knife sharpeners

E

evan9201

New member
im looking for a good quality knife sharpener that wont cost me a arm and a leg. i going to use to sharpen all my hunting knives plus my self defense knifes. any one with some advice?
 
Yeah the Gatco edgemate d.c.s. sharpener is simple and around $20. You just pull your knife through the carbon sharpening groove and its works great. I have a lansky sharpening system and never use it anymore. Its very time consuming and a pain in the neck. And stones take a special kind of art that I havent seem to mastered :o
 
I have had really good luck with Spyderco's Sharpmaker kit. It will work on anything I own and comes with a how to book that made it "me-proof". $35 is what I gave for it, but if I had to buy it again, I'd pay more...
 
The Accu-Sharp does a good job, especially when butchering. Light, cheap, and easy to use. I consider it a working knife's sharpener. You can put better edges on knives for a lot more money, time, and effort.
 
I love the lansky...It does take some getting used to, but once you get the rythem, you get knives that will shave every time. The key is to use the 30 degree angle. Start w/ the coarse stone till it grips your hair. Then use the medium, then finish off w/ the fine. You can get your knife to shave effortlessly in less than 5 minutes if it's completely dull. The key is to go w/ one swipe on each side. If you do multiple swipes w/ out alternating, you'll never get your knife sharp. That's the mistake I see most people make w/ that. Also, make sure the stones are oiled. It's really easy, and I love it. BTW, all you need is the 3 stone. They sell a 5 stone for twice as much, but it's really not necessary, unless you are one of those that just has to have the bestest and the greatest...:D
 
I picked up a little key chain sharpener from Sportsmans Warehouse for 3 or 4 bucks. I've been using it on all my knives and they are sharp as can be. It has a carbide and ceramic side and works well for me :)
 
Dan's Whetstone Company out of Arkansas set me up with the right sharpening stones at a reasonable price. They also have guides IIRC to make sure you're at the proper angle when sharpening...
 
I have nightmares about carbide and ceramic knife sharpeners :eek:

My knives are all sharpend on a slection if arkensas stones, and stropped on leather, just like they did it back in the old days. I keep a diamond stone in the closet, just for taking the factory edge off a new knife.

With some time, a little oil, and some elbow grease, you can get an edge with stones that you'd never think possble with some of those carbide sharpeners.

I dont think there is any one "correct angle" for sharpening a knife. Listen close when your pulling it across the stone. It will tell ya when its at the right angle. With time, you'll learn to identify the "sharpening sound" Now days i dont sharpen by sight... I do it completely by ear.
 
I tend to avoid those "pass through" sharpeners where you draw the blade through angled bits. They don't ever put as good an edge on the knife in my experience.
Best way to do it IMO is the old fashioned way or some direct derivative thereof:
Sharpen blade on one side with progressively finer abrasives until you raise a burr that runs the entire length of the blade. Then sharpen the other side the same way until the burr is removed, and you should be left with a razor sharp edge. Stropping on leather with a little fine metal polish will fine-tune the edge and make it a little sharper and a little longer lived.

At first, you may end up making a few knives duller than they were to start with, but once you get the hang of it you'll never consider those pass through sharpeners unless you are in a pinch and that's all you have. FWIW, Lansky's and Spyderco's kits are derivations of this (the "old fashioned" burr removal) technique. Same for bench stones and flat grinding using belts.
Once you really master the technique, you can start making beveled edges, etc., that will really hold an edge a long time under normal use.

Jason
 
+1 on the Lansky. My little kit traveled the world in the service and I have converted many people to it by offering to sharpen thier knives. When they see how easy it is and how sharp thier knives are, they go get one themselves.
 
tuttle8: I met Dan (that may actually be his father's name?) and his wife from Dan's Whetstone Company at the Blade Show in Atlanta. Nice guy. I bought one of his sharpeners that has three whetstone grits and the sharpening guide. I like it. (But I do like to sharpen knives. Go figure.)

But honestly, I use the DMT the most. I'd get the Fine and coarse grit or fine and very fine grits (each side has a grit). I have the big ones, but the smaller 6 or 8" ones should work well. I use the very coarse for machetes and axes. Touch up the machete on the fine when I have it just about where I want it.

I have the Lansky sharpening system and rarely use it. It is too easy to use the DMT. The Lansky was last year's sharpening system.

The ceramic crock sticks work pretty well too if your knife is not too dull. Very easy to use.

If it sounds like I have a lot of sharpening stones, you're right. I have all kinds of sharpening stones but for the last 6 months have been using the DMT almost exclusively. You do have to hold the blade at the proper angle though to use it.
 
Another vote for the Spyderco Sharpmaker. Just make sure to get the diamond sticks for it for shaping and cutting back bevels.
 
...oh, excuse me...

You said 'knife sharpener,' so I thought you meant me.

You wanted 'devices.' My bad.

Edit: Seriously, research "Japanese waterstones." The tools you have suggested are far too coarse and remove way too much metal, aging the knife. Stay away from diamonds, no matter how fine. They rip the metal right off of the bevel. Learn to sharpen, stay away from gimicks.
 
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A good Butchers Steel, will work about as fast as anything, and requires less sharpening talent than most stones. That Opinion being stated,

the main thing to remember is when you buy the knife, to make sure that the blade has been factory honed on both sides of the blade. Some knives are only sharpened from one side, and therefore creates a sharpening problem right of the bat. A knife that has a factory edge that has been sharpened on both sides will sharpen in just a few draws over a good Butchers Steel.

I'm not a great fan of the really hard metals that seem to attract a lot of hunters, as they are hard to sharpen without having to buy special made sharpening stones. I tried to sharpen several of them through the years for several guys, and all I wind up doing is wearing out a good stone and my elbow. I would rather have a knife that sharpens easy, than one that holds an edge for a longer period of time. Generally if a knife holds an edge for a long time, the owner will neglect the edge longer, and will take more time and effort when it is time to sharpen it. A softer steel may dull quicker, but can be sharpened with a good Steel in about 45 seconds.

Guys really look at you strange when they ask if you can sharpen their Buck Knife, and you through it in the trash for them, and tell them to go buy a better knife.:D
 
I like the Lansky for getting a uniform angle on both sides of the edge. Once the knife is sharp, I just use a fairly fine stone for touchup work.

My leather Wellingtons, well impregnated with desert dust, sure do make wonderful stropping tools. :D

Art
 
Look around on Smoky Mountain Knifeworks' site. That's where I got my sharpening stuff and I couldn't be happier with the results.
 
I use a Sharpmaker these days because it puts on a decent edge in a hurry.

Back in the years B.C. (before children) I used to use Arkansas stones. I think they put on a better edge, but they take longer, at least for me. BTW when I used them I didn't go by sound, I went by feel. When you had the right angle it just felt right.

I wish I could find a Sharpmaker with stones twice as long as the standard ones for sharpening big kitchen knives.
 
Bitmap - The Sharpmaker uses diamond hones? Do you notice a lot of wear on your blades - i.e. losing more metal - than regular stones?
 
I was the plant manager of a Seafood plant. We hand cut our own fillets. The system we used was a belt sander using a 400 grit belt to establish the edge, then I would polish the edge using a buffing wheel( I can't remember the type) with a buffing compound that was made by melting 2 pounds of parrafin with 1 pound of Crisco. We used a Japanese Santoku style knife made by Momacut(Imported from Japan). I could make one of these knives almost scalpel sharp in very little time. The polishing step was the most important.
 
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