So I started out like most with a bowed worn dual grit wet stone that got handed down from either a grandpa or dad. I could get a decent edge but always seemed to get it just about right and then get greedy at the end and wipe out the edge I was after.
Next was the invention of Diamond stones. They were ok. They solved or reduced the bowing, but you could never re-profile them back flat. They still seemed to remove too much material if one has too heavy of a touch. I then fell for the marketing and purchased a Lansky Diamond kit. I turned out several good edges with this kit, but the short narrow strokes were so aggravating.
I finally arrived at the Apex 4 sharpening system. This is like a lansky on steroids. It is so nice to get a decent wide stroke and a consistent angle. You can even true your stones back up. I tell you this is the nicest edge I have ever put on a knife and I am only going up the the 1000grit stone. I feel I could mirror polish the edge if I cared to with the lapping/fine grit sandpaper stones.
I was going to try the belt systems, but they seemed overly complicated for what they are and run the risk of removing too much material or rounding tips.
APEX is where it is at for me as of now. I did add the desk clamp mount as I did not care for the little bit of bounce from the suction cups.
The Spyderco knife sharpening kit has served me well the past few years. It’s not expensive, does a good job, and it’s easy to use. You shouldn’t need a degree in rocket science to use a knife sharpener, which The Apex and other similar “systems” seem to require.
Spyderco system looks like a good setup for a quick touch up. I would end up boogering the edge some way if it was a blade that needs some serious attention or to be re-profiled. It looks good on the YouTube demo of it. I guess it is all in getting the feel for whatever system you have on hand.
Adrenaline_6, have not tried the glass stones yet. Looking for a stone that fits the APEX on the Shapton website and having trouble finding it.
You’re over thinking this. Knife sharpening does not require extreme accuracy. I’ve gotten knives to razor sharp with the Spyderco Sharpmaker that were just above butter knife sharp before I started.
I have the Sharpmaker also. I like it and use it a lot. It cannot do what an Apex or similar can (in a respectable amount of time). Damaged…chips…reprofiling…etc…that job will suck with a Sharpmaker.
I use.two Japanese water stones (ceramic)- a 1000 and a 4000 grit. Sharpening free hand isn’t particularly difficult, it just takes practice and is slow. For quick touch up jobs on cheap knives I usually just use a 2x72" grinder set on its slowest speed with a fine grit belt. The trick is not to let your blades become so dull in the first place. This is where stops come unto play. The Spyderco system or similar is nice to have in the kitchen for quick jobs.
Once upon a time I had an online retail shop focusing on selling knives. By an order of magnitude, the Sharpmaker was my #1 seller. Even my distibutor couldn’t keep them in stock.
Under NO circumstance should you get a belt sander or paper wheel to sharpen your knives. They remove too much material too swiftly for proper control and are only capable of convex edges unless they have a backing plate. I have rescued too many “work sharp” edges to sit by and not respond. I have a wicked edge system, and have about $2500 worth of stones for it, and that is what I use for customer knives. When doing my own I use a 10" dmt fine stone, a spyderco UF stone and a strop bat with 1.5 micron, 1 micron, .5 micron and .25 micron diamond paste on it. There are several good systems out there KME and wicked edge are the most recommended, as edge pro has kinda fallen off, and ts prof is coming on strong. https://photos.app.goo.gl/qf1yKpSY3qFU44VM7 https://photos.app.goo.gl/P2UTNbDGSaFhnWd47
work sharp edge https://photos.app.goo.gl/yWB7vGdjvg9jDbr87
after repair and a sharpening choil added at customer’s request https://photos.app.goo.gl/gECEPkb2YnjNVYWW9
another work sharp, but better, still created a smile I needed to flatten https://photos.app.goo.gl/kEtK5R8AYzuX17mr8
removed some DLC as well https://photos.app.goo.gl/hL9xGoHJCzNY6UFe7
sharpening kit https://photos.app.goo.gl/P6CigeNLE7GN2afKA
what a good edge should do
One must understand the level of patience you posses before choosing a sharpening method. The sharp maker requires very little and results can be very good to excellent depending on how careful you are with knife angle during use. Flat stones require more patience and consistency of angles but will reward you with consistency excellent results taking more time than a sharp maker.
Knife care is the other side of sharpening to ensure they stay sharp. For kitchen knives wash dry and return to block or whatever storage you are using. Every month after about 4-5 uses for prep/dinner/etc, realign the edges with a honing rod for a pass or two. Using this method, I sharpen my steak knives 1-2 times a year, but hone the edges 8-12 times a year as they are cutting food on plates that deform the edge. For my prep knives I sharpen once a year and hone maybe every other month.
For outdoor/pocket knives, use, abuse but clean them regularly of gunk accumulated from items cut (boxes, tape, packages, etc.). I choose hard stainless steels for these knives (i.e. S110V) so they require less care and sharpening than carbon steel knives. My carbon knives I sharpen almost every time I go camping or outdoors. My harder stainless knives maybe once a year sharpening but monthly gunk cleaning with wd40 or another spray solvent (no food on these knives).
A couple of adds on the “why” is the flats on the rods aren’t cutting a lot of material and the edges/corners that will remove slightly more material are used for sharpening serrations so it would have a similar affect on chips. Add in that the medium stones don’t cut a lot of material even using the edges/corners.
For normal sharpening I really like it for everything other than convex and rarely use it flat for Scandi grinds.