OT - what's the best knife sharpener....

Id say it depends on how much time you want to spend learnin', how much money you want to invest, and how often you want to sharpen your knife.

I used to use the twin carbide-pull through-no talent req'd style with decent results.

After numerous attempts I finally got a stone to do as good a job or better.

Now I have a pro do it every now and then.
 
Sorry about that other post. I use a cutlery grinder. Its basically a belt sander with a fine grit belt on it and mounted to my bench. I start my knives on this and then i finish them either with a Chicago cutlery steel or a stone. You could shave your face with them after I'm finished.
 
I've tried a few and always go back to my soft Arkansas and hard Arkansas stones. The reason is, I can put any kind of edge on a knife that I need, they are relatively inexpensive (well, the soft Arkansas is), easy to pack and will probably out last me.
 
This is going to be one of those posts that leave you kinda saying "Yeah Right"...

My dad has this stone that is two sided and is 42 years old. It is a specialty stone that is used for sharpening engravers used to turn mild steel, for stems (the thing on some watches that is used now just to set the time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) on older type watches made in the times when wind up was the king and digital was still in the mind of an unborn child /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ..

He recieved the stone as part of a package that he bought when he was 17 and was going to school at Kilgore College for watch making. (yes my dad can work on those old wacthes as well as make them...)

It is two sided, with a rough side, and a smooth side for finishing..

It is possible to put a razor edge on a knife that will shave any part of your body that has hair on it as well as any razor out there. That is provided the steel in the knife is capable of recieving such an edge..

You can find these stones in watch makers catalogs, but you better save a little before you go looking.. They are pricey...

After saying that, the stone is only part of the ingredient of sharpening.. The other is the person behind it.. If you don't know about how to use one it doesn't matter how much you spend on the stone, it just simply will not do..

I can and do use one with quite an expertise in sharpening my knives as well as others..

Now you hand me one of those round steels, ceramics, or diamond hones and I will use it to hold my turkey decoy as it is more beneficial to me in that reguards /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif .......... James L.
 
I use the cutlery grinder until i see a thin "wire edge" appear on the knife blade.I then finish it on the steel or stone. If you could see the edges I put on my knives and friends knives with my steele you would keep your steele and learn to use it.
 
Ok Maybe I need to ask specific questions:

1.) does anybody know about Lansky sharpeners? If yes, how do you like them?

2.) What about the diamond sharpening tools I see? Are they worth it?

3.) I have no trouble getting my hunting knives as sharp as they need to be, but I have this kitchen cutlery set that my wife had before we were married that I CAN NOT get sharpened to save me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

They were made in Japan from stainless. They were dull when I met her and they're dull now. Short of a power grinder, what can i use???
 
Originally posted by Ronald:
[qb]Sorry about that other post. I use a cutlery grinder. Its basically a belt sander with a fine grit belt on it and mounted to my bench. I start my knives on this and then i finish them either with a Chicago cutlery steel or a stone. You could shave your face with them after I'm finished.[/qb]
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I thought about one of these but I can't justify the $$$ for the few knives I sharpen. they are great. What gets me is that I've got some great stones, steels, etc., but getting a rough edge onto a REALLY dull knife with really good steel in it makes me crazy.
 
Originally posted by James Lindley:
[qb]It is two sided, with a rough side, and a smooth side for finishing..
James L.[/qb]
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I'm with you. How does that stone differ from the two-sided stones you see in the better hardware stores? I don't remember those being THAT pricey.....
 
boba--I have the Lansky sharpening system and it works great for me. I have all kinds of other sharpening stones, but I can't seem to hold the knife at the same angle with each stroke so the Lansky system is the way I go. I use it on all my wife's kitchen knives and it works great for those as well.
 
It is the material that the stone is made out of.

It is a man-made ceramic type of material that is specific for sharpening the engravers that I mentioned.

The smooth side is a yellowish brown and the rougher side is a dark grey..

After 42 years of use it shows no signs, and I mean no signs of wear. Unless you count the chip out of the corner where I dropped it when I was twelve :eek: Thought my Dad was gonna kill me so I blamed it on my brother Travis lol... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif .........

Boba.. Some type of steels just aren't easily sharpenable. Like the kitchen knives that you mention.. They are probably a type of stainless steel that is of such type that it would be hard to sharpen without a grinder. They are made for durability rather than the ease of sharpening /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif .

Most stainless steel kitchen knives of lower quality are meant to survive the dishwasher.


Try that with a good quality carbon steel knife and see what happens /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


I had a boot knife one time that was supposed to be A-440 stainless steel. I worked on that thing for a while before I got it sharp. Once sharp it stayed that way for a long time. It was A-440 but the rockwell was so hard that it was like trying to sharpen a diamond with butter..... James L.
 
A lot of the stainless alloys will not take a real sharp edge. They are too "gummy". They do not cut clean but tear when the abrasive contacts them.

For steels which can take a good edge, the angle is the key. No matter what abrasive you use, the angle has to be consistant. Once you get the angle nailed, most of the better abrasives will work. That said, there is absolutely no abrasives that come close to diamonds. Quite a few good abrasives but once you go diamond, you will never go back.

30 years ago diamonds were expensive. Now they are quite reasonable, probably cheaper than a top quality Arkansas stone. I use a 1/3 carat diamond to dress my regular grinding wheels. I paid more 10 years ago but now it is a $25 tool. I just recently bought a 6" diamond grinding wheel for $59.99.

A fixture to control the angle and diamond abrasives will work.

Jack
 
Silverfox, thanks for the info.

Originally posted by Jack Roberts:
[qb] That said, there is absolutely no abrasives that come close to diamonds. Quite a few good abrasives but once you go diamond, you will never go back.
Jack[/qb]
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So, do you like the diamond "stones" that have the holes in them? I see those around but have never bought one.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif :eek: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
BTW, my 3-yr old is playing with the icons you're seeing.

Thanks again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I have a Gatgo system (same style as Lansky) that works great for all of my knives but the kitchen knives are a different story, I really have to work at them because the steel is poor. The whole idea of clamping the knife in the vice to achive the same angle is the key. If you do some skinning or butchering, these systems are worth the money. I think you can get the Gatgo system for around $60 through Cabelas.
 
At home, and before a hunt, I use a lansky, Its my fool proof sharpening kit, but in the field, I use a smith, hand held, pull through, sharpener, 4.95, at walmart, it sure works great, when you have two knives, and your, skinning and de-boneing a elk, on the side of a hill, and when we are butchering, steers and pigs, you can't beat, using this sharpener and a butcher steel, time saver.
 
The past fews years I've been using Cabela's Diamond stone ( Chicago Cutlery) I finish it off with leather.Lansky is a good choice if you're not confident you can get a good edge with a flat stone.
 
Originally posted by boba:
[qb]3.) I have no trouble getting my hunting knives as sharp as they need to be, but I have this kitchen cutlery set that my wife had before we were married that I CAN NOT get sharpened to save me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
[/qb]
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I picked up a Smiths sharpener at Home Depot on a whim. It's basically a handle with a notch on the end and a couple sharpening elements inside. I don't recall what the elements are, if they are diamond or not, but the design pretty much assures a consistent angle will be used when applied.

I don't think out kitchen knives have ever been as sharp, even when new. As long as it isn't a serrated blade it'll put a real nice edge on it. I use it for pocket knives and it does an excellent job with them as well.

I suggest checking it out.
 


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