I have several oil stones that I use for sharpening kitchens knives.
However I don't have the patience or technique to get really sharp edges.
Has anyone used any of these newfangled sharpening rigs or sharpening machines?
Good results?
Other tools/techniques/tips?

I great geat results from an electric Chef's Choice 310. I also have various stones, some jeweler's rouge and leather strop, but the Chef's Choice will put a sharp edge on all my knives for $60. I usually don't even bother with the stones, except every couple of years.

I have a Work Sharp Ken Onion.

It works quick and very well.

I have gotten good results after sharpening with stones I strop the blade. Wicked sharp. Takes a bit of practice.

Vince

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I have a Work Sharp Ken Onion.

It works quick and very well.

+1; I use this for all my western knives; I use stones for my Japanese knives.

Our member Seattle Edge is a master knife sharpener. You can send knives to him in total confidence and you'll be amazed at the results.

Having said that, search for Seattle Edge on YouTube. Albert has some great videos you can learn much from, and he updates frequently.

Check out www.knifesharpeningseattle.com.

Don't do it!!! OK, if you're the one using them I guess no one can complain.

My story, 50 some odd years ago...:
I'd been working on knife sharpening. That skill was what they call a "manly skill" something everyone who claims to be a man should know. Similar to cutting the grass or changing oil.

So one day when I didn't have anything else to do, I got the entire knife drawer from my mothers kitchen and set to work. One after the other, I made them sharp enough to please me. I'd done a pretty good job, and was sure my mother would appreciate it.

So Mom and Dad came home from work (we were poor and both worked). They changed clothes and mom started supper while dad sat down to read the paper. In a couple of minutes, mom screamed. Just like in the B grade horror movies. Dad was up and running. My mother had horrible knife handling skills. She'd been cutting some veggie against her thumb. The last thing she expected was a sharp knife. The cut wasn't deep or serious, but it was my fault.

And dad knew instantly who'd done it. So he pulled out the knife drawer and went out to the back porch. There he proceeded to dull down every knife that would cut something. Concrete porch, right at the steps. All i'd accomplished was to remove some working life from every knife.

My wife has a bunch of dull knives. I only rarely use them. I have one knife I use these days. It a damascus bladed Boker. It lives in its original box with a plastic sheath over it. I once bought my wife a nice ceramic knife. Within a year what formerly was an edge was more like a sawtooth of chips. She tossed it in the sink or dishwasher with other things. Its not easy living like this.

Worksharp Ken Onion with the blade grinder attachment.

You just need to hold the blade level and steady after you adjust the sharpening angle. Normally 15 degrees.

Don't press hard against the belt. Let the moving blade do the work. Make sure you get a bevel all the way to the cutting edge and all the way across the edge. Turn the blade over and do the same thing.

As you move up to the finer grit blades, go even lighter with how you hold the blade against the belt. Sort of like kissing the blade lightly against the belt.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I have a Work Sharp Ken Onion.

It works quick and very well.

I have one also, it's quick and does a great job. Yes, I transformed all my mom's blunt instruments into like new working knives again. Yes, she wanted me to.

I use a DMT sharpening set for major work, and use a steel for day to day maintenance. Those keep them workably sharp. Kitchen knives don't need to be hair-popping sharp with a nicely polished edge. Mater-cutting sharp is enough.

Wicked edge.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
I have a Work Sharp Ken Onion.

It works quick and very well.

I have one also, it's quick and does a great job. Yes, I transformed all my mom's blunt instruments into like new working knives again. Yes, she wanted me to.

I could buy a nice boat with all the shit ive bought in my life to sharpen knives
The work sharp is for real

I started on a Lanksy, got shit results.
Bought a Spyderco Sharpmaker, seemed like nothing was happening.
Got an Edge Pro Apex for Christmas a few years ago and it was great. Some marker, find the angle, then progressively move up stones.

The last time I visited my mother and sister, though, I tried something new. I used a honing steel (forgot to bring my ceramic), then hand-polished on a 1000 grit water stone. Amazingly, I got the angle right, and it only took a few minutes, a stone, water, and a knife.

So I think from now on I'm going to try to stick to Edge Pro for regrinding and honing steel + water stone for touchups.

Another vote for the Work Sharp.

I don't have the Ken Onion edition, just the plain-Jane. I think I get excellent results.

Here's the one I have: Clicky Linkage

Guess I'm too old to change my ways. I do admit the Work Sharp has an appeal.

I use Spyderco ceramic 8" bench stones in 3 grits w/SteeleX #D01091 stone holder, an Oregon Abrasives 8" dual grit aluminum oxide bench stone, Spyderco Sharpmaker, an Illinois Razor Strop #827, and a Chicago Cutlery 10" steel hone for various kitchen needs.

In years past I owned setups like an Edge Pro Apex but always went back to hand sharpening on bench stones. They simply work very well for me.

Yet another vote for the Ken Onion Work Sharp.

Quick, easy, and does a great job.

By frequency of use:
#1 – 35 yo Chicago Cutlery steel
#2 – 30 yo alumina Crock Stick
#3 – 4 yo DMT 11-1/2" x 2-1/2" x 3/8" continuous surface, 325 grit, diamond "stone" (actually a slab of steel). I use two old hockey pucks for a rest.

An inexpensive 1000/6000 grit stone a little skill and a tiny bit of patience is all you need. I have a Ken Onion and most other sharpeners available, none are faster and easier than a decent combo stone used with slight skill.......dj

I been using the spyderco sharpmaker for major resharpining and an 18" ceramic hone to keep blades razor sharp. I found I used to overwork many blades on the sharpmaker when all they needed was 10 or so alternating passes on the ceramic hone to bring them back to razor sharp.

The Work Sharp looks like a good system, but it seems to me you need to re-profile all of your blades to a convex edge. That may be a good thing, but I've got quite a few knives with various flat type grinds that hold the edge and can be made very sharp. I may still look into getting a workshape though.

I spent the time to learn how to use stones and it wasn't worth the investment. I used all the more popular sharpening systems and they are all good, some better than others.

Now I use the ken onion work sharp for all uses except perfect mirror finishes. The worksharp can take a metal slab and turn it into a hair shaving blade. For my kitchen knives it can restore the edge on the slicing knives in less then 5 minutes, it can restore the edge on the butchering knives and knives that get used around bones and chopping things they shouldn't in less then 10 minutes. Can't do that with any other system, not to the level of excellence the work sharp can provide.

For perfect mirror hand honed edges I use the rusian made tsprof. It's expensive but it's superior to every other model including the wicked edge which would be my second choice for perfect edges.

The reason why the tsprof beats out the wicked edge is that the blade is centered so strokes on each side of the blade are exactly the same, where as the wicked edge doesn't perfectly center the blade and with two independent stones stroking there is not the same uniformity on either side of the edge. Also you can install your own stones on the tsprof which saves money over time.