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Knife sharpener

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    Knife sharpener

    I have tried to sharpen knives for years with a stone. They're usually worse after I work on them. I have one of those sharpeners that you pull the knife through, it works great on my granton slicer, but little else. I now have a nice assortment of knives that are about as sharp as the wet edge of a graham cracker. Is there a tool that I can set the right sharpening angles on and give me a good edge.

    #2
    There are tons of good sharpeners if you put the time in. I am a bit lazy, but if you are willing to go electric, Chefs Choice makes some good ones.

    Comment


    • MBMorgan
      MBMorgan commented
      Editing a comment
      Yep +1

    • Troutman
      Troutman commented
      Editing a comment
      You can mess a knife up on a Chefs Choice as well. Find a pro to sharpen your knives then find out the proper angle your blade is best sharpened to. Find the tool that matches that edge.

    • MBMorgan
      MBMorgan commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes, you can mess up a knife in many ways. If you get the angle right, you can also keep your knives razor sharp with judicious use of a Chefs Choice sharpener for many years as I have done for the past 30 or so.

    #3
    I have a sharpener just used it on my slicing knife. Went to use it for trimming a couple of NY Strips. Don't think it will cut through a wet noodle. So, found a local pro and Veteran owned. So on an average of $5 a knife I'm leaving up to someone who knows what to do. Calling tomorrow.

    Comment


      #4
      These are some of the highest rated sharpeners on the market...

      Work Sharp Knife & Tool Sharpener Ken Onion Edition - sharpening angles from 15° to 30°, flexible abrasive belts, variable speed motor, multi-positioning sharpening https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CW4T6RS...mazingribs--20

      Comment


      • grantgallagher
        grantgallagher commented
        Editing a comment
        allsid thats crazy weird to me. It isnt putting an edge on it or it isnt putting the edge you want/expect on it?

      • allsid
        allsid commented
        Editing a comment
        I both cannot find the burr and just never seem to get a decent edge. Guess I am back to YT for inspiration. I may try it next without the guide and freehand it. That may help.

      • Polarbear777
        Polarbear777 commented
        Editing a comment
        I freehand with the work sharp to set the back bevel to <30deg then finish on the spyderco sharpmaker. Then maintain with the sharpmaker.

        For utility knives the worksharp KO just gets them sharp enough with the guides.

      #5
      This is a question with a lot of variables.

      How good are the knives? Do you know what alloy the steel is? There are hundreds of types of steel. Some make OK knives, some make great knives, some make crappy knives. And if that isn’t enough, some of the "best" steel is difficult to sharpen because it is so hard. And some truly awesome stainless steel is too soft to hold a proper edge.

      Knives are their own world.

      Comment


      • NapMaster
        NapMaster commented
        Editing a comment
        I agree totally.

      #6
      IMHO, don't make this job out to be that hard. It's really not. I find some folks go off the deep end on this subject. Your not sharpening a katana to cut someone in half with one swing. I've taught many kids to sharpen knives. If your blades are in terrible shape it might behoove you to get them sharpened by someone. Then ask your butcher to show you how to use a steel properly. Buy a steel and use it regularly. Buy a set of crock sticks too. The steel will keep the edge in great shape such that you will only occasionally need to touch up the blade with the crock sticks.

      Comment


        #7
        I went with the KME. The hardest part is identifying the right angle for your blade. If you have different blades with different angles, then write all of that down. Once you have the angle, then it gets you to wicked sharp every time!


        Comment


        • texastweeter
          texastweeter commented
          Editing a comment
          angles should be matched to type of knife, use, and type of steel. The wrong angle can make even the best knives less effective.

        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          Yup, couldn't agree more

        #8
        wicked edge. Works great and gets them as sharp as you want. But not cheap.

        Comment


          #9
          The best knife sharpener I've seen reviewed on this site is the Work Sharp Ken Onion edition sharpener. Not cheap, but apparently it will do the job right, and has guides and belts for all the different blade angles.


          Comment


          • jfmorris
            jfmorris commented
            Editing a comment
            Oops. I see now that I am duplicating a comment already made about the Work Sharp... oh well. Great minds think alike and all that jazz...

          • Troutman
            Troutman commented
            Editing a comment
            Sometimes it's great to reiterate !!!

          • Polarbear777
            Polarbear777 commented
            Editing a comment
            You can say that again :-)

          #10
          I have a Chefs choice select edge 120 that I purchased several years ago that does a great job. At one point I needed a sharpener that I could more easily take on fishing trips to tune up filet knives so I purchased a work sharp but not the Ken Orion version. Both work great but if at home I always turn to the Chefs Choice for convenience and performance. All this being said I just purchased a set of knives from Cutco that comes with a sharpener designed for their edge (15*). No personal experience just yet but I was impressed with what I witnessed when demonstrated.

          Comment


            #11
            There are a ton of great options out there. Some are easier to use than others, and some are much cheaper than others. It all depends on how much effort you want to put into the process. I like the Sharpmaker by Spyderco because it's easy to use and relatively inexpensive.

            Different knife makers use different angles for their knives with angles between 15* and 20* being the normal range for kitchen knives. Whatever you get, make sure it can sharpen at several angles, (the Sharpmaker can).

            To determine what angle a particular knife has, (or, more accurately, if it matches your sharpener), just run a marker along the bevel so that it it coated, and then make a pass on your sharpener. If all the marker is removed, you have the right angle. If the marker is removed only along the sharp edge, the angle of the sharpener is too wide. And if the marker is only removed away from the edge, the angle is too narrow.

            Comment


              #12
              The question I always ask is if everyone in the house is going to maintain the knives once they are sharp. That includes keeping the edge honed in everyday use, and watching what surface they are cutting on. If they will then maintain the knives then learn to sharpen, get a KO or the like. If not get a Chef’s Choice.

              I love to sharpen knives and tools and have thousands invested in Tormek T-8 machines and attachments, a Sorby Pro-Edge machine (Think a Ken Onion on steroids), belt sanders, lathes, grinders, buffers etc. so I can and do sharpen chisels and tools for many woodworkers and carvers around here. So I get frustrated when people abuse sharp edges.

              Our solution for household harmony is that I have my knives and everyone else has theirs. They use a Chef’s Choice 15 Trizor XV. Using it and its honing section gives them decent sharp knives without a lot of required skill. My knives will last a lot longer than theirs but so what, everyone is happy.

              Comment


              • Troutman
                Troutman commented
                Editing a comment
                Wish I live near you !!!

              #13
              Maybe it was because growing up we didn't have fancy gadgets to sharpen knives, maybe it was the Cub Scouts or maybe my old man just knew how to put an edge on a knife, but let's not forget about another cheap and simple solution. Ain't high tech and you gotta know how to use it, but one of these puts a razor sharp edge on a knife...

              Comment


              • Oak Smoke
                Oak Smoke commented
                Editing a comment
                That's exactly what has kicked my butt so many times. I would like to learn to use one of those, even if I get something else. My dad or grandad could take a stone and make an old case pocket knife shave. They just didn't get around to showing me how it was done.

              #14
              I sharpen my own now with a pull through manual sharpener. Before that I would drop them off at the butchers counter in a high end market and they would sharpen them for free.

              Comment


                #15
                I am very happy with my Apex from Edge Pro. https://www.edgeproinc.com/

                Comment


                • Donw
                  Donw commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Good choice. Have one too and really like it.

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