Documenting my progress with Wicked Edge GO

[Railsplitter]

Quote Rick: "If the user of any guided sharpening system is getting a 15 degree bevel on one side and a 20 degree bevel on the other side then that user is defeating the purpose of using a guided system."
I humbly disagree. A guided system enables you to keep the angle consistent along the edge, every stroke is at the same angle. With freehand i am sure that every stroke is not at the same angle. Experienced sharpeners are likely close, but for beginners some strokes might be more on the 'shoulder' of the edge, and others right on the edge, dulling it slightly.
I would really like to hear from those with lots of free hand sharpening experience: how important is it to match the sharpening angle side to side ?
kj

Someone with lots of freehand experience might be biased toward their way of sharpening.

It would probably be best to get opinions from those with lots of guided sharpening experience since that's what this thread is about.

[kootenay joe]

Rick the question is not "which system do you prefer." It is: 'how important is it to match edge angles to get a truly sharp blade".
I think those who are able to get a 'hair poppin' edge free hand, might realize their technique does not match angles. The knife is held differently depending on which side you are sharpening, so quite likely there is a difference in angle of a few degrees. I see "5" as a "few degrees".
If the Wicked Edge sharpens one side at 15 degrees and the other at 20 degrees, the blade will cut as well as if both sides are 15 degrees. "Just as well" meaning the user would not perceive a difference in his regular use.
By adjusting one side a couple of degrees because of the angle cube reading will not result in an edge that cuts any better. Your technique of being able to sharpen evenly all the way to the very edge is what gives the very sharp edge, not the matching of angles.
No one even talked about trying to exactly match angles until these guided systems came along (about 30 years ago ?). Matching angles then got promoted as part of marketing a new product.
Let's hear from those with lots of sharpening experience, please, help us out.
kj

[Railsplitter]

Roland, you obviously don't want a Wicked Edge sharpener. Nothing at all wrong with that but let's say that hypothetically, you have a Wicked Edge and an Angle Cube to go with it.

Would you tap into the unit's full potential and strive to produce symmetrical bevels or would you just casually sharpen your knives on it and be happy with whatever results you got?

[Railsplitter]

I wanted to get my stones broken in before I move on to my "good knives" so I asked around at work. Mitch at work loaned me this Gerber with a chip in the blade.

I thought "This is perfect. I'll be helping Mitch and my stones will get a good workout".

This one was a bit of a challenge so I wanted to share. My stones did in fact get a good workout and I'm ready to exit the practice phase and start using this sharpener on my good knives. Next up is the Bob Cargill Cripple Creek knife in my avatar.

First 3 pics are Before. Last 2 pics are After.

[Steve Warden]

Looking good, Rick.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and progress on the
Wicked Edge GO system.

[kootenay joe]

I am sure it took a lot of 'strokes' to re-do the entire edge, both sides, and you certainly got a good result.
I do have a guided system, the EdgePro and it works well especially for rather thick grinds that need to be re-profiled. It is a bit 'over kill' for touch ups on a thinly ground blade.
kj

[Railsplitter]

Looking good, Rick.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and progress on the
Wicked Edge GO system.

I am sure it took a lot of 'strokes' to re-do the entire edge, both sides, and you certainly got a good result.
I do have a guided system, the EdgePro and it works well especially for rather thick grinds that need to be re-profiled. It is a bit 'over kill' for touch ups on a thinly ground blade.
kj

Thanks guys!

[doglegg]

Thanks Railsplitter, very enjoyable and informative post.

[kootenay joe]

Just for interest and maybe inspiration, about how many hours did it take to get this perfect result ?
kj

[Railsplitter]

Thanks Railsplitter, very enjoyable and informative post.

Thanks doglegg and you're welcome.

Just for interest and maybe inspiration, about how many hours did it take to get this perfect result ?
kj

I'd estimate a total of about 2.75 hours. About 2.25 hours to remove the chip with the 100 grit stones and another half hour to progress through the 200, 600, 800, and 1000 grit stones.

[kootenay joe]

Thanks Rick. I think this answer about time need to re-do the edge is helpful for many of us. It is easy to get discouraged and think "this sharpener is not working for me" when all that is needed is to continue with the sharpening. It is 'working' but it takes a long time to re-profile an edge.
kj

[Railsplitter]

Thanks Rick. I think this answer about time need to re-do the edge is helpful for many of us. It is easy to get discouraged and think "this sharpener is not working for me" when all that is needed is to continue with the sharpening. It is 'working' but it takes a long time to re-profile an edge.
kj

Agreed. This one was a welcome challenge because I wanted my stones to get a good workout so they would break in sooner. They were leaving a rougher edge than I wanted on my good knives and it's because they were brand new.

After grinding away that chip in the blade, they are broken in enough that I can now use them on my good knives. I hope the owner of the knife will be pleased.

[kootenay joe]

I am sure he will be pleased but he might not appreciate how much time & effort was involved.
kj

[cudgee]

Some of you folks may have seen my post in the “Pics of your sharpening area” thread. I showed some pictures of my new Wicked Edge sharpener in that thread and I’ve decided to start a new thread documenting my progress (or lack thereof) with the Wicked Edge in case some of you folks want to follow along.

The model that I bought is the Wicked Edge GO. It’s the entry level Wicked Edge product and it is compatible with all of the Wicked Edge stones and most of the other accessories.

I sharpened my first blade with the unit and here are some pics and comments.

The GO model is designed to be portable so it comes with a C-clamp the secure it to a table or workbench. The supplied C-clamp is just a smidgen too small for my workbench.
IMG_4765.JPG
I decided not to buy a bigger clamp and just mount the unit to my workbench with screws. I bought the GO model primarily for the lower cost and I don’t really need the portability anyway. I like this more secure mounting method much better. It’s solid as a rock now and I can always remove it if I want to transport it.
IMG_4783.JPG
This first picture is the blade I chose for my first attempt and was taken before I sharpened it.
Sears Scout Before.JPG
These two pictures are the end result.
IMG_4774.JPG
IMG_4773.JPG
I sharpened at 15 degrees per side using a digital Angle Cube to set the angle. In my opinion, an Angle Cube is a must have because the markings on the unit are not precise.

I used 100, 200, and 600 grit stones. Wicked Edge does offer a 400 grit stone but I don’t have one so I had to skip that step.
The edge will cleanly slice through paper. It will shave hair too but not as easily as I would like. It’s also a little rough looking but I think that’s because my stones are new and not broken in yet. I have experience with a Lansky kit and I would say that this edge is about the equivalent of an edge sharpened up to and including the green Lansky Medium stone.

It’s a very good working edge and the average Joe would be quite happy with it. I want a little more refinement in my edges so I might buy the 800/100 grit stones at a later date. I’m going to hold off on that for now because I want to wait and see how much more refined my edges become as the stones gradually break in.

Here are a couple of pics that I copied from the Wicked Edge website. The top picture is a close up of an edge sharpened with a brand new 600 grit stone. The bottom pic is with a well used 600 grit stone.
600-new.jpg
600-old.jpg
As you can see, there is quite a difference once the stones break in.

So that’s where I’m at right now. I’ll update this thread as I move along. Thanks for reading.

How is it going mate, i know this is an old thread but just wanted to ask how your WE is going and are you still happy with it.?

[Railsplitter]

I’m still happy with it but I only use it for re-profiling. As it turns out, I don’t use it very often. Been over a year now since I’ve used it.

I seem to have settled in with one knife as an EDC. It’s a Buck 112 and the way Buck does their factory edges, it will be quite a while before I need to re-profile the edge. There is lots of room on the factory edge for a few dozen touch ups before I’ll have to re-profile it.

Still happy with the Wicked Edge as it does an impressive job of re-profiling. I just don’t need it very often nowadays but I’m glad I got the practice in and got to know it well.

Stones are broken in pretty well now and it’s ready to go whenever I am.

[cudgee]

I’m still happy with it but I only use it for re-profiling. As it turns out, I don’t use it very often. Been over a year now since I’ve used it.

I seem to have settled in with one knife as an EDC. It’s a Buck 112 and the way Buck does their factory edges, it will be quite a while before I need to re-profile the edge. There is lots of room on the factory edge for a few dozen touch ups before I’ll have to re-profile it.

Still happy with the Wicked Edge as it does an impressive job of re-profiling. I just don’t need it very often nowadays but I’m glad I got the practice in and got to know it well.

Stones are broken in pretty well now and it’s ready to go whenever I am.

Thanks. I did not like their concept originally, but i am warming to them a bit now, have a cheap knock-off on the way to see if i like using one. Just wanted to get your thoughts.

[cudgee]

Rick, my cheap knock off has arrived. Firstly, it is no where near the quality of the Wicked Edge, but i just wanted to see if i actually liked the concept in practice, you can read as many reviews as you like and watch them on Youtube, but until you actually try one you don't know. I struggled at first, but with practice i am hooked. Even with the cheap one i have that has a few flaws, i can get great sharp bevels, it came with diamond stones 360-600-800-1000 grit, you can stop at 600 grit for a really good working edge, but going up to 1000 you can get a really sharp edge. The whole concept of Clay's idea is really good, this one will suffice till i can afford the Wicked Edge, they are expensive but they are really well made and each model has improved since the original ones hit the market. A new Go model is being released this week with 2 more later this year.

[Railsplitter]

Rick, my cheap knock off has arrived. Firstly, it is no where near the quality of the Wicked Edge, but i just wanted to see if i actually liked the concept in practice, you can read as many reviews as you like and watch them on Youtube, but until you actually try one you don't know. I struggled at first, but with practice i am hooked. Even with the cheap one i have that has a few flaws, i can get great sharp bevels, it came with diamond stones 360-600-800-1000 grit, you can stop at 600 grit for a really good working edge, but going up to 1000 you can get a really sharp edge. The whole concept of Clay's idea is really good, this one will suffice till i can afford the Wicked Edge, they are expensive but they are really well made and each model has improved since the original ones hit the market. A new Go model is being released this week with 2 more later this year.

Glad to hear that you like the concept. That's good that it came with 1000 grit stones. I had to buy my Wicked Edge 1000 grits separately. I usually only go to 800 grit but I'm glad I have the option to go to 1000.

Congrats on the new set up.

[cudgee]

Rick, my cheap knock off has arrived. Firstly, it is no where near the quality of the Wicked Edge, but i just wanted to see if i actually liked the concept in practice, you can read as many reviews as you like and watch them on Youtube, but until you actually try one you don't know. I struggled at first, but with practice i am hooked. Even with the cheap one i have that has a few flaws, i can get great sharp bevels, it came with diamond stones 360-600-800-1000 grit, you can stop at 600 grit for a really good working edge, but going up to 1000 you can get a really sharp edge. The whole concept of Clay's idea is really good, this one will suffice till i can afford the Wicked Edge, they are expensive but they are really well made and each model has improved since the original ones hit the market. A new Go model is being released this week with 2 more later this year.

Glad to hear that you like the concept. That's good that it came with 1000 grit stones. I had to buy my Wicked Edge 1000 grits separately. I usually only go to 800 grit but I'm glad I have the option to go to 1000.

Congrats on the new set up.

I will post a photo when i get unpacked and more organized.

[cudgee]

Rick, my cheap knock off has arrived. Firstly, it is no where near the quality of the Wicked Edge, but i just wanted to see if i actually liked the concept in practice, you can read as many reviews as you like and watch them on Youtube, but until you actually try one you don't know. I struggled at first, but with practice i am hooked. Even with the cheap one i have that has a few flaws, i can get great sharp bevels, it came with diamond stones 360-600-800-1000 grit, you can stop at 600 grit for a really good working edge, but going up to 1000 you can get a really sharp edge. The whole concept of Clay's idea is really good, this one will suffice till i can afford the Wicked Edge, they are expensive but they are really well made and each model has improved since the original ones hit the market. A new Go model is being released this week with 2 more later this year.

Glad to hear that you like the concept. That's good that it came with 1000 grit stones. I had to buy my Wicked Edge 1000 grits separately. I usually only go to 800 grit but I'm glad I have the option to go to 1000.

Congrats on the new set up.

Mate this is how the sharpener arrived, and how it sets up. Came in a really good carry case for a cheap sharpener, i am doing some improvements and mods to it, will make it much better and more user friendly. Will post some photos when i have finished. Have a good week.