't think these will last near what your dmt did....

But hey it's your money buy what you like and hopefully it works out for you.
 
Haha, Oh they'll work fine, I tried the demo at my local store. It looks fine. I also have a work sharp field sharpener and its held up great for the past year so far.
 
I'm really close to pulling a trigger on the Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System. It looks like a great value and I think it would work well for me. I have a sharp maker and a strop but I'm not crazy about the SM and the strop is more of a polishing/refining step.

Anyone have any experience with this work sharp system? I really need to be pushed one way or another.
 
Are you talking about the electric model, or the manual? I have used 2 of the electric models, and currently own the WorkSharp field sharpening system.
 
I was referring to their manual one. It's similar to the field sharpener but more of a tabletop model. It might be new?
 
I have used that as well and plan on purchasing that soon. I personally love their products. The one you are referring to is just a little larger than the field sharpener and also has a swivel if so desired which I think would be very useful. In not a super fan of the electric sharpeners, as I feel they remove too much material, but love their manual ones.
 
Not sure if you have a Cabela's near you, but they have them on display there for you to try out and see if you like it. That's actually where I first tried both the field sharpener, and the one you are speaking of. That sold me. I bought the field sharpener immediately after that. I have sharpened over a hundred knives, and some multiple times, and the field sharpener is still going strong! Carry it every day in my lunch bag to work with me.
 
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So you find that those angle guides are a solid way to keep a consistent angle? I've never done any free hand sharpening but this whole system makes a lot of sense to me. PLUS, for the diamond stones and the ceramic hone and everything it seems like a crazy good deal for what you get!
 
VermontEdge said:
So you find that those angle guides are a solid way to keep a consistent angle? I've never done any free hand sharpening but this whole system makes a lot of sense to me. PLUS, for the diamond stones and the ceramic hone and everything it seems like a crazy good deal for what you get!
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Once you come off the guide you must maintain the angle as you draw across the stone. Also if sharpening a non coated knife use blue tape on the area of the knife that contacts the guide, diamond particles gather there and will scratch up your blade as you slide across the guide.

What your sharpening will dictate the angle you'll actually be sharpening at. A knife made from thicker stock won't be at 20° using the 20° guide. A knife that's 1/4" at the spine was closer to 25° using the 20° guide, so it you'll be either creating a micro bevel or reprofiling to a complete 25° bevel with continuous strokes. Thinner knives still won't be exactly 20° either but should only be a degree or 2 off.

If your intentions are to completely match a factory bevel your best bet will be to ditch the guides, use a sharpie to mark your bevel and free hand it so your evenly removing the sharpie.
 
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