I've been looking for a sharpening tool/system to go with the SRM knives I've been buying recently. The Spyderco Sharpmaker seems to be well liked by some, and is available here in Canada for about fifty dollars, but that still seems a little pricey to me.
Then this afternoon when I was going through an old tool box, I found a Gatco sharpening system that I bought many years ago. Right there with it was an old Buck style lock-back that sorely needed sharpening. Now I don't recall being very pleased with the Gatco when I first got it because it is not intended to be used on a table, which is how I wanted to use it at that time. But this time around I approached the Gatco with a more open mind. I took a minute to read the instructions attached to the inside of the case and then set about using the Gatco on my old, much abused, and very dull buck knife.
Following the instructions, I applied a little mineral oil to the coarse stone, laid a few strokes on one side and then the same number on the other. Same thing with the medium and fine stones, using two fewer strokes when switching to the next stone. I didn't test the edge until I was finished with the third and finest stone, mostly because I was not expecting good results and didn't want to know for sure until I was done.
After removing the knife from the holder and wiping it off I tried shaving some hair and was rewarded with a bare patch on my arm. I then tried push cutting some paper and five quick strokes saw five strips of paper falling to the floor. To say that I was surprised and pleased by this is an understatement. Then I placed the knife edge on the surface of a fingernail in an attempt to determine which side the bead was on. Placed at the appropriate angle, the edge will usually catch the nail on one side but slide smoothly on the other side. When I did it this time the blade shaved the surface of my fingernail - both ways!
Now I think some portion of these results are due to a good bit of luck, and this is only one knife. I will need to use the Gatco several more times and on different knives before I'm ready to say I don't need anything else. But I have never been very good at sharpening knives and I've never gotten results like this so quickly and easily before. That I can do it at all, even once, says a lot for this Gatco.
Here's a link to the simple three stone system I have for anyone curious about Gatco. I bought mine about 10 years ago. I see that they have many more options now.
What methods/tools/systems can others recommend for sharpening? I'm flushed with success and eager to learn more!
Right now, I have one of those fancy spyderco sharpeners that was gifted to me but I haven't used it yet. Back in Alaska I had several different kinds of sharpeners (1 like yours, different stones, etc.) but the one I always fall back on is my 20 yr. old Eze-lap diamond sharpener.
It went with me on my hundreds of fishing and hunting trips and it still does a good job today as it did 20 yrs. ago. I like it because it's built like a tank, it's portable, very, very easy and quick to use and it will last forever.
Ive never been really into knives even though I always carry one when out of the house. My interest has picked up a bit because of the knife talk on here. I have a few coming in the mail so I have been looking at sharpening systems on youtube and like the looks of the Lansky system. Does anyone use that system and have any thoughts to share on it?
I had one of those in Alaska and it did a great job but for me but it was just a little bit too much work. When I was out hunting or fishing, I just didn't have the time to stop and set it up. My ez-lap sharpened everything from my filet knives to my hunting knives. Quick and easy is what I like.
That Eze Lap looks similar to the sharpening 'steels' that chefs commonly use. How long does it take to learn how to use one of those to get good results? It would appear to require more skill than one of the guided systems such as Gatco or Lansky.
@ Langcjl The Lansky appears to be almost identical to the Gatco in design. The only significant difference being that the Gatco allows sharpening at any of six angles (11, 15, 19, 22, 25, 29) while the Lansky offers four angles (17, 20, 25, 30). Both offer a varying number of stones and type of hones like serrated, diamond etc.
The Lansky crock sharpener is pretty good, and quite easy to use. If you can afford to spend more, the Spyderco is a good step up and able to do serrated blades as well.
It doesn't take long at all to learn and it is just like the ones chef's use but in a compact size. It's very quick and easy to use which is what I like and need but the edge doesn't last as long. That's the price I paid for quick and easy.
I have this one from Cabelas, it works pretty nice. I like my knife blades to be sharp, but not smoothed. I don't strop them; a little bit of micro-serration in the edge seems to work better for me, since I don't use them to cut paper or shave my arm hairs.
Oooooooo that looks nice. I used to be a 22+ yr. member of Cabela's when I lived in Alaska. I spent thousands of dollars on Cabela's hunting and fishing stuff. Now you made me go to their website and sign up for a new catalog.
This is for straight edges. When doing convex edges, I use the sandpaper on a mouse pad technique, followed by a soft leather strop loaded with polishing compound.(Cromium oxide)
I never got the knack to get a razor edge on a blade, and I hate that fact. As long as I'm unable to, I swore myself not to buy serious kitchenknives, and I really want nice blades for my kitchen.
I have used a Lansky Croc stick for years. Had a Lansky system that worked fine (didn't have that many settings) and gifted it to a buddy.
Now I have a DMT Aligner set up that works fine for the $$. Croc stick is still great and portable for general use/touch up. Mainly use the DMT on real nice knives and when I want to fix the bevel.
I use a Crock Stick as well with good results; I'm able to keep my knives extremely sharp using this. I've used the Lansky kit in the past but was never impressed. It's too much work and mess to get everything setup and oiled, the knife sharpened, and then cleaned and put away again.
I use an AccuSharp Knife Sharpener. I like it because it's cheap, easy, and really fast (but nowhere near perfect.) jekostas stated, "I would not suggest using a carbide sharpener like that one, as carbide sharpeners can very easily ruin blade edges." Here's an online guide to knife sharpeners.
Someone above mentioned that he thought micro-serrations could be helpful and that got me wondering about what the edge I put on my old buck knife really looked like - up close and personal. So I dug out a magnifying glass, but it didn't help much. A loupe might be handy here, but I don't have one of those. So I went hunting for my camera.
Here are two images that have been cropped and resized, and two more that show an unresized small section of the first two. I've deliberately not set the 100% option when inserting the link to the photos.
One pair of images is of a factory sharpened and unused knife, the other pair is my abused and recently sharpened buck copy. I leave it to you to quess which is which -- it should'nt be hard.
Photon, what did you use to sharpen the blade with? I'm by no means an expert, but it looks like you have two different angles working on the blade, instead of one consistent angle.
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