Knife Sharpener opinions, please.

ragweed · October 12, 2014, 01:18:28 PM

Anybody have any experience with a Work Sharp knife and tool sharpener, Ken Onion edition? From what I've read, it sounds like a great tool. If it's not worth the $150.00, are there others that I should look at?

rexster · October 12, 2014, 01:28:36 PM

I've got the plain edition of the Worksharp and it's the best sharpener I've ever had and I've had just about every one of them at some time over the years

JZ · October 12, 2014, 03:17:19 PM

I've got the plain one too. Paid $60 for it when it was on sale and agree that it is a great sharpener. I've tried many over the years, including a Lansky and am very happy with the Worksharp.

ragweed · October 12, 2014, 03:54:31 PM

Thanks guys. Rexter, I saw your March 2013 post when you got yours. So if you're still happy, it must be pretty good. Sounds like I'm gonna make a trip to Scheel's in the near future.

rexster · October 12, 2014, 05:22:08 PM

I keep it in it's box in the kitchen, won't let my bride touch it. I pull it out couple times a month to dress up the edges

WoodlawnSmoker · October 12, 2014, 05:29:19 PM

These units do look pretty cool, they get good reviews too. Last year I got a Henckel whetstone with 250 and 100 grit stones. It's old-school and takes a bit of time and technique but boy can you get a good edge.

As an aside, how do you guys store your knives after sharpening? I have an old knife block I use but I'm convinced that it dulls the edge by putting it in and pulling out. I'm looking for something better.

waycoolcat · October 12, 2014, 05:38:48 PM

I bought a Tormek sharpener. It'll sharpen anything you need. It uses a slow grind wheel that is cooled by water. It's a one time, lifetime investment. I use it on my woodworking tools and kitchen knives.

rexster · October 12, 2014, 06:53:21 PM

Quote from: WoodlawnSmoker on October 12, 2014, 05:29:19 PM
These units do look pretty cool, they get good reviews too. Last year I got a Henckel whetstone with 250 and 100 grit stones. It's old-school and takes a bit of time and technique but boy can you get a good edge.

As an aside, how do you guys store your knives after sharpening? I have an old knife block I use but I'm convinced that it dulls the edge by putting it in and pulling out. I'm looking for something better.

I use a knife block that lays the knives on their sides, not on the edges, been using it for over 30 years

rajzer · October 12, 2014, 11:49:57 PM

Get an Edlund and you will have sharp knives in minutes. Easy learning curve and perfect edges everytime. Life is too short to sit and rub steel against stone all day.

meyer lemon · October 13, 2014, 09:37:00 AM

The Worksharp is good home sharpener for all tools. Two things to watch when sharpening good kitchen knives...use ex fine/fine grit to avoid removing too much steel and avoid excessive heat since it will change the temper of the blade causing blades to become brittle.

tailfeathers · October 13, 2014, 10:50:08 AM

Another vote for workshop

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tailfeathers · October 13, 2014, 11:00:53 AM

Oops worksharp not workshop

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seb bot · October 13, 2014, 05:09:22 PM

If you are willing to spend that kind of money on a sharpener, you may want to look at the Apex Edgepro as well, or maybe even the Wicked Edge system. I have the Apex, and have heard good things about the wicked edge, though I think it may be even more $$.

The Apex is a completely manual system and it uses stones not belts, which may or may not work better for you... It is kind of like an ultra deluxe Lansky rod system, if you know what those are.
It usually comes as a kit (deluxe or basic) and you can get additional stones if you need them...( For example, superfine or coarse, depending on what kind of sharpening you need to do...)
It works extremely well both at sharpening and re-profiling bevels, and it is easy to get repeatable results. The only thing it will not do is put on a convex edge, which some people really like...

I looks like the Worksharp uses a fairly short belt, so you may have heat issues if you need to do major sharpening or have big knives... Depending on how $$$ your knives are, I would be a little leery of using a power sharpener...

The Tormek that waycoolcat mentioned would probably be overkill for most people for just kitchen knives, but it is an awesome system... Not sure what they are going for, but I think they are pretty pricey, even compared to the others I mentioned.

Let us know what you end up getting, maybe post some pics and results?

tskeeter · October 13, 2014, 05:27:38 PM

I have the same concern with any power knife sharpener. That people will tend to rely too heavily on the power sharpener and grind away blades of expensive knives way before their time. I should know. Over a period of about 10 - 15 years, I managed to sharpen a hollow into the blade of a nice forged slicer. And I did it with whet stones. I can imagine that if I'd had a power sharpener, it would only have taken me a couple of years.

These days, my practice is to sharpen most of my knives about once, maybe twice, a year or so. I find that's all it takes with typical household use. In between, a few passes on a steel will realign the edge and have me back to razor sharp in a flash. I think learning to use a steel is an important knife handling skill.

My current preference for knife sharpening is a couple of two sided diamond plates. I like the diamond plates for a few reasons. The lubricant of choice is water, not the messy oil I used on my whet stones. The diamond plates stay flat. They don't wear hollow like a whet stone does. (Diamond plates are used to flatten whet stones with a dish worn in them.) And they cut fast. Usually it only takes about five strokes per side with each of the fine and extra fine surfaces to put a really sharp edge on a blade. Since you're only making a few passes, there is less opportunity for you to change the position of the blade as you sharpen and round the blade a bit. But, I do keep a coarse/medium diamond plate around to fix up woodworking tools that have acquired small chips or other damage. Or to quickly get a very dull knife/tool ready for more normal sharpening.

tskeeter · October 13, 2014, 05:32:33 PM

Quote from: seb bot on October 13, 2014, 05:09:22 PM
If you are willing to spend that kind of money on a sharpener, you may want to look at the Apex Edgepro as well, or maybe even the Wicked Edge system. I have the Apex, and have heard good things about the wicked edge, though I think it may be even more $$.

The Apex is a completely manual system and it uses stones not belts, which may or may not work better for you... It is kind of like an ultra deluxe Lansky rod system, if you know what those are.
It usually comes as a kit (deluxe or basic) and you can get additional stones if you need them...( For example, superfine or coarse, depending on what kind of sharpening you need to do...)
It works extremely well both at sharpening and re-profiling bevels, and it is easy to get repeatable results. The only thing it will not do is put on a convex edge, which some people really like...

I looks like the Worksharp uses a fairly short belt, so you may have heat issues if you need to do major sharpening or have big knives... Depending on how $$$ your knives are, I would be a little leery of using a power sharpener...

The Tormek that waycoolcat mentioned would probably be overkill for most people for just kitchen knives, but it is an awesome system... Not sure what they are going for, but I think they are pretty pricey, even compared to the others I mentioned.

Let us know what you end up getting, maybe post some pics and results?

Last time a drooled over a Tormek (to reshape the bolster on the dished slicer) I think they were talking about $500 or $600. Pretty expensive to sharpen a few knives a year. But, certainly just the ticket for lathe masters that are constantly sharpening gouges and the like.