Sharpening stones

Atlasarmory · Feb 2, 2020

Anyone have a recommendation on a place i can go and look at sharpening stones in person ? I had a really good stone that was my fathers and I dropped the dam thing and snapped it in 2. Since then I've probably purchased a dozen different sharpeners/stones both online and at flea markets and i hate them all. The good stone i had was real smooth on one side but it cut fast. Any stone I've found since that has been as smooth the blade just skates across. its was a dark brown double sided stone. I don't think it was an Arkansas stone as I think they are only single sided.

rbird7282 · Feb 2, 2020

Only place I can think of is something like The Woodworker’s Club (Woodcraft store) in Rockville.
They have both Arkansas stones and Japanese water stones. Personally I prefer Japanese water stones

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

noahhh · Feb 2, 2020

I'm devoted to diamond stones. Haven't looked back since I got a few from coarse to extra fine 25 years- and still working with the same ones.

solarpower44 · Feb 2, 2020

This is what I use and it’s great
https://www.chefsfirst.com/ProductD...MI9OvVxZu05wIVRR6tBh3TOgffEAQYAyABEgImgvD_BwE

Boats · Feb 2, 2020

I use a wicked edge and I love it.

bigjohn · Feb 2, 2020

Willey’s knives in Greenwood Delaware

alucard0822 · Feb 3, 2020

Probably an old ALOX oil stone, they smooth out with use. Pretty much the standard synthetic stone https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Traditional-Oil-Stone-Kit-P323.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiApt_xBRDxARIsAAMUMu9Ojj-MeA1PggDXHAoo85dSPNhSDzGzAOHZjuOh5rUBs3XuyTsxBdcaAuoPEALw_wcB

Personally I like Silicon Carbide, way cheaper than diamond, cuts almost as fast, leaves a better finish. I use an edge pro with Congress tools stones. Natural stones or ALOX just take forever on really wear resistant steel like S90V. If I have to reproduce or repair damage then a coarse diamond is the only way to fly, but usually just work through SiC stones to sharpen and finish on a belt sander with CrOx loaded leather and buff with clean leather.

Atlasarmory · Feb 3, 2020

Thank you gentleman. Lot of good info here. I guess since my old stone was an oil stone everything else just doesn't feel right. I think i'm going to try one of the double sided India stones next.

GuitarmanNick · Feb 3, 2020

I have an old 4" Hard Arkansas stone that is unmounted with all sides usable. Great for small projects and putting an edge on most of my knives. Picked it up in a small gun shop when I lived in Pa. in the late 70's.

Might find what you are looking for here: https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Arkansas-Stones-C96.aspx

Winged Pig · Feb 3, 2020

Boats said:
I use a wicked edge and I love it.

I waited and saved a long time, but recently pulled the trigger on a wicked edge system. Sorry I waited so long as this thing is incredible. I have tried every other contraption and stone over the years and could not master any of them. Only a few hours after unpacking this and working on some lesser knives, I took on S110V and in less than thirty minutes it is sharp as anything I have ever seen and the edge gleams like a mirror.

I understand that the company doesn't have a huge margin on it's sales, but damn this thing is expensive. Very well made, but you pay for it. For someone like me who is simply inept (and too old to invest the time needed to master stones or a belt) with manual sharpening, this is the real deal.

My wife asked me "what did you do to my knives"? She was not expecting her kitchen knives to be this sharp. Shortly after that she was all on board though.

This thing really is that good, and repeatable.

Sorry for my exuberance, but I can see my smile in the bevel!

babalou · Feb 4, 2020

What model of Wicked Edge? Never heard of it but looks really cool

sgt23preston · Feb 4, 2020

Here is what I use & it is perfect...

$27.99 from Amazon...

IF you want sharp knives this is the one...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WF88R6/ref=dp_cerb_1

smdub · Feb 4, 2020

The wicked edge is just a pedestal mount Lansky at 10x the markup. Yes it is a small improvement to the original Lansky system but $500 for about $50 of parts is just obscene.

justiw · Feb 4, 2020

I use the King KDS 1000/6000 combo stone. Make sure it is the KDS as there is another version without that label that is softer. I like the 1000 side better than the 6000 side. Current price looks unbeatable.

https://www.amazon.com/KDS-Combination-Whetstone-Sharpening-Harder/dp/B01BB1ZDVW

Winged Pig · Feb 4, 2020

smdub said:
The wicked edge is just a pedestal mount Lansky at 10x the markup. Yes it is a small improvement to the original Lansky system but $500 for about $50 of parts is just obscene.

Well, it's a bit more than just a pedestal. You can buy a pedestal mount for the Lansky system and it still will not come close to the precision of the Wicked Edge.

Pricy? Absolutely. Worth the money? Well, that's up to you. Lansky is composed of a bent metal bracket and some thin bars that have a fair amount of play with regards to the angle. All the components in the Wicked Edge are precision machined. Hence the small margin of profit for the Wicked Edge company.

As far as setting a precise angle and having it be repeatable, no question the WE is a huge step up. The ability to go way past the limited abrasive selection in the Lansky system alone puts in another class. Is that absolutely necessary? Nope. For that matter you can probably keep an edge on a blade with one of those hand held pull through plastic sharpeners. I've done that and it worked, I just had to use it constantly.

Having used the Lansky system for around thirty years I can comfortably say there is nothing wrong with it at all. It works fine. But it is not in the same league as the Wicked Edge.

I gave my Lansky system away as I no longer have any use for it, and the person I gave it to is using it well with much better results then he was getting with a pull through sharpener. It served me well for a long time but it can't hold a candle to the WE. The person I gave it to asked me to teach him how to sharpen a knife, and I had to be honest with him that my skills were quite lacking without a proper tool, so I gave him a tool.

Is the WE for everyone? No it is not. It took me close to two years to actually pull the trigger after I decided I wanted to go that route. That was just the saving and agonizing over the cost and trying to justify spending that much money. Even after I ordered it I had some buyers remorse, but that quickly went away after it arrived.

Good luck and have fun with your sharpening.

Winged Pig · Feb 4, 2020

babalou said:
What model of Wicked Edge? Never heard of it but looks really cool

Any one of them will work fine. You can always add to the system later as every piece is available individually.

smdub · Feb 4, 2020

Winged Pig said:
All the components in the Wicked Edge are precision machined. Hence the small margin of profit for the Wicked Edge company.

Ok, you've mentioned the "small profit margin" twice now. How do you know this? I'm in manufacturing. IME, the BOM is <$50. Maybe they are made one at a time in someones basement?

alucard0822 · Feb 4, 2020

Winged Pig said:
Well, it's a bit more than just a pedestal. You can buy a pedestal mount for the Lansky system and it still will not come close to the precision of the Wicked Edge.

Pricy? Absolutely. Worth the money? Well, that's up to you. Lansky is composed of a bent metal bracket and some thin bars that have a fair amount of play with regards to the angle. All the components in the Wicked Edge are precision machined. Hence the small margin of profit for the Wicked Edge company.

As far as setting a precise angle and having it be repeatable, no question the WE is a huge step up. The ability to go way past the limited abrasive selection in the Lansky system alone puts in another class. Is that absolutely necessary? Nope. For that matter you can probably keep an edge on a blade with one of those hand held pull through plastic sharpeners. I've done that and it worked, I just had to use it constantly.

Having used the Lansky system for around thirty years I can comfortably say there is nothing wrong with it at all. It works fine. But it is not in the same league as the Wicked Edge.

I gave my Lansky system away as I no longer have any use for it, and the person I gave it to is using it well with much better results then he was getting with a pull through sharpener. It served me well for a long time but it can't hold a candle to the WE. The person I gave it to asked me to teach him how to sharpen a knife, and I had to be honest with him that my skills were quite lacking without a proper tool, so I gave him a tool.

Is the WE for everyone? No it is not. It took me close to two years to actually pull the trigger after I decided I wanted to go that route. That was just the saving and agonizing over the cost and trying to justify spending that much money. Even after I ordered it I had some buyers remorse, but that quickly went away after it arrived.

Good luck and have fun with your sharpening.

Main issue I had with Lansky was the lack of precision, the bent rods aren't at a consistent angle, and flex with any pressure, so you end up having to grind more steel to match the angle, and the clamp isn't all that repeatable either, lets the blade move a little, and doesn't center it. You end up with a sharp blade, but you basically have to grind about twice the steel as a decent jig system, and it takes more than twice the time being the stones are really small. I went the Edge pro route instead of the WE, I use cheap congress tool stones, and it was less money up front, although not as fast or precise as the WE, it's sufficient for me. In many cases I can take a lightly dulled/damaged supersteel blade, match the previous angle within a couple swipes, and once the angle is matched, it only takes a few swipes to hit the entire edge bevel, leaving a perfect little burr along the entire edge. I do use a 1x30 belt sander with a leather belt, it's really fast, and doesn't really take metal off, just buffs the edge and strops it in a couple seconds. I can strop an edge that is just a little dull, and it comes back a few times before I have to take metal off with a stone. With good knives, the ability to sharpen fast and precise while removing as little metal as possible is basically what separates less expensive sharpeners like the Lansky and sharpmaker vs the expensive sharpeners.

OMCHamlin · Feb 4, 2020

I learned on the big, oil bath equipped Norton Tri-Stone, I think the stones are like 11" long, great for large blades. Having it at the right working height is a big item too. I generally finish on one of several sets of Crock sticks and/or a strop for certain blades. I have picked up a few diamond hones as well, they are great fro establishing an initial edge on a badly abused edge.
I also have a narrow, vertical strip sander, and that Ken Onion Work Sharp system, and it does well on the wife's kitchen knives. She abuses them, and I have to warn her when I have just sharpened them. I have a Lansky, but I can't recall the last time I used it.
Spyderco Tri-Angle Sharpmaker for serrated edges as well. I guess what I am trying to say is it never hurts to have options available. I usually find decent stones at flea markets or yard sales, provided they haven't been wallowed out or embedded with crud.

Vic · Feb 4, 2020

I use the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It comes with a medium and fine stone and I ordered a coarse diamond stone for it too. If you can hold a knife blade vertical and slide it down the stones while holding it vertical you can sharpen a knife. Here it is on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Tri-Angle-Sharpmaker-Sharpener-204MF/dp/B000Q9C4AE

It is the best system I have used and once you get them sharp, it takes about 5 minutes to keep them sharp. I have spent some time on a knife and it will make them stupid sharp like a razor. This is without stropping.
V

Sharpening stones

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Active Member

Broken Member

Ultimate Member

For great Justice

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

USMC LLA. NRA Life Member

Ultimate Member

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Ultimate Member

For great Justice

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics