Best knife sharpening system?

[guitar1580]

I'm about ready to spring some dollars for a good sharpening device. Possibly the KME, Lansky, Schrade, Gatgo. I'm favoring the KME at this point, but it is more expensive than most.

Has anyone tried enough of them out to know which one is the best deal? I'll be using it mostly for pocket knives, and avg. sized kitchen knives.

JP

[deanmm56]

Hello guitar,

Check this website out ..... ttp://www.accuratesharp.com/edge-pro.htm

While I still use Arkansas stones I might give this a try .... hard to break old habits though and I've been using a stone going on 40 years.

[gmasiuk]

I use the KME system with the diamond stones. It works great and is impossible to screw up. In less than twenty minutes you will have your knife shaving sharp. I picked up a Imperial boy scout knife today at a flea market that was in great shape but, dull as bannana. After I got it home and clean it up it only took me about ten minutes to have it shaving again. If your a bow hunter, it works great on two blade broad heads also. I have tried many systems over the years and this one is about the best IMO.

[cloudy]

The best I've seen and used is the Warthog system. Look-up at Warthogsharp.com.

[Redrummd]

If you are into fast and sharp look into the cardboard wheel system. I can get a dull S30V blade to shaving hair on my arm in just 3 to 4 minutes. You do need a steady hand though as there are no guides.

In the kitchen for touch up I have 3 diamond flat laps glued to a two foot long piece of hardwood. Rough, medium and fine. My wife often uses the six custom knives available to her on the granite or a plate and I never get upset, I just sharpen them as needed, thus the need for the touch up laps.

[guitar1580]

I'm still leaning toward the KME. After watching the demo vid, it looks easy to use, durable, and I like the fact the you can interchange your own brand of stones if you like.

I was concerned if the swivel bearing should wear out, so I emailed the company, and they emailed promptly and said that every part of the device is guaranteed 100% for life, and that the bearing had never worn out yet, but would be replaced if it did.

JP

[danno50]

I have used the Lansky system for years and find it to work very well for most knives. Best to buy one with the diamond hones, though, I have wore out two sets of the regular hones. I also use the Spyderco tri-angle sharpmaker for quick touchups.

Dan

[ouhunter]

I've had my Lansky for 15+ years now and it works great. I total agree with danno50 to get the diamond stones . All my stones are diamond and it sharpens were you can shave with it if you wanted MO is that most will work good and some work better, but it boils down to what kind of money you want to put down and how many knives you will be sharpening. I use the heck out of mine because I have 8 hunting/skinning knives I use all winter, 4 filet knives I use on fish through out the summer. Plus all my family members brings their knives for me to sharpen. Good luck

[cbnutt]

can you post a link to what the lansky looks like ? thanks.....

[orvet]

The key to success with any sharpening method is to keep the angle constant.
I have seen edges ruined on stones, ceramic sticks, belt sanders, wheels and most every system devised for sharpening knives. I have also used most of those systems successfully sharpen knives.

Some factors to consider:
1- Time. How long will it take me to restore an edge?
2- Cost. How much does this method cost, both the initial investment and for continued use?
3- Consistency. Can I produce satisfactory results consistently?
4- Versatility. Does the system or method in question work effectively on the different styles of blades I will sharpen such as large, small, straight, curved or hawkbill type blades?

One size does not fit all.
I make knives, customize knives, restore knives, repair knives, offer sharpening services in my local area, as well as collecting knives. I have 4 sizes of belt sanders, 2 sizes of slow (wet) sharpening wheels, superfine abrasive wheels (dry), leather wheels, files, and an entire drawer in my rollaway full of diamond stones, ceramic sticks, natural & composite sharpening stones and various “systems.” Oh, there is another drawer or two full of stones, wheels, carbide ‘V’ sharpeners, strops and razor hones as well. I actually use most of them from time to time for different applications. When I list it out like that it looks like I have a collection of sharpening tools. I even have a few rather fanciful old sharpeners that might have worked, but didn’t quite. However they did work well enough to get someone to buy their invention. Kind of like some fishing lures I have; they worked well enough to catch the fisherman (me) but fish run in terror when they hit the water.

For my money, one of the most useful and easiest sharpening system for the ‘average person’ to use is a set of ceramic sticks like Crock Sticks®. They will sharpen and maintain the edge on most common kitchen knives, pocket cutlery and hunting knives. There even variations that can sharpen serrations. I sold hundreds of sets of them in my years in the cutlery store and they were by far the most successful and foolproof sharpening tool we ever sold.

The ceramic sticks are fast (unless you are trying to remove nicks from the blade & even then some sets have a course & fine sticks). They are relative inexpensive; about $35 or so for a set of 10” sticks in course & fine. They are easy to use and produce consistently good sharp edges. They work on all sizes & shape of blades and are one of the few sharpeners what work well on a hawkbill blade.

I think anyone looking to purchase a sharpening system would do well to analyze what sort of sharpening they intend to do, how frequently they will be using it, ease of use, cost and effectiveness of the system in question, before spending a lot of money. Most systems have strong points and weak points. Look for a system that best fits your sharpening needs and the type of knives you will be using it on. You might also consider buying used sharpening tools. They are more common than one might expect. I have picked up nearly new sharpening stones for 10¢ at garage sales and flea markets. Sometimes you can find a nice used Lansky or Smith’s sharpening system at a pawnshop, second hand store or even at a knife show for a fraction of the retail price.

If the system you buy doesn’t work out for you, throw it in a drawer and start a “sharpening tools” collection. Then I won’t be the only one who collects them!

Dale

[orvet]

Here is the Lansky link:
http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKC03.php

Be sure to let us know what you get!



Dale

[Knife Nut]

Am I the only one from the "old school" of knife sharpening?
If the edge is really dull, I make a few passes over a course carborundum stone.
After that I use a hard Arkansas stone with oil.
I finish with a few strokes with a horsehide razor strop.
Knife is ready to shave with!

Paul

[gino]

I agree with Knife Nut - Takes some practice tho!!!

[orvet]

Am I the only one from the "old school" of knife sharpening?
If the edge is really dull, I make a few passes over a course carborundum stone.
After that I use a hard Arkansas stone with oil.
I finish with a few strokes with a horsehide razor strop.
Knife is ready to shave with!

Paul

That method is tried and true! If you can hold the angle constant you can sharpen most any knife with the possible exception of a hawkbill. The problem seems to be that most people cannot hold a constant angle, hence the proliferation of "systems" which lock the knife at a constant angle.

I would like to have a set of 18" oil bath tri-stones, but they are a bit expensive now days. This auction is for the 12" set: http://cgi.ebay.com/DEXTER-RUSSELL-TRI- ... 53ddfcdd2f

The oilstones are nice to use and give the person sharpening a unique feel of the knife and the steel, but they are slow.

Dale

[danno50]

A few years ago I bought some Arkansas stones, thinking that the best way to sharpen knives would be to practice until I was good at doing it "old school", like Knife Nut. I did that for a while but never could get them as sharp as with the lansky, followed by being stropped on a piece of leather, and I just gradually drifted back to the lansky. When I was a kid and first started carrying pocket knives, I used to pick up a rock to sharpen them on as I didn't have anything else. I seem to remember getting them adequately sharp that way, although it was a long time ago and they may not have been as sharp as I remember.

Dan

[Aimus Moses]

Am I the only one from the "old school" of knife sharpening?
If the edge is really dull, I make a few passes over a course carborundum stone.
After that I use a hard Arkansas stone with oil.
I finish with a few strokes with a horsehide razor strop.
Knife is ready to shave with!

Paul

You ain't standing by yourself in that old school of hard knocks class room KN, I've always did my knives free hand. My uncle is the most farmer Brown country type of person you would ever meet. He would get the last ounce of use from anything he had, never letting anything go to waste. I spent almost a year living with him and my aunt. I was a teenager when I lived there and he taught me how to sharpen everything free hand. Axe, weed sickle, pick & mattock, bow saw, hand saw, anything with an edge was sharpened free hand so no metal was wasted. Once a person learns it, it's like riding a bike, you never forget how to do it.

Aimus

[guitar1580]

My Father was very good with the "old school" method. In his day, you had to be. I've been doing mine free-hand for years, and my problem is, sometimes the knive gets sharp, and sometimes it doesn't. And I don't know that I've ever made one sharp enough to shave with. It just seems that one little shift in your angle can ruin your whole edge, so by starting over, its a waste of metal. Still deciding, but the KME is looking like the one I'm gonna go for, even though its a little more expensive. I'll get pics etc. if I get it.

The KME demo vid is pretty good, at 'kmesharp.com'

JP

[Ramrod]

I have to agree Guitar..The reason I use a "system" is exactly what you mentioned. It seems I can get the most consistent results, and remove the smallest amount of metal possible. On occasion, I like to put a convex edge on something, and this is the only time I dont use a jig. Mark

[guitar1580]

Update:

I got the KME. Its a well made system, but one big problem. The jaws are a little too bulky for smaller pocket knives and lockbacks, 95% of which my collection consists of.

I can't clamp them far enough out to get any of the shallow angles, and not even the steep angles on some of my knives, without the stone hitting the clamp.

Big disappointment. I'm hoping that one of the other systems will work for small knives. The Lanskey and Gatco look to have a less bulky clamp.

Anyone use their system with success on small knives, such as the Buck Knight or Executive?

thx, JP

[Froggyedge]

Sorry to hear about the KME..!
Such a system really should work on the smaller knives too. There's got to be a quadzillion of them out there!
I like to use a quite shallow angle especially when sharpening the smaller knives. I'm a freehand sharpener myself...

[Ramrod]

Guitar... I have "customized" mine(Gatco) to work with smaller knives. Put a shorter screw, thinned the edge of the clamp, and even beveled the inside of the rod guide slot a little on some angles. Mark

[Toejammer]

Well I don't feel like the lone ranger now.........

I learned freehand also, but it was pretty rudimentary at best. Somewhere along someone introduced me to crock sticks, and I got spoiled. I also had some fairly decent edged edc's that only needed a quick swipe on the sticks, and you could shave. Now I find myself back into collecting, and I can't find my whetstone groove anymore. Right now I'm getting uneven edges, the "push" edge comes out nice, the "draw" edge is just,..... well, bad. I think thats why I leaned on those crock sticks for all these years, it was a simple vertical stroke, nothing I could mess up !

I'd like to hear if the KME works out for anyone with smaller blades, cause thats the majority of my collection as well.

[jerryd6818]

I used to do it "old school". Recently I found the Bear stone I've had for forty years but I discovered that these days, I'm too old and lazy to do it "old school". Does anyone have any experience with a Smith Precision Sharpening Kit? I noticed Lowe's has them for less than $30 and they're quite a bit like the Lansky.

[FRJ]

I have been sharpening knives now, for right at 45 years. I have always used stones. I love stones. I sharpen on stones mostly because thats the way its been done for long years back. Tradition. It's one tradition I can stay with.
Others have sharpened many more knives than me. I only do my own or a few for family and some acquaintances.
But I love to sharpen. I don't know or care a thing about steel. I can tell stainless from carbon. I don't have one problem sharpening either.
I have many kinds of stones. I stoped using oil on them almost from the beginning. I use water with a very small amount of dishsoap in it. The soap simply breaks the surface of the water and also makes it thinner. That's all I need of it. Oil acts as a lubricant, obviously, between blade and stone. I don't want a lubricant that inhibits cutting. Also water makes it easier to get rid of stone residue and steel particles from the blade. With this debris absent the cutting ability of the stone is much improved. Clean tools, clean work.
Do I stray from certain angles on my cutting edge. Undoubtedly I do, but I'm not afraid of it. Life is difficult enough and I dismiss such ridgid rules, and make my true edge on progressivly finer stones with a steady hand.
For those who sharpen on stones or want to try, I highly recommend water stones as an accompaniment to others.

[Unk]

I have had a Spyderco Sharpmaker for several years, and I like it a lot. It has never failed to put a shaving sharp edge on a knife for me, and it is somewhat idiot-proof.

It came with a set of medium and fine ceramic stones, which work great. They have a set of ultra-fine stones, which I was curious about - the DVD that came with the sharpener said they would get your knife "scary sharp". So I bought a set a couple of weeks ago.

I touched up my Kershaw tonight, and ran it over the new ultra-fine stones - wow - that may be a little too sharp - seriously. The new stones darn sure work as advertised......