Knife sharpening

[Coltmag45]

What is the best knife sharpener? I normally use a wet stone but was curious if there is a better faster way.

 

[taskswap]

This might be one of those "ask 6 people, get 7 opinions" questions.

I have a bunch of sharpening options and can't say one is better than the other 100% of the time. I carry a small portable Smith's CCK2 in the field because it's super lightweight and fast if I just need a touch-up. I also have a few sets of fixed whetstones plus a cheap-o clone of that EdgePro style where the knife is held in a bracket and you run a stone over it that's held in an arm/bearing combination.

I think a really skilled sharpener can sharpen a knife on almost anything, even a decent rock. I would say I'm a 7/10 - I know what I'm doing, but definitely need better than a rock to help me out. But what works for me may not work for you - or your budget. I will say one thing. Don't bother with knockoffs of high-end rigs. I've tried two so far and both flexed so bad I couldn't get a consistent edge. I think a $20 combination stone in inexperienced hands is better in the long run than an $80 knockoff of a $300 sharpener.

Don't forget to strop. It makes a huge difference in the final edge, and it's a simple, quick, cheap step a lot of folks skip.

 

[Ferrulewax]

I’m a croc sticks/spyderco sharpmaker fan. All you have to do is hold the knife vertically and slide it down.

Knife sharpening is pretty simple fundamentally but there are lots of different ways to get the same results. It’s just about angle consistency. I’ll also use flat diamond stones for edges that are really bad but the real key is not to let your edge get that far gone. Usually a few stroke down a ceramic rod are all it takes after light to moderate use to get an edge back

 

[browning2480]

I am terrible at sharpening knives and use a work sharp. It does a good job for someone like me that doesn’t know what they are doing

 

[cnelk]

I don’t know if it’s the best but I use a Gatco knife sharpener system.

Even use it to sharpen my ice auger blades.

 

[rclouse79]

I am terrible at sharpening knives and use a work sharp. It does a good job for someone like me that doesn’t know what they are doing

Same boat for me. I tried other methods but was able to get twice as sharp in half the time with the worksharp belt sharpener. I had to learn not to run the blade all the way past the belt on medium grit to avoid rounded points.

 

[mmac]

I use worksharp as well. Touch up with fine and then strop and they are hair shaving sharp. I use stones for some that are skandi grind, but overall like the speed and convex grind of the worksharps.

 

[FarleyMcJohnson]

400/1000 diamond plate for me. Sharpens my axes, hatchets, knives and broadheads, also my shop tools like chisels and planes.

Also have used the Lansky system it works pretty good but my diamond plate is much quicker and I dont have to set anything up. Like someone said above, you just have to be consistant with the angles.

 

[KBC]

I went from the Ken Onion belt one to the Worksharp precision adjust with the extra stones and strop. I’ve never got my knives sharper.
The convex grind you get from the belt makes sense and sounds good but it made it much harder for me to touch the edge up by hand if needed.
I’d love to learn how to sharpen on stones better(I do ok) but I get such great results on the precision adjust one I don’t want to change.
A little while after they came out with the professional version and if I wear out the one I have I will probably get that one. My only complaint is that it could be a bit more solid.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I'm pretty good at sharpening blades, but for most of my usage, workshop gets the job done just fine.

 

[Rich M]

I have whetstones, diamond stones, a diamond chef’s electric shrpener, and always carry pull thrus.

These are quick and easy, a swipe or two and off to the races.

 

[cnelk]

Some good info about sharpening angles on edges

Under 10 Degree Angles​

The lowest angles are reserved for edges that are typically cutting softer materials. In this case, the edges are not subject to abuse so the lower angle can be maintained without damage or edge failure. The lowest angles that we typically see are on straight edge razors. These are sharpened to an angle which is roughly 7 to 8 degrees (although the back of the blade is used as a guide so knowing the angle isn’t important and it is not adjustable). A straight razor has a very delicate edge that is very easy to damage. In proper usage, a straight razor would never see the type of use that would damage the edge.

10 to 17 Degrees Angles​

A sharpening angle of 10 to 17 degrees is still quite low for most knives. With a total angle of 20 to 34 degrees, this is still a very fine edge. This edge is typically too weak for any knife that might be used in any type of chopping motion. Also consider that harder steels are also more susceptible to impact damage because they are more brittle. If your knife is used for cutting soft items or slicing meats, this lower anglecan hold up and provide a very smooth cutting action.

17 to 22 Degree Angles​

A 17 to 20 degree angle covers most kitchen knives. Some knives (typically Japanese manufacturers) will sharpen their knives to roughly 17 degrees. Most western knives are roughly 20 degrees. It is our experience that kitchen knives sharpened to 15 to 20 degrees cut very well and are still durable. These angles are still not highly durable as a total angle under 40 degrees will not respond well to rougher treatment in harder materials.

22 to 30 Degree Angles​

In this range, the knife edges are considerably more durable. A pocket knife or a hunting knifewill inevitably see abuse not seen by knives meant primarily for slicing or chopping softer materials. While the edge may not ultimately cut as well (but you may not notice a difference) it will be considerably more durable.

Over 30 Degrees Angles​

Any edged tool or knife that is sharpened past 30 degrees will be very durable. Its cutting ability will be noticeably reduced. This durability has an advantage because more force can be used to make the cut. While the majority of knives won’t benefit from this sharpening angle, an edged tool like a machete, cleaver or axe must be durable as the typical cutting action of these tools would damage other edges.

 

[Afhunter1]

I use a KME system and with the right stones I can sharpen anything. Especially broadheads and super steels but it is not fast

 

[JFK]

I carry one of the little yellow Smiths sharpeners in my pack. Once you have a good edge established it takes a maybe 10 passes to get your knife very sharp again. At home I have some other stuff but those little smith sharpeners are the best bang for the buck.

 

[7mm-08]

I have a KME as well. Like Afhunter1 said, good system, but it takes time. The result, however, is exceptional. I use diamond stones in mine and I bought a leather strop kit from StropMan years ago. I currently use a knife (Argali carbon) with the appropriate steel (S35VN) to process an entire animal without having to resharpen. Thank God I'm an inefficient hunter so I only have to use my knife infrequently.

 

[Top147]

Tormek

With the accessories

 

[dj1975232]

I've been using the DMT Aligner kit for the last 8 years and a cheap ceramic stone for field touch up. It's not perfect, but gives a consistent edge and very sharp. Nothing beats a good stropping at the end though.

 

[gaswamp]

Best advise I can give is never let a knife go dull. I have used a lot of different platforms over the years to sharpen a dull knife. It can be frustrating for some folk. If you want to keep and maintain you sharp edge. I would suggest you buy one of these https://www.steamboatsupersharpeners.com/
It is the best and easiest system to keeping your knife sharp. I even have one on my kitchen counter for my wife to use

 

[Mosby]

I have every knife sharpener known to man and I suck at using all of them. Every now and then I somehow get a knife really sharp and it is normally a complete and unrepeatable accident.

 

[Brendan]

100% Depends. First, what's your budget, how much time do you want to spend, and how picky are you?

I've gotten a decent working blade with a kitchen aid on knives I'm not super concerned about.

Worksharp works pretty good. Would probably be my recommendation for something inexpensive, flexible, quick, pretty easy to learn the technique.

Even better are the guided sharpeners like KME, TSProf but they take more time and you can be in for more $$$$ to buy all the stones you want. Not as fast as a worksharp or Tormek.

One of the best (but not the best for every knife) would be the Tormek T8 IMO. Expensive, needs multiple stones / wheels in some cases, and there's a technique aspect to it.