Knife sharpening

[Cordur]

Just took a couple of knives to The Knifery in Market Mall and got back some poor mangled pieces of steel that looked like they would have been a poor substitute for a rusty axe! Seriously the knives were sharper when I took them in! I don't think I can describe how angry I was at the time, especially when they offered to try sharpening them again and they were running one of my knives over a grinding wheel that would have been the equivalent of 80 grit sand paper. :mad:

Anyways a quick trip over to The Cutting Edge at North Hill Mall and they got a nice edge for me in a jiffy. The girl who was working there laughed saying she used to work over at The Knifery and noted they weren't set up to do a decent job or even had the know how to do the work. The guy who sharpened my knives recommended a sharpening system and said they would have some more in a couple of weeks so I'll be heading back there.

So other than taking your knives to a store to have them sharpened what system to you guys use? I know that I'm willing to spend a lot of time to get a perfect edge on my knives and maintain them on a regular basis. It's just I used to be quite spoiled by having my knives laser sharpened for free back east. Now I need to stop being lazy and do my own work :D

[stubblejumper]

I use a Gatco diamond kit and find it works very well.I prefer it over the Lansky kits.

[101sonny]

I prefer the Lansky kit you cant beat it .my 2 cent :wave:

[willy]

I use a cutco no need to sharpen yet in 3 yrs

[Dick284]

X2 on the Lansky set up.

[elkhunter1234]

X2 on the Lansky set up.

x3 on the lansky

[Baulde]

x4 another lansky setup here

[stubblejumper]

For those of you that like the Lansky,I used to own one myself,but after trying the Gatco,I prefer the wider stones and the simpler but more rigid guide system.

[Cordur]

The Gatco system is what was recommended to me by the salesmen. The stones that are available for it are finer than those that come with the best Jansky kit and you don't need to clamp your blade to a rod to use it. Pretty sure I'm going to buy one as soon as they have more in.

[sourdough doug]

am not familiar with the gatco system. where are they available and approx. cost..... thx.

[RandyBoBandy]

I think a trip to your closest Lee Valley Tools would get you all the knife sharpening stuff you'd need:D

[russ]

I think a trip to your closest Lee Valley Tools would get you all the knife sharpening stuff you'd need:D

+1

Can't beat a hard felt wheel & the green polish.

[Brady]

I use a cutco no need to sharpen yet in 3 yrs

X2 Here, my clip point double D, sportsman has done up 8 animals thus far, and still as sharp as day one.

[German]

I like the old school whet stone.

[Donkey Slayer]

Has anyone tried the Chef's Choice model 120 electric sharpener? I heard from reveiws that it does a great job.

[Loco]

I have one of those chef shaperners and it works great on filliting and kitchen knifes I havn't tried it on my hunting knifes as i like the job my lanskey does.

[unclebuck]

I am with the German. I use Arkansas whetstones, from the Wa****a(coarse), through the Black(very fine) on each custom made knives that I own. A polished edge makes for an excellent blade!!! A short scrape on the steel keeps them keen.

[Bushmaster]

I use one of those electric sharpeners like the Chef's Choice....a Gourmet's Edge by Wen....and think its the cats ass !!

[gube]

I have tried many gimmicks and methods over the years. I finally settled on a product from RADA Mfg. Co. My inlaws live in the States during the winter and bought one there and insisted that I try it out. I figured it was just another gimmick. Well long story short, I was so impressed at how quickly this little unit could put on a razor sharp edge, that when my wife went to visit them, I had her bring back six more for my hunting buddies. So far they are just as impressed as I am.
http://www.radacutlery.com/Product.asp?SRCH_CATEGORY=Cat06&SRCH_ID=R119

[209x50]

Japanese water stones from Lee Valley. By the time you work your way through the stones and get done with the last the 8000 grit, you have a mirror edge that is sickenly sharp.

[russ]

209, have you ever tried the felt wheel? Just wondering how it compares, Lee Valley claimed at one time the felt wheel was the best way.

[Donny Bear]

I like the old school whet stone.

X2 only ever take my steel to keep the edge true

[aulrich]

I have a honing gude and use abrasive paper glued onto glass. google "scary sharp". I learned about this method for sharpening tool and just morphed it to do knives.

Now most of this stuff is not you crapy tire sand paper, the final grit is .5 of a micron lee valley has them.

For field touch-ups I use those repela ceramic pull thoughs.

[209x50]

209, have you ever tried the felt wheel? Just wondering how it compares, Lee Valley claimed at one time the felt wheel was the best way.
Yes I have and it does a good job if you start with a knife that has been worked over on the wet stones or the Arkansas stones. You need to have a blemish free edge with no micro grooves from grit to get the best out of a felt wheel and rouge. I usually only do smaller edges like chisels and carving tools on the wheel.
Arkansas stones are good but they have the disadvantage of needing oil to work and that tends to get messy. The water used in the water stone system quickly flushes the pores of the stone not allowing the slurry to plug it up and greatly increasing the speed of the cutting action.
In one of my past lives I sharpened knives for a morgue (long. long story, they used Henckel's) and a little trial and error led me to the system that worked best for me.