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Andrew Kertesz
02-25-2015, 6:45 PM
What does everybody use to sharpen your kitchen/household knives? I looked at the Worksharp knife sharpener but am unsure if that is really the correct edge for a kitchen knife. Any thoughts?

Chris Parks
02-25-2015, 6:52 PM
I use this one having tries to do it by hand and failed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCPB9kfv7dg

Malcolm Schweizer
02-25-2015, 7:22 PM
I am one of those annoying guys from the neander section who owns tons of sharpening gear and actually enjoys sharpening threads and discussing the virtues of stropping and microbevels and Tormeks and..... I say this because what I am about to say may surprise you. I actually like the Worksharp knife sharpener. I have the attachment for my 2000 and bought my mom the hand-held sharpener. I fully expected to scoff at it and bought it just for fun, but actually it is great, especially for hard to sharpen stainless knives.

That said, I still use waterstones for my good knives. You didn't think I would just use a powered sharpener did you? :-) I am a sharpening geek. I enjoy hand sharpening down to 0.25 microns and slicing onions so thin you can't find them. If this is you, then get a set of Naniwa or Shaptons, but if you want a decent edge with not much fuss, get the Worksharp knife sharpener. It won't get you splitting atoms, but it will have you slicing lemons and filleting fish with ease. You could also get it and a good finishing stone like a 6k to 8k waterstone if you want to finesse the edge.

Please don't tell the neander guys I said this or I will lose my club membership.

Larry Edgerton
02-25-2015, 7:27 PM
I do mine on my Makita flat wheel I have Henckels and a couple of Japanese hand forged. I do the final on a 10,000 hand stone.

Make sure you warn company. I have had an issue with that.

Keith Outten
02-25-2015, 7:37 PM
I use a set of Lansky sharpening stones (http://tacticalgear.com/lansky-5-stone-professional-system-black?gclid=CjwKEAiAgranBRDitfSQk_P7vnMSJAAhx5G56c WoGtKD3NNAzoHb_UFHsbhDP0VAYHLcWJdWxLg0qhoCQSLw_wcB #/22347/13515/1) to sharpen knives which probably makes me an antique this day and time. I bought the 5 stone Lanky sharpening set in 1984 while I was working in upstate NY, it was recommended to me by a machinist that I was working with at the time. The Landsky system is a Sharpening for Dummies approach to keeping your knives sharp enough to shave with and it requires absolutely no expertise :)
.

Jim Matthews
02-26-2015, 7:31 AM
Like Keith, I use something simple to lap by hand.
I use the flat EZE-lap diamond plates on a plastic wand.
A few passes with the fine hone is generally enough.

http://eze-lap.com/hunting_fishing_outdoor_use/hone-stone/

John Whiteoak
02-26-2015, 8:07 AM
I use a Tormek 1000 grit 250mm stone then onto 6000 grit wet stone then to a leather wheel with polishing paste, this process will sharpen your knives like nothing else. **Note** you must use the correct bevel angle on the 1000 grit stone and the 6000 grit Japanese wet stone, this takes practice and skill.
I use this one having tries to do it by hand and failed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCPB9kfv7dg

Lee Schierer
02-26-2015, 8:38 AM
I use a fine grit ceramic whet stone by Spyderco. It is quick and easy.

Robert Delhommer Sr
02-26-2015, 9:02 AM
I have a set of 3 large oil stones (butcher shop style with oil bath) that rotate to change stones but have not used it in years, then I got the Lansky diamond system and thought that was the cats meow, currently I use the Warthog diamond system and love it. I keep the Warthog on my desk and ocassionaly while reading forums I pull out my pocket knife and run it through the Warthog a few times for a touchup. I am very anal about a sharp knife and let no one use my knife, I might cut it for you but you will not use my knife. Call me anal, my wife does.

michael langman
02-26-2015, 9:25 AM
I use a medium Arkansas stone 2'x6' that I've had for 38 years, and finish with a small hard white Arkansas stone. I do all my kitchen knives about once a year. I put a 30-35 degree included angle on all my knives by hand and they hold up for a very long time.

roger wiegand
02-26-2015, 9:52 AM
I use one of those small diamond paddles like this http://www.amazon.com/DMT-FWEEE-Double-Diafold-Sharpener/dp/B001EIE01W/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KGYVPBT5GBWWH00W8KS and sharpen pretty much every week or two--basically every time I'm going to do any serious cutting I give the knife a quick touch. It just lives in the knife drawer. For more serious work they go out to the motorized wet wheel in the shop.

For me, sharpening your knives once a year, which many good cooks I know do, would be like sharpening your plane blade or bowl gouge once a year (whether it needs it or not).

Rod Sheridan
02-26-2015, 10:55 AM
I use one of these, I have the 1000 grit belt and the leather belt.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=44884&cat=1,43072

Regards, Rod.

Grant Wilkinson
02-26-2015, 11:10 AM
I use the same one as Rod. I go coarser with the belt to get some tooth on my knives, but the idea is the same. Each knife take seconds.

Kent A Bathurst
02-26-2015, 11:27 AM
Chef's Choice.

Izzy Camire
02-26-2015, 3:19 PM
I also use the Lansky. Bought it 1989 and been using it since. Works great. Nice and quiet like using handtools.

Sam Murdoch
02-26-2015, 4:16 PM
I highly recommend the Spyderco TriAngle Sharpmaker https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

It is not a "system" as much as a free hand approach but it works very nicely with such a small learning curve.

Nearly every knife that already has a decent edge can be sharpened to a very keen edge with the basic set up
of the two ceramic rod sets - a medium grit brown and a fine grit white. For knife edges that need some repair
or for those you might want to establish a new bevel you would also want to get a set of diamond rods to augment the
basic set up. Our knives and scissors are very sharp at all times using the Spyderco. It sits on my bench, takes up little room,
virtually no set up and few minutes to bring a good edge to very sharp. I don't carry a dull knife and I always carry a knife.

Christian Castillo
02-26-2015, 4:28 PM
Fastest way I've found is a belt grinder.

Mike Cutler
02-26-2015, 4:52 PM
For western knives, Henckels and Cutco's, I use a combination of waterstones, polishing disc, and believe it or not, a standard steel.
For the Shun's I have acquired I haven't done anything yet. The geometry is a little different and I haven't figured out if it's all hype or not.

Now if someone cold tell me how to sharpen a hoof knife correctly, that would be a help. ;)

Jim Matthews
02-26-2015, 5:53 PM
http://www.naturalhoof.co.nz/sharpen.html

I'm not sure what good it will do you in your kitchen.

Greg Portland
02-26-2015, 8:36 PM
I highly recommend the Spyderco TriAngle Sharpmaker https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77

+1. This also works on serrated blades.

Sam Murdoch
02-26-2015, 9:05 PM
+1. This also works on serrated blades.


Oh yeah - I forgot to mention that - it is excellent on serrated knives.

Mike Cutler
02-27-2015, 10:28 AM
http://www.naturalhoof.co.nz/sharpen.html

I'm not sure what good it will do you in your kitchen.

Jim

My wife has a horse and she does light trimming on his frogs and soles. I've been sharpening the hoof knife for her, but doing the hook is a pain, and I thought there must be an easier way.
According to the link you provided, it looks like there isn't.
Thank you of the link.

Myk Rian
02-27-2015, 11:43 AM
I use a 12" ceramic thermocouple protection tube.

John Holton
03-01-2015, 5:14 PM
I've had an edgepro apex (http://www.edgeproinc.com/Apex-Model-Edge-Pro-System-c3/) for 10 years and I don't think you can find a better knife sharpening system outside of waterstones.

Dick Strauss
03-04-2015, 7:19 PM
The video for the Work Sharp Ken Onion Knife Sharpener shows it flexing the belt to sharpen a hook knife of sorts in the video just before the 4:00 mark... http://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/pt81112/ Maybe this will help someone..

Jebediah Eckert
03-04-2015, 7:31 PM
I also use the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I tried a bunch and this works best for me. One comment is that it is more of a "sharp maintainer" then a "sharpmaker". However, once you get it to the angle the system wants, which is not hard, it is a breeze to keep them sharp. It is small, clean, easy to use, and only costs like $70 or so. As I found out, just because I can get my chisels and plane irons hair popping sharp, doesn't mean I can do my kitchen knives. This system made it doable at an affordable price. I have enough $ in sharpening equipment for irons and chisels then I care to admit. I did not want to get crazy for kitchen knives. Way less important to be hair popping sharp, workable sharp is plenty.

Dennis Peacock
03-04-2015, 7:37 PM
Spyderco TriAngle Sharpmaker

Yup, that's what I use as well. I've had mine since 1985.

Jebediah Eckert
03-04-2015, 7:45 PM
Yup, that's what I use as well. I've had mine since 1985.

Wow! I thought they were "fairly" newer. Never would have guessed.

Dick Strauss
03-04-2015, 8:02 PM
Watch the Spyderco demo video...you'll see how old the video is...!