Thread: Knife sharpening

Come at some of my knives with one of those belt sander things and we will no longer be friends...I've got a pretty fancy belt sander myself & I still won't use it for my edges. You may get there faster, but my edges will be better.

Define "better?"
The belt sander with fine grit belts also produces a convex edge which many believe is superior.

To each his own but for me I am sticking with using this Edge Master system as it produces a scary sharp knife in no time.
Razors need to be hand honed, knives do not.

Smooth even bevel & edge, no danger of damaging the steel, much less wear on the knives, and of course customizing the edge for the task at hand. Quality knives can handle a much sharper edge, heck, some Chef's hone to the same levels we do on our razors. My Wusthof's can handle around 4K, but not 8K. I have a couple custom blades than can handle 8K, but not 16K. No cords or batteries to worry with, stones last for many years, & you can stick a diamond stone in a ruck-sack/B.O.B (yep, got one in there).

Yes, I have seen those belt sander things demo'd at Cabela's when they came out. The demo guy asked me to see my knife, after the "which one?", he gave me/our small crowd his speech...I let him go on how superior those edges are. He then opened my knives, my Case trapper & folding CKRT Hissatsu. He examined the edges, refolded them both and handed them to me...asking for other knives in our little crowd of about a dozen people. He finished his show with knives he had there. You should have seen the wear on those demo knives, that alone convinced me that one of those belt sanding rigs would never touch my knives. I stuck around until he was done with his demo & he asked me about my "system" that I used to get my knives sharp. When I stated I freehand he looked at me like I was from Mars, then when I said you should check some of the edges on my straight razors he then realized he was barking up the wrong tree for sure. We parted ways...his feelings hurt & me chuckling to myself thinking about his superior system.

I like the hand type systems like Wicked Edge & the Lansky systems & can see a purpose in them with some knives. I'm sure you guys can see a purpose in the belt sander thingy, but it's not necessarily better. Kind of like our similar passion: straight razors. We can tell folks how much better a shave it is, but they still look at us like we are nuts.

Interesting read... My thoughts on it are this. Everyone has a system they like and would recommend. I personally believe that if your just starting out, get the best system you can afford and stick with it till you learn to really use it. Time and practice will give you the edge of sharpness you seek.

Originally Posted by scotishcavalir

Interesting read... My thoughts on it are this. Everyone has a system they like and would recommend. I personally believe that if your just starting out, get the best system you can afford and stick with it till you learn to really use it. Time and practice will give you the edge of sharpness you seek.

I might add: don't practise with your good knives, start out with oldies. It's easy to bust a few.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Smooth even bevel & edge, no danger of damaging the steel, much less wear on the knives, and of course customizing the edge for the task at hand. Quality knives can handle a much sharper edge, heck, some Chef's hone to the same levels we do on our razors. My Wusthof's can handle around 4K, but not 8K. I have a couple custom blades than can handle 8K, but not 16K. No cords or batteries to worry with, stones last for many years, & you can stick a diamond stone in a ruck-sack/B.O.B (yep, got one in there).

Yes, I have seen those belt sander things demo'd at Cabela's when they came out. The demo guy asked me to see my knife, after the "which one?", he gave me/our small crowd his speech...I let him go on how superior those edges are. He then opened my knives, my Case trapper & folding CKRT Hissatsu. He examined the edges, refolded them both and handed them to me...asking for other knives in our little crowd of about a dozen people. He finished his show with knives he had there. You should have seen the wear on those demo knives, that alone convinced me that one of those belt sanding rigs would never touch my knives. I stuck around until he was done with his demo & he asked me about my "system" that I used to get my knives sharp. When I stated I freehand he looked at me like I was from Mars, then when I said you should check some of the edges on my straight razors he then realized he was barking up the wrong tree for sure. We parted ways...his feelings hurt & me chuckling to myself thinking about his superior system.

I like the hand type systems like Wicked Edge & the Lansky systems & can see a purpose in them with some knives. I'm sure you guys can see a purpose in the belt sander thingy, but it's not necessarily better. Kind of like our similar passion: straight razors. We can tell folks how much better a shave it is, but they still look at us like we are nuts.

I don't think the one you saw at Cabela's is what we are using. Was it that small hand-held belt sander? That's not the EdgeMasters system if it was.
If there was a lot of wear on the knives then the guy obviously did not know what he was doing.
This is the system I use and there are many videos here about it. Knife Sharpening Kit

I did some research before buying it and found a well known, well respected blade-smith on a knife forum who highly recommended them.

Simply stating that its a belt sander with a 3600 rpm motor. My sander is a 1800 rpm motor with a vfd...still not touching my edges. Until a person starts to think about the steel in a blade, they will never reach a knifes full potential.

Reminds me of a paper wheel conversation i had with a knife guy once. He was convinced his system was better than stones. His edges would cut fine...a steak that is.

Originally Posted by ProudMarineDad

I don't think the one you saw at Cabela's is what we are using. Was it that small hand-held belt sander? That's not the EdgeMasters system if it was.
If there was a lot of wear on the knives then the guy obviously did not know what he was doing.
This is the system I use and there are many videos here about it. Knife Sharpening Kit

I did some research before buying it and found a well known, well respected blade-smith on a knife forum who highly recommended them.

The best way I can explain this is to say that it stopping at 1000 grit is way down on my grit pyramid.
I go from 1K to 1200 then 1600 then CrOx on balsa to CeOx to 0.125 diamond paste on balsa to 0.025 diamond paste on balsa.
I'm glad 1000 grit works for you but I need better then that.
Then there is a repeatable bevel level on both side of the blade at the same time. I don't have burr issue's like one sided systems do. With mine I go with a 12 degree bevel on elmax steel, 18 degree s30v and s90v. 20 degree for zdp-189, cpm-159 and vg-10. 440 and 1055 etc usually get 25 degree.

I can start from 50/80 grit, 100/200, 400/600, 800/1000. Where you stop I am just getting started. No matter how you slice it(pun intended), my edge's are a higher level then anything a belt sander will do.

This site has been a bad influence! I have to back off from a "razors edge" with my EDC.

My Edge Master system produces FAR less wear than typical stone sharpening. I carry a near hollow ground Benchmade that I've had for years, and it looks like a factory edge. I believe I can keep this knife razor sharp and use it the rest of my life. I think a skilled knife sharpener can equal or exceed the edge I get with it, but the convenience and lack of metal removal makes it a good system.