I just got a great deal on a WorkSharp Ken Onion sharpener but it only has one belt with it. For anyone that has used one, what grit and brand of belts do you recommend? I’m not profiling blanks just trying to keep a few Henckles and pocket knives sharp.

I just use 220 and 6000. I think the kit usually comes with 80, as well, but I don't ever let a knife get bad enough to need 80. Personally, I just use WorkSharp brand belts but I know there are some cheaper ones. I don't go through them that quickly.

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Kit comes with 6 belts, 2 each of 80, 220, 6000. Usually around $13.00 on Amazon.

I seem to remember getting a bag of assorted belts with my sharpener. I bought an additional belt bag when I purchased it.

I purchased the sharpener used. I know I can buy a lot of grits, I was just hoping to find out what works for everyone so I don’t buy a lot of unnecessary belts.

Wow! In 5 minutes I had 2 of the wife’s best knives slicing paper cleanly. I only used the 220 and 1000 grits. Totally worth it!

Just FYI... I like my little WorkSharp but I would not use it on heirloom-type knives. And I'm sure some of it is my poor technique, but:
1. It can eat a blade in a hurry
2. It will round the tip off if you are not careful about pulling the blade back straight.
3. It has a tough time sharpening the full length of the blade (the back part nearest the hilt) on knives with thicker handles.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
I purchased the sharpener used. I know I can buy a lot of grits, I was just hoping to find out what works for everyone so I don’t buy a lot of unnecessary belts.

How many different grits you get depends on your outlook. Let’s take a look at two extremes: one set up would be a rough grit and a smooth grit and you’ll spend a lot of time and going through smooth grit belts a lot

The second extreme is getting all the grit steps possible and you’ll be spending a lot of time switching out belts to the next grit and wasting time and steel getting down to the current grit only to move to the next grit.

I learned the second lesson the hard way.

Another consideration is what final finish grit do you want to end with. I have belts in 1.5 micron then I have “blank” belts that take .5 micron paste and .1 micron. They do get me to mirror finish but it takes a lot of time and the edge doesn’t last long anyway.

For kitchen knives, I settled on ending with 3 micron finish. I consider that my hone. If there’s no chip or repair needed, then I start with 25 micron (800 grit) then 9 micron and last is the 3 micron.

If chip repair is needed or I’m changing bevel angles and depending on how much steel I need to take off, I have 201 micron or P80 grit, 125 micron or 120 grit, or 60 micron or 220 grit. I choose the lowest grit that won’t take forever.