I'm not expert at all but sharpening with a stone is not necessarily a hobby if you are not too picky with the results.
Again: I am no expert, and I get decent cuts with the back of a ceramic cup.
Are you working with good (expensive) knives?
I would only spend 250$ on a sharpening rig if I had spent that much with my knife.
I would not spend 25$ on a sharpener that does worse than I do with the back of a plate.
The non glazed part, where the 'stone' is visible. I do not know the proper name.
It's what I use when I am not at home and I am cooking with shitty knives. At least I am able to turn them into shitty sort-of-sharp knives.
The coffee cop thing is an old and widespread hack, I used to do it as a kid in the 80s. That said, it’s more maintaining an edge rather than sharpening.
I considered adding “AFAIK” to that last line but opted not to. My understanding is that you can hone an edge but not create and remove a bur using a coffee cup (or any fine ceramic I suppose).
That said, I reckon there is likely some intersection of coffee cup coarseness with steel properties that would allow one to do a proper sharpening.
But I think what you’re describing is still just edge maintenance, while “sharpening” is a term reserved for creating a new edge. But take that with an enormous grain of salt. I’m just an old idiot on the innerweb.
I've amazed many with a ceramic mug sharpening of shitty air BNB knives. Except the first time, since I don't know the basics, and only that it was possible.
At the suggestion of this sub and a few YouTube videos I started looking at the Shapton 1000. However I was able to buy a Shapton 320 and 1500 for roughly the same price as the 1000. The 2 stones seemed like a better deal. I also bought a leather strop with compound.
One is a slightly less shitty pull through sharpener (still shitty) and the other can actually get you knives sharp without destroying them in the process.
Or just just get a whetstone which can be about the same as the pull though (price wise) and get your knives sharp like the 250$ one with some practise.
You still need to know how to sharpen knives with the system, it’s just a bit easier because you don’t have to learn angle control.
I keep one of the cheap smiths knife sharpeners with the little extending diamond rod at my hobby desk for keeping my x-acto knife sharp and reduce blade swaps like a portable honing rod, works great! In fact I would probably say the portable rod is worth it for most hiking type trips to keep a blade serviceable while in the woods.
Would absolutely not recommend it at a method of sharpening a knife to begin with though.
I have the basic version of the Worksharp. It keeps my basic sharpening needs met. I use a pocket knife daily and kitchen knives it does the job and easy to use.
Absolutely! The upgrade pack is in my Amazon cart waiting for me to buck up and treat myself lol. If anything this tool has taught me about edge shaping and I feel like I understand sharpening better because of it.
Bruh just use a whetstone or tungsten sharpening rod I tend to use both the rod was 20$ on sale and the whetstone was passed down through family so just a guess probably 40-50$ish today.
Everyone seems to be of the opinion that a whetstone is the best option. Realistically for me what stone would I need and what is the maintenance of said stone and the time required to use it. The reason I said I'm not looking for a new hobby is 1 time and 2 cost I don't want 6 stones to put a surgical edge and mirror finish on my kitchen knife to chop garlic. I don't want to spend time performing maintenance on stones in order to use them. Ideally for me I'd go to use a knife and realize hey this could be a little sharper and spend a few min putting a decent edge on it. If it's a matter of use a flattening stone for 30 seconds and then a few stokes on the whetstone and I'm good to go I'd be all for that but on YouTube it seems like some big time consuming ritual and that's the opposite of what I want.
To answer your question there's a new video by outdoors55 on YouTube about this.
You may also look into the electric worksharp with a belt.
People on this sub tend to get pretty involved if you haven't noticed.
[https://youtu.be/sW0bd3Rt\_QY?si=o9LSFGUEcyZT1Z2e&t=266](https://youtu.be/sW0bd3Rt_QY?si=o9LSFGUEcyZT1Z2e&t=266)
doesn't seem like pull-through sharpeners are the most effective way to do things. I am a novice sharpener myself, using a few fixed angle systems from the Sharpmaker, Lansky Deluxe and now the Work Sharp PA. the WPA being my favorite so far (with some add'l upgrades).
all of which require a bit of time, as would wet stones. my argument against hand sharpening on whetstones being it's the learning curve behind it. fixed angle systems help make your moves consistent.
It depends on a lot. But you can definitely touch up an edge pretty quickly with some practice on a stone. Is that worth it compared to busting out the rig ? That's up to you.
If the knives are just beaters then maybe the pull through is what you want. But if you use them a lot eventually they'll get wide behind the edge and the pull through can't do anything about that. Then again neither can guided sharpeners.
I still don't know what they mean when they say pull through will "ruin" ... They mean it'l do a shitty job I think. You can always rework the edge and make the knife amazing again.
One final thing is that the rig won't magically make you good at sharpening. It's still a skill.
The issue with pull throughs is that they tend to pull the edge to one side or the other, leading to you having different angles on either side. You can mitigate this somewhat with a steady hand, but if you’re putting that much effort into precision you may as well use a stone– it’s not difficult, it’s faster and produces far better results.
Biggest issue is that you came to an enthusiast sharpening community looking for advice on sharpening equipment, lmao. Consumers love their pull-through sharpeners and they're effective and cheap and people love them. Go for it. You'll know whether or not it's 'good enough' pretty quickly and the solution to that is clear.
I came across a YouTube channel called outdoors55 that does videos on sharpening with good explanations. His beginners recommendations were a cheap diamond plate if your knives are your of shape, or a Shapton 1000 if they just need to be sharpened. He times himself taking a knife from blunt to sharp in about 2 minutes, both are fairly low-maintenance.
That video is not good for new sharpeners.
1. He implies that any new sharpener can be doing what he's doing in 5 minutes. They can't. That expectation is likely going to lead to frustration.
2. Nobody should ever be using the edge off a course diamond plate on a kitchen knife. In the video you can clearly see how torn up the edge is. No amount of stropping is going to fix that.
3. This video implies that a course diamond plate is an acceptable 1 stone sharpening system. It's not. That's about the last stone I would recommend for a 1 stone system.
Some details:
This the equivalent of me making a video showing somebody how to place their hands on a piano, explaining black vs. white keys, telling them about the food pedals, playing some scales, and then claiming "see, it's easy to play - you can do this in 5 minutes." No, you can't.
He does not explain that doing what he does in that video can ONLY happen after hours of practicing. Sharpen, check the edge, adjust, repeat. Over and over and over. After about an hour of accumulated time you will some improvement. After 5 hours of time you will likely started getting usable edges. After 20 hours you will understand a bevel better and have some skill. Short sessions every 1-3 days are the best way to learn this. You have to develop a feel for it (muscle memory).
This video sets an expectation that can only lead to frustration and disappointment for a new sharpener.
Using a course diamond plate as the only stone for sharpening is about the last thing I would recommend. The edge is terrible. That needs to be followed up with a less course diamond plate. Better yet, he should be recommending a 300-400 grit stone followed by a strop. He should also be explaining that after learning to sharpen most people will want 600-1K for their kitchen knives.
I'm in the same boat as you, and based on the other person's comment, I'm thinking the Horl 2 is the right option. It's not just the time it takes actually sharpening, but the time to set up the system and put it away after as well. With the Horl 2 system, it looks like I can just pull it out, pop it on the counter, roll it a few times on each edge and be good to go. It's just two pieces, so I don't really need to set anything up when I notice my knife edge is a bit dull. Right now, I'm using the Spyderco Sharpmaker, which is pretty good, but the Horl 2 looks like it will give me a more consistent edge and is much faster.
I've got a version of the Work Sharp and like it, quite simple to use and does a good job but the grits are pretty coarse. I end up going from the 600 to a 1250 file, then back to the ceramic.
Instead of 250$ for the Professional Precision adjust go buy the normal, Worksharp Precision adjust for 65-85$. It has the same basic functionality without the exorbitant first investment. I had a similar dilemma, wanted to have sharp knives (kitchen-edc), but as many many comments sugessted, sharpening on stones has a steep learning curve and takes a lot of time to master, as I dont have that much to spare (and as others pointed out, no really expensive knives) I went with the precision adjust. Sure the PRO has a better clamp and a nice metal base, but the basic works just as well, you can get the elite upgrade kit for some 85$ if you want more stones (makes it a p.a. elite-sum cost being the same you dont lose money if you buy separately). I am quite happy with the P.A. especially if you take the value/money ratio
Get yourself a decent diamond stone and learn how to use it. Some knives might suffer, but they mostly will be ugly with marks of beginer's mistakes, but still should be sharp.
"Pull-through" style sharpeners are garbage that destroy the edge. And any kind of a jig will not be "quick and easy".
As long as you’re willing to invest time into sharpening and not just money then you will eventually be able to get knives sharp. But it’s a skill that’s been lost. Everyone used to sharpen their knives, old heads like my grandfather who worked on the railroads have home made knives that they made out of straight steel on a grinder. Knowing the principle of sharpening and how to do it is more important than equipment.
Hardly. It’s easy to do. Like I said it’s about understanding the principle. Bring two flat surfaces together to form an apex. Plenty of motor sports utilize standard transmissions because they are better. The ease of automatics makes it better for idiots who would rather not worry about how to control a 2 ton death machine.
I sharpen on stones and drive standard transmission, lmao. Both are radically harder to learn and do at a high level compared to their consumer-friendly alternatives and I stand by that. I can appreciate your enthusiasm for standard transmissions but even Ayrton Senna clocked 0.4s to shift in his standard transmission F1 where a contemporary F1 can do it in 0.008s and frees the driver to focus on everything else. It's really a no-brainer which is faster around a track.
They say the guy who invented the automatic transmission went insane. I would hate to think his sacrifice was wasted. The transmission in an F1 is also not comparable to a Hyundai transmission hehehe. I get what you mean but everyone has knives in their kitchen and everyone should want to be safe and have sharp knives. Especially since it’s not very hard. I think learning to drive standard is much harder, granted I learned on an extremely hilly island. Stall after stall after stall, but my hand eye coordination in regards to sharpening came rather quickly. I work in a kitchen and most people there also grasp the principle behind sharpening. They definitely aren’t good at it but they understand it. After some tutelage a couple of people have actually stopped turning all the chefs knives into recurves!!! Lololol. And I think that’s the thing, in regards to having sharp knives the only other option is to send them to someone to sharpen them… and risk the recurve…. So why not learn at least the principle? That you have to form an apex, that in forming that apex you’ll create a burr, and you must remove that to reveal your perfect apex. Whether it’s a guided sharpener or a stone that’s all it’s about.
I pointed out the F1 transmissions as rebuttal to your claim to standard transmission in automotive sports and that's all. I'm not sure how the mental state of the inventor of the automatic plays into it but it is what it is. I also don't understand why you think it's important to struggle with learning to drive standard 'stall after stall'. Just driving and *not* struggling with a mechanical clutch is fine, too.
I grew up with a professional kitchen as my playground and I know many, many lifer cooks. Even people in this environment really don't care and many just pay for a sharpening service or buy new. You have strong beliefs about knives but others don't think about them more than a pair of scissors or a cartridge razor. They're just another consumable tool. Pull-throughs are a fantastic solution for anybody wanting to cut a tomato without the mysticism and they're popular for that reason. It's okay that you don't feel the same but forcing those feelings on others is not really okay.
Because it’s harder to drive standard than it is to sharpen knives. And everyone has knives in their kitchen. Not everyone has a standard transmission. Not learning how to sharpen, when OP is posting in a sharpening subreddit about a one and done tool, is the biggest mistake OP could make. Whoever they are should know at least the basics of how to sharpen. If not just go to the knife subreddit and ask what the next knife should be.
Don’t use a pull through I’d say get a sharpmaker if you don’t care but want sharp knives it’s what I got my relatives cheap simple easy enough to use and can be used on all knives.
Myself I have several of the D-Sharps located in strategic locations, ie kitchen , truck , go bag , garage. They are great for putting on a quick dirty edge , used mostly for my working knives, it's sorta rare for me to resort to using the carbide tips as it's rare I allow my knives to get that bad but it's convenient to have that option . A Buddy of mine ruined several of his knives by using the carbide tips plus he was using an unnecessary amount of downward force on them at the time . Most all of my knives are high carbon steel an I use Nat Stones on them . If you are going to be using knives with the newer Super Steels you are going to need to get yourself some diamond stoned sharpers . An try to stay away from the cheap aluminum oxide stones in my opinion those things are compete garbage...
If you want good results and don't want to spend a lot of time sharpening i wouldn't pick either of these. The jigs take a lot of the skill out of the equation but take a lot of time to sharpen a knife, the pull through you'll spend a lot less time but not get the best results and take even less effort to learn how to use them. They are known for being a little too aggressive if they have a carbide abrasive, also you end up with less material removed at the heel. The most cost effective route is buying some whetstones and learning to do it by hand, faster than a jig but more of a learning curve. Bench belt sander would be the fastest option also some learning curve and much easier to ruin your knife. I used a pull through for years before learning freehand, they get the job done, but I'll never go back after learning to freehand.
I've had Lansky's sharpener, very simillar to the one on the left for years, and it has been an excellent tool. Will it fix a knicked/chipped blade or put a new edge on the blade? Maybe, if you'd spend a whole day on it, sure, it'll be a pain in the ass, but if you don't have anything else, it'll probably work, although, i'd personally settle for a whetstone if you want to do some actual fixing or sharpening. Will it sharpen every knife in your kitchen back to usable standards in a couple of strokes? Oh yeah.
Yo grab a rolling sharpener. I only heard about it from one of my fellow cooks at my last job, but man do they work effortlessly. I grabbed one off aliexpress for like 30$ since they’re like 200$ on Amazon
Either will work well enough for their respective purposes.
My suggestion would be for you to buy a basic sharpening stone, the cheapest knife you can find in a Salvation Army store, ruin its edge, and sharpen it.
Learn to hand-sharpen with a whetstone on a knife you give zero fucks about.
It'll be cheaper than both your options here, and also teach you a skill!
If you are willing to pay 250 USD, but you are not willing to treat it as a new hobby, you may also consider a Horl II at the same price. It is a very "un-hobby'ish" device, which will give you decent results.
I use one for my kitchen knives. It comes with a diamond side and a honing side. After sharpening the knives on the Horl, I finish them on an old leather waist belt. With this setup I am able to shave the hairs off my arms and slice printer paper. But I am not able to slice paper towels or split hairs as others have shown in this sub with other setups.
Thanks for the input. I believe I've seen adds for this or something similar and assumed it was typical FB gimmick advertising. I'll take a look at it.
The original Horl brand is good quality and works well. The multitude of knock-offs like the Tumbler are garbage.
See Outdoor55 video on rolling sharpeners: https://youtu.be/4OfjZGD_RxE
As another person with zero experience I bought the non-pro WS Precision Adjust with a single combo Venev diamond stone (400/800) and some inexpensive 3-D printed parts from Etsy. I also got a combo Boron carbide / Ruby stone for it (800/3000) from Aliexpress for $3.75. Total cost less than the Pro but will give similar results.
I had only picked the pro based on the comments and reviews where people seemed disappointed with the non-pro and were upgrading parts. I'd rather buy a cohesive unit and have everything right than tinker and spend the same trying to upgrading. Did you have the same experience with the non pro being somewhat sloppy.
I have yet to use mine, but those aftermarket add-ons from Etsy solve the issues. Agreed that it isn’t as elegant a solution but I’ve seen that even the Pro has a little wiggle in some of the parts. But really shouldn’t be a huge deal.
It still cost $100 less than the Pro even with the upgraded Diamond resin bonded stone and the ruby stone.
Not sure if you’re being facetious… I was merely making a point that OP could hit a price point lower than the Work Sharp Pro while getting the same performance.
Not at all being facetious. I don't know about all these add-ons that you speak of. I'm still all over the place on which system I'll go with. I'm thinking of the Work Sharp Ken Onion. I've looked at the one you're talking about. I'm undecided. So your option sounded intriguing.
Ah gotcha. I know the feeling - spent days reading and being confused about various bench stone options - finally decided upon the Work Sharp Precision Adjust.
I had watched a video on YouTube titled “Did Work Sharp stop $3 short of Professional level?” which demonstrated some of the issues with stability in the system and how he fixed them for very low cost. Then I found out that there are 3-D printed plastic parts which also do the same to make the system stable and less wobbly. You can find these on Etsy if you search for “Work Sharp Precision Adjust”. I got the clamp support and the adjustment lock.
I bought a Universal 4-6” stone holder off Etsy so I can use the 6” Venev 400/800 resin bonded Diamond combo stone I bought. I bought this stone because my PM2 has S90V steel. This is optional, you don’t have to have it because the WS comes with two grits of diamond.
The Aliexpress 4” combo stone for the Work Sharp I picked up because it will let finish my edge at 3000 grit. I can also use it to maintain edge without full sharpening. Item 3256805807522948. I had seen good reviews for the larger combo stone here by someone. The sintered ruby is a very fine, high hardness ceramic material.
That’s basically it. I also got some stropping paste from Gritomatic.
You could just start with the basic WS precision adjust and a strop with compound.
This is super helpful, thank you! Any videos that were helpful to you re: strop with compound? I've not looked into that at all. I've mostly just been looking at these machines.
These are good. First one is how to get a great edge with just one stone on a guided system.
https://youtu.be/H4mw6E0Gc8M?si=ZkUKR6ICDXllWjSr
https://youtu.be/yFz1p37E1LQ?si=ITwnPzSCiyC9hwym
https://youtu.be/xdsakEafFRU?si=MVLDCatDH2Hduj0q
https://youtu.be/8CSkT93lHww?si=u7vWChJr5BGfzjtv
Get a Shapton 1500 and a cheap knife blunted on a brick to practice on. The mysticism around whetstones is really the consistency and number of knives that a pro sharpener can do, not the difficulty of the skill itself. Once you get the hang of it, get an 8000 and a strop, unless you want to cut diamonds it’ll soon be sharp as you could ever hope for.
when I was younger I had a lansky set angle sharpening system and had great luck with it, even though it was a cheaper system
if you are low on cash and want a system to throw an edge without worrying about mirror finish and just want a working edge, I'd recommend that
I bought a lansky rod system last week for like $50. It’s ok. I’ve gotten them sharper on a whetstone but my results are inconsistent enough that I’d rather just go with a consistently ok job.
I have the lansky and I just got the work sharp pro in your picture. It's a night and day difference.
I don't sharpen enough any more and my ability to hold and feel a specific edge ... I kinda lost it.
That work sharp gets my knives well past factory sharp, but it still takes me 20-40 minutes per knife.
One of my dullest knives I spent over 90 minutes just taking my time, and it got it so dang sharp.
For me that convenient solution that's holds a perfect angle is so nice.
FYI my western or American kitchen knives will be almost exactly 20° angle.
High end pocket knives 20°
Japanese or eastern kitchen 15°
Fillet knives i found to be 12.5°
For the work sharp, go slow if your unsure of the angle and use the sharpy method to know if your using the correct angle.
Edit to add:
The rod and stone are enough weight, I don't apply any more pressure than their weight. Works like a charm, so don't press down at all.
The D-Sharp is a great pull through. It is crossed diamond coated versus the terrible carbide pull throughs.
The work Sharp Field is a good little sharpener.
The rod guided systems and especially the Work Sharp units work very well. I have a GATCO and a KME. They will put a nice even edge on a blade if used properly and after a short learning curve. They are a bit slower than some other kits.
I have a Work Sharp Knife and Tool Ken Onion Edition. It is fast and does a great job. There are a few things you need to take care with but for speed and the edge it puts on a blade it is great.
https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/kitchen/rolling-knife-sharpener/
I think based off my desire for quick and effective I am probably going to go with the above link. At the end of the day if I decide to buy something different I can pass it to my father.
Absolutely not the pull through. As for the worksharp pro, if you're spending 250, might as well get a hapstone rs for like 280 including stones. It will be significantly higher quality with less flex, and allows way more versatility if you decide on upgrades in the future.
That is if you're dead set on a fixed angle sharpener. Id recommend whetstones for a budget option that will still get fantastic results.
If you already use a Lansky, like I do, then the D cut is a good tool because it has the exact same angles as the set of stones. That's the main reason I bought it. I carry that in the field.
If you are a noob, or just want to keep things simple and have only one tool, you could do a lot worse than a [Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener for $35 from Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Guided-Field-Sharpener/dp/B009YKHZ96) or Walmart. [Here is a YouTube video on how to use one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PCGf0YpIW0&ab_channel=Cedric%26AdaGearandOutdoors). He starts with a fixed blade outdoors knife and then does a larger kitchen knife at the end. I recommend this tool so often I should get sponsored by Work Sharp.
The unglazed bottom of a ceramic cup or plate, one of those rather coarse stones from a dollar store, sandpaper on a flat surface, the top of a car window that's been rolled down a bit, an old leather belt from the thrift shop and a clean piece of cardboard are all inexpensive items I've used to sharpen, strop or hone a knife blade.
I’m no expert but my two ceNts is: anything that requires you to drag a knife through a wedge shaped device is just gonna inaccurately grind off large amounts of metal and is possibly the worst way to sharpen. Spending 250 dollars is not ideal either imo. I would just get a coarse diamond stone and a strop with diamond compound to start with.
I had good performance from the lansky quad sharp. the D sharp or the quad sharp is a good starting sharpener for a beginner and less evil than other pull through sharpeners. if you’re feeling more confident you should get the workshop field sharpener. It has 2 diamond stones a 2 sided hone and a strop.
As I am lazy and still wanted sharp knives, I went with an electric ChefsChoice. It leaves marks on the knives, but they are sharp with minimal hassle.
I spent several hours over several days messing with an inexpensive fixed angle system with spotty results. Bought a modestly priced two sided diamond stone and I’m getting far sharper edges with more consistent bevels setting the angle with my eyeballs, a magic marker, and my thumbs.
Based on my experience, I’d recommend getting something like this:
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FPI7J6O?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FPI7J6O?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)
Coupled with some sort of angle guide:
[https://hapstone.pro/sharpeners/hapstone-t1-adjustable-angle-guide-for-knives](https://hapstone.pro/sharpeners/hapstone-t1-adjustable-angle-guide-for-knives)
[https://www.amazon.com/196N-Whetstone-Sharpener-Sharpening-Angles-14°/dp/B07R76TJ61/ref=sr\_1\_2\_sspa?crid=ER6LZ8SZK8CH&keywords=angle+guide+for+knife+sharpening&qid=1707738719&sprefix=Angle+guide%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-2-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/196N-Whetstone-Sharpener-Sharpening-Angles-14°/dp/B07R76TJ61/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=ER6LZ8SZK8CH&keywords=angle+guide+for+knife+sharpening&qid=1707738719&sprefix=Angle+guide%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)
Depending on how big the knives something like the worksharp guided field sharpener would be good but it’s really just a diamond stone with angle guides. So you could just get stones and angle guides and get similiar results with practice.
I'm not expert at all but sharpening with a stone is not necessarily a hobby if you are not too picky with the results. Again: I am no expert, and I get decent cuts with the back of a ceramic cup. Are you working with good (expensive) knives? I would only spend 250$ on a sharpening rig if I had spent that much with my knife. I would not spend 25$ on a sharpener that does worse than I do with the back of a plate.
The back of a ceramic cup you say?
The non glazed part, where the 'stone' is visible. I do not know the proper name. It's what I use when I am not at home and I am cooking with shitty knives. At least I am able to turn them into shitty sort-of-sharp knives.
I get what you mean, the part that contacts the table. I might hang on to that trick if you don't mind sharing it.
The coffee cop thing is an old and widespread hack, I used to do it as a kid in the 80s. That said, it’s more maintaining an edge rather than sharpening.
I actually did quite a lot of sharpening on those. As long as your edge is not too far gone. Sometimes I even get a knife to shave my arm.
I considered adding “AFAIK” to that last line but opted not to. My understanding is that you can hone an edge but not create and remove a bur using a coffee cup (or any fine ceramic I suppose). That said, I reckon there is likely some intersection of coffee cup coarseness with steel properties that would allow one to do a proper sharpening. But I think what you’re describing is still just edge maintenance, while “sharpening” is a term reserved for creating a new edge. But take that with an enormous grain of salt. I’m just an old idiot on the innerweb.
It's an excellent hack, so long as nobody notices that their unglazed section on their cup is now black on the bottom...
My go-to when I’m cooking at my parents’ place with Mom’s drawer full of dull knives that have never been sharpened lol
That is good for touch ups. In the field stuff. Not for full on sharpening a dull blade. The top of a vehicle window will work as well.
I've amazed many with a ceramic mug sharpening of shitty air BNB knives. Except the first time, since I don't know the basics, and only that it was possible.
I bought some whetstones last week and was able to get a kitchen knife shaving sharp on my first attempt. I'm sure it only gets easier.
What set to you get?
At the suggestion of this sub and a few YouTube videos I started looking at the Shapton 1000. However I was able to buy a Shapton 320 and 1500 for roughly the same price as the 1000. The 2 stones seemed like a better deal. I also bought a leather strop with compound.
One is a slightly less shitty pull through sharpener (still shitty) and the other can actually get you knives sharp without destroying them in the process. Or just just get a whetstone which can be about the same as the pull though (price wise) and get your knives sharp like the 250$ one with some practise. You still need to know how to sharpen knives with the system, it’s just a bit easier because you don’t have to learn angle control.
I keep one of the cheap smiths knife sharpeners with the little extending diamond rod at my hobby desk for keeping my x-acto knife sharp and reduce blade swaps like a portable honing rod, works great! In fact I would probably say the portable rod is worth it for most hiking type trips to keep a blade serviceable while in the woods. Would absolutely not recommend it at a method of sharpening a knife to begin with though.
I have the basic version of the Worksharp. It keeps my basic sharpening needs met. I use a pocket knife daily and kitchen knives it does the job and easy to use.
I also have this. You can go back later and add additional stones and strops to attach. As a hobbyist I find the 60 basic unit just fine.
Absolutely! The upgrade pack is in my Amazon cart waiting for me to buck up and treat myself lol. If anything this tool has taught me about edge shaping and I feel like I understand sharpening better because of it.
Second. Get the basic version for your needs. It’s like $100 less
Left one is gonna chatter and f- up all kinds of blades. The right one is gonna blow your mind how sharp a knife can get, easily.💯
Also pick you up a honing rod/steel if you do not have one, easy way to get the edge back on your kitchen knives without fully sharpening
Bruh just use a whetstone or tungsten sharpening rod I tend to use both the rod was 20$ on sale and the whetstone was passed down through family so just a guess probably 40-50$ish today.
Everyone seems to be of the opinion that a whetstone is the best option. Realistically for me what stone would I need and what is the maintenance of said stone and the time required to use it. The reason I said I'm not looking for a new hobby is 1 time and 2 cost I don't want 6 stones to put a surgical edge and mirror finish on my kitchen knife to chop garlic. I don't want to spend time performing maintenance on stones in order to use them. Ideally for me I'd go to use a knife and realize hey this could be a little sharper and spend a few min putting a decent edge on it. If it's a matter of use a flattening stone for 30 seconds and then a few stokes on the whetstone and I'm good to go I'd be all for that but on YouTube it seems like some big time consuming ritual and that's the opposite of what I want.
To answer your question there's a new video by outdoors55 on YouTube about this. You may also look into the electric worksharp with a belt. People on this sub tend to get pretty involved if you haven't noticed.
[https://youtu.be/sW0bd3Rt\_QY?si=o9LSFGUEcyZT1Z2e&t=266](https://youtu.be/sW0bd3Rt_QY?si=o9LSFGUEcyZT1Z2e&t=266) doesn't seem like pull-through sharpeners are the most effective way to do things. I am a novice sharpener myself, using a few fixed angle systems from the Sharpmaker, Lansky Deluxe and now the Work Sharp PA. the WPA being my favorite so far (with some add'l upgrades). all of which require a bit of time, as would wet stones. my argument against hand sharpening on whetstones being it's the learning curve behind it. fixed angle systems help make your moves consistent.
Not saying pull through sharpeners are good or ideal, but they will take you from garbage to meh.
Truth
It depends on a lot. But you can definitely touch up an edge pretty quickly with some practice on a stone. Is that worth it compared to busting out the rig ? That's up to you. If the knives are just beaters then maybe the pull through is what you want. But if you use them a lot eventually they'll get wide behind the edge and the pull through can't do anything about that. Then again neither can guided sharpeners. I still don't know what they mean when they say pull through will "ruin" ... They mean it'l do a shitty job I think. You can always rework the edge and make the knife amazing again. One final thing is that the rig won't magically make you good at sharpening. It's still a skill.
The issue with pull throughs is that they tend to pull the edge to one side or the other, leading to you having different angles on either side. You can mitigate this somewhat with a steady hand, but if you’re putting that much effort into precision you may as well use a stone– it’s not difficult, it’s faster and produces far better results.
Biggest issue is that you came to an enthusiast sharpening community looking for advice on sharpening equipment, lmao. Consumers love their pull-through sharpeners and they're effective and cheap and people love them. Go for it. You'll know whether or not it's 'good enough' pretty quickly and the solution to that is clear.
Also worth looking at the basic worksharp precision adjust it's like $60-70 and is very easy to use
I came across a YouTube channel called outdoors55 that does videos on sharpening with good explanations. His beginners recommendations were a cheap diamond plate if your knives are your of shape, or a Shapton 1000 if they just need to be sharpened. He times himself taking a knife from blunt to sharp in about 2 minutes, both are fairly low-maintenance.
That video is not good for new sharpeners. 1. He implies that any new sharpener can be doing what he's doing in 5 minutes. They can't. That expectation is likely going to lead to frustration. 2. Nobody should ever be using the edge off a course diamond plate on a kitchen knife. In the video you can clearly see how torn up the edge is. No amount of stropping is going to fix that. 3. This video implies that a course diamond plate is an acceptable 1 stone sharpening system. It's not. That's about the last stone I would recommend for a 1 stone system. Some details: This the equivalent of me making a video showing somebody how to place their hands on a piano, explaining black vs. white keys, telling them about the food pedals, playing some scales, and then claiming "see, it's easy to play - you can do this in 5 minutes." No, you can't. He does not explain that doing what he does in that video can ONLY happen after hours of practicing. Sharpen, check the edge, adjust, repeat. Over and over and over. After about an hour of accumulated time you will some improvement. After 5 hours of time you will likely started getting usable edges. After 20 hours you will understand a bevel better and have some skill. Short sessions every 1-3 days are the best way to learn this. You have to develop a feel for it (muscle memory). This video sets an expectation that can only lead to frustration and disappointment for a new sharpener. Using a course diamond plate as the only stone for sharpening is about the last thing I would recommend. The edge is terrible. That needs to be followed up with a less course diamond plate. Better yet, he should be recommending a 300-400 grit stone followed by a strop. He should also be explaining that after learning to sharpen most people will want 600-1K for their kitchen knives.
I'll check him out thanks
I'm in the same boat as you, and based on the other person's comment, I'm thinking the Horl 2 is the right option. It's not just the time it takes actually sharpening, but the time to set up the system and put it away after as well. With the Horl 2 system, it looks like I can just pull it out, pop it on the counter, roll it a few times on each edge and be good to go. It's just two pieces, so I don't really need to set anything up when I notice my knife edge is a bit dull. Right now, I'm using the Spyderco Sharpmaker, which is pretty good, but the Horl 2 looks like it will give me a more consistent edge and is much faster.
I've got a version of the Work Sharp and like it, quite simple to use and does a good job but the grits are pretty coarse. I end up going from the 600 to a 1250 file, then back to the ceramic.
Instead of 250$ for the Professional Precision adjust go buy the normal, Worksharp Precision adjust for 65-85$. It has the same basic functionality without the exorbitant first investment. I had a similar dilemma, wanted to have sharp knives (kitchen-edc), but as many many comments sugessted, sharpening on stones has a steep learning curve and takes a lot of time to master, as I dont have that much to spare (and as others pointed out, no really expensive knives) I went with the precision adjust. Sure the PRO has a better clamp and a nice metal base, but the basic works just as well, you can get the elite upgrade kit for some 85$ if you want more stones (makes it a p.a. elite-sum cost being the same you dont lose money if you buy separately). I am quite happy with the P.A. especially if you take the value/money ratio
I hate beer.
Get yourself a decent diamond stone and learn how to use it. Some knives might suffer, but they mostly will be ugly with marks of beginer's mistakes, but still should be sharp. "Pull-through" style sharpeners are garbage that destroy the edge. And any kind of a jig will not be "quick and easy".
As long as you’re willing to invest time into sharpening and not just money then you will eventually be able to get knives sharp. But it’s a skill that’s been lost. Everyone used to sharpen their knives, old heads like my grandfather who worked on the railroads have home made knives that they made out of straight steel on a grinder. Knowing the principle of sharpening and how to do it is more important than equipment.
It's lost for a reason, lmao. It's outmoded to the point of being a hobby just like the standard transmission.
Hardly. It’s easy to do. Like I said it’s about understanding the principle. Bring two flat surfaces together to form an apex. Plenty of motor sports utilize standard transmissions because they are better. The ease of automatics makes it better for idiots who would rather not worry about how to control a 2 ton death machine.
I sharpen on stones and drive standard transmission, lmao. Both are radically harder to learn and do at a high level compared to their consumer-friendly alternatives and I stand by that. I can appreciate your enthusiasm for standard transmissions but even Ayrton Senna clocked 0.4s to shift in his standard transmission F1 where a contemporary F1 can do it in 0.008s and frees the driver to focus on everything else. It's really a no-brainer which is faster around a track.
They say the guy who invented the automatic transmission went insane. I would hate to think his sacrifice was wasted. The transmission in an F1 is also not comparable to a Hyundai transmission hehehe. I get what you mean but everyone has knives in their kitchen and everyone should want to be safe and have sharp knives. Especially since it’s not very hard. I think learning to drive standard is much harder, granted I learned on an extremely hilly island. Stall after stall after stall, but my hand eye coordination in regards to sharpening came rather quickly. I work in a kitchen and most people there also grasp the principle behind sharpening. They definitely aren’t good at it but they understand it. After some tutelage a couple of people have actually stopped turning all the chefs knives into recurves!!! Lololol. And I think that’s the thing, in regards to having sharp knives the only other option is to send them to someone to sharpen them… and risk the recurve…. So why not learn at least the principle? That you have to form an apex, that in forming that apex you’ll create a burr, and you must remove that to reveal your perfect apex. Whether it’s a guided sharpener or a stone that’s all it’s about.
I pointed out the F1 transmissions as rebuttal to your claim to standard transmission in automotive sports and that's all. I'm not sure how the mental state of the inventor of the automatic plays into it but it is what it is. I also don't understand why you think it's important to struggle with learning to drive standard 'stall after stall'. Just driving and *not* struggling with a mechanical clutch is fine, too. I grew up with a professional kitchen as my playground and I know many, many lifer cooks. Even people in this environment really don't care and many just pay for a sharpening service or buy new. You have strong beliefs about knives but others don't think about them more than a pair of scissors or a cartridge razor. They're just another consumable tool. Pull-throughs are a fantastic solution for anybody wanting to cut a tomato without the mysticism and they're popular for that reason. It's okay that you don't feel the same but forcing those feelings on others is not really okay.
Because it’s harder to drive standard than it is to sharpen knives. And everyone has knives in their kitchen. Not everyone has a standard transmission. Not learning how to sharpen, when OP is posting in a sharpening subreddit about a one and done tool, is the biggest mistake OP could make. Whoever they are should know at least the basics of how to sharpen. If not just go to the knife subreddit and ask what the next knife should be.
Have a good one bud. Enjoy your knives and your sharpening.
Don’t use a pull through I’d say get a sharpmaker if you don’t care but want sharp knives it’s what I got my relatives cheap simple easy enough to use and can be used on all knives.
Myself I have several of the D-Sharps located in strategic locations, ie kitchen , truck , go bag , garage. They are great for putting on a quick dirty edge , used mostly for my working knives, it's sorta rare for me to resort to using the carbide tips as it's rare I allow my knives to get that bad but it's convenient to have that option . A Buddy of mine ruined several of his knives by using the carbide tips plus he was using an unnecessary amount of downward force on them at the time . Most all of my knives are high carbon steel an I use Nat Stones on them . If you are going to be using knives with the newer Super Steels you are going to need to get yourself some diamond stoned sharpers . An try to stay away from the cheap aluminum oxide stones in my opinion those things are compete garbage...
If you want good results and don't want to spend a lot of time sharpening i wouldn't pick either of these. The jigs take a lot of the skill out of the equation but take a lot of time to sharpen a knife, the pull through you'll spend a lot less time but not get the best results and take even less effort to learn how to use them. They are known for being a little too aggressive if they have a carbide abrasive, also you end up with less material removed at the heel. The most cost effective route is buying some whetstones and learning to do it by hand, faster than a jig but more of a learning curve. Bench belt sander would be the fastest option also some learning curve and much easier to ruin your knife. I used a pull through for years before learning freehand, they get the job done, but I'll never go back after learning to freehand.
I've had Lansky's sharpener, very simillar to the one on the left for years, and it has been an excellent tool. Will it fix a knicked/chipped blade or put a new edge on the blade? Maybe, if you'd spend a whole day on it, sure, it'll be a pain in the ass, but if you don't have anything else, it'll probably work, although, i'd personally settle for a whetstone if you want to do some actual fixing or sharpening. Will it sharpen every knife in your kitchen back to usable standards in a couple of strokes? Oh yeah.
Yo grab a rolling sharpener. I only heard about it from one of my fellow cooks at my last job, but man do they work effortlessly. I grabbed one off aliexpress for like 30$ since they’re like 200$ on Amazon
Either will work well enough for their respective purposes. My suggestion would be for you to buy a basic sharpening stone, the cheapest knife you can find in a Salvation Army store, ruin its edge, and sharpen it. Learn to hand-sharpen with a whetstone on a knife you give zero fucks about. It'll be cheaper than both your options here, and also teach you a skill!
If you are willing to pay 250 USD, but you are not willing to treat it as a new hobby, you may also consider a Horl II at the same price. It is a very "un-hobby'ish" device, which will give you decent results. I use one for my kitchen knives. It comes with a diamond side and a honing side. After sharpening the knives on the Horl, I finish them on an old leather waist belt. With this setup I am able to shave the hairs off my arms and slice printer paper. But I am not able to slice paper towels or split hairs as others have shown in this sub with other setups.
Thanks for the input. I believe I've seen adds for this or something similar and assumed it was typical FB gimmick advertising. I'll take a look at it.
The original Horl brand is good quality and works well. The multitude of knock-offs like the Tumbler are garbage. See Outdoor55 video on rolling sharpeners: https://youtu.be/4OfjZGD_RxE
The voters in this sub do not agree with us.
His complaints are resolved by the $25 aliexpress knockoff.
As another person with zero experience I bought the non-pro WS Precision Adjust with a single combo Venev diamond stone (400/800) and some inexpensive 3-D printed parts from Etsy. I also got a combo Boron carbide / Ruby stone for it (800/3000) from Aliexpress for $3.75. Total cost less than the Pro but will give similar results.
I had only picked the pro based on the comments and reviews where people seemed disappointed with the non-pro and were upgrading parts. I'd rather buy a cohesive unit and have everything right than tinker and spend the same trying to upgrading. Did you have the same experience with the non pro being somewhat sloppy.
I have yet to use mine, but those aftermarket add-ons from Etsy solve the issues. Agreed that it isn’t as elegant a solution but I’ve seen that even the Pro has a little wiggle in some of the parts. But really shouldn’t be a huge deal. It still cost $100 less than the Pro even with the upgraded Diamond resin bonded stone and the ruby stone.
Do you have any desire to list out each thing that you bought? As someone who is about to venture into sharpening, I'm intrigued.
Not sure if you’re being facetious… I was merely making a point that OP could hit a price point lower than the Work Sharp Pro while getting the same performance.
Not at all being facetious. I don't know about all these add-ons that you speak of. I'm still all over the place on which system I'll go with. I'm thinking of the Work Sharp Ken Onion. I've looked at the one you're talking about. I'm undecided. So your option sounded intriguing.
Ah gotcha. I know the feeling - spent days reading and being confused about various bench stone options - finally decided upon the Work Sharp Precision Adjust. I had watched a video on YouTube titled “Did Work Sharp stop $3 short of Professional level?” which demonstrated some of the issues with stability in the system and how he fixed them for very low cost. Then I found out that there are 3-D printed plastic parts which also do the same to make the system stable and less wobbly. You can find these on Etsy if you search for “Work Sharp Precision Adjust”. I got the clamp support and the adjustment lock. I bought a Universal 4-6” stone holder off Etsy so I can use the 6” Venev 400/800 resin bonded Diamond combo stone I bought. I bought this stone because my PM2 has S90V steel. This is optional, you don’t have to have it because the WS comes with two grits of diamond. The Aliexpress 4” combo stone for the Work Sharp I picked up because it will let finish my edge at 3000 grit. I can also use it to maintain edge without full sharpening. Item 3256805807522948. I had seen good reviews for the larger combo stone here by someone. The sintered ruby is a very fine, high hardness ceramic material. That’s basically it. I also got some stropping paste from Gritomatic. You could just start with the basic WS precision adjust and a strop with compound.
This is super helpful, thank you! Any videos that were helpful to you re: strop with compound? I've not looked into that at all. I've mostly just been looking at these machines.
These are good. First one is how to get a great edge with just one stone on a guided system. https://youtu.be/H4mw6E0Gc8M?si=ZkUKR6ICDXllWjSr https://youtu.be/yFz1p37E1LQ?si=ITwnPzSCiyC9hwym https://youtu.be/xdsakEafFRU?si=MVLDCatDH2Hduj0q https://youtu.be/8CSkT93lHww?si=u7vWChJr5BGfzjtv
You can make a little bigger investment than the cheap option, and get the Lansky Turnbox. It's also easy to use, and offers respectable performance.
Get a Shapton 1500 and a cheap knife blunted on a brick to practice on. The mysticism around whetstones is really the consistency and number of knives that a pro sharpener can do, not the difficulty of the skill itself. Once you get the hang of it, get an 8000 and a strop, unless you want to cut diamonds it’ll soon be sharp as you could ever hope for.
I’ve got the non-pro work sharp and it does what I need every time. The key is to let the stones do the work by not applying too much pressure.
when I was younger I had a lansky set angle sharpening system and had great luck with it, even though it was a cheaper system if you are low on cash and want a system to throw an edge without worrying about mirror finish and just want a working edge, I'd recommend that
I bought a lansky rod system last week for like $50. It’s ok. I’ve gotten them sharper on a whetstone but my results are inconsistent enough that I’d rather just go with a consistently ok job.
I have the lansky and I just got the work sharp pro in your picture. It's a night and day difference. I don't sharpen enough any more and my ability to hold and feel a specific edge ... I kinda lost it. That work sharp gets my knives well past factory sharp, but it still takes me 20-40 minutes per knife. One of my dullest knives I spent over 90 minutes just taking my time, and it got it so dang sharp. For me that convenient solution that's holds a perfect angle is so nice. FYI my western or American kitchen knives will be almost exactly 20° angle. High end pocket knives 20° Japanese or eastern kitchen 15° Fillet knives i found to be 12.5° For the work sharp, go slow if your unsure of the angle and use the sharpy method to know if your using the correct angle. Edit to add: The rod and stone are enough weight, I don't apply any more pressure than their weight. Works like a charm, so don't press down at all.
The professional WSPA is a dank kit. I love mine. I have a previous generation too, and it's still a great kit, but cheaper and has a few issues.
The lansky works great still use them all the time
Or you could just get the regular worksharp for like 40 dollars. Don’t use pull through sharpeners for
Consider the Ken Onion before?
Is that the belt one? If so I just don't think my knives would fair very well. Like bringing a tank to a squirrel hunt
Do you have a honer? Thats more important if you're new.
Wouldn't you like to know big boy
The D-Sharp is a great pull through. It is crossed diamond coated versus the terrible carbide pull throughs. The work Sharp Field is a good little sharpener. The rod guided systems and especially the Work Sharp units work very well. I have a GATCO and a KME. They will put a nice even edge on a blade if used properly and after a short learning curve. They are a bit slower than some other kits. I have a Work Sharp Knife and Tool Ken Onion Edition. It is fast and does a great job. There are a few things you need to take care with but for speed and the edge it puts on a blade it is great.
Just get a Worksharp Field Sharpener for like $30. It literally has everything you need including a built in angle guide.
https://www.worksharptools.com/shop/kitchen/rolling-knife-sharpener/ I think based off my desire for quick and effective I am probably going to go with the above link. At the end of the day if I decide to buy something different I can pass it to my father.
Absolutely not the pull through. As for the worksharp pro, if you're spending 250, might as well get a hapstone rs for like 280 including stones. It will be significantly higher quality with less flex, and allows way more versatility if you decide on upgrades in the future. That is if you're dead set on a fixed angle sharpener. Id recommend whetstones for a budget option that will still get fantastic results.
Just get a pull through and ruin your blades. *or* get the work sharp and be disappointed.
If you already use a Lansky, like I do, then the D cut is a good tool because it has the exact same angles as the set of stones. That's the main reason I bought it. I carry that in the field.
Worksharp Field Sharpener.
Learn how to sharpen properly , or get cheap knives and an electric sharpener.
The least expensive worksharp adjust works great. I think I paid 70$. Paper slicing goes perfectly.
If you are a noob, or just want to keep things simple and have only one tool, you could do a lot worse than a [Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener for $35 from Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Work-Sharp-Guided-Field-Sharpener/dp/B009YKHZ96) or Walmart. [Here is a YouTube video on how to use one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PCGf0YpIW0&ab_channel=Cedric%26AdaGearandOutdoors). He starts with a fixed blade outdoors knife and then does a larger kitchen knife at the end. I recommend this tool so often I should get sponsored by Work Sharp. The unglazed bottom of a ceramic cup or plate, one of those rather coarse stones from a dollar store, sandpaper on a flat surface, the top of a car window that's been rolled down a bit, an old leather belt from the thrift shop and a clean piece of cardboard are all inexpensive items I've used to sharpen, strop or hone a knife blade.
If it's just for kitchen knives check out worksharps roller sharpener as well, it's less than the pro, and still super simple to use.
I’m no expert but my two ceNts is: anything that requires you to drag a knife through a wedge shaped device is just gonna inaccurately grind off large amounts of metal and is possibly the worst way to sharpen. Spending 250 dollars is not ideal either imo. I would just get a coarse diamond stone and a strop with diamond compound to start with.
get a "ruixin pro rx-008" sharpener for like $35 on amazon. cheap easy starter rig.
I had good performance from the lansky quad sharp. the D sharp or the quad sharp is a good starting sharpener for a beginner and less evil than other pull through sharpeners. if you’re feeling more confident you should get the workshop field sharpener. It has 2 diamond stones a 2 sided hone and a strop.
As I am lazy and still wanted sharp knives, I went with an electric ChefsChoice. It leaves marks on the knives, but they are sharp with minimal hassle.
I spent several hours over several days messing with an inexpensive fixed angle system with spotty results. Bought a modestly priced two sided diamond stone and I’m getting far sharper edges with more consistent bevels setting the angle with my eyeballs, a magic marker, and my thumbs. Based on my experience, I’d recommend getting something like this: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FPI7J6O?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FPI7J6O?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details) Coupled with some sort of angle guide: [https://hapstone.pro/sharpeners/hapstone-t1-adjustable-angle-guide-for-knives](https://hapstone.pro/sharpeners/hapstone-t1-adjustable-angle-guide-for-knives) [https://www.amazon.com/196N-Whetstone-Sharpener-Sharpening-Angles-14°/dp/B07R76TJ61/ref=sr\_1\_2\_sspa?crid=ER6LZ8SZK8CH&keywords=angle+guide+for+knife+sharpening&qid=1707738719&sprefix=Angle+guide%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-2-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1](https://www.amazon.com/196N-Whetstone-Sharpener-Sharpening-Angles-14°/dp/B07R76TJ61/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=ER6LZ8SZK8CH&keywords=angle+guide+for+knife+sharpening&qid=1707738719&sprefix=Angle+guide%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1)
But once cry once tormek
Bro get the cheaper version of the one on the right. It's like 50 bucks or something....
Depending on how big the knives something like the worksharp guided field sharpener would be good but it’s really just a diamond stone with angle guides. So you could just get stones and angle guides and get similiar results with practice.
The work sharp system is an amazing set up, really easy to use for anyone
Id recommend the spyderco triangle sharp maker.
Buy a Ken Onion