Possibly adding to my sharpening kit

[Dan In MI]

If, and that is only an if, you are not confident with free hand sharpening, and i don't know your circumstances, then a guided system may be a good way to go.

I'm not, but I do have some other blades I could use to hone my skills (pun intended). One of those blades wouldn't even cut paracord. The CopperLock isn't nearly that bad, so I'll get more opinions and do more research.

[kootenay joe]

Thanks Ken. I did not realize the Worksharp has diamond stones. I have used diamond stones and they cut much faster. But they do wear out as the flakes of diamond tend to get dislodged from the 'matrix' they are embedded in. Especially true if you apply 'too much' pressure on the blade as you pass it over the stone.
I have 2 Japanese water stones from Murray Carter. The coarse is a 1000 grit and the fine a 6000 grit. It is not fast using these
kj

[cudgee]

My new CopperLock has been put through its initial testing. Though it didn't do too badly, there is room for improvement. I got to thinking that it may be best to save my current pocket-friendly gear for use in the field or dire emergencies. So I'm considering the purchase of gear that is more of the bench-top variety.

Oil, water, or dry matters not to me. If the angled jobs offer great benefits, I'd like to get one of those. I'm looking for something that would be good for many types of steel, rather than excellent for one or two.

Does anyone have any recommendations, be they specific or general, for a setup that might work well for me!?

Have a read of Working Edge's Edge Pro Apex 4 sharpening system thread, you will find it interesting.

[Working Edge]

As regards rod-guided systems, there are three tiers of cost-to-results ratios.

The lowest price point would be the venerable and time-proven Lansky, which produces a good-to-excellent result, depending upon how much attention the operator pays to nuancing the details.
There are other makes of rod-guided systems in this price class of course, which cost less than the Lansky.

The WorkSharp Precision Adjust fits into the upper end of this tier, at roughly $10.00 more than the Lansky, and is a better value due to the higher precision of manufacture and increased rigidity of the chassis, compared to the other appliances in this price point.

The middle tier would be the Edge Pro systems, which produce an outstanding result without needing to finesse the details, and which produce an even better result still, when the operator is willing to finesse the nuances.

The upper tier is the Wicked Edge, which by reputation is the most precision and effective appliance for hand-powered sharpening. The Wicked Edge also is very expensive.
Perhaps a major determining factor in these three price classes is how rigid the device is, and how accurate are the machining tolerances in the manufacturing process.
EDIT: My opinion... if the budget is tight, and cost-effectivness is critical, for $50 you cannot go wrong the the WorkSharp Precision Adjust Sharpener, a rod-guided system which gives accurate and repeatable results.
Hope this helps..!
Mark

[Railsplitter]

Thanks for the detailed summary Mark.

I think I must have gotten into the Wicked Edge scene just in the nick of time. I paid approximately $225 (can't remember the exact price) for my Wicked Edge Go system but I see that they might not offer that model anymore. Their base model nowadays looks to be quite a bit more money.

The Go model has the basic features of the higher end models while still being compatible with most Wicked Edge upgrades.

[Working Edge]

That's an awesome price for an awesome sharpener.!!
There are all sorts of aftermarket stones and strops available for that Wicked Edge; have you looked at the Gritomatic website?
Mark

[Railsplitter]

That's an awesome price for an awesome sharpener.!!
There are all sorts of aftermarket stones and strops available for that Wicked Edge; have you looked at the Gritomatic website?
Mark

I have not and if I know myself like I think I do, I probably shouldn't. But I probably will.

[Working Edge]

That's an awesome price for an awesome sharpener.!!
There are all sorts of aftermarket stones and strops available for that Wicked Edge; have you looked at the Gritomatic website?
Mark

I have not and if I know myself like I think I do, I probably shouldn't. But I probably will.

I'm right there with ya.....
If you go there, bring your wallet....!!!

[Mumbleypeg]

I buy coarse diamond stones because they stay flat and the corners stay square.

I have a set of DMT diamond stones, but they're on the small side (2 5/8"×15/16"). A larger diamond stone might be better for at-home use. Or maybe I should get large coarse stones, or just go for the Work Sharp system. My brain is going to gain weight from all this food for thought. Thanks to all; much appreciated!

I believe the reports from people who say they’ve tried and failed at freehand sharpening can be attributed to attempting to learn on a stone too small. Not always the case, but certainly so in many cases. A stone at least 1-1/2 or 2 inches wide and 6 inches long (bigger is even better) is much better to learn on. Smaller (pocket) stones are handy for field touch up use after you have learned free hand, but not good for learning nor for serious sharpening tasks. Before giving up on free hand sharpening and spending money on a sharpening “system” with clamps and angle guides etc, try using a large stone.

Some people enjoy sharpening. I don’t dread it, but I don’t care to have to set up and use a ‘system”. I’m not into obtaining the “perfect” edge. Not anything wrong with that if that’s your thing. I just want a good edge for daily use. For my purposes my thumb tells me everything I need to know about the edge. JMO

Ken

[OLDE CUTLER]

I have been using the same Lansky sharpener since 1982. Obviously the original stones wore out and have been replaced with diamond Lansky stones. It has always worked great for me and produces a great edge with minimum effort. I would never even consider a powered sharpener. I have seen too many knives ruined by the "too much too fast" mentality.

[jmh58]

I have been using the same Lansky sharpener since 1982. Obviously the original stones wore out and have been replaced with diamond Lansky stones. It has always worked great for me and produces a great edge with minimum effort. I would never even consider a powered sharpener. I have seen too many knives ruined by the "too much too fast" mentality.

John

[Dan In MI]

For my purposes my thumb tells me everything I need to know about the edge.

Same here.

I would never even consider a powered sharpener. I have seen too many knives ruined by the "too much too fast" mentality.

A powered sharpener seems like cheating to me...and one or other U.S. Navy publication informally defined cheating as "defeating the purpose of."

My research continues. Thanks to all for the continuing information, insight, and enlightenment!

[Working Edge]

Dan,

Did you make a decision on which sharpening device to purchase?

Mark

[Dan In MI]

Did you make a decision on which sharpening device to purchase?

Sure did. I've purchased and received one of those Tri-Hone systems, with stones that are about 8x1.5." I haven't yet put it to use, but it's ready for when the need arises.

Yesterday I took a Victorinox Rally (with a blade that was so dull it couldn't cut paracord) and ran it through a couple of Victorinox pull-through sharpeners. It now cuts better, but not perfectly, and the edge is raggedy. It's possible (likely?) that I was doing something incorrectly, but thus far, those pull-through sharpeners have not impressed me.

Purchasing a more expensive system is still a possibility down the road.

[Working Edge]

Did you make a decision on which sharpening device to purchase?

Sure did. I've purchased and received one of those Tri-Hone systems, with stones that are about 8x1.5." I haven't yet put it to use, but it's ready for when the need arises.

Yesterday I took a Victorinox Rally (with a blade that was so dull it couldn't cut paracord) and ran it through a couple of Victorinox pull-through sharpeners. It now cuts better, but not perfectly, and the edge is raggedy. It's possible (likely?) that I was doing something incorrectly, but thus far, those pull-through sharpeners have not impressed me.

Purchasing a more expensive system is still a possibility down the road.

Dan,

The Tri-Hone is a great choice, and once you get the hang of freehand sharpening, that setup will serve you well.

Part of the beauty of learning freehanding is that you are no longer dependent upon the accuracies and inaccuracies of a guided system to determine the results of your sharpening effort, it's all on you, lol...!!

Pull-through sharpeners, on the ceramic side, don't do damage to an edge, but on the carbide side, they certainly damage an edge by tearing and deforming the steel along the length of the edge instead of honing steel to an apex, leaving the ragged edge you mentioned. The "sharpness" created is really only just shards of steel which have been left behind by the carbide cutters.
Hope this helps..!
Mark

[Dan In MI]

Pull-through sharpeners, on the ceramic side, don't do damage to an edge, but on the carbide side, they certainly damage an edge by tearing and deforming the steel along the length of the edge instead of honing steel to an apex, leaving the ragged edge you mentioned.

That being the case, I'm glad the knife I ran through those sharpeners is horrendous to look at and only cost me about $1.65 out-the-door! Now I have a perfect excuse to take it to the Tri-Hone.

As an aside, I'm thinking the CopperLock that I mentioned in this topic's initial post was intentionally chisel-ground. If so, I'm not going to try to re-profile it.

[Working Edge]

Pull-through sharpeners, on the ceramic side, don't do damage to an edge, but on the carbide side, they certainly damage an edge by tearing and deforming the steel along the length of the edge instead of honing steel to an apex, leaving the ragged edge you mentioned.

That being the case, I'm glad the knife I ran through those sharpeners is horrendous to look at and only cost me about $1.65 out-the-door! Now I have a perfect excuse to take it to the Tri-Hone.

As an aside, I'm thinking the CopperLock that I mentioned in this topic's initial post was intentionally chisel-ground. If so, I'm not going to try to re-profile it.

Rarely do I change the factory bevel angle(s) unless there's a compelling reason to do so, such reason usually being a severely off-center grind...
Mark

[Dan In MI]

The CopperLock will retain its bevel angles for now. I'll have to confirm that it was ground as intended.

[Working Edge]

Yessir...makes sense..!!!

I looked up the CopperLock, that's a beautiful knife, Dan..!

Mark

[cudgee]

Apart from a jewelers loupe, another item that comes in handy, especially for guided systems is a digital angle finder, i don't trust some of the angle markings on these kits, might be close, but not accurate. I can get a magnetic base digital angle/protractor finder for the equivalent of $15US including postage, and they are really handy to have in your tool box for other projects around the house. Have a good week everyone.

[Working Edge]

Apart from a jewelers loupe, another item that comes in handy, especially for guided systems is a digital angle finder, i don't trust some of the angle markings on these kits, might be close, but not accurate. I can get a magnetic base digital angle/protractor finder for the equivalent of $15US including postage, and they are really handy to have in your tool box for other projects around the house. Have a good week everyone.

I want to purchase a digital angle finder, such as the Angle Cube, as well.
That would be a handy tool for setting the table saw blade angle, in addition to the sharpening kit.
Mark

[cudgee]

Apart from a jewelers loupe, another item that comes in handy, especially for guided systems is a digital angle finder, i don't trust some of the angle markings on these kits, might be close, but not accurate. I can get a magnetic base digital angle/protractor finder for the equivalent of $15US including postage, and they are really handy to have in your tool box for other projects around the house. Have a good week everyone.

I want to purchase a digital angle finder, such as the Angle Cube, as well.
That would be a handy tool for setting the table saw blade angle, in addition to the sharpening kit.
Mark

Mark, this is the one i have, it only cost me $15US dollars on Ebay including delivery and runs on 2 AAA batteries. Is a handy thing to have for many uses. It has a magnetic base so you can rest it on metal surfaces hands free.

digital cube.png (15.03 KiB) Viewed 3977 times

[Working Edge]

Apart from a jewelers loupe, another item that comes in handy, especially for guided systems is a digital angle finder, i don't trust some of the angle markings on these kits, might be close, but not accurate. I can get a magnetic base digital angle/protractor finder for the equivalent of $15US including postage, and they are really handy to have in your tool box for other projects around the house. Have a good week everyone.

I want to purchase a digital angle finder, such as the Angle Cube, as well.
That would be a handy tool for setting the table saw blade angle, in addition to the sharpening kit.
Mark

Mark, this is the one i have, it only cost me $15US dollars on Ebay including delivery and runs on 2 AAA batteries. Is a handy thing to have for many uses. It has a magnetic base so you can rest it on metal surfaces hands free.

digital cube.png

[cudgee]

Wanted to try the wicked Edge style of sharpening { I'm a sharpening junkie } but was not going to spend an large chunk of cash just to try out the idea of how they work. Would be like buying a car without test driving it. Found one online, a cheap knock off made in China, did not like it at first, but after working out all it's little nuance's really like it. And even with the cheap diamond stones, it gets knives really sharp. I have spent more than i intended, but now i have a really solid sharpening unit, and have worked out a way to use the stones and strops i already have. Some photos, always welcome input. Have a good weekend everyone.

Came in a solid carrying case.

As it came.

With some mods and add on attachments.