Thread: anyone ever use this?

Look man, you can milk a goat and ride a moped cross country, but if you want a milkshake and a Harley, both the previous options will leave you wanting. Sure, they'll work, but why not just do it right the first time?

Learn to shave with a straight that has been honed properly. Then buy this set up. Hone a razor with it. Report back to us how it shaves. If it works well, and the edges are as sharp, smooth, and long lasting as a traditional honing I'll bet you everyone will cede the point. But why start behind the ball? Just get the stuff you need from the beginning.

Sharpening knives is not honing razors. You can make a knife "razor sharp" on 600 grit sandpaper. That doesn't mean it will shave smoothly. Lots of knife guys have issues wrapping their minds around that.

Originally Posted by Supernas

well he hones a razor in the vid online plus the arms are adjustable to different angles and the stone come off to change grits

What guarantees the edge he produces is a good usable shaving edge? I'll agree it might work but after someone that knows what a proper edge is tries his work. Until then everyone can make a video and post it on youtube, and by the way this gizmo has been discussed on the forum before.
As Oz pointed out those have problems with complex geometries , which is very often the case with razors.
For example it has been proven a gizmo will never be able to sharpen a Yanagiba properly, just does not have enough degrees of freedom to conform to the blade geometry. That type of tool is good for most knives and that is what it is marketed for.

In honing we put the razor to the stone not the other way. This allows for a soft touch and no flexing in the blade. We would feel it in the preasure of the razor. Holding the stone eliminates the feed back of preasure. If you do feel something it would be to late and the damage is done.

No one is stopping you. Sometime you just have to try it for yourself to see. You can always use it for knifes if it doesnt work on the razors.

I use the lansky system (which is similar to the one you posted). It works great on my chefs Knives and my Tactical Knifes but I would never even attempt it on my razors. Theres way more finesse involved in Honing a straight IMHO.

Ahh now I understand.. Like I said I am not questioning the knowledge of the people who hone on here.. I was simply trying to get some of their knowledge... you can have all the experience in the world and tell someone that something will not work, that does nothing for their education. So to all who bother to actually pass the knowledge on thank you to the others. Remember there is a learning curve and you have a responsiblity as the keepers of the knowlegde to pass it along, which is the entire point of a forum.

I went to their website to check it out. What I found was a depiction of the system together with (among others) the following description: Kit includes: 8 Diamond Stones, 2 each in 100, 200, 400 and 600 grits / Continuously variable angle adjustment from 15 to 30 degrees.

The good news first - the angle is not so bad. A 13-17 degree angle is most common in straights. Now for the worse (the really bad news) - the stone grits sold with that kit are 100, 200, 400 and 600 grit. This will not do for straight razors. Most people honing straight razors *start* at 1000 grit, and follow a progression often around 4000, 8000 and 12000 grits. Many go well beyond that as well, 30 000 grit is not uncommon. Why so high grits? You can make a very sharp edge at 600 grit I am sure, but then again sharpness is only half the story. To make a comfortable shave, you also need the edge to be smooth. You need fine grit stones for this. In short; honing a straight has 2 different phases to it. First you set the bevel (sharpen the cutting edge) - then after that you go through a whole lot of continually higher grit stones in order to polish the cutting edge so it doesn't feel like you're pulling hair out root and all.

For my own accord, I will add that it is not very cheap, and for $250 (assuming US but did not check) there are many serviceable options. I also noticed they also have a nice Naniwa Chosera pack which is considerably cheaper.

Best of luck.

Originally Posted by Supernas

... Remember there is a learning curve and you have a responsiblity as the keepers of the knowlegde to pass it along, which is the entire point of a forum.

I doubt that you will find another environment where those possessing knowledge and experience share it so willingly and openly. I really don't think that these same people need you to tell them what their responsibility is to you.

I have the Apex Edge Pro system and I can tell you that it is absolutely awesome for all my knives. I have tried it on about 30 razors so far going all with way up with their 600 and 1000 stones up to their polishing tapes and taken it up to 8K and beyond on my own films but I have not been able to get a comfy shave yet. In principle it is really cool and I have tried to start out with magic marker on my edges to try to ensure I am stabilizing the razor to get a good bevel set, but so far I'm not quite there. If any set up would work, I thought this one might as you can control the pressure and keep the blade flat on the stand changing the angle to get the stroke right. I was really hoping that this would work on wedges that have a ton of uneven spine wear and that by changing the angle a touch and creating a little micro bevel, that it would replace a rolling X stroke on the stones, but I haven't been able to get there either. I continue to find that my stones in progression, give me a much more consistent, reliable and time effective opportunity for a good shaving edge.

If any of you guys have this set up, I would be interested in your findings with regard to straight razors.

Edge Pro Apex Knife Sharpener

Have fun.

Originally Posted by Supernas

well the point was to have something that will work for both.. this thing has the same stones that I would get for the razor..Look guy I am looking for why it won't work well I am not sold either way so here is the video.

Did you also notice how this device will change the bevel of the blade, with the base having a higher angle than the tip. which will translate to different wear and a not so straight razor. Also the angle of the bevel will be much higher of an angle than stones will give you. the bottom comes out too far to have the hones at the line created by the bevel and the spine. As others have mentioned, blade on stone gives good feedback, stones on blade not so much. I bought plates just because they are cheaper and easier. If I had an excess of cash, I would be stones all the way.

Lastly, that guys shave screams electic shaver. Trust other who put the blade to their face over those who hide behind metal foil from their blades!

Originally Posted by Bill S

I doubt that you will find another environment where those possessing knowledge and experience share it so willingly and openly. I really don't think that these same people need you to tell them what their responsibility is to you.

well then if their not willing to share when asked then don't reply, I am not preaching to them, but if you give a response you should be will to elaborate.