Thread: After you gasp, on to the answer

I don't know anything about the Chef's Choice wheel but surely the first question is what kind of grit level are they? Second question is are you intending to use just as a bevel setter or something more than that?

My understanding is that the bevel on a straight is nearer the 20% mark so if you have to use a hone afterwards you will still have an inconsistent angle.

I remember a thread that went like glen described, the OP said it worked really well, but what he described doing seemed like a lot more effort than just using hones, he ended up getting asked if he worked for the company marketing the machine etc. it nearly got ugly from what i remember reading.
If it works for you then you will have a system that you can use, but I doubt you will sway the traditionalists.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Some might be,,,, razor angles vary, in our experiments here, quite a bit.. This is what make the spine and the fact the razor indexes on the spine so efficient,

There have been quite a few experiments using Knife Sharpeners, near every one has been "Successful" ie: The user claims AWESOME results, yet not one person that hones Straight Razors seriously has switched to them ...

Glen - I don't use the word "AWESOME" unless the situation actually merits it. "AWESOME" has been debased of late to be a synonym for "that's nice". Yet another excellent word that's lost its true meaning. Sigh. Anyway, in my biz one speaks pretty dispassionately and accurately since most people I work with would rather hear "The bearings are within specs" than "Those are awesome bearings!" :-)

Originally Posted by edhewitt

I remember a thread that went like glen described, the OP said it worked really well, but what he described doing seemed like a lot more effort than just using hones, he ended up getting asked if he worked for the company marketing the machine etc. it nearly got ugly from what i remember reading.
If it works for you then you will have a system that you can use, but I doubt you will sway the traditionalists.

I have not, and never shall, attempted to convince others. Validation to my own satisfaction is sufficient for me. If others wish to follow along; that's fine too.

Originally Posted by UKRob

I don't know anything about the Chef's Choice wheel but surely the first question is what kind of grit level are they? Second question is are you intending to use just as a bevel setter or something more than that?

My understanding is that the bevel on a straight is nearer the 20% mark so if you have to use a hone afterwards you will still have an inconsistent angle.

Not wheel but wheels. Three disks. I'm going to have to mic a blade and determine what the bevel actually is.

Go ahead, try your experiment. Spend countless hours on an edge that I can generate in less than 20 minutes on ANY quality razor.

You see, if you will research me you will see that I was (still am) a knife guy who could make all things sharp...or so I thought. I jumped on the bandwagon and started running my mouth with my "superior" skills to a fellow named Lynn Abrams of all people. Later, 6-12 months when I had learned what razor sharp was about and how to get there, I humbly apologized to Lynn. Cool thing was he never was rude to me, only asked me to show him. I'm going to do that too: Show me how you can obtain a truly shave ready edge in under 20 minutes, repeatable, and I will gladly try to learn your new system. BTW, if rushed, I could most likely give you a shave ready edge in half that time...or less.

We can use a neutral person for the shave test.

Straight razors have been around for over 100 years. There have been many gadgets invented over that period of time, but none are as efficient as the spine built into the razor.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Go ahead, try your experiment. Spend countless hours on an edge that I can generate in less than 20 minutes on ANY quality razor.

You see, if you will research me you will see that I was (still am) a knife guy who could make all things sharp...or so I thought. I jumped on the bandwagon and started running my mouth with my "superior" skills to a fellow named Lynn Abrams of all people. Later, 6-12 months when I had learned what razor sharp was about and how to get there, I humbly apologized to Lynn. Cool thing was he never was rude to me, only asked me to show him. I'm going to do that too: Show me how you can obtain a truly shave ready edge in under 20 minutes, repeatable, and I will gladly try to learn your new system. BTW, if rushed, I could most likely give you a shave ready edge in half that time...or less.

We can use a neutral person for the shave test.

Straight razors have been around for over 100 years. There have been many gadgets invented over that period of time, but none are as efficient as the spine built into the razor.

Egads, countless hours?! That's not gonna happen; too few hours left to me at this point! It's not really "my" new system, just a diamond wheel sharpener that I've had good experiences with. I don't think you'll find me running my mouth off any time soon - humble seeker after knowledge, that's more like it ;-)

Basically what myself and the guys are saying here and they can correct me if I am speaking wrong for them


You haven't yet honed a razor, nor if I am reading your posts correctly shaved a razor.. Yet you are now trying to use a "New" way of honing them, at least what I am saying is it might be a good idea to at least get a handle on the basics before jumping off the cliff into the deep end..


PS: BTW yes there was a guy that tried the Chef's Choice the results were less then "Awesome".. Put as politely as I can,,,, No self respecting SR user would ever stick a razor into an electric knife sharpener




Yeah sorry, I don't care how good the edge comes out it ain't happening

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Basically what myself and the guys are saying here and they can correct me if I am speaking wrong for them


You haven't yet honed a razor, nor if I am reading your posts correctly shaved a razor.. Yet you are now trying to use a "New" way of honing them, at least what I am saying is it might be a good idea to at least get a handle on the basics before jumping off the cliff into the deep end..


PS: BTW yes there was a guy that tried the Chef's Choice the results were less then "Awesome".. Put as politely as I can,,,, No self respecting SR user would ever stick a razor into an electric knife sharpener




Yeah sorry, I don't care how good the edge comes out it ain't happening

No worries. I'm not claiming anything or jumping anywhere. If you've looked at my posts you'll also have noted that they were questions, not statements. Sharpening a blade is a technical issue and technical issues can be understood from a rational standpoint. That's the way I approach life - learning all I can and putting it into a self consistent framework. That's all that's going on here.

Headcrowny, don't say I didn't try to warn you...