I just got a few used Mercer knives off eBay and they could use a good sharpening. Problem is that my Chefs choice sharpener only sharpens at a 20 degree angle while at least the chef knife is a 15 degree angle.
Will it cause a major problem for me to sharpen it at 20 degrees, or do I need a new sharpener that I really can’t afford right now? If so, what do you recommend without breaking the bank?
There'd be no problem sharpening at 20 degrees. The first few passes will remove more metal since you'll only be creating a secondary bevel. If you ever want to go back to 15 or 18 degrees it would take a little longer to create the new bevel and you'll lose a little more steel.
You might try honing them first. The edge might just have some burrs and honing will take them off. My daily use knife hasn't had to be sharpened in the three years that I have owned it. I hone it periodically when it isn't cutting as well as I like and that solves the problem. I have a regular honing rod that I use then I do a few passes on a fine diamond ceramic rod.
As far as sharpening I would try to keep the 15o angle. You can use a whet stone, they aren't very expensive and there are lots of videos on youtube showing how to use one. With the edge of the blade on the stone place a penny under the spine of the wide knife to give you a rough idea of a 15o angle - wont work with the skinny knives.
Last edited by 58limited; January 23, 2025, 07:51 AM.
I like to sharpen and maintain knives as a sub-hobby to cooking. My hard steel (Asian) knives work best at 15 degrees, German/Western steel at 17-18 degrees. I have had good results with Mercer at 17 degrees. The reasons for this are a long discussion. But, to make it short, Asian knives tend to be a very hard steel that will take a narrow edge and work well. Although, the narrow 15 degree edge cuts very well, it is more delicate. The softer German steels perform better, and the edge lasts longer, at 17 degrees or so. But opinions differ on this. Try these angles and see what works best for your use and your knife.
One more suggestion, don't use the power sharpener more than absolutely necessary. Frequently, use a steel or ceramic hone to straighten and maintain the edge between sharpening on a more aggressive tool like a power sharpener.
Surfdog, I agree with you that 17 degrees works best on the German and western steels and 15 degrees works best on harder Asian steels. I was not wanting to be too dogmatic about it. That said, some German knife makers are starting to put out some15 degree edges. And I have seen some Asian knives with 14 degree edges. I have re-edged some of the older Mercer knives (German steel) to 15 degrees. Mercer is also now putting 15 degree edges on some of their current German and Asian series knives.
I have a Mac 8" chef knife that has a 15 degree angle that I use their sharpener on when needed and it works really well. It only sharpens at a 15 degree angle and it is fairly inexpensive. I agree that a little honing is usually all that is needed.
I just entered “15 degree knife sharpener” in eBay. There are several inexpensive sharpeners there. There are also some inexpensive honing steels. Some are good brands, just used. Good luck!
Thank you everyone. I tried honing it last night, but it still has some really gnarly divots in the blade. I almost never use the mechanical sharpener as honing has kept my cheap Chicago Cultery knives decently sharp.
I like Oak Smoke’s thought of hitting eBay. I will take a look and see what I can find.
I have used the MAK roller sharpening tool on my 15 degree edged knives and had good results. Tips: in between sharpening on the roll sharpener, use the steel or ceramic hone to maintain the straight and sharp edge. Maintaining the edge is much easier than trying to put a sharp 15 degree edge on a dull knife. I use the hone before and after every use of my knives. When you get in the habit of using the hone, it takes less than 30 seconds. 2-3 strokes on each side of the knife will do it.
If you use the roll sharpener for knives with an edge angle greater than 15 degrees, the stones will wear fast and then the sharpener will no longer produce the desired 15 degree edge. I put a label on my roll sharpener to remind me 15 DEGREES ONLY! Of all the many sharpening tools out there, and there are many, the roll sharpener is among the easiest to use to maintain a 15 degree edge. And it is a bargain too. There are several companies that make similar looking roll sharpeners. Some don't make it clear that their roll sharpener is set at 15 degrees. To make sure that the tools is for 15 degree edges, I buy them directly from MAK on their website. Then I label them for 15 degrees as mentioned above.
J-Melt, the edge sharpener from MAK that is set at 15 degrees is found at: https://www.macknife.com/products/rollsharp-sr-2. You can find similar sharpeners for a few bucks less than MAK charges ($27.50) but best to make sure that they are set at an angle that you want. These MAK style roller sharpeners are most set at one angle that is not changeable.
Thank you everyone. I tried honing it last night, but it still has some really gnarly divots in the blade. I almost never use the mechanical sharpener as honing has kept my cheap Chicago Cultery knives decently sharp.
I like Oak Smoke’s thought of hitting eBay. I will take a look and see what I can find.
Frequent use of the hone will work very well to maintain a sharp edge on your knives. However, the hone will not take out edge divots. Actually, relatively small divots will not do much harm to the cutting ability of the knife. They don't look attractive though. To get the divots out, you basically have to recut the edge deep enough to remove the divots. This is a job best left to experts, but it is fun to give it a try, and you will soon become an expert. Good idea to practice edge restoration on an old and expendable knife before trying it on anything more precious. To get out any fairly deep edge divots, you will need to remove a good amount of metal. Removing a lot of metal shortens the lifespan of the knife but you can do it quite a few times before the remaining knife metal wears down to a point where it is just too thick for easy slicing of things.
Last edited by briano52; January 29, 2025, 11:16 PM.
Thanks. I tried cutting with it and it did not work well even after the hone. I have a manual Chef’s Choice sharpener from ebay on its way. Hopefully it will do the job.
I don't know the Chef's Choice Sharpener. But, I can say that it is important for the sharpener to produce an edge angle that matches the angle on your knife. You can also change the angle of your edge with a stone-based sharpener. But make sure the tool is going to put on an edge that you want and can then maintain.
Last edited by briano52; January 30, 2025, 01:36 AM.
Sounds good. These types of sharpeners work best with light pressure and some patience, especially when you are learning a new sharpening tool. Let us know how it goes. Lots of people find sharpening and honing an edge to be challenging, but once you get the hang of it, it will seem easy.
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