Knife Sharpeners for the Unskilled

[sndmn11]

Thanks @sndmn11.

I saw the one below and also noticed "attachment" and figured it was not standalone.


Eddie

Correct, you add that piece to the powered piece.

They used to have it as a complete package to be less confusing.

 

[grainhog]

I use the Gatco system and consider myself “just ok” at sharpening. But I am able to get the knives so they shave arm hair.

Fine diamond and the ceramic stone for resharpen/touch up work.

View attachment 787561

I use the dmt version of this, but this one looks better designed

 

[flyfisher117]

And impatient.

Any recommendations? Our family does Christmas gift wish lists and some sort of knife sharpening system will be on mine. I've tried manual sharpening with the worksharp field sharpener and I must just be unskilled with it. Knife gets a little sharper, not a lot. Maybe a whetstone system would be better to learn on. Have multiple blade angles to sharpen to. Fillet knives, chef's knives, pocket knives, custom, etc.

Something like this worksharp system is attractive but i see a few motorized options as well. I have an amazon "pull through" motorized sharpener that I've never been impressed with.

That specific work sharp is OK but it left a lot on the table. I'd personally go for the more expensive version or a KME. I went to the KME and I am much happier.

 

[khunter]

I have been using a chefs choice electric sharpener for over 20 years. We cook a lorpt and have many kitchen knives. Can’t go wrong with something like this one at below link. A lot newer than my old similar model that is still working perfectly.

Amazon.com

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I have been using a chefs choice electric sharpener for over 20 years. We cook a lorpt and have many kitchen knives. Can’t go wrong with something like this one at below link. A lot newer than my old similar model that is still working perfectly.

Amazon.com

My grandmother had an old version of one of those. I remember as a kid my dad would gather up all our knives and go visit the grandparents. Lol... I remember it working very well with a few quick swipes.

 

[MallardSX2]

That's my opinion as well. Knives are tools. I don't care what they look like, but I'm not interested in having them be dull. I can do ten kitchen knives, my hunting and pocket knives, in less than two hours. I just do the whole house every few months.

Same here.

 

[MallardSX2]

Do you use any different process for the havalons? I tried to sharpen them but couldn’t get a great edge compared to what I could do with my other knives, certainly nowhere near how sharp they are new.

I use the most fine grit belt. I’m not sure what grit number it is. It’s probably 2000. It’s like a piece of paper smooth. I also make sure that I end my last stroke One Direction pull each side belt running “into the blade” and not “dragging the blade”if that makes sense.

Then I back drag three or 4 times on a sheet of printer paper to try to remove any micro burs.


I’m no expert on knife sharpening. I want it don’t fast and I want them sharp. I’m not shaving with the things. I’m cutting meat. lol

 

[ArcheryFool]

I went down the rabbit hole of buying the Lanksy sharpening set then to a full sets of diamond stones and unless you have alot of time and patience to nail down the craft I believe a work sharp style tool will be the best option.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Dang, everyone keeps saying “worksharp style” instead of the model haha. No idea if y’all mean the table top precision adjust units, the motorized Ken onion units, or the handheld ones…

 

[intunegp]

Dang, everyone keeps saying “worksharp style” instead of the model haha. No idea if y’all mean the table top precision adjust units, the motorized Ken onion units, or the handheld ones…

Fast/simple would be some variation of the motorized belt sharpener...many knife guys will tell you that any powered sharpener without some sort of active cooling is burning your apex and making an edge that won't last as long because of the heat damage at the edge. Those belts, especially the fine grits, create a lot of heat very quickly and dipping the knife in water after a pass isn't enough, the damage is already done. Many people won't notice the difference and are happy to sharpen more often because it's so easy and fast.

The better quality edge will come from one of the precision adjust units. Guided sharpeners like the precision adjust still take a little technique, but not nearly as much and are probably one of the easiest/most foolproof sharpening tools. You'll more than likely get a satisfactory edge the very first time you use it and only improve from there. The "pro" version is sturdier and uses a larger abrasive plate so it will be faster and more repeatable than the cheaper plastic ones.

The handheld ones probably take the most practice/technique but are simplest, most portable, and can create as sharp of an edge as anything else once you figure it out.

 

[Fullfan]

I just threw in the towel, I carry outdoor edge replacement blade knives. Razor sharp is just a blade change away.

 

[Swamp Fox]

My grandmother had an old version of one of those. I remember as a kid my dad would gather up all our knives and go visit the grandparents. Lol... I remember it working very well with a few quick swipes.

One or two clubs I have belonged to have had full kitchens. All the kitchen and butcher knives were throw-aways from members' homes. I use a Chef's Choice at home on kitchen knives and fishing/fillet knives and love it. So when I saw one kitchen had a Chef's Choice stuck gathering dust in the back of a lower cabinet, I dragged it out and started sharpening every knife in the place three times a year: right before the opener; right before we reckoned the bucks "start moving"; and just before Thanksgiving. After that, the boys were on their own.

The guys who used the kitchen most greatly appreciated it. The guys who couldn't cleanly cut a cube steak or a hard-boiled egg in December and didn't know why, I left to their own devices.

I use some old Smith's Arkansas stones on knives I consider too good for an electric sharpener. (Three big stones in a pretty cedar box!! --How's that for a blast from the past?)

But I don't have expensive knives. (I DO have knives I love.)

There are some sexy knives out there, and I wish I owned some, but in the end knives ARE tools as said above, and it's not the end of the world to sharpen an aristocratic blade on a plebian platform.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I just threw in the towel, I carry outdoor edge replacement blade knives. Razor sharp is just a blade change away.

That's what I have, but don't think the make fillet or chef's knives...

 

[ftothfadd]

anyone knows a good work sharp coupon?

 

[eddielasvegas]

I bought this based on an earlier post in this thread.

I am a true neophyte to knife sharpening and was looking for the easy button. This sharpener could not be easier to use and your knives will be sharper than they were before you used this.

There are also some good reviews and usage videos on YT. There is a slight skill curve to learn to get the sharpest knife from this device, but watch the YT vids for help on that.


Eddie

 

[roosiebull]

Get a better motorized pull thru sharpener - mine is just a chef's choice and it makes surgical sharp stuff. I then carry a pull thru carbide from Walmart (they yellow ones) is needed for an extended period at the fillet table, butchering a cow, or processing the 4th or 5th deer.

Part of it comes down to the knife you have - dexter russell is my fillet knife brand. The older ones hold edge better than the newer ones. Use a Buck 110 for hunting - have two 113 skinners and they don't impress me.

Easier to touch up a good blade that was sharp than a clunker knife. If the blade was sharp and you use it for x long, a couple swipes of a light diamond hone will bring it back to life - i mean like 3 or 4 passes on each side and good to go.

I had a 3 stage chefs choice stainless sharpener, and it did a good job, and lasted for a long time before the springs wore out

What i didn’t like was it made me lazy and I wasn’t staying practiced sharpening a knife manually so when it died, I went back to diamonds, stones, ceramic and a strop

Just got a set of Norton stones and everything is in a small tote to sharpen knives

Since that’s my only means, I stay practiced and getting anything sharp is no thing.

 

[tim64]

Worksharp is pretty idiot proof. I don't have any super high end knives as I generally lose them......

 

[Dawg In Montana]

Correct, you add that piece to the powered piece.

They used to have it as a complete package to be less confusing.

Is this what you are talking about?

 

[sndmn11]

Is this what you are talking about?

Yes

 

[Wolfshead]

I've used the KME knife sharpening system with great success. The impatient aspect to your personality, however, may push you to a power unit, which I have never tried. As said above, any of these systems require patience and practice. The Sharpie tip is gold to establish correct angle. It probably takes me 45 minutes to sharpen a knife from dull to sharp (and when I say "sharp," I mean mirror polished edge sharp). I use about four different grits of stones for angle and polishing and then four different leather strops (from Stropman) with different compounds to polish the edge to a mirror finish. The process is very therapeutic and requires A LOT of patience. Like 1,000 stroke patience to do a knife from start to finish. No way I'm sharpening a multi-hundred dollar knife with a power unit of any kind.

I’ll second the KME system.
I’ve been using mine for over ten years and there is no better way to get knives sharp.
Everyone is looking for the “quick and easy”, but sometimes the best things take “work and time”.
You can go the mechanical route, but one small slip or mistake can ruin a blade that cannot be repaired.
I make my own knives and this is what I use to get my knives scary, shaving , sharp.