Your knife sharping system?

[Wolfshead]

KME sharpening system for me.
I’ve had mine about 12-13 years and their customer service is amazing.
The absolute key (as has been stated) is to get a burr. If you’re not getting a burr then you’re probably not going to get the knife as sharp as you want.
I always work to get a burr, switch sides work to burr and I do that again. Then, after I have gotten a burr on both sides twice, I will switch to a smaller grit stone and work to a burr again, twice, until I am through all the stones to the finest grit.
A good way to find the angle of your knife’s edge is using a black sharpie and coloring the edge and adjust the sharpening system to take off the correct amount of black that has been applied.
The nice thing is that you CAN adjust the angle of what you want on your blade if you choose.
I personally use the diamond stones from 50 to usually 140 and the I switch to the natural stones from pink and then finish with the translucent stone.
Strop a few times and you will most likely be able to shave hair off your arm.
I’ve done hundreds of knives this way. Takes a little elbow grease but the results are wonderful.

 

[Vedran_R]

I have a old Lansky system that I superglued diamond plates from Work Sharp field sharpener and bent the rods so I get a nice little 17-23* convex. Been using it like that for over a decade. It's cheap and it works. Few passes on 600 grid diamond plus few passes on a strop with diamond compound and I'm golden.

 

[jdubb1977]

KME sharpening system for me.
I’ve had mine about 12-13 years and their customer service is amazing.
The absolute key (as has been stated) is to get a burr. If you’re not getting a burr then you’re probably not going to get the knife as sharp as you want.
I always work to get a burr, switch sides work to burr and I do that again. Then, after I have gotten a burr on both sides twice, I will switch to a smaller grit stone and work to a burr again, twice, until I am through all the stones to the finest grit.
A good way to find the angle of your knife’s edge is using a black sharpie and coloring the edge and adjust the sharpening system to take off the correct amount of black that has been applied.
The nice thing is that you CAN adjust the angle of what you want on your blade if you choose.
I personally use the diamond stones from 50 to usually 140 and the I switch to the natural stones from pink and then finish with the translucent stone.
Strop a few times and you will most likely be able to shave hair off your arm.
I’ve done hundreds of knives this way. Takes a little elbow grease but the results are wonderful.

I do the same but use a digital angle guide to get them spot on. Going to be doing some sharpening to pass the time during this deep freeze!

 

[Ajsomp]

So I’ve had a wicked edge for years. It’s pretty easy and intuitive but it annoys me to set it up and get going. Just the annoyance of having to clamp it down and sit to do

This is what I landed on recently for the system.

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

I think all in its roughly $112. I use the diamond strop paste instead of the one included, but you could use that instead. Some steel, no matter how great you are just won’t get as sharp as other steel.

I also have this for the field and keep it in my kill kit.

Amazon.com

It’s enough to touch up the blade. It won’t bring a fully dull blade back but it’s great for being able to keep going

 

[RWE]

A long time ago it was stones. Went to sticks and lansky type but now it is Work Sharp. Leather strop.

 

[OsoMountain]

Any cheap diamond sharpening stone from bass pro works just fine. I’ll run it over a piece of novaculite at the end. I generally sit on the porch and sharpen while I have coffee and watch my dog. It’s tested by the old fashioned “shave test system.” I dunno what hardness it is, I dunno what angle I take. There are no guides or angle finders. I just sharpen it until I can shave part of my arm with it. But I’ll admit that my arm looks a little “metrosexual” after sharpening day.

We’re currently raising out a Russian wild boar we caught in the national forest. We named him “Ralph.” After Ralph hits 300lb and goes in the freezer, I’m gonna tan his hide for an old fashioned Razorback razor strop.

 

[Thegman]

...
We’re currently raising out a Russian wild boar we caught in the national forest. We named him “Ralph.” After Ralph hits 300lb and goes in the freezer, I’m gonna tan his hide for an old fashioned Razorback razor strop.

For the freezer, hopefully you're raising a 300 pound bar hog...not a 300 pound boar hog.

 

[OsoMountain]

For the freezer, hopefully you're raising a 300 pound bar hog...not a 300 pound boar hog.

Believe me when I say that I’ve slayed them both in my day

Ralph was cut when he was a wee fella. He doesn’t have a loaded cylinder anymore. So I’m not worried about him turning musky on me. So technically he is a barrow, but whatever. Semantics

 

[Thegman]

So technically he is a barrow, but whatever. Semantics

Stallion, gelding ...bull, steer...whatever...semantics.

 

[isleofGough]

Wicked edge system is pretty idiotproof.

 

[Whitefox82]

Lansky for this guy. Works well but I’m sure there are better systems. In the end, if I’m shaving hairs off my arm it’s plenty sharp.

 

[engineer78]

For cooking knives, I use a Trizor XV. It's great but it puts a 15deg angle on all edges, so not really a flexible system.

For general purpose, I use a Smith's model S-50264 manual sharpener, it's a pull through design and has an angle adjustment setting. However it can take a bit of elbow grease to bring back a really dull knife.

 

[IowaNative]

Wicked Edge System... It is amazing, just don't take your eye off it or you will need stitches like I did

 

[Axle]

I have a 1x42 belt sander and can get knives pretty sharp with it, but I’ve heard those can overheat the very edge of your knives and they won’t stay sharp as long as a hand sharpened knife (or a powered sharpener using some kind of coolant)…no idea if that is true, but I’ve been wanting to try a guided system.

I saw this Xarilk Gen 3 for $80 the other day and decided to try it. https://www.amazon.com/XARILK-Sharpening-Aluminium-Professional-sharpener/dp/B0D5QQW4YD

I don’t know how the heck you even say “Xarilk”, but it’s pretty idiot proof. Both me and my 10 yr old were able to get knives sharp enough to shave arm hair on the first try, which was cool. I did add a 1x6 leather strop.