Any Pitters out there really enjoy sharpening their own knives? I have a professional sharpener, but it's harder to get on his schedule and it's something I've thought about for a while.
Does anyone recommend or not recommend getting one of the Ken Onion sharpeners? How skilled do you have to be to use one of those?
Anyway, just looking for advice on a good sweet spot to get a good sharpening on my knives with a home sharpener.
I sharpen my knives at home with a water stone. it's not hard once you do it a few times. I will say that my carbon steel knives are much easier to get very sharp vs my stainless knives.
This is an excellent playlist on how to sharpen Japanese knives. I don't see this as specific to them, though - I use the same techniques on my regular western knives.
I have a Worksharp E5 and it does a great job. Kind of fool proof to use. I am sure you can get a better edge with a wetstone and some time but in a minute or so this one definitely makes the knives sharper than they were. https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/...ife-sharpener/
I believe Worksharp is still offering a 30% discount to Pitmaster members with code: Meathead30
I think the important thing is to get a good system that works for you and that you'll use. I cut my teeth (pun FULLY intended!) on waterstones, so that's what I use but other stuff works for other people.
I also have the Worksharp E5. I like it a lot and feel it does a great job. I suppose you might be able to get a better edge with sharpening stone once you get the hang of it. I really don’t know because I’ve never done it that way. What I really like about the E5 is I keep it on the kitchen counter plugged in and ready to go right next to my knife blocks. That way I see it every time I grab a knife and therefore sharpen my knives way more often.
WorkSharp Ken Onion replaced my 30+ year old Lansky sharpening system over a year ago. No regrets. I sharpen more often now because how easy it is to use.
I store mine on my work bench and try not to run with knives back and forth from the kitchen :-) I almost never sharpen one or two knives at a time. I do all kitchen knives even though most are just touched up. Hunting and fishing knives are done seasonally and in separate batches due to the difference in sharpening angle.
The "problem" with asking for what sharpener to buy is that everyone has a different opinion. There are lots of systems out there and many of them work well if you take the time to learn them and practice.
Some steels are harder to sharpen than others and different manufacturers sharpen their knives at different angles. And different manufacturers harden their knives to different hardness's. This leads to a lot of confusion because most people do not know these things.
One person using system "x" correctly with a good steel may swear by that system while another person not doing things optimally thinks the same system is junk.
I suggest buying a system that a lot of people like and then really learn to use it. It would help if you knew the steels and sharpening angles of your knives so you would know what to do.
And you ask what I use? I use the Spyderco system. I think it's easy to use and I get great results. BUT I know my knives.
I started with a DMT guided thingamajig, then did EdgePro (which is not easy when you're sharpening a 10+ inch blade), then got stones after I got comfortable with honing straight razors.
It was definitely a trip...especially with coticules 🤦
I got a Set of whetstones, but it’s hard to tell what’s going on if all you do is watch videos. The Japanese knives are somewhere around 15*, the German ones around 21*, sometimes you can feel that you have the right angle and sometimes you are searching. So I just use the draw-through that is sold by Global. I use it every couple months or so. Even on the German knives. I use the sharpening rod to keep them all honed, every third or fourth use.
Every now and then I get an ad on FB for a service where you send out your knives. I keep resisting.
I have used a few, most notably the Spyderco and the EdgePro Apex. The EdgePro beats them all by a mile. Easy to use (great videos) and great edges. The Spyderco takes too long and the diamond stones I bought for it don't really fit so they don't hold the angle. I only use it now for scissors.
Last edited by mgaretz; October 1, 2020, 05:10 PM.
After looking at these, I'm amazed how awesome some of these setups are. I'm about hte least handy person ever, so some of them are above my paygrade. I'll keep digging, but i think I'm going with the worksharp. E5 or Ken Onion is the last of the decisions.
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