Edge Pro v. Wicked Edge v. Work Shop Ken Onion Electric Sharpener

I could never get the angle right when using stones. A few years ago I bought a Spyderco Sharpening System which is OK but not great.

I was looking at the systems mentioned in the title and wonder if any of you experts have any opinions on those systems. Or should I just stick with the Spyderco?

 

As an avid free hander I'm not to keen on any jig systems but if you put a gun to James' head I'd go with the Edge Pro.

 

what i do ?

 

Man, call me nuts but at least 50% of the fun of having knives is sharpening them, but not this way. If I can say so, I think hitting the 'angle' is all about feel, which is what the good stuff is made for, while sharpening systems/gizmos are about 'angles'. That's missing the point, and I think good knives basically instruct you on how to sharpen when they're put to the stones. Don't mean to sound full of it, just a final appeal. Maybe for me it's about the journey rather than the arrival.

 

^ what he said. Save your money* and practice more on stones. I find it very meditative, myself.


*unless we're talking natural stones...

 

None of the above. What kind of knives are we talking about sharpening here?

 

I spent big money and time on learning to hone up razors and kamisori. For knives the Edgepro is simple and still affords the user the ability to dabble into Jnats, choseras, films, etc. if they so want.
I can freehand ok but not to the level I can get with the Edgepro.

 

How do you deal with single bevel knives or hamaguriba edges or the asymmetrical double beveled Japanese knives?

 

I imagine that's impossible. Either that, or you'd end up having to take one of the stones off the machine to manage some aspects of the sharpening. (Of course, no one must do this. The stones are too small.)

 

For some people freehand sharpening just isn't an option, period! If a person is reasonable enough to admit that then others should refrain from beating them up because they won't/can't sharpen freehand. This seems to be a recurring theme here and at the other KKF. Get over it.

From your list I'd go with the Edge Pro if you want the most overall flexibility in the types of knives and results you'll sharpen. If you just want a FAST and serviceable result with fairly basic knives then the KO Worksharp will fill that bill. There is still a certain learning curve with either but it's not very steep. Good luck!

 

A friend of mine who just wanted to "make his knives sharp" used the Edge Pro and the Wicked Edge side by side and chose the Wicked Edge. His reasons, as he told me. were:

• The Wicked Edge allowed him to clamp the knife once, and then sharpen it to completion, unlike the Edge Pro, where you had to flip the knife several times;
• The Edge Pro required the use of water, which he felt was messy, and as far as he was concerned, restricted him to using it by a sink;
• The Wicked Edge did not scuff the side of the blade like the Edge Pro did.

 

Just curious how you work around the limitations. Are there any solutions?

 

If I wanted to avoid freehanding, I'd probably get a water-cooled horizontal wheel sharpener. They usually have a guide bar that one can adjust pretty easily and can switch between 1000 and 6000 grit stones.

A cheaper option is the plastic and ceramic sharpening guide that you put on the spine of a knife. I've been playing with one recently and if used on higher grits, is a fair bit better than I was initially expecting.

 

Your absolutely right Paradox, we should be giving advice on what they want and need and not pushing them toward our personal preferences. That is one thing that annoyed me about the other KKF is the rude elitist attitude that has started to form among the ranks.

 

Not sure what limitations you are referring to? To be honest with you I have not come across a knife that I could not sharpen on the EP. But that's not to say it's not a possibility I will at some point either?

 

It's all OK. At least a Chef's Choice wasn't one of the options.

 

How do you sharpen deba, yanagiba, usuba and other single beveled knives? Or how do you blend a hamaguriba edge on single beveled knives. And how do you deal with the asymmetry of double beveled Japanese knives?

 

I'm not sure about single bevel knives but for asymmetrically ground knives i wonder if using a drill stop collar above and one below the angle guide arm may be a compromised solution.

 

Read Dave's asymmetry real deal post he gives a run down on this and explains how its possible. As for single bevel's I think most people who use these jig machines probable aren't the same people that buy specialized single bevel knives.

 

Yeah I read that a few years ago and it's part of the reason why I ask, "How do YOU work around it's limitations". As some people aren't aware of this or other things you can't do like pressure techniques for another example. What about the belly of a knife to the tip? When freehanding you have to lift the handle and change your angle in order to keep the same angle on the bevel. Is this a factor on jigs?